Jewels: 50 Phenomenal Black Women over 50

Photographer Michael Cunningham (coauthor of Crowns)Ayand author Connie Briscoe, a New York Times bestsellingAynovelist, profile 50 women over the age of 50 who have been remarkably successful--whether in reaching the top of theAycorporate ladder, finding fame in politics or the arts, orAyraising a son to be proud of a single mother--and revealAythe ways that they have prevailed despite daunting obstacles.AyTheir stories are paired with Cunningham's intimateAyportraits of the women.
JEWELS includes well-known and little-known womenAyalike, from teachers and executives to artists, authors, andAyentertainers. Among the celebrities profiled in the book areAyRuby Dee, Eleanor Holmes Norton, S. Epatha Merkerson,Ayand Marion Wright Edelman. Coauthor Connie Briscoe alsoAyappears here as one of the featured Jewels, telling herAyinspiring personal story. World-renowned poet, writer,Aycommentator, activist, and educator Nikki GiovanniAycontributes an original poem to the book.

Michael Cunningham was the photographer for Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats. His work has been featured in the New York Times and Ebony, among other publications. Connie Briscoe is a New York Times bestselling author of five novels: Big Girls Don't Cry, Sisters and Lovers, A Long Way from Home, P.G. County, and Can't Get Enough. Her work generally focuses on the strength of black women.