Hello all and Happy Black History Month!

To honor this month, I’m sharing a few of my favorite educational books and movies to dive into to stay informed and expand my horizons. As an ally, I try to take the initiative to educate myself on experiences outside of my own. We typically aren’t taught history outside of the generic white male narrative, so it’s very important to seek out different perspectives and stories that shape how we understand our past and our present. Please let me know if you have any other recommendations to add to this list!

Another way to celebrate Black History Month is to support Black-owned businesses and uplift Black creators. Buying clothing, food, books, and more from Black-owned businesses in your area is a great way to support your community, so I’m sharing a few of my favorite Black-owned DC small businesses for my fellow Washingtonians to get introduced to!

Without further ado, here’s what I recommend reading and watching, and a few of my favorite shops to support this month!

Movies:

• 13th (2016)
• John Lewis: Good Trouble (2020)
• The United States vs. Billie Holiday (out on Hulu February 26)
• Malcolm X (1992)
• Selma (2014)
• The Color Purple (1985)

Books & Prose:

• How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
• Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
• Time on Two Crosses: The Collected Writings of Bayard Rustin by Bayard Rustin
• Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
• The March Trilogy by John Lewis
• The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman (out April 2021)

Black-Owned DC businesses:

• Mocktail Club (non-alcoholic drinks & mixers)
• Petite Souer (French cookies and chocolates)
• Meet The Curator (clothing)
• Ambitiously You (mugs and clothing)
• Bailiwick Clothing (clothing)
• Harmony Wine (winery)
• Cadence Candle Co. (candles)
• Mahogany Books (bookstore)
• District of Clothing (clothing)
• Half Smoke (restaurant)
• Ben’s Chili Bowl (restaurant)
• Sweet Home Café (restaurant)
• NuVegan Café (restaurant)

Additional Black-Owned DC small businesses can be found on DC Shop Small, Spicy Candy DC, and Washington.com’s List of 20 Black Chefs and Black-Owned Restaurants.

I hope these resources encourage you to celebrate Black History Month by staying educated and supporting Black businesses and creators in your community!

XOXO

Parisa