Reading Anti-Racist Nonfiction Is a Start. But Don’t Underestimate the Power of Black Fiction - Jasmine Guillory
Romance author Jasmine Guillory's phenomenal article in TIME Magazine this month has such an important message on the power of Black fiction. I've linked the article in the button below, but here are just a few paragraphs that spoke to me the most.
"As antiracism books fill up the best-seller lists, I’m thrilled that people want to learn more about racism, white supremacy and their own role in both. But when we say Black Lives Matter, we mean the whole of Black lives..."
"Multiple studies have shown that reading certain types of fiction increases a reader’s empathy for others in the world. Fiction gives you a window into both lives you know and recognize and ones you don’t. It helps you to put yourself in the shoes of those characters, even when you have a different perspective when it comes to race, gender or sexual identity."
"I hope that when people read my romance novels, and those of other Black writers like Farrah Rochon and Alexa Martin and Kennedy Ryan and many more, they feel the joy of Black women who are happy and desired and accomplished and loved. White media rarely portray Black women as worthy of a happily ever after."
"I want the world to know not just about our pain, but the whole of our lives, and especially our joy."
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Also - Jasmine Guillory is an amazing romance author and she writes stellar novels. Click the button below and head to her Amazon page and fill that Kindle. She also mentioned a number of other amazing novels I definitely recommend -- and anyone following me on social media right now knows that Leah Johnson's You Should See Me in a Crown is one of my top reads of 2020!