Amplifying black history books written by black female writers.
Writing is a form of expression. For some like myself, it’s also a way of escape, an outlet to release, a way to unravel.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved literature. Growing up in Africa, we read stories and poems written by African authors. Some of these stories chronicled the experiences of black people, some chronicled the experiences of women. There was a connection when reading these literary pieces as though embarking on a journey with the writer.
A lot of our history is detailed in books, books written by writers, and stories of people – fictional or non-fictional.
Without sounding like a broken record, black history has almost been eradicated but through the stories and writings of some, we are able to preserve and understand our roots. The history taught in schools is sugar-coated and not authentic with several salient aspects removed from history.
Reading is also a form of education. Black history isn’t just folklore, it’s real and it’s important that we educate ourselves and our kids with the correct stories and important lessons.
According to research, only 0.5% of recorded history is about women’s stories. It is therefore important for the advancement of equity and equality in society to amplify history written by women from the perspective of women.
Here are some books on black history and experiences by black female writers.
Little Leaders: Exceptional Men in Black History
by Vashti Harrison
Hairvolution: Her Hair, Her Story, Our History
By Saskia Calliste (Author), Zainab Raghdo (Author), Stella Dadzie (Author), Kadija Sesay (Author), Cheryl Robson (Editor), Aleea Rae (Illustrator).
Loud Black Girls: 20 Black Women Writers Ask: What’s Next?
By Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené
100 Great Black Britons
By Patrick Vernon & Angelina Osborne
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
By Vashti Harrison
Black Women in Science: A Black History Book for Kids (Biographies for Kids)
By Kimberly Brown Pellum
The African Lookbook: A Visual History of 100 Years of African Women
By Catherine E. McKinley, Jacqueline Woodson, Edwidge Danticat
Girl, Woman, Other
By Bernardine Evaristo
African Europeans: An Untold History
By Olivette Otele
Women, Race & Class
By Angela Y. Davis
This is Why I Resist: Don’t Define My Black Identity
By Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu
Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging
By Afua Hirsch
If They Come For Us
By Fatimah Asghar
You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience and the Black Experience: An anthology
By Tarana Burke and Brené Brown
Heart Of The Race: Black Women’s Lives in Britain (Feminist Classics)
By Beverley Bryan, Stella Dadzie & Suzanne Scafe
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women White Feminists Forgot
By Mikki Kendall
Black: A Celebration of a Culture
By Deborah Willis
Posing Beauty: African American Images from the 1890s to the Present
By Deborah Willis
Kwame Brathwaite: Black Is Beautiful
By Tanisha C. Ford, Deborah Willis & Kwame Brathwaite
Dressed in Dreams: A Black Girl’s Love Letter to the Power of Fashion
By Tanisha C Ford
MANIFESTO: On Never Giving Up
By Bernardine Evaristo
Sensuous Knowledge: A Black Feminist Approach for Everyone
By Minna Salami
Don’t Touch My Hair
By Emma Dabiri
It’s a Continent: Unravelling Africa’s History One Country At A Time
By Astrid Madimba and Chinny Ukata
A Quick Ting On The Black Girl Afro
By Zainab Kwaw-Swanzy
This article has been updated and was originally published on November 2nd 2021.