At the heart of the book is a collection of original essays contributed by such celebrated figures as Iyanla Vanzant, Aretha Franklin, Cornel West, Susan Taylor, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Dr. Dre, Nikki Giovanni, Al Sharpton, and Shaquille O'Neal. Ranging from one to four pages in length, each of these essays addresses vital issues in the African-American community, from affirmative action to black-on-black crime, political power to economic independence, race relations to family life, and much more.

Finally, at the back of the book Smiley has included a high-powered selection of excerpts and highlights from the national symposium he organized in Los Angeles on the eve of the Democratic National Convention entitled "Advocacy in the Next Millennium: New Paradigms for Progress", featuring such luminaries as Marian Wright Edelman, Johnnetta Cole, Kweisi Mfume, Maxine Waters, and Henry Louis Gates.