8 Black Female Writers You Should Add To Your Reading List Right Now

Words can change everything. They’re a powerful tool to educate and inspire, even more when we’re talking about Black female writers. For countless years, only Black male writers were considered successful or relevant to produce literature, although women have been moving us with their books for centuries. Regardless of all male achievements and the old sexist perceptions, more and more Black women are featuring as (excuse my language but they deserve it!) badass contemporary authors.

Fiction or nonfiction, romance or drama, you name it: I want you to add to your all-I-need-to-read-next list the following 8 Black writers who are making history not just in America, but conquering this patriarchal world with the impact of their stories. Truth to be told, I could have brought hundreds of names who are empowering readers planetwide, but this blog post would be endless(!!!). Check out my main list and I promise you that, before you finish reading, I will give you some more incredible Black writers to search about - and fall in love with.

1 - Coretta Scott King

It is an honor to start my list presenting a civil rights’ icon: even though Coretta was best known as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s wife, she left her legacy as a leader advocating for a big nonviolent social change and a self-proclaimed feminist. Her first book “My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr.” was published in 1969, but her work was recognized just long after her death, in 2006. “My life, my love, my legacy” came to life in 2017 by Rev. Dr. Barbara Reynolds, one of her best friends to whom Coretta confided never-before-told aspects of her life, as well as the importance of standing up for justice being an inspirational heroine in her own right. 

2 - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The voice of Black feminism, Chimamanda is one of the most important authors on race and identity. She has a list of books, poems and short stories that are spreading her thoughtful ideas for a nondiscriminatory, feminine and equal future for all of us through education and social inclusion. “We should all be feminists”, “Americanah”, “Half of yellow sun”, “Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions”, and “Purple hibiscus: a novel” are some of her ‘manifests’ about Black women’s empowerment.

3 - Carolina Maria de Jesus

‘Favelada’ is the Brazilian word for ‘woman from the ghetto (favela in Portuguese)’. With a background of poverty and only two years of schooling, Carolina Maria became a groundbreaking author when she published her own daily journal in 1960. “Child of the Dark: The Diary of Carolina Maria de Jesus” remains a vivid social document that became a best-seller in North America and Europe - described by The New York Times as “both an ugly and touchingly beautiful book”, also translated into 13 different languages.

4 - Toni Morrison

The first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1993, Toni is a profoundly insightful writer who walks us through political and social moments at the same time that enhances us being a novelist of the Black identity in the U.S., especially about Black women experiences. Add to your list: “Beloved”, “Sula”, “Song of Solomon” and “The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations”.

5 - Imbolo Mbue

“Behold the dreamers” is Imbolo Mbue’s debut novel that brings to the light details about the lives of Cameroonian immigrants living in NYC. The book has been receiving high praise since Oprah chose it for her book club, and after hailed by The Washington Post as “the one book Donald Trump should read now because it illuminates the immigrant experience in America with the tenderhearted wisdom so lacking in our political discourse”.

6 - Morgan Parker

Well-known as one of her generation’s best minds, Morgan Parker writes poems with intelligence, humor and her singular black-hearted vision. She brings a funny and contemporary exploration of Black womanhood in “Magical Negro” and “There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé”.

7 - Safiya Sinclair

“Cannibal” put Safiya in the spotlight. The Jamaican writer holds important awards for this poetry collection about the devastating and beautiful renegotiation of the English language, especially against the Black and Brown peoples they colonized. 

8 - Daina Berry & Kali Gross

Two award-winning historians came together to create a vibrant statement that reveals stories of African-American women building their own community to fight oppression, racism and sexism. “A Black Women's History of the United States” goes beyond single narratives to raise different voices from enslaved, religious, activists and queer women.

To keep diving into Black female authors’ words, you can also search for Maya Angelou, Angie Thomas, Octavia Butler, Nicola Yoon, Zadie Smith, Ijeoma Oluo, Morgan Jerkins, Brittney Cooper and Zora Neale Hurston.

Black Women Entrepreneurship: The Struggle Is Real, So Is The great Outcome

Oprah, Chimamanda Ngozi, Madam C. J. Walker. All these women have not just the color of their skin in common, they’ve struggled to get to where they wanted to be. They are Black women entrepreneurs that faced many challenges and have a lot to inspire us, despite our race. But why, year after year, minority women are being shut out?

