BLACK: The Bear on Our Backs combines political suspense, speculative fiction and a bold vision for Black economic empowerment
Award-recognized author J. A. Faulkerson has released BLACK: The Bear on Our Backs, the first installment in an ambitious new thriller series examining America through the intersecting forces of race, identity, political power and economic ownership.
The novel opens with a provocative question: What if the American Civil War never truly ended, but instead continued across different political, social and economic fronts?
Faulkerson explores that possibility through a fast-moving story that combines political suspense, speculative fiction, social commentary and visionary entrepreneurship. While the novel confronts the country’s history of racial conflict, it also challenges readers to consider how Black communities can use collective resources, innovation and ownership to build a different future.
At the center of the story is Jason Black, an elite American sprinter preparing to compete for Olympic gold in the 100-meter dash at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. His pursuit of athletic greatness is suddenly derailed after a late-night confrontation forces him to defend himself against an armed white security guard.
The encounter quickly becomes a national flashpoint, placing Jason at the center of a deeply divided public debate about race, justice and self-defense.
While awaiting trial at the Black-owned Sojourner Vista Resort and Conference Center, Jason begins to view his circumstances through a wider lens. Instead of allowing his case to become another chapter in America’s recurring cycle of racial conflict, he develops a vision for a movement capable of transforming Black economic participation.
His idea centers on mobilizing the influence, resources and expertise of Black athletes, entrepreneurs, innovators and intellectuals. Together, they could begin reconstructing Black labor for the jobs, businesses and industries of tomorrow.
That vision turns the novel into more than a courtroom drama or conventional political thriller. It becomes an examination of how moments of crisis can produce new models of leadership, cooperation and economic empowerment.
A Dangerous Political Opposition
Standing against Jason is Malcolm Stillwell, a powerful 76-year-old Manhattan businessman with presidential ambitions and a hidden agenda.
Stillwell recognizes the political opportunity created by the outrage surrounding Jason’s case and moves to manipulate the controversy for his own benefit. As the story unfolds, readers discover the existence of a shadowy organization working to infiltrate American institutions and revive the principles of the Confederate South from inside the nation’s political system.
The conflict between Jason and Stillwell represents two competing visions of America.
One depends on division, institutional control and the preservation of inherited power. The other looks toward ownership, innovation, community investment and collective advancement.
Through those competing forces, Faulkerson asks readers to examine how history continues to shape modern institutions—and whether traditional approaches to racial justice are sufficient to create lasting change.
“BLACK: The Bear on Our Backs isn’t simply a novel about racial conflict,” Faulkerson said. “It’s about ownership, innovation, and the power of communities to write a new future. The central question isn’t whether history still affects us—it’s whether we have the courage to become authors of the next chapter.”
Storytelling With an Economic Vision
Faulkerson’s decision to place entrepreneurship and economic development at the center of the story distinguishes BLACK: The Bear on Our Backs from many novels addressing race in America.
Jason’s response to injustice is not limited to protest or political debate. He begins imagining an economic infrastructure capable of preparing Black workers and businesses for emerging opportunities.
That approach connects the novel’s historical themes to modern questions surrounding technological change, workforce development and the future of employment. It also examines the influence that prominent Black athletes and business leaders could exercise if their financial resources and public platforms were organized around a shared economic mission.
The result is a story that uses suspense to explore a serious strategic question: How can Black communities move beyond reacting to injustice and begin building institutions that produce greater independence, opportunity and power?
An Author With a Record of Challenging Readers
Faulkerson is known for combining compelling storytelling with social themes that encourage readers to think critically about leadership, justice and community responsibility.
His previous novel, Adinkrahene: Fear of a Black Planet, was named a finalist for the Phillis Wheatley Book Award for First Fiction. His body of work spans fiction, nonfiction, poetry and screenwriting.
Faulkerson’s other books include Real Men Raise CHAMPIONS: Unleashing Your Inner COACH, Young Achiever Playbook: Planning to Achieve, and the poetry collections The Wise Man Say and March of the Compassionate Neighbor.
Across those works, he has consistently explored leadership, entrepreneurship, personal development, social justice and the transformative power of community.
The planned BLACK Novel Series represents the continuation—and expansion—of that mission. The series will combine high-stakes storytelling with ideas concerning economic empowerment, technological innovation and America’s future.
BLACK: The Bear on Our Backs is available for purchase online through Amazon. Retailers may order copies through IngramSpark.
About J. A. Faulkerson
J. A. Faulkerson is a Northern Virginia-based author, poet and screenwriter whose work examines leadership, entrepreneurship, social justice and community transformation. Through fiction, nonfiction and poetry, he challenges conventional narratives while encouraging readers to envision innovative pathways toward a stronger and more inclusive future.
Media contact:
J. A. Faulkerson
Culturally Coded Content
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