12 Black History Month Recs
I sometimes worry that Black History Month is counter-productive. Yes, it’s nice to have a platform to celebrate the culture and shine a light on the continued struggles around race in America. And I’m glad that it’s a month (originally it was just a week!). But BHM commemorations often feel like box-checking: ‘Here’s the time of year when I remember to support Black causes/businesses/artists.’ How great would it be if, instead, these things were just part of our lives, year-round?
That’s my dream, so this Black History Month, I’d like to highlight some favorite things to enjoy all year…
An IG account that keeps me learning: @ashleytheebarroness creates videos on obscure — sometimes intentionally disregarded — corners of history, tracing each topic to the present. I’ve learned more from her than all of my high-school history classes. One recent post breaking down white supremacy (“White Narcissism,” as she calls it) had me fully in its clutches and saying, “Amen!” Watching Ashley feels like sitting in a lecture with a charismatic, clear-eyed professor.
A favorite poem: When I was a teenager, I won a competition for my recitation of For My People by Margaret Walker. I remember wishing I’d chosen a shorter poem because it’s long. But it’s also epic and beautiful, and brims with pride and resistance. We could all use more poetry in our lives — and more artists speaking truth to power, which Margaret did so elegantly.
Home decor with a message: How inspiring are these pennants from Rayo & Honey? They make great gifts. I also love their totes, keychains, and pens — and the fact that it’s a business built from the heart of a Black woman.
A must-have skincare product: I recommended Beauty Stat’s Vitamin C Serum as a product fave back when I did CoJ’s Beauty Uniform. Five years later, my passion endures for this illuminating serum, created by a pioneering Black chemist.
A TV show I’ll always re-watch: For five seasons, Insecure — starring Issa Rae, Natasha Rothwell and other incredible actresses — made me laugh, cringe, cry, and agonize over a fictional love triangle that I was more invested in than my own love life. Tell me if you’re Team Daniel or Team Lawrence. (Bonus recs: Survival of the Thickest, Harlem, Run The World, and of course, the OG classic, Girlfriends.)
Wine by two sisters: Red wine calls to me on these cold, dark winter evenings. The red blend from Black Girl Magic Wines is one of the all-time bests, but really, you can’t go wrong with any of their bottles; they’re great quality at a reasonable price point. And if you need new stemware, check out the gorgeous sets by Estelle Colored Glass (the amethyst! So pretty!).
A novel I can’t wait to read: When Tayari Jones publishes a book, it’s an event. Her fourth novel, Kin, comes out next week, and the excitement has been building for MONTHS. It’s about two friends from Louisiana, whose lives take vastly different turns. I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
A gem of a bookstore: There’s been a gratifying rise in Black-owned bookstores these last few years. Kansas City’s Bliss Books is run by two sisters who dreamed of opening a bookstore together (awwww!) and actually did it! I also love Loyalty Books, in Silver Spring, Maryland, my hometown. And if you’re in NYC, check out Liz’s Book Bar, The Little Bookshop and The Lit Bar.
A beautiful night out: Admittedly, I’m not the most cultured person when it comes to fine arts — but I do love (love love) dance. I’ve seen the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater perform several times, and it’s soul-stirring. The company was founded in 1958 to “uplift the African American experience while transcending boundaries of race, faith, and nationality with its universal humanity,” and almost 70 years later, they remain steadfast in their mission. Art funding is so precarious at the moment — especially BIPOC art — it needs our support!
A timely article that made me feverishly nod my head: I read a lot of long-form journalism — a lot — and I’m still thinking about this recent Atlantic article by Clint Smith, which hit on so many points about why Black history matters, and why it’s so critical in our current moment that we keep fighting against its erasure. Other Black journalists I admire for their insightful takes and having their finger on the pulse: Tressie McMillan Cottom, Mitchell S. Jackson and Ta-Nehisi Coates.
A cause I’m glad to support: As a child of the ‘70s/’80s, I can’t forget the iconic TV ads for the United Negro College Fund (especially this one — the end still makes me cry!) In the post-Civil Rights era, UNCF helped launch a generation of kids into the middle-class by giving them access to education. Decades later, their good work continues. I used one of my book events to raise funds for UNCF, and I can’t think of a better way to honor BHM than by supporting this worthy organization.
What are your own recommendations? I hope you’ll share them with us, too.
Christine Pride is a writer, book editor and content consultant who lives in Harlem, New York. Her latest book is All The Men I’ve Loved Again, and you can read her past Cup of Jo posts here.