Racial and gender-based biases can be one answer. Fortunately, not the reason to make us give up on our dreams or the demand to increase our income. When it comes to access to capital, a simple “no” can be another answer to stop black-owned business to come to life. Even though 50% of women-owned businesses in the U.S. are controlled by minority women, they are still being denied by banks and fund companies - Black women have even more problems to receive the financing they asked for, besides paying higher interest rates for no reason. But there is still hope: resources to support Black women entrepreneurs are growing – Black Girl Ventures is an outstanding example helping to change this reality: they provide Black/Brown woman-identifying founders with access to community, education, and leadership development.

Networking is another major barrier that leads black entrepreneurs to a disadvantageous place. How can you have good connections if you weren’t given the chance to be in the same space of people who can help you get through financial or mentoring issues? Following Madam C. J. Walker aspiration, we have to find our own ground to build up outside the idea field. Bringing a business to life is, for us Black women, also fighting against discrimination.

A work-life balance, strengthened negotiation skills and a need for a powerful support system are other challenges Black women have to overcome. At all business stages, networking and counseling are critical even for emotional support during a lonely undertaking for the main part of the 2,681,200 Black women-owned companies in America. Remember: a new business can result from poor treatment and undervalue in the workplace, not to mention family economic problems, which are big triggers to mental health issues. The American dream of “skill + creativity + hard work = success” may not be the case for women of color. Our fair share is unfair even when we are hungry for prosperity.

In this scenario, determination and passion win though. Black women are known by being self-learners, regardless of all hard-lifetime-things. We turn exclusion into motivation and faith, and to make a business succeed, we need to learn from a wide variety of sources. That is how we can keep striving instead of letting fear keep us struck. In our history, we have a fear-of-not-being-capable chasing us nonstop, but we overcome it because we take the risk to encounter our place in life. It took a moment for us to realize how good we are in everything we want to do. We battle our inner selves to find the courage to say “we can do it”.

Oprah’s entrepreneurial life has a lot to teach, but one of her most valuable takeaways is to listen to your own voice, following things in your unique way. You need funding, but perseverance has a lot to do with investing in yourself first, making a plan you really feel passionate about to show the investors how valuable you are. Chimamanda uses her words as her powerful business to tell us that whenever we wake up, that is our morning for a fresh start to shine, to change the world beginning from our own world.

Black women represent the fastest growing subsegment of entrepreneurs. So why aren’t we in the same positions of all the rest of the business ecosystem? We need to raise awareness of why it is still so difficult for Black women to build their entrepreneurial careers when they are so competent. We need to find people to fight for our businesses with the same strength we are doing it. We know how hard it is to change our social structure, where POC are on the margins since forever. New challenges appear every day to get the better of. The journey can be daunting, but we always see brighter days ahead. Our purpose as Black women entrepreneurs will drive us forward, and when it happens, the whole market wins.

PS: next month, we will have the last blog post of our series to talk about the importance of community support for Black female entrepreneurs. See you then!

Black Women Entrepreneurship: We Need to Rise Because of Our Talent, Not Our Skin Color

I am a black woman entrepreneur myself, and I know how we are struggling to get to all the spaces we deserve to be in. Here in America, the scenario is not different than Brazil or most of the places around the globe, but what needs our attention is how black women are thriving as being their own bosses. More than that, how their success shows their potential to contribute to economic growth in so many ways if they are given the power to accomplish that.

From 2007 to 2018, the U.S. saw an increase of 164% in the number of black women-owned companies. There were 2.4 million African American women opening their own business (State of Women-Owned Business Report - American Express). According to the Federal Reserve, black women are the only racial group with more businesses ownership than their male peers. However, companies run by non-minority women still have higher revenues compared to women of color brands, whose income dropped from $84K in 2007 to $66,4K in 2018. 

In 2020, even more after all the protests happening outside to change our history, we need to ask: why is this disparity still happening?

While diversity should be the key to society’s development, it seems like it is the fact that burns bridges between successful women and minority acknowledgment. But names like Alexandra Winbush, Aziza Handcrafted, Dorcas Creates, Golde, The Wrap Life and so many others are trying to prove they are wrong. Those are great examples of women of color who overcame stats to bring creative ideas to the market.

The gap between revenue is just one problem. Black women endeavor to get bank loans and credit and battle to be valued when they decide to dive into the entrepreneurship universe. But guess why they normally choose to change their careers? Because of the gender and pay gap, high unemployment rates, frustration in the workplace, racism. For black women, opening a business is a matter of survival.

