Led by Dr. Zinhle ka’Nobuhlaluse, alongside two Southwestern undergraduate students Jayden Dawson and Raven Waugh, this list names the works of Black intellectuals whose contributions have informed both philosophy and wider traditions of inquiry. While not exhaustive, the list is designed as an invitation to engage with a diverse range of thinkers whose ideas continue to shape contemporary discourse. Moreover, we acknowledge that any such project reflects the situated perspective of its producers and may inevitably leave some folks out. The list is part of ongoing work to ensure that such erasures do not persist.

Importantly, the A–Z Philosophy BlackList continues to move beyond the U.S.-centric frame by embracing Blackness as a global and political identity, drawing from the South African Black Consciousness philosophy articulated by Steve Biko in I Write What I Like (2004). By taking this broader perspective, we aim to highlight the transnational nature of Black intellectual traditions.

The continued development of the A–Z Philosophy BlackList has been supported by funding from the Mellon Grant for Publicly Engaged Humanities (PEH). We’d also like to thank Southwestern Philosophy faculty Dr Jorge Lizarzaburu and Dr Michael Bray for their initial input on the 2025 version of the list.