P.S. A reading challenge, and five more things I want to tell my white friends.
(Photo of Christine Pride by Christine Han for Cup of Jo.)
Tags: race matters
Comments
105 commentsThank you for the reminder about UNCF! “A mind is a terrible thing to waste”… those TV spots made an impact. Thank you for so many great recommendations!
I can’t recall where I came across a stanza from Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” recently, though I’m 93% sure it was in the comments section of this blog. It stirred my soul and I ordered a big book of her poetry. Sharing it here as another (classic) recommendation: Still I Rise Maya Angelou You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? ’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells Pumping in my living room. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops, Weakened by my soulful cries? Does my haughtiness offend you? Don’t you take it awful hard ’Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines Diggin’ in my own backyard. You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise. Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise That I dance like I’ve got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs? Out of the huts of history’s shame I rise Up from a past that’s rooted in pain I rise I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise I rise I rise.
Love all the book recs, and wanted to add a few of my own! For the fantasy/sci-fi fans, NK Jemisin is great! I’m currently in the middle of her Inheritance Trilogy and I’m hooked. Other similar recs include Tracy Deonn’s The Legendborn Cycle (4th book coming in 2027!) and Tomi Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orisha trilogy (starts stronger than it finishes, IMO, but still a great YA series). I also really liked the sci-fi book House of Gold by CT Rwizi. Also a couple of auto-buy romance authors I haven’t seen mentioned…. Kennedy Ryan, Danielle Allen, and Bolu Babalola. Happy reading, friends!
Christine, your posts are always my favorite here. Thank you for this wonderful list that you’ve compiled and shared with us. And very much agree and wholeheartedly support the notion that Black voices, creators, and businesses should be supported always – not just during Black History Month. Appreciate you <3
Aww those kind words warmed my heart on this blizzard-y day in NYC! Truly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rlt2h-IbpoA Studio Museum in Harlem CBS piece.
I love Brave and Kind books. It’s based in Decatur GA, but they ship all over the country and have a great selection of unique and diverse children’s books. I love their board book bundles for any friends having a new baby.
So many great recs – thank you! Yes to Aily always and forever – if anyone hasn’t seen them yet, grab any chance you get! They are always incredible in my experience. Also love to read anything by Clint Smith. Need to rewatch Insecure just to hang with those awesome ladies again – loved getting to know Issa’s LA. I’ll throw in One of Them Days, a fun Keke Palmer/SZA comedy also set in that general neighborhood from last year if anybody needs some laughs (don’t we all these days?). This afternoon we’re headed to see the MONUMENTS show in downtown LA that is artworks made from the decommissioned Confederate statues that have been removed in recent years. Will report back. Hope you’re doing well, Christine, sending lots of love your way.
Ok back to report that MONUMENTS was great, def recommend if you’re in LA or planning a trip here. A lot of great work by Black artists. And seeing the Lee statue that inspired those nazis at the unite the right rally melted down into brass ingots inscribed with “swords into plowshares” is deeply satisfying.
I asked everyone to tell us one thing they learned today at dinner, and my youngest learned about the Fugitive Slave Trade in class today, and how the enforcers could take anyone because of the color of their skin- that sounds just what is happening today. Thank you for your sharing Black-owned businesses and Kin with us.
just catching up on a week of CoJ posts now (treasured friday evening activity!) and had to echo the gratitude, Christine (and Jo and team). thank you, thank you! bookmarking as i know i’ll come back. i cannot wait for Kin!!
I just ordered On Morrison by Namwali Serpwell, a Harvard professor. The book is an analysis of Toni Morrison’s work, fiction and nonfiction. Morrison is my favorite writer so I’ll have this book for a long time.
Amazing list of great recommendations. Thank you. I’d like to add a new gathering place in DC — Civic. Founded by Rhonda Foxx, a longtime Hill staffer and a Black woman who has mentored countless other staffers. Here’s a write-up: https://washingtonian.com/2026/02/11/she-built-a-massive-political-coalition-of-women-now-shes-building-a-cafe-and-bar/
ooh thanks for sharing this!
If you’re in the Twin Cities, Minnesota – Black Garnet Books is an awesome bookstore in St. Paul!
Team Issa and Molly and Kelli (and Tiffany, but I didn’t like her character as much; I’m sorry!)
If you are a knitter (or not) try G G Made It on instagram – the iconic orange lady – she is wonderful & inspiring & lovely. I’ve been following her for a while, she’s been through a lot & comes out so strong. She may lead you to other Black creators. Love all these recs, thank you!