All those difficulties are, in many cases, the answer why black women-owned businesses remain small, with annual sales way below the average number of white and Hispanic women-owned companies. One of the solutions black females found to make their ideas come to life was spending personal savings and retirement accounts, which is a high risking their future. Adding to that, some women are breadwinners and find no support even from their families, who cannot be blamed because they were taught to believe minorities cannot go big, that failure is easier than victory.

Besides financial problems, they can also encounter educational-training-mentoring issues considering that black people have less access to good schools, aggravated by the fact we have less business role models we can relate to. I say “we” because, in my journey as a freelance copywriter, I couldn’t think about more than one example in my family I could connect with: my people have been working as someone else’s companies’ employees for decades to this day. And it doesn’t mean they didn’t want to work for themselves, it means they didn’t have the opportunity to do so.

For me (and for a lot of my black sisters), resilience spoke louder, and I realized when I had the nerves to quit my job to work for myself, that fear cannot stop us from being what we are meant to be. On the other hand, it can make us persevere despite all the prejudice problems we may face. The decision to become an entrepreneur is hard, but the outcome can be beautiful.

Now, with all the attention protests brought to the black entrepreneurs community, maybe it’s time for the real change we are expecting. I say real because, for years, my people have been trying to succeed in their business overcoming privilege. And getting tons of followers and customers now will be great only if this support is genuine. In a month or two, black women-owned brands need to keep the good numbers they’ve got recently. It cannot be just a black-lives-matter-temporary-wave. Our businesses need to survive not because we are black, but because we are good in whatever we create. We need to be authentically valued by that, despite protests or trends.

Black women want to grow sustainably, want their brands to speak up their truth as successful entrepreneurs, regardless the color of their skin. We need to change stats, we deserve visibility, equal funds, and we are waiting for people to show up for our businesses because they truly believe in us.

PS: next month, we will go deeper on this topic, talking about challenges black women entrepreneurs have been facing and why they do not give up. See you soon!

It Is Not Black People's Job To Educate Us: Lasting Anti-Racism Actions And How To Educate Ourselves To Become An Anti-Racist

Although the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Aubery have echoed through the mouths of those who either are part of Black communities or those who have expressed their support and empathy to the Black Lives Matter cause, there is no other time than now to take action. Since Angela Davis recited "In a racist society it is not enough to be non-racist. We must be anti-racist.", her inspiring and provoking quote fueled our hearts with empowerment and a sense of justice that feels more urgent than ever. While we protest on the streets "Saying their names." and don't give up on the injustice and prejudice Black people have been experiencing for so long in History, it is time to also consider using the tools we have at our disposal to enhance awareness about their struggles with white supremacy and structural racism in the US and all around the world. We listed below daily practices on how to become an anti-racist in our society. We understand though that this is the beginning of a learning process and we are not perfect allies but we can learn how to become one. Gentle reminder: it is not Black people's job to educate us, all tips below must be addressed with Black people's consent.

Educating ourselves. 

If you are feeling extremely overwhelmed with everything that is going on right now, try to imagine how it has been for Black people to experience throughout the past centuries hate, racism, violence, dismissiveness, injustice, fear, frustration, hopelessness to name a few. It is hard, right? I will dare to say it is impossible. That being said, it must be extremely overwhelming, hurtful and exhausting for Black people to invest the energy to teach us about their history. Therefore, we must do the work and teach ourselves how to strike a conversation about racism with them. Social media channels offer endless reliable sources of how to do it. 

Letting go of the fear of making mistakes while taking actions to support the Black community. 

It is a common concern of non-black people to speak up for people of color. Either because we are afraid of insulting Black people, or because we think we are not entitled to speak on their behalf. Both can be true; however, the latest events are a wake-up call that we must not ignore. Society hasn't prepared us to support Black people, therefore we have a lot of work to do. This is an urgent matter that we might learn how to properly address white supremacy issues against Black people, and we will learn as we go.

Talking to your Black friends about racism. 

It is a delicate topic and nobody wants to cross a line while acknowledging everything that is happening right now, but it is important to reach out at your Black friends and, mostly importantly, ask them if and how they want to talk about it. It is okay to ask questions if you don't know the answers. Communicate with them that you want to actively help and see if they'd like to brainstorm about it with you.

Asking Black people what matters for them right now. 

