Showing results by narrator "L. Malaika Cooper" in All Categories

Troika is loosely based on a real-life experience. A normal day in the Deep South turns into a nightmare, as Chantal discovers that beauty and terror trace the fault lines between life and death. She fights to understand why a good woman, her friend Aida, is stricken with a debilitating illness that steals her mind and reason. When Aida's terrifying visions are revealed, what price does it have when it's shared with Chantal?

In Left of Karl Marx, Carole Boyce Davies assesses the activism, writing, and legacy of Claudia Jones (1915-1964), a pioneering Afro-Caribbean radical intellectual, dedicated communist, and feminist. Jones is buried in London's Highgate Cemetery, to the left of Karl Marx - a location that Boyce Davies finds fitting given how Jones expanded Marxism-Leninism to incorporate gender and race in her political critique and activism.

Between Freedom and Equality begins with the life of Capt. George Pointer, an enslaved African who purchased his freedom in 1793 while working for George Washington's Potomac Company. It follows the lives of six generations of his descendants as they lived and worked on the banks of the Potomac, in the port of Georgetown, and in a rural corner of the nation's capital. Between Freedom and Equality offers a moving and inspiring look at the challenges that free African Americans have faced in Washington, DC, since the district's founding.

Travel to the year 1967, when San Francisco became the place for young people to explore their sexuality, find freedom and transcend. What Willow never expected was to experience a ghostly presence that haunted her dreams and terrorized her waking hours. Will she discover what the stranger wants from her before it's too late? Over 18 recommendation due to mature content concerning references to drug use and its culture.

In today's world filled with terrible dating apps and split-second hot takes, all Zuri Robinson wants is something real. And between her crap job, her family drama, and feeling like she completely missed out on her twenties, she's pretty much done. Her only bright spot is exchanging letters with a ridiculously charming guy in Italy. Only Alessandro Fabricare has a teeeeeny little secret . . .

In Heavyweight, Jordana Moore Saggese examines images of Black heavyweight boxers to map the visual terrain of racist ideology in the United States, paying particular attention to the intersecting discourses of Blackness, masculinity, and sport. Looking closely at the "shadow archive" of portrayals across fine art, vernacular imagery, and public media at the turn of the twentieth century, she demonstrates how the images of boxers reveal the racist stereotypes implicit in them, many of which continue to structure ideas of Black men today.

From their founding, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) educated as many as 90 percent of Black college students in the United States. Although many are aware of the significance of HBCUs in expanding Black Americans' educational opportunities, much less attention has been paid to the vital role that they have played in expanding American democracy. In The Power of Black Excellence, Deondra Rose provides an authoritative history of HBCUs and the unique role they have played in shaping American democracy since 1865.

Hair is not simply a biological feature; it's a canvas for expression. Yet, its significance extends beyond mere aesthetics. Hair can carry profound moral, spiritual, and cultural connotations, serving as a reflection of one's beliefs, heritage, and even political stance. In Natural, Chelsea Mary Elise Johnson delves into the complex world surrounding Black women's hair, and offers a firsthand look into the kitchens, beauty shops, conventions, and blogs that make up the twenty-first century natural hair movement, the latest evolution in Black beauty politics.

Siyanna Cassidy was overjoyed to find that she was pregnant only one month behind her twin sister, Summer. The two had done life together on so many levels, including marrying twin brothers. However, in a brutal twist of tragic events, Siyanna is forced into early labor on the heels of the shocking loss of her sister. As if she hadn't been heartbroken enough, the shooting death of her husband follows swiftly. Suddenly a single mother and widow, she partners with her brother-in-law to raise their children.

From the winner of The President Joseph R. Biden Lifetime Achievement Award comes a spiritual guide to restoring yourself from racial trauma and committing to the long work of dismantling racism. In her work as executive director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing, Catherine Meeks has fought tirelessly to shed light on racism and provide tools and experiences to enable faith communities to work to combat it. In this new book, she shares highlights and insights from her journey and offers a much-needed meditative guide for the weary and frustrated.

Know Yourself. Jump start your relationship with yourself. Renowned author Marita Golden goes in-depth on how using meditation, silence, prayer, affirmations, and reflections allows for internal trust and confidence to blossom in your daily life. Set Boundaries. Setting boundaries can be difficult but they are necessary to living life as a strong woman in today's world. Everyone else's burdens are not yours to carry and no, you don't have to fix everyone you come across! Learn how to set emotional boundaries, physical boundaries, and other boundaries to live freely.

Bean Bean loves bugs! And she can communicate with them, too! It's her life mission to get humans and insects talking and more importantly, to get humans to stop squashing bugs. When Bean and her buddy, Manuel, encounter a lost frog from the Amazon forest in the creek behind her house, she relies on her insect network to help reunite him with his family although they encounter a few hiccups along the way. It's a wild adventure that ends with an unimaginable surprise for Bean Bean Bug Girl!

Pearl K. Ford Dowe argues that ambition for Black women cannot be measured only by political candidacies and ascents of the political chain of power. Black women are uniquely positioned within their communities to influence politics and public policy, which stems from unique variables of socialization, gender and racial identity, and marginalization that shape the political attitudes of Black women. Thus, Dowe asserts that Black women's political ambition often manifests outside formal politics, in activism and community building, a process that is linked to a wider radical vision.