Resources
Books
Looking to expand your reading list? Wanting to educate yourself and not sure where to start? Our Student Officers have pulled together their list of BHM book, film and music recommendations Support black artists, discover inspiring stories and help amplify their voice through engaging with their work.
An American Marriage (2018) – Tayari Jones
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. During his incarceration Celestial grows closer to her childhood friend Andre.
An American Marriage explores the American justice system commenting on its power and ability to impact lives beyond that of the accused. Jones tactfully depicts the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces outside of their control.
The Girl with the Louding Voice (2020) – Abi Daré
Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who knows what she wants: an education.
As the only daughter of a broke father, she is a valuable commodity. Removed from school and sold as a third wife to an old man. Adunni's life amounts to this: four goats, two bags of rice, some chickens and a new TV. When unspeakable tragedy swiftly strikes in her new home, she is secretly sold as a domestic servant to a household in the wealthy enclaves of Lagos, where no one will talk about the strange disappearance of her predecessor, Rebecca. No one but Adunni...
Written in the first person The Girl with the Louding Voice is an emotional exploration of gender, youth and finding one’s voice. Despite, the tragic events Adunni endures she remains filled with hope and determined to dictate her life’s journey. Daré artfully plays with language throughout the as Adunni discovers her voice.
Selected Poems (2006) – Linton Kwesi Johnson
A selection of Linton Kwesi Johnson's best poems over three decades. Ranging from protests against police brutality to eulogies for departed friends and playful celebrations of urban life, Johnson's use of Jamaican dialect to tackle distinctly British subjects contributed to a revolution in the notion of literary English. This Selected Poems charts the unique literary talent of one of Britain's most influential poets and social critics.
Sister Outsider (1984) – Audre Lorde
A collection of fifteen essays written between 1976 and 1984 gives clear voice to Audre Lorde's literary and philosophical personae. These essays explore and illuminate the roots of Lorde's intellectual development and her deep-seated and longstanding concerns about ways of increasing empowerment among minority women writers and the absolute necessity to explicate the concept of difference—difference according to sex, race, and economic status.
Film/TV
For our film selection, we’ve picked a wide range of genres to cover all your cinematic tastes. From drama to comedy, romance to horror, curl up and get comfy with a great film on a rainy October evening.
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Ron Stallworth is the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a name for himself, Stallworth bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. The detective soon recruits a more seasoned colleague, Flip Zimmerman, into the undercover investigation of a lifetime. Together, they team up to take down the extremist hate group as the organization aims to sanitize its rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream.
She’s Gotta Have It (1986)
Beautiful Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) can't decide what kind of man she wants to date, so she decides to date three at the same time. The first is Greer Childs (John Canada Terrell), a rich, handsome narcissist. Then there's Jamie Overstreet (Tommy Redmond Hicks), a stable, overprotective alpha male. Finally, there's Mars Blackmon (Spike Lee), a timid geek with a heart of gold. Unfortunately, while each suitor has his virtues, Darling just can't seem to make up her mind.
If Beale Street Could Talk (2019)
In early 1970s Harlem, daughter and wife-to-be Tish vividly recalls the passion, respect and trust that have connected her and her artist fiancé Alonzo Hunt, who goes by the nickname Fonny. Friends since childhood, the devoted couple dream of a future together, but their plans are derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit.
Us (2019)
Accompanied by her husband, son and daughter, Adelaide Wilson returns to the beachfront home where she grew up as a child. Haunted by a traumatic experience from the past, Adelaide grows increasingly concerned that something bad is going to happen. Her worst fears soon become a reality when four masked strangers descend upon the house, forcing the Wilsons into a fight for survival. When the masks come off, the family is horrified to learn that each attacker takes the appearance of one of them.
Music
And to change it up a bit this year we’ve swapped podcasts with music recommendations. We all picked one of our favourite artists and the song that made us love them!
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Favourite song is - Charm from the album Rave & Roses (2022
Chosen by Vas
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Fugees – Manifest/Outro on the album The Score (1996)
Chosen by Lina
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Tina Turner- What’s Love Got To Do With It on the album Private Dancer (1984)
Chosen by Kathryn
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Phil Lynott – Old Town on the self-titled solo album The Phil Lynott (1982)
Chosen by Rowan