I read Hunger by Roxane Gay this month. Such a moving story. And I loved her straight-to-the-heart writing style. <3
What a wonderful resource, Christine! I know I’ll come back to this post again and again. Thank you!
Everyone talked about the novel James last year, by Percival Everett. With good reason! But his novelist wife, Danzy Sena also came out with a novel the same year and it’s also fantastic! Contemporary & funny in an edgy way, it tackles race, social class, family, creative ambition and messy women in a really fresh way. It will not be assigned in schools but I tore through it
Replying to myself to include the title (oops): Colored Television, by Danzy Senna
I also loved this book!
Agreed! I also read, and liked, her memoir.
Shae 0. is a Substack writer and scholar tackling AI and the importance of the humanities during its rise. Her work is educational and accessible.
I just finished “The Love Poems of W.E.B. Du Bois, and to say it wrecked me doesn’t do it justice. The way the author wove the past narrative of the family and the land into the present day family dynamics was beautiful, and at times, almost impossible to read, but I turned the last page and just felt honored to read that story. Highly, highly recommend!
Oh this book! It was a marvel. She treated each of the characters with such depth of humanity.
Just picked this up at my library. Thanks for the rec!
Christine, I love the breadth of this collection. It has made my synapses spark.
Sparking synapses! I love that description… and appreciate the positive feedback!
I’m in Kansas City! Thank you for the Bliss Books recommendation. I will go check it out! Lovely list all around :)
I have a few to share from people I have met through my work/writing! Briogeo makes great hair products and the founder is a really inspiring entrepreneur. If you are in Virginia, a friend runs a really cool project called Oenoverse to increase opportunity and access in winemaking and makes his own wine called Parallax. And I love following The Kitchenista for recipes and gorgeous food videos. I learn so much about different food cultures through her videos! +1,000 to Toni Morrison. Simply one of the best, most powerful, gorgeously lyrical writers of all time. I love reading and re-reading her work.
I was coming here to shoutout Bliss Books & Wine!! I don’t live in KC, but my best friend does and her ambassadorship of that wonderful town has turned me into a huge fan – we go often and there is no shortage of cool things to do. But we always make time for a trip to Bliss! So glad to see them promoted here. In Denver, we have the incredible Cleo Parker Robinson dance company that I think more people should know about! Their performances are incredible and always moving. They also do dance residencies and classes for local schools – they are wonderful! https://cleoparkerdance.org/
TEAM LAWRENCE
Same. Team Lawrence all the way!
When No One is Watching by Alyssa Moore was a great thriller about gentrification, and as a white woman taught me so much about the insidiousness of red lining. If anyone lives in West Philly or Delaware County, there’s a black, woman-owned coffee and bakery called Kia’s Cakes that is absolutely spectacular. Her daily offerings of mini cheesecakes and cupcakes are insane, she makes great gluten free desserts, and her specialty cakes are like those you see in baking shows. She made my sister an I Love Lucy cake for her 40th, and it was so beautiful.
Thank you so much for this.
Thank you for this fantastic list Christine! The Atlantic article was powerful. It made me realize I have no idea what the curriculum is at my kid’s school regarding American History. My kid is in first grade. Any recommendations on books to read at home with him?
May I recommend BLAPP, an app that locates/recommends black-owned businesses in your area. The platform is not huge yet, but I have used it to source some life-changing turmeric + kojic acid soap that I now gift to everyone. xox
Thanks for this! I will definitely check it out. I just learned a couple of our neighborhood businesses are Black owned so I’ll be visiting them with more intentionality soon!
Love all these recommendations. Best line: “a fictional love triangle that I was more invested in than my own love life.” Same. Insecure was incredible. All of us need Kelli as a best friend. Can’t wait to check out the bookstores you suggest (and buy your new book)! I saw the bio at the end of your segment – to be a writer living in Harlem is its own incredible story. :)
Last night I finished ‘James’ by Percival Everett – It’s the Adventures of Huck Finn story from the enslaved Jim’s point of view. I’ll be honest, it devastated me. The writing is incredible, the kind that makes you feel like you are ‘in’ the story – which as a priveleged, cushy lifed white women is wildly uncomfortable. I nearly threw up many times and have had a hard time sleeping (and I thought the pain of ICE invading my Minneapolis home was bad…) – this is in line with that terror. I’ve long known about slavery and thought about it but in a past tense move on kind of way. This just hit so hard. My Oura ring says i’ve aged 2.5 years since I picked it up a week ago if that tells you anything. Must read. Know that it’ll hurt. I’ve already put it in the pile of books my girls must read when they are teens. What an ugly, horrifying history we have. When you compound it with the ICE attacks and the Epstein files – God help us.
