Celebrate Black humanity & do the work of antiracism
In this remarkable and difficult time, people are turning to books to make sense of the world around us. As The New York Times put it, “People Are Marching Against Racism. They’re Also Reading About It.” The work of antiracism is vital and overdue.
But as comedian Phoebe Robinson reminds us, this isn’t enough.
“Quit only consuming black works of art that are about race and suffering. Yes, they are important, but if you don’t watch 'How Stella Got Her Groove Back,' or listen to any Marvin Gaye songs except 'What’s Going On?' or read books by black authors that aren’t in the canon, then you don’t see BLACK HUMANITY. We are much more than the trauma we endure."
To that end, we at SBC encourage you to purchase one of each—a celebration and an education—and we also hope you'll support Black-owned bookstores while you're shopping.
If there isn’t a store near you (check this great list), these recommended reading lists from Wild & Wide Books on Bookshop.org are a good place to start.
Antiracism
Black Humanity
All commissions from Wild and Wide sales support Marcus Books, the oldest independent Black-owned bookstore in the United States. They do not yet have their own ecommerce storefront, so you can also support Marcus Books directly through their GoFundMe page.
Judith Zissman started Wild & Wide Books through Bookshop as a platform for recommendations and supporting independent booksellers. When she's not reading, Judith is the executive creative director at Blue Telescope.