Which of the following books was edited by gay activists and artists Joseph Beam and Essex Hemphill?

The correct option is Brother to Brother: New Writings by Black Gay Man (1991).

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. Origin of the Project: Joseph Beam was a prominent Black gay activist, editor, and writer. After editing the groundbreaking anthology In the Life: A Black Gay Anthology (1986), he envisioned a follow-up compilation to continue highlighting the voices of Black gay men. He began editing and collecting submissions for what would become Brother to Brother.

2. Completion of the Work: In 1988, Joseph Beam tragically passed away from an AIDS-related illness before completing the manuscript. His mother, Dorothy Beam, wished to see her son's work realized and entrusted the project to Essex Hemphill, a close friend of Joseph Beam and an acclaimed poet, artist, and activist.

3. Publication: Essex Hemphill took over the editing responsibilities, compiled the remaining works, contributed his own poetry and essays, and finalized the anthology. The finished book, Brother to Brother: New Writings by Black Gay Men, was published in 1991 and remains a foundational text in African American and LGBTQ+ literature.

4. Contextualizing the Other Options:
- No Tea, No Shade: New Writings in Black Queer Studies (2016) was edited by E. Patrick Johnson.
- Race Men (2000) is an academic monograph written by Hazel V. Carby.
- Manning the Race: Reforming Black Masculinity in the Jim Crow Era (2004) is a book written by Marlon B. Ross.