Completely agree with everything you said about ‘James’. This country’s history is grotesque. And, I’ll add that not only is the story gripping, but the book also shows off Percival Everett’s command on of the American and European literary canon and literary devices. The nod to Candide, the satire, the irony, the code switching. This book is utterly deserving of the Pulitzer, and one that should become a must-read for every American student. I agree that it was a hard read, and what I also took away from reading it was a deep respect and profound awe for Everett as the artist of this masterpiece.
Alex and Mel, yes. A brutal, devastating, true American story. So many things i had never in my life thought of, as a holder of an MA in American history, I am deeply ashamed to say. How can we ever atone, repair, DO BETTER, if we can’t even tell the truth about ourselves?
The Black Girl Magic rosé is so delicious! A friend brought it to a party last summer and we were all loving it. Insecure is one of my all time favorite shows! Team Lawrence 😍
The Amy Sherald exhibit is at the Baltimore Museum of Art through April. It’s just stunning, highly recommend.
I am going to see this during the last week of March, so I am happy to see the good review.
If we’re recommending art exhibits, the Noah Davis show at The Philadephia Museum of Art is remarkable as well! I highly recommend seeing it if you have the opportunity.
YES!!
While I totally love and appreciate this post, I am very, very weary of getting historical (or medical) lessons from IG. Unfortunately, that is how a lot of mis-info gets spread. This is nothing against Ashley, but rather the observation that her platform is built on a slippery slope.
Hey, Anon! I’m a librarian and teach at a university and tell my students ALL THE TIME that social media is a valid source for info. It makes information accessible (in many ways) & highlights voices we wouldn’t see otherwise. It’s a fine source IF you evaluate it carefully. Meaning is it being put out by a professional or someone with knowledge (don’t get your medical info from barb down the road but a doctor, sure), is it not out of date, does it offer sources in some way, can you fact check any of the info, why is it being put out (education? Clicks? Money? How biased is it?). Social media is what has allowed folks in Gaza to speak out. Allows for folks in Minnesota. Has been at the front of activism. As more of our traditional media gets controlled by a handful of rich people, social media can offer us info we cant get elsewhere. Media looks different these days but it can still be valid. Just because it doesn’t come from a big media source or a have fanxy credentials attached, it can still be a good source of info (I’m also a zine librarian so I’m big on this!). PS: you should also evaluate any media, even stuff you might trust a lot.
Gill, one of my dear friends is a zine-loving college librarian, and I feel like she could have written your post! Also, I’ve been loving the Substack Card Catalog (by librarian Hana Lee Goldin) for accessible information literacy tidbits.
I really loved this post and appreciated the underlying sentiment. My first grader is learning about a different Black leader every day of Black history month. While my kid is super enthusiastic about it, I gently *tried* to explain how I hope one day we don’t need a month to celebrate Black people because as a country/culture/society, we’re just naturally doing that all the time. I’ll probably have to keep re-explaining that concept for a while, but at least I started the conversation. On to recommendations! If you’re in Chicago, you must try Virtue and Justice of the Pies. Virtue is a truly delicious and special dining experience and is intentional about everything from the atmosphere, staff, and of course the menu. Semicolon is an amazing Black and woman owned bookstore in Chicago! I just need to say that I love every Toni Morrison book I’ve read. She was the first Black author whose novels really resonated with me, and she will always be one of my all time favorites. I also loved Edwidge Danticat’s Breath, Eyes, Memory. And I couldn’t put down The Vanishing Half! My last recommendation is an online couch store called Albany Park, which is a Houston based company run by a Black couple. I’ve really been actively trying to seek out and support Black owned businesses when it comes to larger more expensive purchases and am so happy I found Albany Park! I bought one of their comfy chairs that we read books with our kids on each night, and both my sisters loved it so much that they bought sectional couches from Albany Park too. One day, I’ll join the couch club!
Omg please let me revise my comment lmao….Definitely not Uncle Boobie’s lmao.. I meant Uncle Bobbie’s I am definitely not a coder, but Joanna, please consider an editing option on comments because I am a hot mess when I type and only ever see my typos once I hit publish or submit lol
Kay from Queens, this is a funny comment, but I live in Michigan and would love to see you while you’re here! If that’s not too weird, feel free to email me. My email is my username on COJ [at] gmail.
