7 ways to support Black authors (and a long list of books to get you started)

Right now, a lot of people are having a much-needed conversation about racism. We’re having it on social media. We’re having it on our phone calls. And we are forcing people who don’t want to have the conversation to confront it anyway by taking to the streets and not shutting up.

If you’re not sure what you can or should be doing right now, I get it. This shit is overwhelming, especially when you first realize how bad and still-present it is.

But here’s the good news: there are lots of small steps we (especially we white people) can take toward dismantling racism. Even if you don’t feel powerful. You can donate to bail funds. Vote dangerous prosecutors out of office. Educate yourself on real Black history (not written by white people). Shop at Black-owned businesses. Show up for your Black friends. Protest if you’re able. Find ways to lift Black folks (and especially Black women) up. And listen to and support Black communities.

One of the ways we can all do a little more of this is by buying more books by Black authors. Not just right now when it’s front-and-center in the news – but today, tomorrow, next year, the following year. And I don’t just mean non-fiction about racism and white privilege. That’s great too, but there are tons of amazing books that are adventures or romances, thrillers, mysteries, fantasy worlds, and books for kids. There are books that celebrate Black culture and Black joy. And those matter too. Those help decenter whiteness too. Whatever genre you’re craving, whatever kind of art you love, you can seek out Black authors.

In case you aren’t sure how to support Black authors and artists, here are seven ways (most of them free!). They’re all small habits you could build into your life. Put an alert in your calendar to do them once a month, once a week, once a quarter. Build an intentional practice of support.

And after the suggestions below? Stay tuned for a long list of books for you by Black authors across a variety of genres. If you’re looking for your next read – be it fantasy, historical fiction, non-fiction, or a middle grade adventure for your kids – here’s one place you can start. It’s not a comprehensive list, so if I’ve missed your favorite genre, Google “top [genre] books by Black authors” and I guarantee you’ll find something great. And if there’s a Black author you personally love, drop their name in the comments! The more authors and books here, the better.

Okay, now into it.

First, seven ways you can support Black authors:

Buy Black authors’ books (for yourself, for your friends, for random strangers on the street).

When you buy a book (any book) you’re voting with your dollars, telling publishers what you want more of. So if you want more books by Black authors, buy them (especially new releases when publishers are paying the most attention to the numbers).

Not only are you supporting Black authors financially when you buy their books, you’re telling publishing to give them a second book deal and a third and a fourth. You’re also telling publishing to make way for more Black authors.

Same goes for other marginalized identities. Want more books by disabled creators? Buy books by disabled creators (even better, buy books by disabled Black creators like Keah Brown).  Want more books by queer folks? Buy books by queer folks (even better: queer Black folks).

And if you are short on cash right now, don’t worry – there are other important ways you can support Black authors:

Add Black authors’ books on Goodreads.

This costs you approximately 0 dollars and it helps authors immensely.

The more people who mark a book on Goodreads as “want to read,” the more likely it is that that author will show up in search results, make it onto most popular/most anticipated book lists, etc. So every time you add a book to your to-read list on the platform, you are helping that author better market their book. I have a sneaking suspicion this applies to Amazon, too, so even if you don’t plan to buy there, you can go add these books to your wishlist and give them a potential boost in the rankings.

This is especially true for authors who have books coming out this year and next year and are trying to build hype and excitement.

In fact, why don’t you hop on over to Goodreads and add my fantastic friend Jessica’s witchy debut right now? It’ll take you two seconds and could give her more marketing opportunities (and I’m telling you, everyone needs to read this book anyway, so it should be on your list no matter what).

Hello, LOOK at these GORGEOUS covers! You can click on any of the covers in this post to get to Goodreads and add that book to your to-read list.

Request Black authors’ books at your library.

Another figure publishers look for? The hype at libraries. Requesting a book, putting a hold on the book, etc. all matter in the authors’ numbers and the publisher’s assessment of whether they should offer to buy that author’s next book.

Review Black authors’ books.

One of the BIGGEST things you can do to help an author shoot to the top of Amazon, Goodreads, and other platforms is to review their books. Even if you’re giving less than five stars, the more reviews a book has, the more likely it is to show up high on those platforms.

Another good point I saw someone make is this: Lots of racist asshats give Black authors lower rankings. If you want to fight that, bump yours up a star or two. 

Share Black authors’ work.

Share books you’re excited about with your social networks, your friend circles, your book clubs. Word of mouth is powerful.

