Today’s #BlackJoy Moment is about showcasing and highlighting the importance of Black-owned Bookstores!
During the 1960s and 1970s, many Black bookstores served as information centers for the Civil Rights and Black Power movement. Visitors would have access to a wealth of writing on Black culture, history, entertainment, and spirituality/religion. As public spaces, they also provide a space to feel free, organize thoughts collectively and individually, form communities, and support Black economics.
For me personally, Black Bookstores have become a space to work outside of my office, grab some yummy goodies and coffee, and link up with friends! Black Bookstores have also become a place to bring in authors for “Meet-N-Greet’s”, social gatherings, open-mic and game nights, and community dialogues!
Now as part of a personal mission a couple years back, I compiled a list of Black bookstores across the globe. This was done partly to provide a resource on the BFF site, to also set a personal goal of visiting as many as I could, and simply because I was just curious.
While on this journey of curiosity and joy, I have been able to visit a few local Black bookstores here in Richmond and the surrounding DMV, that I had to shout out!! See them below:
So make sure you check these out if you are in the area, or any on the above list!! You are bound to find a good book, meet some cool folks, find a place of peace, learn something new, and be a part of a good cause!!
We are moving and shaking through these weeks, but there is still more #BlackJoy to spread!! See you tomorrow!!
Portraits of Lorraine Hansberry (L), Maya Angelou, and Angela Davis are painted inside the Urban Reader Bookstore in Charlotte, NC
So earlier this week I gave a workshop presentation on celebrating Black History Month in the workplace, nothing like finding new ways to incorporate new experiences in your daily routine. And I just wanted to make sure I shared some resources from that talk just in case it may be useful for my followers!!
Why BHM is Important in The Workplace? “Dig deeper, look closer, think bigger.”
Race can be complicated, but we have to engage and talk about the comforts and discomforts
Reimagine the possibilities
Normalize what has been often made invisible
Opportunity for active learning
Another way to regularly incorporate inclusivity, equity, and work towards eliminating bias
Black History is American History even World History!!
A continued engagement with history and the Black experience and helps to give context for the present and future
February can be the starting pointto year-round efforts
#BlackHistory365 ideas that can be implemented in the workplace…
Bring in speakers (This is a chance to learn and gain new perspectives from others outside of your office.)
Organize a thematic book club (Monthly or Quarterly….You can also carry this out in February as well as other months such as Women’s History and Hispanic Heritage Month)
Virtual cooking session (Swap recipes, select a region and do a virtual potluck, create a “Culinary Journey Passport”)
Create a digital board for continuous learning and growth (Slack has become a popular tool that can be used here!)
Community Service/Volunteer (You can never have enough community service, and now there are multiple ways to carry out this endeavor!)
Promote Inclusion via Reflection-Collaboration-Recognition
Organize/create a Black History Internet Scavenger Hunt that uses questions that pertain to African American people and moments
In addition to the collective effort, think about what YOU can do. … What is your contribution?
What role can you play? Invest in your efforts!!
Pay it forward.
Create safe spaces…The energy and creativity will flow when people feel as though it is welcomed and appreciated!
Think before you post and act..Make sure your efforts are genuine. Learn and grow because you want to, not just to check off a box. Do your research…Remember why you are celebrating
Don’t play the buzzword and pandering game (Avoid situations like Bath and Body )
Ask the hard questions…that’s how you get answers and learn at the same time.
Play the long game…How can Black History Month transform and evolve into #BlackHistory365 in your place of work??
And for the road…Some additional resources, recommendations, and guides…
Podcasts (Here are just a few: The Read, Seizing Freedom, Noire Histoir, Code Switch, Still Processing, Girl Trek’s-Black History Bootcamp, Driving The Green Book, Jemele Hill is Unbothered, Diary of An Africana, Still Processing, Black History Year, Seizing Freedom)
The great thing about all of this is that it can many things in one FUN, INFORMATIVE, ENGAGING and UPLIFTING!
For additional information and resources, check out the full guide here!!
Almost let this one slip pass me, but wanted to make sure I shared this exciting event happening this week!! The 10th Annual Black Comic Book Festival starts on this Thursday January 13th and its VIRTUAL!!