Omg yes let’s do it! I’d love to meet up with you! Emailing you now 😀
2 black owned bookstores I bisited and loved while in Philly were Uncle Boobie’s Bookstore and Cafe (owned by Marc Lamont Hill ❤️) and Hakim’s Bookstore- the oldest black owned bookstore in Philly and also one of the first in the East Coast. I’m looking forward to visiting Source Booksellers in Detroit this summer!
*Tawny Chatmon
Those are really great recommendations! I would add NiLu, à shop in Harlem. They “curate meaningful gifts from Black and Brown makers, women-owned brands, and independent creatives doing quality work.” https://shopnilu.com/ I love Faith Ringgold. Her book Tar Beach is one of my favorites ! The beyond beautiful quilts from the extremely talented women quilters in Gee’s Bend, Alabama. https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/gees-bend-quiltmakers Tawny Chat mom’s work which is a celebration of Black childhood, Black resistance and self-determination. Sublime ! https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2025/oct/15/striking-gold-gilded-portraits-of-black-beauty-and-belonging-in-pictures
Thank you so much for these links. I love the quilts and Tawny Chatmon’s work!
Appreciate this so much–thank you!
I am so excited to see that Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is coming to perform near me! Thank you for the rec and for this meaningful post.
I’m currently tearing through “men we reaped” which is a memoir by Jesmyn Ward that takes my breath away in how contemporary and pressing and hard racism – it’s a really unflinching look at the lives and deaths of four men in Ward’s close life who died within the span of a handful of years.
I just screenshot this to refer to but wow. You should write book reviews. Sold!
I just finished that book! I thought it was incredible – such beautiful writing – and heartbreaking at the same time.
Love all of Jesmyn Ward’s books – she’s absolutely one of our best American writers. If you haven’t read it already, I highly recommend Salvage the Bones!
Rita Dove’s.poetry
Love this list! Especially the book recommendation. I’m excited to read Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite. She wrote My Sister, the Serial Killer.
OMG! Jill Scott’s Tiny Desk concert! Woooooooooooook SOOOOO GOOD!! Listen with your eyes closed. Then listen while standing and dancing. Then listen while sitting in the sun.Listen in all the ways you can just savor. She paints with her words and sound. OMG what a gift, what a gift, what a gift. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M5QOaaRJYFc&pp=ygUJdGlueSBkZXNr
Thank you for this! I didn’t know she had a Tiny Desk Concert 😍 She’s amazing!! Christine, I appreciate this list and I look forward to going through each recommendation!
Beautiful!! And I am TeamIssa&Molly through and through..but I’m also glad Lawrence stepped up at the end 🥹😭
Oh my goodness…..I saw Alvin Ailey’s Revelations a few years ago, and it was life changing! I’m a middle school teacher and each day we have a lesson/celebration about Black History…..one year the kids begged to keep Ella Fitzgerald on while they worked! Quincy Jones too!
I want to celebrate the work of Yemonja Smalls, a “a multidimensional creator who deconstructs and reassembles”: https://www.instagram.com/yemonjapaints/?hl=en and https://www.yemonjapaints.com/
Beautiful work!
So many great recs. Thanks for sharing! Went to see Alvin Ailey in Atlanta last year and I’ve never recovered. The most moving thing I’ve seen. Soul stirring is the best way to describe it.
Team Lawrence obviouslyyyy!
Thank you for this post and all your great work here, Christina!
And! (I wish I had all these thoughts at once when I was typing my first comment!) I have book recs too: -The Deep by Rivers Solomon and several other authors and read by Daveed Diggs: a “brilliantly imaginative novella” inspired the song The Deep from Daveed Diggs’ experimental rap group .clipping (we saw them perform live, and it was AMAZING) -The Monsters We Defy by Lesley Penelope: historical fantasy set in DC’s Black Broadway in 1925! -The Akata Witch series by Nnedi Okorafor: I love how she blends mythology, fantasy, and history. (When my teen son’s class read the first book, I was so excited that he said I was “so cringe”)
This list is useful, appropriate, and fun… A rare, but exquisite combo. I select “All of the above” for Christine’s recs! Thank you! Oh, and TEAM LAWRENCE!
As someone who is very into fine arts, here are a few of my favourite Black visual artists: David Hammons, Kerry James Marshall, Mequitta Ahuja, Tau Lewis, Sam Gilliam, Suzanne Jackson…and so many more! Also check out the quilters of Gee’s Bend!