Click on and add Black authors’ work in order to see more books like those.

Let’s be honest: personalization algorithms on sites like Amazon can be a mess. But here’s one way to game the system: Add a bunch of Black authors’ books to your wishlists and sites like Amazon will start showing you more. Same thing on Netflix and Hulu. If you’re seeing a lot of white dude faces in your recommendations, start clicking on art that features Black actors. The algorithm will start to diversify your feed.

None of this is perfect and it’s shitty that our feeds start out so very white, but if you personally want to find more Black art, this is one way to do it.

Join Black authors’ mailing lists and follow them on social media.

Excited about a book that isn’t out yet or an author who’s new? Join their mailing list and follow them on social media. Those numbers matter to publishers too and may help the person whose work you’re excited about get published.

In fact, y’all can pop on over to Twitter to follow INCREDIBLE mystery writer Zoe Wallbrook and HILARIOUS horror writer Sami Ellis, both of whom I hope have good book news for you soon.

Not sure which books to buy/request/check out? Here are some books I love, some from my to-read list, and some recommended by people I trust across a variety of genres:

Historical fiction and historical fantasy

Iron Cast: It’s 1919. By night, Ada and Corinne use their magic to wow audiences at a Boston nightclub. By day, they use it to con the rich.

American Spy: “It’s 1986, the heart of the Cold War, and Marie Mitchell is an intelligence officer with the FBI. She’s brilliant, but she’s also a young Black woman working in an old boys’ club. Her career has stalled out, she’s overlooked for every high-profile squad, and her days are filled with monotonous paperwork. So when she’s given the opportunity to join a shadowy task force aimed at undermining Thomas Sankara, the charismatic, revolutionary president of Burkina Faso whose Communist ideology has made him a target for American intervention, she says yes…In the year that follows, Marie will observe Thomas, seduce him, and ultimately have a hand in the coup that will bring him down. But doing so will change everything she believes about what it means to be a spy, a lover, a sister, and a good American.”

The Underground Railroad: “Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, the #1 New York Times bestseller from Colson Whitehead, a magnificent tour de force chronicling a young slave’s adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South”

Conjure Women: “Spanning eras and generations, it tells of the lives of three unforgettable women: Miss May Belle, a wise healing woman; her precocious and observant daughter Rue, who is reluctant to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a midwife; and their master’s daughter Varina. The secrets and bonds among these women and their community come to a head at the beginning of a war and at the birth of an accursed child, who sets the townspeople alight with fear and a spreading superstition that threatens their newly won, tenuous freedom.”

Wench: “An ambitious and startling debut novel that follows the lives of four women at a resort popular among slaveholders who bring their enslaved mistresses.”

Mysteries, thrillers, and suspense

Hollywood Homicide: “Dayna Anderson doesn’t set out to solve a murder. All the semi-famous, mega-broke black actress wants is to help her parents keep their house. After witnessing a deadly hit-and-run, she figures pursuing the fifteen-grand reward isn’t the craziest thing a Hollywood actress has done for some cash…”

Blacktop Wasteland: COMING THIS SUMMER! “Beauregard ‘Bug’ Montage: husband, father, honest car mechanic. But he was once known – from North Carolina to the beaches of Florida – as the best getaway driver on the East Coast. Just like his father, who disappeared many years ago. After a series of financial calamities (worsened by the racial prejudices of the small town he lives in) Bug reluctantly takes part in a daring diamond heist to solve his money troubles – and to go straight once and for all. However, when it goes horrifically wrong, he’s sucked into a grimy underworld which threatens everything, and everyone, he holds dear…”

When No One is Watching: “Rear Window meets Get Out in this gripping thriller from a critically acclaimed and New York Times Notable author, in which the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning…”

Catherine House: “Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other. Hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania, this crucible of reformist liberal arts study with its experimental curriculum, wildly selective admissions policy, and formidable endowment, has produced some of the world’s best minds: prize-winning authors, artists, inventors, Supreme Court justices, presidents. For those lucky few selected, tuition, room, and board are free. But acceptance comes with a price. Students are required to give the House three years—summers included—completely removed from the outside world. Family, friends, television, music, even their clothing must be left behind. In return, the school promises its graduates a future of sublime power and prestige, and that they can become anything or anyone they desire…”

