Black History Month is over in the UK but knowing, understanding, respecting and sharing the black experience will never end! Therefore, I wanted to share a guide on where to go next to ensure you are keeping up your black experience learning and improving your understanding of how racism, systemic injustice, and history shapes black lives.
What to watch
- Blackish tv show – my number 1 pick as it literally educates you about black lives while entertaining
- Roots
- Underground Railroad
- When They See Us
- 12 Years a Slave
- Green Book
- Hidden Figures
- The Colour Purple
- Black K Klansman
- The Help
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom film and documentary
- 13th
- Passing
- Stamped from the Beginning documentary
- Is That Black Enough for You? documentary
- Black Barbie documentary
- Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C J Walker
- The Six Triple Eight
- Get Out
What to read
Authors of note
- Marlon James
- Percival Everett
- N. K. Jemisin
- Toni Morrison
- W.E. DuBois
- Audre Lourde
- Bell Hooks
- James Baldwin
- Malorie Blackman
- Baroness Floella Benjamin
- Benjamin Zephaniah
- Zadie Smith
- Maya Angelou
- Oprah Winfrey
- Colson Whitehead
- Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Zora Neale Hurston
- Bernadine Evaristo
Non-fiction
- This Book is Antiracist by Tiffany Jewel
- Natives by Akala
- I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Black and British by David Olusoga
- Read This to Get Smarter by Blair Imani
- Mouth Full of Blood by Toni Morrison
- Africa Is Not a Country by Dippo Faloyin
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
- Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch
Fiction
- The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
- Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
- Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- Hello Mum by Bernadine Evaristo
- Blonde Roots by Bernadine Evaristo
- James by Percival Everett
- The Colour Purple by Alice Walker
- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
- The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
- We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulaywo
- Glory by NoViolet Bulaywo
- The Mery Step by Marcia Hutchinson
- The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett
- Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
- Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Video courses for Black History (UK & USA)
I’ve also linked to some specific videos from this course down below…
Pioneers of justice for black people
These are just a few to get you started. You are likely to know their names, but do you know their work? If not, get learning!
- Civil Rights leaders
- Martin Luther King Jr
- Black Panthers
- Malcolm X
- Harriet Tubman
- Rosa Parks
- Black Lives Matter Movement
- Nelson Mandela
Systemic Injustice
Where is it evident to see the structures in place in the USA and UK that make it difficult for the black person to live equal to the white man? These are just some of the areas that you should be aware of and do further research in:
- The Windrush Generation in Britain
- Hurricane Katrina
- Rap and Hip Hop
- The War on Drugs
- Jim Crow
- Barack Obama and his presidency
- Emmett Till
- Black inventors being overshadowed and unrecognised
- Black Women and Intersectionality
- Jesse Owens during WWII
How to support
- Buy from Black-owned businesses
- Flo (for people who menstrate)
- StoryGraph (for tracking your reading instead of GoodReads)
- Active Life Clothing (for your sports t-shirts)
- Afrori Books (for your books by black authors)
- Baggedem or Zentric Flo or FlexNFly (for yoga mats)
- Etsy black creators
- Scorpion Fit (for sustainable activewear)
- Support Black authors
- Black film makers and screen actors
- Black music across all genres (they’re there!)
- Vote for black creators when they are up for prizes
- Donate to causes supporting black justice
- Follow black online creators
- Education & Politics: Blair Imani & Black British World
- For the fitness gals: Shiv Wilson & Oyinda_Fitness
- Humour: Munya Chawawa
- Bookstagramers: Fictional Fates/ Joel
- Speak up against injustice, racism, or problematic ideology
- Keep learning and sharing what you learn
- Don’t just do it for one month or when someone else is killed in a hate crime
I’ve just bought two books by black authors from Waterstones, which helps black authors have successful careers and reach more audiences.
Black education and better representation for Black creators is a lifelong mission, so keep learning, pin this post to keep coming back to and work your way through the lists.
Please educate me in the comments if you have anything more to share about Black History and Black lives.
Sincerely,
S. xx
