In addition to my earlier thoughts on Juneteenth and the BFF Juneteenth Resource Guide, check out the video below: Summertime Conversations on “Feeling Good”–Juneteenth: Why Our Day of Jubilation Matters! sponsored by Auburn Avenue Research Library with my fellow sista-scholar Dr. Kaniqua Robinson.
We had a great time talking about the Juneteenth holiday, traditions, and hopes for the future!!
Summer is right around the corner, and what better time than now to get your summer reading list in order! A few of these are on my list and purchased, patiently awaiting for the pages to be flipped! So go ahead, get your lawn chair, sunglasses, SPF, beach towel, drink of choice, or whatever you need to get into the mood!!
Check out this month’s recommendations!! Maybe you will pick one, two, three, or all of them!!
Remember you can always go back and check out the previous month’s recommendations in the “Resource” section of the website!!
Till next month!!
~Dr. G
Got some new season premieres, a documentary, a taste of mystery, and a film that will inspire! Check them all out below:
Season 2-Flack (Streaming on Amazon Prime June 11th)
Sisters on Track (Streaming on Netflix June 24th)
Roadrunner (In theaters July 16th)
Reminiscence (Streaming on HBO Max and in theaters August 20th)
Missed last week’s episode of Conversations with Beloved and Kindred? No problem, I got you covered!!
Check out our latest conversation on the film Fast Color below:
On next time, we will be closing out the Lovecraft Country series with episodes 9 and 10!! And as always you do not want to miss out!! Can’t wait for you to join us in May!!
A new episode of Conversations with Beloved and Kindred is dropping on today at 7pm!! Tonight’s episode is on the 2018 film Fast Color!!
You can catch the episode live on Auburn Avenue Research Library Facebook Live Stream page and their YouTube channel!!
And if you miss it you can always check it out here on the Black Future Feminist site and YouTube!!
New Episode on Deck!!
Just in case you may have missed last week’s episode of Conversations with Beloved and Kindred, I got you covered!!
In this episode, Dr. Robinson and I break down episodes 7 and 8 of Lovecraft Country. Much like the previous episodes, these episodes were very much imaginative, personal and focused on a particular moment. However, what really sets these episodes a part from the earlier ones were their centering, specifically, on the Black woman and Black girl experiences. As two Black women who have experienced various perspectives of Black girlhood (southern and midwestern) to currently navigating Black womanhood both episodes are very relatable.
Being able to not only acknowledge and focus on the many layers of their experiences (trauma, resistance, joy, naming, anger, etc.) is essential because it allows for their stories to be seen as real made visible to a large audience.
To hear more about what we thought, check it out below:
On next time, we will discuss the 2018 supernatural/sci-fi/superhero/drama film Fast Colors from director Julia Hart and starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lorraine Toussaint, and Saniyya Sidney. Here in this film we get to see #BlackGirlMagic, Black Female Star Power and the Black Female Imaginary on full display!!
See you next time!!
#ChooseToChallenge
“A challenged world is an alert world. And from challenge comes change.”… #IWD2021 #March8 #Proud2Be #GoGirl #TheWondersOfAWoman #GirlPower #WomanPower #BlackFutureFeminist
“True beauty is skin deep!!”….“Loving the skin that I’m in!”
As part of my regular routine, every morning I scroll through my Apple News app to see what is going on in the world. And yesterday I got wind of some exciting news!! Now as someone who is a collector of children’s books (particularly ones that feature Black children), so as you can imagine I was excited to know and get Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o’s 2019 book, “Sulwe”. This is a visually, captivating book that speaks to the Black girl experience, as it tells the story of a young, dark-skinned Black girl who wants to be accepted and seen as beautiful. And even before reading the first page of the book I was immediately drawn in based off of the cover!! All the varying blues and purple colors, the stars twinkling in the background, and then right front and center and image of a precocious Black girl reaching out! Here is a book that is literally talking to my 7-year old self!!
As noted by Nyong’o, “The story of Sulwe is one that is very close to my heart…It was a long journey for me to arrive at self-love. Sulwe is a mirror for dark-skinned children to see themselves, a window for those who may not be familiar with colorism, to have understanding and empathy.”
That excitement would continue as I would learn that Netflix has plans to unveil “Sulwe” (a New York Times bestselling children’s book) as an animated musical feature with Nyong’o as producer!!
This is definitely something to celebrate as the animated musical feature will continue to highlight and showcase what the book has already established by providing another platform for Black girls to embrace the idea of #selflove; while also addressing issues of colorism and re-writing the beauty standard narrative. Having this message personified through various mediums of popular culture is crucial and can and is life-changing! For little Black girls to see themselves presented in a book and on the television screen that is shown in an empowering light, is quite powerful!!
And to tide you over before the animated feature hits Netflix check out Lupita reading “Sulwe” on the Netflix original series, Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices! see below:
“I cannot run away from who I am and my complexion or the larger society, and how they may view that.” ― Lupita Nyong’o
“I am dripping melanin and honey. I am black without apology.” ― Upile Chisala
As always you know I got you covered if you missed last night’s episode of “Conversations with Beloved and Kindred” check it out below:
Our second conversation discusses the Netflix film See You Yesterday!! This episode tackled everything from representation within the diaspora, high school science fairs, time travel, the importance of family, and so much more!!
Next month, we will continue our conversation and discussion of the Lovecraft Country series with Episode 3: “Holy Ghost” and Episode 4: “A History of Violence” !! And trust me you do not want to miss it!!
Dr. Robinson and I are back for episode 2 of “Conversations with Beloved and Kindred”!! In this episode we will explore the 2019 Netflix film “See You Yesterday”!
As always you can watch it here on Thursday January 28th at 7pm/ET!! For additional information go here!
Black Future Feminist 