My Darkest Prayer: “Whether it’s working at his cousin’s funeral home or tossing around the local riff raff at his favorite bar, Nathan Waymaker is a man who knows how to handle the bodies. A former Marine and Sheriff’s deputy, Nathan has built a reputation in his small Southern town as a man who can help when all other avenues have been exhausted. When a local minister with grandiose ambitions is found dead, Nathan is approached by his parishioners who feel the local police are dragging their feet with the investigation. What starts out as an easy payday soon descends into a maze of mayhem filled with wannabe gangsters, vicious crime lords, porn stars, crooked police officers and a particularly treacherous preacher and his mysterious wife…”

Black Water Rising: “Houston, Texas, 1981. It’s here that Jay believes he can make a fresh start. That is, until the night he impulsively saves a drowning woman’s life – and opens a Pandora’s Box. Her secrets put Jay in danger, ensnaring him in a murder investigation that could cost him his practice, his family, and even his life. But before he can get to the bottom of a tangled mystery that reaches into the upper echelons of Houston’s corporate powerbrokers, Jay must confront the demons of his past…”

Zoe Wallbrook: Her book isn’t out yet, but you should 100% be following this character-driven, boldly feminist Black mystery writer. I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity of reading her stuff before publication and trust me when I say she is going to knock all your socks off.

Fantasy novels

Untitled by Jessica Lewis: When a Black teen discovers she can raise the dead, she sees it as a business opportunity. But raising people for money gets real complicated real fast. This is quite literally the BEST BOOK I HAVE READ IN YEARS. I still think about it all the time. Add it on Goodreads (click the link above). Pre-order it when it’s available. If you love fantasy novels and rebel girls, you are going to LOVE it.

The Sound of Stars: “Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves forbidden pop music work together to save humanity?”

The Good Luck Girls: “Westworld meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this stunning fantasy adventure from debut author Charlotte Nicole Davis…When Clementine accidentally murders a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape and harrowing journey to find freedom, justice, and revenge in a country that wants them to have none of those things.”

A Song Below Water: “Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Never mind she’s also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes. But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls’ favorite Internet fashion icon reveals she’s also a siren, and the news rips through their community. Tensions escalate when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. No secret seems safe anymore—soon Portland won’t be either.”

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin: “The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction.”

Children of Blood and Bone: In a world where magic was eradicated, Zélie Adebola has one chance to bring it back…and strike at the monarchy that took it away.

The Year of the Witching: “In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet’s word is law, Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement…”

Orleans: The gulf coast has been quarantined. The rest of the world assumes they’re all dead. But instead, a new, primitive world has emerged. When conflict breaks out, Fen and her only ally – a scientist who’s snuck into the quarantine zone – are the only hope of an innocent child.

Legendborn: With demons attacking humans on their college campus, a group of teens and college students have come together to hunt the creatures down. But the secret society is hiding something. And 16-year-old Bree is going to find out what it is.

The Belles: “Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orléans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orléans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful.”

War Girls: “The year is 2172. Climate change and nuclear disasters have rendered much of earth unlivable. Only the lucky ones have escaped to space colonies in the sky. In a war-torn Nigeria, battles are fought using flying, deadly mechs and soldiers are outfitted with bionic limbs and artificial organs meant to protect them from the harsh, radiation-heavy climate. Across the nation, as the years-long civil war wages on, survival becomes the only way of life. Two sisters, Onyii and Ify, dream of more…”

The Guilded Ones: “16-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village…On the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death. Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her…”

Conquest: “Jashi Anyua has been arranged to be married to the leader of her nation, the Great Faresh. To help her escape her engagement, her future husband’s enemies offer her an out; become their spy and they’ll give her a new name and identity somewhere the Faresh will never find her. But Jashi gets to know the Faresh, she starts to wonder if she put her loyalties in the right place. Even moreso when she realizes that the Faresh shares the abilities she’s had to keep secret her whole life, and he might be the only one that can train her to use them.”

Contemporary novels

Slay: When a Black teen creates a video game and a real-life murder happens because of a dispute in the game, she’ll have to face an anonymous troll to save the game and the safe space it has created for Black communities.

Queenie: “Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Americanah in this disarmingly honest, boldly political, and truly inclusive novel that will speak to anyone who has gone looking for love and found something very different in its place.”

