Another month has coming and the reading lists continue! Hopefully you were able to enjoy the summer with a few good reads. But just in case you need a new literary fix, you know I always got you covered!
Check out this month’s book recommendations below:
Honey & Spice ~Bolu Babalola
The Secret to a Southern Wedding ~Synithia Williams
The Fraud ~Zadie Smith
Forgive Me Not ~Jennifer Baker
Forged By Blood ~Ehigbor Okosun
The Unsettled ~Ayana Mathis
As You Walk On By ~Julian Winters
Ander & Santi Were Here ~Jonny Garza Villa
Don’t forget to support your local bookstores and libraries!!
And remember you can always go back and check out the previous month’s list and past recommendations in the “Resource” section of the website!
“But surely to tell these tall tales and others like them would be to spread the myth, the wicked lie, that the past is always tense and the future, perfect.” -Zadie Smith (White Teeth)
In celebration of Dr. King’s Birthday I wanted to share some of my favorite speeches from him as well as a few films, documentaries, and television series that feature his life and legacy. I wanted to make sure I shared some hidden gems, along with a few speeches and films that I have learned about through my time as a student and now professor. Check them out below:
“Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.” ~Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
As we walk into December let’s check out some new and exciting things happening in the world!! Check out this week’s goodies below:
A new children’s book that discusses grief and healing, the Many Shapes of Clay: A Story of Healing by Kenesha Sneed.
SNEAK PEEK-First images of the upcoming Luther film from Netflix!! I am SOOOO ready!! Luther is set to be released in March 2023. #LutherFan
Idris Elba in “Luther” Photo Credit: Netflix
Idris Elba in “Luther”, Photo Credit: Netflix
As archaeologists recover remains from the “Clotilda,” visitors can now prepare to visit the forthcoming Africatown Heritage House in Mobile, Alabama. As described by Mobile County commissioner Merceria Ludgood, the museum is “a collaborative effort to share the long-doubted, inspirational story of the Clotilda, its captives, and their unique place in the history of this country.” The Africatown Heritage House is set to open in the Spring of 2023. In the meantime, to learn more about Africatown and the Clotilda, check out the Netflix documentary “Descendant” .
Running, the arts, and Philadelphia…Mural Miles is a nonprofit running and art curation group, running (pun intended) on a “mission to inspire human potential through community fitness and art.” And their inaugural mural “Equilibrium,” was unveiled this past Thanksgiving weekend. The piece depicts two local runners, Aaron Leon Nixon and Valentina Viana, in stride alongside birds and a dog. Through this mural and other it is sure to spark a movement. To see the mural you can access it at 638 Christian St. in South Philadelphia.
“Equilibrium” artist Eric Okdeh Photo Credit: Mural Miles
Lastly, a new exhibition featuring photographs and artifacts from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture collection will be on display (opening December 2nd), Spirit in the Dark: Religion in Black Music, Activism, and Popular Culture. Visitors can check out the exhibition until November 2023 in the Earl W. and Amanda Stafford Center for African American Media Arts (CAAMA) gallery. As noted by NMAAHC, “The exhibition spotlights the presence of religion in African American popular culture through three sections [Blurred Lines: Holy | Profane, Bearing Witness: Protest | Praise, Lived Realities: Suffering | Hope], providing a visual exploration of religion’s shadow in both the sacred and secular through images and artifacts.”
Photo Credit: National Museum of African American History and Culture
Black Future Feminist 