Artwork by Micheline Hess
The2022 Black Comic Book Festival marks a decade of bringing together animators, Blerds, bloggers, cosplay lovers, fans, families, illustrators, independent publishers, and writers to celebrate Black comic books and graphic novels and provides a platform to get the works directly to readers. This annual event features panel discussions, workshops, cosplay showcases, and highlights the work of creators from across the country.
And guess what all the events are Free.99!! Gotta love that!!
Check out the schedule of events here:
Thursday, January 13
Lifting as We Climb: A Black Comic Book Festival Story | 12 PM: Black Comic Book Festival cofounders: John Jennings, Jonathan Gayles, Deirdre Hollman. Moderated by Kadiatou Tubman (Schomburg Education).
Graphic History: Telling Our Histories through Comics and the Archives | 2 PM: Guests: Dr. Rebecca Hall (Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts; Scholars-in-Residence program) and David Walker (The Black Panther Party: A Graphic Novel History). Moderated by Bridgett Pride, Reference Librarian, Schomburg Center.
S.T.E.M in Comics – Bridging the Gap of Current and Future Technologies in Art and Comics | 4 PM: Guests: Newton Lilavois (Motor City Comic Con), Naseed Gifted (PBS Media, LLC), Dedren Snead (SUBSUME), Ryan Benjamin (DC Comics/Sony), and Emeka Chiedu. Moderated by TJ Sterling (Rae Comics).
Friday, January 14
Afrofuturism: The Past, Present, and Beyond | 12 PM: Guests: John Jennings (Black Comic Book Festival cofounder), Tim Fielder (Infinitum: An Afrofuturist Tale, DieselFunk Studios), Ytasha Womack (Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci Fi & Fantasy Culture), Reynaldo Anderson (Afrofuturism 2.0: The Rise of Astro-Blackness). Moderated by Julian Chambliss (Cofounder of Consortium for Critical Diversity in a Digital Age Research).
Black in Anime: Creators Coloring Outside the Lines | 2 PM: Guests: Arthell Isom (dartshtajio anime studio), Johnny O’Bryant (Noir Caesar), Shanice Penn (Freelance anime illustrator), Sozo Maika (Digital illustrator). Moderated by TJ Sterling (Rae Comics).
The Future of Black Comics Inside and Outside of the Academy | 4PM: Guests: Qiana Whitted, Rebecca Wanzo, and JoAnna Davis-McElligatt. Moderated by Dr. Jonathan Gray.
Saturday, January 15
How to Draw Black Superheroes & Comics | 11 AM: Guest: Tim Fielder (Infinitum: An Afrofuturist Tale, DieselFunk Studios)
Creating Powerful Women in Comics | 1 PM: Guests: Robyn Smith, Jamila Rowser, Shawnelle Gibbs, Shawnee Gibbs
The Comic Book Spectrum: Curating Safe and Brave Spaces | 3 PM: Guests: Cindy Cortez (Sonic Boombox), Robyn Warren (Geek Girl Strong), Clairesa Clay (Blerd City Comic Con), and Chauna C. Lawson (HBCU Con). Moderated by Regine Sawyer (Lockett Down Productions).
Comic Books & Big Screens: How Comic Creators Are Making Their Way Through Film and TV | 5 PM: Guests: Prentice Penny (Insecure), David Crownson (Harriet Tubman: Demon Slayer), Sebastian Jones (Stranger Comics), and URAEUS (Museum of UnCut Funk). Moderated by TJ Sterling (Rae Comics).
For more information regarding registrations, the panels, workshops, and cosplay show click here!!
Also for those that are in the Harlem, NY area you may want to also check out the new exhibition, Boundless: 10 Years of Seeding Black Comic Futures, which will be on display at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture beginning January 14th!!
Boundless: 10 Years of Seeding Black Comic Futures, will document the festival’s evolution through photographs, memorabilia, creator highlights, comic book reading stations, and clips from past festival programs. The Schomburg Center’s collection of comic books and graphic novels dating back to the golden age of comic books will be deployed to illuminate the long history of Black comics and sequential art creators, and the ongoing motivations to render humor, struggle, irony, and futurism steeped in a Black aesthetic.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture-NYPL (Harlem, NY)
Black Future Feminist 