Jackpot: “Meet Rico: high school senior and afternoon-shift cashier at the Gas ‘n’ Go, who after school and work races home to take care of her younger brother. Every. Single. Day. When Rico sells a jackpot-winning lotto ticket, she thinks maybe her luck will finally change, but only if she–with some assistance from her popular and wildly rich classmate Zan–can find the ticket holder who hasn’t claimed the prize. But what happens when have and have-nots collide? Will this investigative duo unite…or divide?”

You Should See Me in a Crown: “Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor. But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down . . . until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington. The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She’s smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true? ”

Romance novels

Pride: If you love Pride and Prejudice, here’s a modern remix set in Brooklyn with Black leads.

Let’s Talk About Love: “Alice had her whole summer planned. Non-stop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows (best friends totally included) with the smallest dash of adulting–working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she’s asexual). Alice is done with dating–no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done. But then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for (uncertainty, butterflies, and swoons, oh my!). When her blissful summer takes an unexpected turn, and Takumi becomes her knight with a shiny library employee badge (close enough), Alice has to decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that might not be reciprocated—or understood.”

Get a Life, Chloe Brown: “Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her ‘Get a Life’, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items? Enjoy a drunken night out. Ride a motorcycle. Go camping. Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex. Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage. And… do something bad…But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job…”

On Pointe: “Bina MacLaine is having a rough time. Still haunted by an ugly breakup that meant walking away from her fiancé and her high-rise apartment, now the dance teacher faces the possibility of losing her job, too, if her performance academy closes. When Maurice Hewett, one of her old ballet students, arrives in town, Bina sees he’s not the goofy boy she once knew—but a very handsome, very sexy grown man. She wonders if he can weave a spell that can help her forget all her woes. But can Bina let her desire take the lead without feeling like she’s robbing the cradle—and making a huge mistake?”

Horror

White is for Witching: “In a vast, mysterious house on the cliffs near Dover, the Silver family is reeling from the hole punched into its heart. Lily is gone and her twins, Miranda and Eliot, and her husband, the gentle Luc, mourn her absence with unspoken intensity. All is not well with the house, either, which creaks and grumbles and malignly confuses visitors in its mazy rooms, forcing winter apples in the garden when the branches should be bare. Generations of women inhabit its walls. And Miranda, with her new appetite for chalk and her keen sense for spirits, is more attuned to them than she is to her brother and father. She is leaving them slowly…Slipping away from them…And when one dark night she vanishes entirely, the survivors are left to tell her story.”

We Cast a Shadow: “A bold, provocative debut for fans of Get Out and Paul Beatty’s The Sellout , about a father who will do anything to protect his son–even if it means turning him white.”

Sami Ellis: She doesn’t have a book out yet, but you should absolutely be following my fellow Pitch Wars class of ’19 horror writer. I have a feeling she’ll have a kick-ass book coming out soon.

The Good House: “Working to rebuild her law practice after her son commits suicide, Angela Toussaint journeys to the family home where the suicide took place, hoping for answers, and discovers an invisible, evil force that is driving locals to acts of violence.”

Dread Nation: “Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane…But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.”

Middle grade novels

Meow or Never: COMING IN EARLY 2021! (Add it on Goodreads now!) “Avery Williams can sing, but that doesn’t mean she can sing in front of people. She likes to stay backstage at her new school, which is where, to her surprise, she finds a cat tucked away into a nook. Avery names the stray Phantom and visits any time she’s feeling stressed (which is a lot these days). As she sings to Phantom one day, her crush, Nic, overhears her and ropes Avery into auditioning for the school’s musical. Despite her nerves, Avery lands the lead role! She knows she should be excited, but mostly Avery is terrified. Can Phantom help her through her stage fright? And what will happen if anyone finds out about her secret pet?”

Just South of Home: “12-year old Sarah is finally in charge. At last, she can spend her summer months reading her favorite science books and bossing around her younger brother, Ellis, instead of being worked to the bone by their overly strict grandmother, Mrs. Greene. But when their cousin, Janie, arrives for a visit, Sarah’s plans are completely squashed. Janie has a knack for getting into trouble and asks Sarah to take her to Creek Church: a landmark of their small town that she heard was haunted. It’s also off-limits. Janie’s sticky fingers lead Sarah, Ellis, and his best friend Jasper to uncover a deep-seated part of the town’s past. With a bit of luck, this foursome will heal the place they call home and the people within it they call family.”

