February is too short to contain the brilliance and beauty of Black Legacies - histories, currents/presents, and futures. So I wanted to share a list of things that I've been engaging with. I encourage you to return to this totally incomplete list, and add to it, throughout the year. Because Black Legacies deserve to be seen, shared, and celebrated every day.
Black Histories
Dr. Robert D Bullard on Bluesky. Dr. Bullard is the father of environmental justice, a US Marine Corps veteran, the director of the Bullard Center at Texas Southern University. Check out his work.
PushBlack. As the nation's largest nonprofit media org for Black Americans, Push Black tells stories from Black history and inspires people to take liberating actions in the best interest of Black communities delivered right to your inbox.
NAACP's Bridge Crossing Jubilee in Selma, Alabama. Join the NAACP Alabama State Conference as they host the 60th Anniversary commemoration of the historic Selma to Montgomery marches and honor the courageous individuals who fought for voting rights and equality.
Levert the Bassman. He's a historian, a linguist, a gardener, a radio personality and I'm sure a lot more. His videos are engaging and educational. Like this five-and-a-half minute video on the history of slave patrols and the correlation with modern police.
Black Present(s)
A Black Lady Sketch Show. You might be familiar with Issa Rae from "The Misadventures of a Black Girl" that got its start on YouTube or the more recent HBO show, "Insecure." Everything she touches turns to gold, and this show is the same. Robin Thede is the throughline, though, and her range is epic.
Imagination: A Manifesto. I'm currently reading this book by Ruha Benjamin, and it's literary food for the creative spirit. It's a call for all of us to use our bright imaginations for world and future creating, especially since without it, we are at the mercy of someone else's imagination.
Beyonce is the first Black woman to win a Grammy for Best Country Album with "Cowboy Carter." The legacy of Black culture in country music is clear, in this album and in the annals of music history. Queen Esther breaks it down in this TED Talk, "The true origins of country music."
Did y'all see that Superbowl Halftime Show? No worries, if not. Vibe Check's Sam, Saeed, and Zach talk about the weaving of lyric, beat, and historical present(s) - the mastery of Kendrick Lamar - in this shorter episode, "Cheers, Queerleaders!" Vibe Check is always the spot for a good time and cultural commentary.
Black Futures
Rest and restore. Yoga is an Indigenous healing practice and ancient science with origins in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and east Africa. Tracee Stanley is a yoga nidra teacher and practitioner. Take rest when you need rest. Rest as resistance is a radical act that defies the corporate capitalist productivity cycle (which regards anyone not able to produce as disposable.) I first heard about rest as resistance from Tricia Hersey who founded The Nap Ministry.
Dream and imagine. I get really excited when I see work like Black Futures Lab and Black Faces Black Voices: Recovery Amplified. So much of what will work is held by those most impacted by our current systems, because the resilience required to survive in our current context means folks have been forced to find a way through. Leadership, innovation, and a path forward is what lies on the other side. Let's listen and learn.
Resist and push at the edges. The NAACP continues to make waves, and I encourage you to become a member of your local chapter. In the face of fascism and white supremacy, the NAACP continues to resist. In February, the NAACP filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the Trump's administration's decision to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Bad acts that violate civil rights tend to hurt Black and Brown folks first, but eventually come for us all. Need proof? Read The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee. She's brilliant and so is this book.
Come together. Find a Juneteenth celebration in your community and attend, participate in planning, or donate to the work that's being done. (Here's a donation link to the Juneteenth Festival in my town.) Truly, African American history is American history.
Food brings people together. Check out Netflix's High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America. Our history is told through the foods we have access to and eat.
