Plus get our latest book recommendations, author news, and competitions right to your inbox.
Our Minds Were Always Free
A History of How Black Brilliance Was Exploited—and the Fight to Retake Control
By Lisa E Davis
Table of Contents
About The Book
An exploration of how African American innovators and artists—whose impact and financial value in American music, movies, and TV is disproportionately greater than their numbers—have fought for and often won the rights to own and benefit from their own work.
When we think about the things that have barred success for African Americans, intellectual property law is hardly the first thing that comes to mind, if we even think of it all. We certainly don’t think of it as the launching pad for building generational wealth in the Black community, so it follows that we don’t see our favorite pop stars as revolutionary race warriors.
African American artists have finally, belatedly, come to be the owners of their art and beneficiaries of the money their art makes, after centuries of producing life-changing art. There were hundreds and thousands of Bessie Smiths before we ever got Beyoncé or Kendrick Lamar.
Lisa E. Davis, one of the foremost entertainment attorneys in the country, traces the epic journey Black Americans have been on, from being claimed as property to claiming the benefits of intellectual property. As she notes, “Under slavery, our minds were always free, but there was no profit from what our minds created.”
Beginning in the 18th century with the drafting of the Constitution and ending in the 21st century with a warning about the role technology will play in creative industries, Our Minds Were Always Free tells the story of the indelible legacy of Black American genius and the struggle to receive the credit and the profit that they deserved.
When we think about the things that have barred success for African Americans, intellectual property law is hardly the first thing that comes to mind, if we even think of it all. We certainly don’t think of it as the launching pad for building generational wealth in the Black community, so it follows that we don’t see our favorite pop stars as revolutionary race warriors.
African American artists have finally, belatedly, come to be the owners of their art and beneficiaries of the money their art makes, after centuries of producing life-changing art. There were hundreds and thousands of Bessie Smiths before we ever got Beyoncé or Kendrick Lamar.
Lisa E. Davis, one of the foremost entertainment attorneys in the country, traces the epic journey Black Americans have been on, from being claimed as property to claiming the benefits of intellectual property. As she notes, “Under slavery, our minds were always free, but there was no profit from what our minds created.”
Beginning in the 18th century with the drafting of the Constitution and ending in the 21st century with a warning about the role technology will play in creative industries, Our Minds Were Always Free tells the story of the indelible legacy of Black American genius and the struggle to receive the credit and the profit that they deserved.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster (May 19, 2026)
- Length: 272 pages
- ISBN13: 9781982176013
Browse Related Books
Raves and Reviews
"There’s so much to admire in this perceptive book. Lively and smart, this is a must for music lovers." —Kirkus (starred review)
“Davis paints a cohesive portrait of intellectual property theft as a key component of America’s anti-Black superstructure. Amid the rise of AI and new questions about who controls intellectual property, this is a unique and urgent contribution.” —Publishers Weekly
"Our Minds Were Always Free is a treatise on Black genius, a masterclass in intellectual property, and a history lesson on the intersection of creativity, capitalism and cultural exploitation. This should be required reading for every Black artist and creative.” — Michael Harriot, New York Times bestselling author of Black AF History
"'Don't be telling folks all my business,' is an African American proverb. And I am so glad that Lisa Davis did not listen in this compelling book in which she tells all our business, quite literally. This is the story of how intellectual property law was wielded to steal the fruits of Black creative genius— and how Black artists, inventors, and entrepreneurs fought back— told through the eyes of one of our top Black entertainment attorneys. The story is riveting, and deeply insightful, both for the way it gives us our history anew, and for the lessons it teaches. The wisdom this book promises to impart will help shape the creators we become.”—Brittney Cooper New York Times bestselling author of Eloquent Rage
“Sobering yet ultimately uplifting, this meticulously researched work is a clear-eyed narrative of how the law has dealt with Black brilliance across generations.”—Loretta Lynch, 83rd Attorney General of the United States
"In Our Minds Were Always Free, Lisa brilliantly captures the plunder of black artistic and intellectual virtuosity, and the boundless creative elasticity necessary to perseverance through that shit to still be the shit."—Damon Young, author of What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker
"My Hero Lisa E Davis has spent her career digging into the underbelly of intellectual property and cleaning up the mess. An unheralded force for over a quarter of a century. Her legacy is sealed with Our Minds Were Always Free, cutting through cultural confusion to reveal how so many millions got melted in the heat of the 'so called beat.’"—Chuck D Public Enemy
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
-
Book Cover Image (jpg): Our Minds Were Always Free
eBook 9781982176013