It All Comes Down to This: “It’s 1965, Los Angeles. All 12-year-old Sophie wants to do is write her book, star in the community play, and hang out with her friend Jennifer. But she’s the new Black kid in a nearly all-white neighborhood; her beloved sister, Lily, is going away to college soon; and her parents’ marriage is rocky. There’s also her family’s new, disapproving housekeeper to deal with. When riots erupt in nearby Watts and a friend is unfairly arrested, Sophie learns that life—and her own place in it—is even more complicated than she’d once thought.”

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: “Seventh-grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. Tristan is dreading the month he’s going to spend on his grandparents’ farm in Alabama, where he’s being sent to heal from the tragedy. But on his first night there, a sticky creature shows up in his bedroom and steals Eddie’s journal. Tristan chases after it — is that a doll? — and a tug-of-war ensues between them underneath a Bottle Tree. In a last attempt to wrestle the journal out of the creature’s hands, Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping open a chasm into the MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters that are hunting the inhabitants of this world…”

Hurricane Child: “12-year-old Caroline is a Hurricane Child, born on Water Island during a storm. Coming into this world during a hurricane is unlucky, and Caroline has had her share of bad luck already. She’s hated by everyone in her small school, she can see things that no one else can see, and — worst of all — her mother left home one day and never came back. With no friends and days filled with heartache, Caroline is determined to find her mother. When a new student, Kalinda, arrives, Caroline’s luck begins to turn around. Kalinda, a solemn girl from Barbados with a special smile for everyone, seems to see the things Caroline sees, too. Joined by their common gift, Kalinda agrees to help Caroline look for her mother, starting with a mysterious lady dressed in black…”

The Forgotten Girl: “On a cold winter night, Iris and her best friend, Daniel, sneak into a clearing in the woods to play in the freshly fallen snow. There, Iris carefully makes a perfect snow angel – only to find the crumbling gravestone of a young girl, Avery Moore, right beneath her. Immediately, strange things start to happen to Iris: She begins having vivid nightmares. She wakes up to find her bedroom window wide open, letting in the snow. She thinks she sees the shadow of a girl lurking in the woods. And she feels the pull of the abandoned grave, calling her back to the clearing…Obsessed with figuring out what’s going on, Iris and Daniel start to research the area for a school project. They discover that Avery’s grave is actually part of a neglected and forgotten Black cemetery, dating back to a time when White and Black people were kept separate in life – and in death. As Iris and Daniel learn more about their town’s past, they become determined to restore Avery’s grave and finally have proper respect paid to Avery and the others buried there…”

Non-fiction

Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women’s Fight for Their Rights: “The ongoing struggle for women’s rights has spanned human history, touched nearly every culture on Earth, and encompassed a wide range of issues, such as the right to vote, work, get an education, own property, exercise bodily autonomy, and beyond. Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists is a fun and fascinating graphic novel-style primer that covers the key figures and events that have advanced women’s rights from antiquity to the modern era…”

Eloquent Rage: “Far too often, Black women’s anger has been caricatured into an ugly and destructive force that threatens the civility and social fabric of American democracy. But Cooper shows us that there is more to the story than that. Black women’s eloquent rage is what makes Serena Williams such a powerful tennis player. It’s what makes Beyoncé’s girl power anthems resonate so hard. It’s what makes Michelle Obama an icon.”

Hood Feminism: “Today’s feminist movement has a glaring blind spot, and paradoxically, it is women. Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. All too often, however, the focus is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. That feminists refuse to prioritize these issues has only exacerbated the age-old problem of both internecine discord and women who rebuff at carrying the title. Moreover, prominent white feminists broadly suffer from their own myopia with regard to how things like race, class, sexual orientation, and ability intersect with gender. How can we stand in solidarity as a movement, Kendall asks, when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others?”

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: “Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see Black, White, and Latino youth clustered in their own groups. Is this self-segregation a problem to address or a coping strategy? Beverly Daniel Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, argues that straight talk about our racial identities is essential if we are serious about enabling communication across racial and ethnic divides…”

So You Want to Talk About Race?: “Ijeoma Oluo explores the complex reality of today’s racial landscape–from white privilege and police brutality to systemic discrimination and the Black Lives Matter movement–offering straightforward clarity that readers need to contribute to the dismantling of the racial divide.”

Film projects

I’m not as connected to the film world, but I couldn’t let this post go by without pointing you toward Kerra Bolton’s Black Madonna film project. It sounds like it’s going to be incredible and Kerra is well worth following (I expect eventually we’ll have a book out from her as well and I will keep you all posted).

Now, let’s get reading, shall we?