Friday Five
In order to dismantle the white supremacist patriarchal power structure that oppresses Black people and people of color in our society, it’s important to take a hard look at the media we consume and the authors we read. Certainly, this moment has called many white people to pause and learn about their own privilege in this world, and a lot of that subconsciously comes from the books we read.
Being an author is hard, but being a Black author is harder. The publishing industry has a sad diversity issue. Many people are turning to books like White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism right now (we hear a lot of bookstores are sold out), but you also don’t have to only read books about anti-racism to educate yourself about the Black experience in America. You can also read books written by Black authors here in the Bay Area.
Here are five Black Bay Area authors we recommend checking out and their books to read. If you have other suggestions, please leave them in the comments.
1. “Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton” by Bobby Seale
Bobby Seale is a living legend in Oakland; he co-founded the Black Panther Party, along with Huey P. Newton. This book should be required reading for all Bay Area residents, especially if you’re just learning about the history of Bay Area activism and the Black Panthers now. In it, Seale tells the story of their childhoods, how he and Newton founded the Black Panthers, Newton’s framing and wrongful imprisonment, and more. The first-person book was published in 1970, recorded in the San Francisco County Jail by Arthur Goldberg, a reporter for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, who put it into writing.
Buy it on BookShop or at your local bookstore.
2. “A Swarm of Bees in High Court” by Tonya M. Foster
This one is for the poets. Foster is a local poet living in the Bay Area, as well as an assistant professor in writing and literature at California College of the Arts. Originally published in 2002, A Swarm of Bees in High Court is a book of poetry rooted in Harlem in the 21st century. In haikus, Foster takes readers through a journey of community and neighborhood. Foster’s poems take us into heartbreak, race, the unspoken bonds of culture, and more.
Buy it on BookShop or at your local bookstore.
3. “New Haven Noir (Akashic Noir)” featuring a short story by Lisa D. Gray
Short fiction writer Lisa D. Gray focuses her writing on the intersection of race, class, and social justice. She holds an MFA from Mills College in Oakland, where she has also taught. Gray was a recipient of an Edgar Award in 2018 for her story “The Queen of Secrets” published in the 2017 anthology New Haven Noir (Akashic Noir) edited by Amy Bloom.
Gray is a member of the San Francisco Writers Grotto, a fellow at The Ruby in San Francisco, and founder of Our Voices Our Stories SF, a literary event where women writers of color and the community engage. She is currently completing her first novel, which we can’t wait to read.
Buy on Bookshop or at your local bookstore.
4. “Sacred Dance Meditations” by Carla Stalling Walter
San Francisco is no stranger to spirituality, and lucky for us, Walter is an expert on spiritual writing. Walter, who is a member of the San Francisco Writer’s Grotto, Author’s Guild, and Poets & Writers, and board member of the San Francisco Zen Center, writes exquisitely on the intersection of meditation, dance, and religious traditions. Her new book, Sacred Dance Meditations, which is scheduled to come out in July, offers readers a dance for each day of the year that is rooted in traditions from around the globe.
5. “To Die for the People” by Huey Newton
Back to where we started. If you’re looking for more Black Panther literature, we suggest Newton’s own book. While he was murdered in 1989, he lived in Oakland before and after his arrest that eventually turned into a national movement to champion for his release (Protesters chanted “Free Huey!”). To Die For The People is a compilation of five speeches, three interviews, and other materials. In book form, the piece of literature was edited by Toni Morrison. Many of the struggles that motivated Huey and his peers to form the Black Panther party persist today.
Buy on Amazon or at your local bookstore.