Assumptions are a rough land to be. Talk to your Black friends about how and what you can do to help instead of assuming what is best for them, and move forward from there. We might not know what it is to be a Black person in the world, but a Black person does and they are more likely to give instructions on how to start.

Using the internet tools we have at your disposal.

It doesn't matter if we are not famous or influencers. If you have only one other friend on your social media channel, you are good to go. Follow, learn, and share the knowledge you will gain with others. 

Be actively anti-racist.

Every action we take counts and, as individuals living in a racist society, we are part of the problem. It is an interesting exercise to rethink choices we make in our professional and social lives. For instance, hiring Black people for diversified positions in the workplace when it is our call to do so; speaking up when we witness racism; offering support and opportunity to our Black friends as we can are a few measures to assure we are actively cooperating to change Black people's reality.    

Share Black people's stories. 

Another element to this equation is how society has psychologically traumatized Black people for many generations by making them feel unworthy and unimportant. In order to change that, we must open space for Black people's stories to be told. As humans, we thrive through example. We don't become what we don't see. Representation is key to end racism.

Finally, we must take care of ourselves. It has been quite overwhelming on the internet with the news all over the place. It is important to curate the channels and sources we absorb information from, so we don't collapse mentally. The more equipped we are to help and support the Black community in this crucial moment in History, the more positively impactful our actions will be.

Black Lives Matter: We Must Stand Up. There Is No Other Time Than Now.

In an exclusive interview, Ingrid Silva — Founder of EmpowHer NY, talks about the latest events regarding this historical moment for black people all over the world, and gives us an insightful overview on how we can start a positive and impactful change in our society once and for all. The global pandemic didn't stop people from going to the streets and claiming for the rights of the black people to exist in the world, nor stopped them from standing up and supporting the cause. The protests are a clear message that people are tired of promises. We want this reality to change and we want it now. In order to accomplish that though, we must take action.

We all seem to agree that diversity is one of the most effective ways to end racism. In many segments of our society, such as the workplace; the entertainment industry; the fashion industry; the political fields to name a few, we talk about diversity and how important it is to assure a diverse environment everywhere we go; however, in order to end hundreds and hundreds of years of slavery behavior, we must act to assure diversity, by including it in our daily lives and understanding that everything we do affects black people, in both professional and personal settings. I know that might sound overwhelming; however, "black people have been living under those circumstances since the very first day they were taken from their home countries", Ingrid elucidated.

"We must educate ourselves on how to actively fight racism because not being racist is not enough.", she reflected. The names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery echo through the streets on the mouths of those who can not stand living in a world where black people are not safe and respected. 

Diversity, inclusion and representation are practices to achieve race equality, but we all must compromise and make it happen everyday. Ingrid brought to the table a powerful solution to this equation. "Hire black people. And I am not just talking about servant positions, which are also noble jobs. Hire black people for strategic positions, leadership positions.", Ingrid defended. Big companies donate money to institutions that support black communities, but they don't have them around. In many industries, the amount of black people that hierarchically occupies positions of power does not mirror black people's demographics in most countries. It is urgent that black people navigate the same life opportunities white people do.

"Black people were nobody's slaves. White men invaded their land, they tortured, slaughtered and enslaved black people, as if they were less than a human being. The structural racism we witness today in these big corporations goes from generation to generation. We must educate our children, we must educate those around us. Racism is a cultural thing. Our sons and daughters will perpetrate the racism they see in their homes.", she concluded.

The non-racist behavior sees the worth and the beauty of every race. The anti-racist behavior sees the worth and the beauty of every race and teaches them to others. 

The more diverse our surroundings are, the more likely it is that the next generation will understand and respect diversity even more. Ingrid advocates that education is a crucial element in this social dynamic. The affluence or the lack of education has an enormous impact on how black people have survived throughout History in this society. "Education means opportunity. When we invest in better education for black people, the greater are the chances they will thrive.", Ingrid states.

Finally, no matter how far we advance, our society doesn't respect the limits of black people's bodies. For Ingrid, "This is about the right to exist inside my own body.", the organic boundary that we live in and supposedly belongs to us. We must start respecting others, especially black people who have been suffering prejudice and outrageous crimes for so long. The work we are committing to do now is not only for black people, it is for all of us. "All lives matter" is a deceiving speech from those who are choosing to not do their part in this time in History. It is time to assure that black people have their voices, not only heard, but also occupying spaces they haven't occupied before. Black lives matter.