To celebrate Black History Month, we asked our readers and staff, “Who is your favorite Black artist or writer?” Across our social media accounts and on our Prism Slack workspace, we received answers ranging from Toni Morrison to Jean-Michel Basquiat.
If you’re looking to expand your knowledge on the works of Black creatives who have impacted our world and communities, here’s a roundup of submitted recommendations.
“Mikki Kendall’s ‘Hood Feminism’ and ‘Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists,’ call for us to ensure that dismantling anti-Blackness is part of how we practice feminism, and to always listen to and center those who are marginalized and most impacted by the issues we profess to care about.” — Michi Trota, Prism features editor
“Angela Davis is a must-read. ‘Women, Race & Class’ is a phenomenal historical text that recontextualizes women’s rights movements in an intersectional framework.” — Kimberly Rooney, Prism copy editor
“Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart:’ It’s what I think of as a truly honest novel that doesn’t demean any group. It gives the reader an important perspective of the colonization of Africa, both past and present.” — Andrew, @biblioboulderer on Instagram
“‘When I or Else” by June Jordan.” — Shabnam Banerjee-McFarland, Prism audience director
“Audre Lorde’s ‘When I Dare to be Powerful.’” — @soulboogie4 on Instagram
“Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler & bell hooks 100%! I’m also obsessed with Samantha Irby!” — Carolyn Copeland, Prism news editor
“Assata Shakur’s autobiography changed my life. Kiese Laymon’s ‘Heavy’ is one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. Nina Simone is one of my favorite artists of all time.” —Lara Witt, Prism editorial director
“Isabel Wilkerson’s ‘Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.’” — @alicedaubenbis on Instagram
