Here is a list of books that help one understand the Black experience, and are worth becoming familiar with just to be a well-read, and well-rounded person. I have always been a fan of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and even posted an extended quote from the book here. Apart from Where the Red Fern Grows, it is the only other book that made me cry as I read it as an adult. MLK's Letter From a Birmingham Jail is very inspiring, articulate, and helpful in integrating one's philosophy of social justice and actual practice. I highly recommend it as well. Read the article for the basis of each recommendation, but here's the list in summary:
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Up From Slavery
The Content of Our Character
Black Boy
Booker T. Washington: A Re-Examination
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Up From Slavery
The Content of Our Character
Black Boy
Booker T. Washington: A Re-Examination