Black excellence is not just a phrase, it’s a lifestyle.
Everyday, all day, we are excellent. But when Black History Month comes, we get downright PHENOMENAL!
Recently, Barnes & Noble Fifth Avenue announced a launch of “classic novels with new covers promoting diversity.” The new covers were actually a reimagining of literary characters as Black people. Among them were titles that included Frankenstein, Romeo & Juliet, Moby Dick & The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
THIS. A lot of us Black people also have books releasing and could use some “diversity promotion”.
This is essentially literary blackface.
— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) February 5, 2020
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It is not a homage to Black excellence or Black history AT ALL. There are also tons of Black authors whose work could and should be supported instead. And since we shan’t let nobody rain on our Black History parade, in honor of those authors, we’ve compiled a list.
Below are 29 Black authors whose compelling work is shifting our narrative and collective consciousness. We honor them and we support them, all year long!
Toni Morrison
James Baldwin
Michelle Alexander
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Zora Neale Hurston
Chinua Achebe
Maya Angelou
Barack Obama
Tomi Adeyemi
Langston Hughes
Alice Walker
Damon Young
Octavia E. Butler
Ralph Waldo Ellison
Michelle Obama
Dick Gregory
Bell Hooks
Jason Reynolds
Nikki Giovanni
W.E.B. DuBois
Yaa Gyasi
DeVon Franklin
Angela Davis
Kondwani Fidel
Audre Lorde
Amiri Baraka
Angie Thomas
Bassey Ikpi
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Photos Courtesy of Penguin Random House/HarperCollins Publishing