I got to meet some of the quilters from Gee’s Bend last year. They had some of their quilts with them, and some of the women were working on quilts too. Their art is beautiful and they were so kind!
Also, I was introduced to @ashleytheebarroness by the guy who founded WeRateDogs! Her take on ICE made so much sense. Especially the idea that if we compare them to the Gestapo then we’re saying, “Oh, this has never happened here before!” That viewpoint ignores a major part of US history. And I read somewhere that the Gestapo based their raids on the slave patrols.
Wow! I never expected Loyalty Books to be called out! We loved the one in Petworth DC, and now visit their location in Silver Spring. Also, if you enjoy dance performances that center Black culture, check out Step Afrika! They tour nationally and their performances get better and better each year! Watching step performances is such an exhilarating experience for me. And the energy is high! https://www.stepafrika.org/
OMG I was dying at the Kelli recap… I love Insecure and I just think she’s hysterical. Maybe I need a rewatch! Also less than a week until Kin! Can’t wait. As always, delighted to see your name pop up Christine!
💯🥹👏🏽👏🏽
Great list–thanks for compiling it!
My recs are to support the Substacks of i1) the incredible essayist and film critic Angeica Jade Bastien: https://angelicabastien.substack.com/ 2) Ashley Reese, who is the only reason I miss Twitter and Instagram because she writes with such humor and beauty: https://ashleyreese.substack.com/ 3) The journalist Phil Lewis whose critical news coverage includes the stories in the Black community that rarely get covered in MSM: https://www.whatimreading.net/subscribe
Yes to Alvin Ailey! I’m reading Black Owned by Char Adams, it’s a history of Black bookstores. Highly recommend!
Heard this on the radio the other day and also have to share it here. https://www.npr.org/2026/02/18/nx-s1-5703585/carla-hayden-recommends-books-by-black-authors-from-2016-that-resonate-today
Wow that Atlantic article is so powerful. I’m currently reading “Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America” by Michael Harriot and I hiiiiiiighly recommend. Somehow he maintains this tone of humor and intensity throughout one mindblowing episode of history after another.
Would like to shout out the bookstore Kindred Stories in Houston! https://kindredstorieshtx.com/
Kelli allll the way. Team Lawrence! The absolute best show there is. Ashley is brilliant, slave trade and Gestapo tactics combination = horrifying. I recommend Wanda Sykes stand up specials because we still need to laugh even though the rage meter is high. xox
ps: must add my fave, Phoebe Robinson, for endless hilarity and chaos + sexy joy on IG.
I am really enjoying The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy so far (not done yet). It reminds me of Insecure, in that it charts a group of women growing into adulthood, weaving in and out of each other’s lives. It’s really great. Also Kelli from Insecure is indeed the funniest character ever.
I have this one from Rayo & Honey in my office: https://rayoandhoney.com/collections/pennants/products/its-good-you-are-here Found it from a CoJ rec years ago :)
If we are going to share independent black owned bookstores, I want in on it as there are few better places to go. Right here in Chicago’s Hyde Park we have Call & Response. Their website is here: https://www.callandresponsechi.com/ Thank you for this post!
Thank you so much for sharing this store, I had no idea!
I didn’t know about this bookstore either! I’m gonna try to swing by this weekend
I will read anything Clint Smith writes (or even better, listen to him read the audio). I think about “How the Word is Passed” so often.
Just a note that arts orgs like the wonderful Alvin Ailey earn only a small portion of their income from ticket sales. They really rely on donations to keep afloat (this goes for orchestras, opera companies, theater companies, etc). So if you’re passionate about supporting the arts, consider a donation in addition to attending events :)
1000% cosign Survival of the Thickest (Netflix) and seeing Alvin Ailey live sometime, just breathtaking, and looking forward to checking out some of these other recs! And cliche, but absolutely love Abbott Elementary — as a media scholar in a network of teachers, there is so much greatness in fun, friendly sitcoms also representing red lining, school board bias, vouchers, and all manner of real community issues in the mainstream!
I LOVE Abbott Elementary!!!
Yes to Survival of the Thickest! I had the chance to see Michelle Buteau’s solo show in SF a couple years ago, she rocked it.
Another endorsement for both of these shows!
Abbott Elementary is hilarious and so fun!
Thanks for the heads up about Bliss Books. My son and his wife live in K.C. and my daughter and I are planning a trip in late May. This adds another must-do to our list.