Yauy

I'm not sure if this falls within the scope of the blog but i wanted to recommend some books by Black authors with Black main characters, just because!

My Sister, The Serial Killer - Set in Lagos, Nigeria. Our protagonist navigates life with her sister who just cannot seem to stop killing the men she's romantically involved with. I'm currently reading this and its a lot of fun!

The Prophets - LGBT fiction, set in the Deep South during slavery. One of the most heartrending books I've ever read, but it is incredibly worth the read. Tells the story of two enslaved men who are deeply in love with each other. Warning that it spares no detail when it comes to the torture enslaved ppl endured, but I like that it highlights that Black folks still had lives and we loved and cared and smiled even through unimaginable horror.

Everything Inside - Collection of short stories by a Haitian American author. Her Haitian heritage is woven throughout all the stories as she explores love and loss through eight different perspectives.

One of the only asexual activists is Yasmin Benoit, a Black woman. She has raised so much awareness for the community. She was the first asexual person to lead Pride in London, she started the #thisiswhatasexuallookslike movement and is THE leading voice for the community.

And you all will celebrate international asexuality day on April 6th but we wouldn't even have that if she hadn't cofounded it.

Marshall Blount: https://www.instagram.com/marshall_blount?

Ace in Grace/Ashabi: https://www.instagram.com/_aceingrace_?

Yagirllici: https://www.instagram.com/yagirllici?

This one is more of a group but there’s Black Ace Culture: https://www.instagram.com/blackaceculture?

Asexual/AroaceBarbie: https://www.tiktok.com/@asexualbarbie?_r=1&_t=ZT-97gFM9iWa3a

Kim Riottt: https://www.instagram.com/kimriottt?

i've been asked where/how to find early-mid 20th century images of black people to reference when drawing/writing/whatever, so i figured i'd link to my own personal resource anyone is welcome to utilize! :)

with over 900 pins and counting, this pinterest board focuses entirely on black style from the 1800s - 1970s. it’s been harder than ever to research historical fashion without running into AI, misinformation, and flat out mislabeling of different eras, so i’ve done my best to represent each period as accurately as i can.

i’ve included sections for non-caricatured art and illustration, print media, music, entertainment, styling tools, and ads. there are also sections for period pieces and more modern takes on vintage style. i did not add the 80s and 90s because there's already a wealth of imagery and information about those decades, but maybe one day :)

WHAT ABOUT DOOMED SIBLINGS

So first, let's clear a common misconception: no, President Abraham Lincoln did not love Black people nor see them as human equals. At best he was centrist about it (though, even his implication that 'exceptional' Black men ought to vote got him assassinated).

"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do, it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union...I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free."

The "freeing of slaves" after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 was meant to kneecap the economic and military powers of the seceded South. Lettuce stop making a white savior figure out of Lincoln, or thinking that my people's shackles were unchained via anything other than desperate war strategy and extreme violence. Think on that, for a moment.

That being said!

But not everyone in Confederate territory would immediately be free. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas.

Happy Juneteenth!