ograph ies ▁of ▁such ▁notable ▁figures ▁as ▁Har ri et ▁T ub man , ▁Cris pus ▁Att uck s , ▁Benjamin ▁Ban ne ker , ▁Matthew ▁H enson , ▁Alexandre ▁Dum as , ▁ ▁Frederick ▁Doug lass , ▁Robert ▁Sm alls , ▁Joseph ▁Cin qué , ▁Th ur good ▁Marshall , ▁Martin ▁Luther ▁King ▁Jr ., ▁Alexander ▁P ush kin , ▁Lewis ▁Howard ▁Lat imer , ▁and ▁Gran ville ▁Wood s . ▁Golden ▁Leg acy ▁was ▁the ▁brain child ▁of ▁African ▁American ▁account ant ▁Ber tr am ▁Fitz ger ald , ▁who ▁also ▁wrote ▁seven ▁of ▁the ▁volumes . ▁Many ▁of ▁the ▁other ▁contrib utors ▁to ▁the ▁Golden ▁Leg acy ▁series ▁were ▁also ▁black , ▁including ▁Joan ▁Bac chus ▁and ▁ ▁Tom ▁Fe el ings . ▁Other ▁notable ▁contrib utors ▁included ▁Don ▁Per lin ▁and ▁Tony ▁T all ar ico . ▁ ▁Har vey ▁P ek ar ' s ▁originally ▁self - pub lished ▁com ic ▁book ▁series ▁American ▁S pl endor ▁( pub lished ▁from ▁ 1 9 7 6 ▁to ▁ 2 0 0 8 ) ▁" help ed ▁change ▁the ▁appreci ation ▁for , ▁and ▁per ception s ▁of , ▁the ▁graph ic ▁novel , ▁the ▁drawn ▁mem oir , ▁[ and ] ▁the ▁aut obi ographical ▁com ic ▁narr ative ." ▁He ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁author ▁to ▁public ly ▁dist ribute ▁" mem oir ▁com ic ▁books ." ▁ ▁Larry ▁Gon ick ▁( The ▁Cart oon ▁History ▁of ▁the ▁Un iverse ) ▁produced ▁graph ic ▁non - f iction