Black Lives Matter
via blacklivesmatter.com
To our Truer Words listeners:
We at Truer Words support Black Lives Matter. Black stories matter. Black art matters. We know you have already seen a lot of lists and resources going around about how to support Black creatives and Black lives at this time. We want to share our own, related to our interest in the work of making art.
In addition to learning more about the history of oppression (and how to be not just “not racist” but anti-racist, as many non-Black people are doing right now), it’s important to read and watch stories that center Black joy. Treat art by Black creators as art first rather than merely as teachable moments. This Horn Book essay by Kekla Magoon discusses the narratives that majority-white gatekeepers of publishing often impose on Black authors. This interview with Kristina Forest discusses the need for stories about Black girls with happy endings. This blog post by Akilah Brown emphasizes that stories about Black people do not exist to educate non-Black people about racism, and offers suggestions for books, TV, and movies that do not cater to the white gaze or learning experience. We created this list with these ideas in mind. It’s not meant to be exhaustive, but rather a jumping off point to discover more art by Black creatives. And we would be remiss not to include Matt Sayles’s beautiful photography of Black actors, writers, musicians, directors, and more.
Podcasts
Still Processing - Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham
The Spectrum Lounge - ReBecca Theodore-Vachon
Thirst Aid Kit - Bim Adewunmi and Nichole Perkins
Dinner for One - Sutanya Dacres
Why Won’t You Date Me - Nicole Byer
25 Black Womxn Podcasters That You Need to Listen to Right Now - curated by @pod.draland
Movies/Documentaries
A Wrinkle in Time - Ava DuVernay
If Beale Street Could Talk - Barry Jenkins
Love and Basketball, Beyond the Lights - Gina Prince-Bythewood
Selah and the Spades - Tayarisha Poe
The Photograph - Stella Meghie
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am
Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat
Film critic Jourdain Searles’ favorite Black movies
Criterion Lifts Paywall to Stream “Daughters of the Dust” and More Black Films for Free
TV
Shadow and Act’s Top 50 Black TV Shows of the Decade
Books/Authors
Jasmine Guillory - our episode with Jasmine
Black Romance Novels Matter Too - Carole V. Bell via Shondaland
The Importance of Black Science Fiction - Michelle Mashuro via blackgirlnerds.com
Kristina Forest (episode coming later this summer!)
This Is What I Know About Art - Kimberly Rose Drew
The Season of Styx Malone - Kekla Magoon
Piecing Me Together - Renee Watson
45 Black Young Adult Novels to Add to Your TBR - via Afoma Umesi
Black Joy Booklist for Children and Young Adults - Alia Jones, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
20 Books by Black Jewish Authors You Should Read - via Emily Burack for Hey Alma
We know that we can do better with our own platform, and we commit to diversifying our guest list by interviewing more Black creatives. - Kathryn & Melissa