Initially conceived as an exploration of "the plight of the black male in the United States," Black Men Speaking is that and more. It gives expression to a range of issues - cultural, economic, psychological, religious, and personal - as seen by a remarkable group of black men - novelists, a well-known artist, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, a doctor, an editor, an academic, a famous musician, and a group of ordinary citizens from Harlem. Powerful voices give us powerful images and powerful messages.