Wilbert’s ancestors were slaves and sharecroppers in the South. His parents were police officers in Cleveland, Ohio. In his debut memoir, The Black Shield, Wilbert unravels this paradoxical past. Through investigative journalism, historical research, and the collection of countless family stories, he searches for a way forward in America that isn’t defined by exploitation or domination.
The Black Shield will be published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in August 2026.
