Teen Vogue | June 5, 2020

“In an effort to elevate the voices of Black creators, in the midst of global uprising tied to the deaths of African Americans by excessive police force, we rounded up a list of Black authors with books publishing in 2020. The Black experience in America is not monolithic and narratives — be they fiction or non-fiction — from Black authors often transcend the mainstream, white gaze to reveal the multiplicity of Black lives.

In stories about growing up as a Black queer teen or manifestos for Black feminists, the below list of books is primarily Young Adult and Adult novels. Some are fantasy-focused, others delve into the world of forgotten feminism and anti-racism. But, despite their different genres, one thing is certain: This list is 100% Black.

In addition to reading these books remember to: Support Black creators. Black entrepreneurs. Black authors. Support the Black community as they march for justice. As they protest hatred, racism, and brutality. As they fight for their lives. If you have the ability to, join them on the front lines. Educate yourself about the nation’s true history and white privilege. Find the resources and tools you need to get educated and make systematic change.

And don’t be afraid to have uncomfortable conversations. Don’t be afraid to open your mind and your wallets to support just causes.”

Book of the Little Axe by Lauren Francis-Sharma was included in this wonderful round-up. Click the link above to read more!

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The Lily | June 4, 2020

“A few weeks ago, I started writing an essay about the pandemic gifting me ‘the chance to shield my children just a bit from the terror of living in this world.’

I was so naive.

I’m not a parent who feels their children should know all truths. I was raised by two conservative Trinidadian immigrants and my ability to dodge anything pertaining to sex or violence, is expert, perhaps even genetic. I grew up in Baltimore, in a neighborhood called Northwood, where children rode bikes, played dodgeball and fell over each other on Twister mats in basements. Though my childhood wasn’t perfect, it was filled with lots of carefree days and laughter. I’ve made it my business to shield my two daughters from as much ugly as possible. Protector-in-chief, I am. Don’t mess with my children and we’re cool. So over the years I’ve found lots of ways to convince myself that I’m in control of the media they consume. I have content filters on our Netflix and cable accounts, I’ve set up parental controls on their phones and iPads, I screen all movies before my 13-year-old can watch them, sometimes sneaking off to see a flick before deciding if I should take her on the weekend.”

Follow the link above to read the entire article.

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Atlanta Black Star | June 4, 2020

“An open letter written by activist Patrisse Cullors demanding ‘disinvestment from police and investment in Black communities’ has received backing from several celebrities including  John Legend, Lizzo, and Common, to name a few. 

Cullors, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter and a founding member of the Movement 4 Black Lives, shared the message calling for the decreased funding of police forces and increased investment toward health care, education, and community programs to keep Black people safe.”

Follow the link to read the full article on Atlanta Black Star.

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Mediaite | June 4, 2020

“Late-night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien, and James Corden all discussed the Black Lives Matter movement and racism with their guests on Wednesday night, working out ways to pursue justice following George Floyd’s killing.

[…]

Meyers invited Ramy star Ramy Youssef and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Movement Patrisse Cullors for a conversation about racism and police brutality, and the guests ultimately suggested ways to help create change.

‘White people are definitely best at racism,’ Youssef joked. ‘They’re doing it on, like a professional NBA level, but I do think that there are other groups in there where you’re like, oh you guys are playing some Euro League racism. You wish you could be in the NBA. And I really feel like calling that out in our own communities.’

‘So much of our work is about not just black death, but the fight for black life,’ Cullors added. ‘Right now we’re in a moment where the entire country, and I argue the entire world is trying to reevaluate its relationship to black people.’”

Follow the link above to read the full Mediaite article.

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Vogue | June 4, 2020

“For the past seven years organizers, advocates, and families of victims of police terror have challenged and taken on law enforcement in all facets. We shut down highways and street intersections. We traveled around the world supporting global Black resistance. There isn’t a single place in the world that has been safe for Black life, and the primary purveyor of violence and terror has been law enforcement.

Communities from across the globe are demanding the immediate defunding of police and a reallocation of those dollars to building out an adequate public health care system. As Black folks are dying from COVID-19, city, county, state and federal budgets have prioritized the over-funding of law enforcement while defunding or underfunding critical social services.

Nationwide, the United States spends $100 billion a year on policing and an additional $80 billion on incarceration. As we witness the staggering numbers of COVID-19 patients in this country, as our public health care system is overwhelmed—it makes me wonder how else could we have invested these funds. We need to invest in an infrastructure that values people over profits. In Los Angeles, and in many parts of the world, we are witnessing a rise of houselessness—we should be investing in housing that is accessible across the board. There is growing need for an infrastructure that addresses the needs of people with mental health issues—let’s invest in an infrastructure that doesn’t incarcerate but actually treats people with mental illness with dignity and respect. Let’s invest in infrastructures that are sustainable and don’t plunder the earth or exploit the living organisms in it. And this is just the start. We have to defund the police because law enforcement should not be our first responders to everything. It is an impossible responsibility.”

Follow the link above to read the powerful Vogue article penned by Patrisse Cullors.

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Deadline | June 3, 2020

“Pan Pacific Park is located in a family-friendly area of Los Angeles, filled with local shops and across the street from Park La Brea known for being home to Angeleno newbies. Right next door to the park is The Grove, an outdoor mall that is adjacent the iconic Original Farmers Market, an L.A. institution that attracts locals and tourists alike. The area is fairly lively on a regular basis, but on May 30, 2020, the park served as a location that was part of a bigger movement for the protection of Black lives.

As the nation and the world reeled from the death of George Floyd as well as Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others due to police brutality and racism,thousands gathered in the park that Saturday to peacefully mourn their deaths and fight against racism. I was one of them. It was a call for change to systemic racism and its historical unjust treatment of the Black community.”

Follow the link above to read more about the protest in Los Angeles.

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Patch | June 3, 2020

Patrisse Cullors, a cofounder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, via news station KTLA:

"Conversations aren't enough. A conversation didn't stop George Floyd from dying. … And what we need is structural change, and that looks like a defunding of our local law enforcement, it looks like holding lots of cops accountable, and it looks like really seeing these protesters as people who have righteous rage who also want change."

Follow the link above to read what other demonstrators are saying on the Patch website.

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The Hill | June 3, 2020

“After many celebrities donated to fund bail for protesters arrested while demonstrating against police brutality, more high-profile stars are also leveraging their fame and influence to call for systemic changes. 

Celebrities like John Legend and Megan Rapinoe are among others who recently signed a petitionthat highlights two issues disproportionately affecting black communities: police brutality and a lack of access to quality health care.

The letter calls for local governments to decrease spending on police departments and reallocate money towards education and health care to better protect vulnerable populations — especially now during the coronavirus pandemic.”

Click the link above to read more about the petition, penned by Patrisse Cullors.

wbur | June 3, 2020

“As protests show no signs of halting more than a week after George Floyd’s death, Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors says only ‘radical shifts’ can stop law enforcement violence.

While she understands the desire to hold individual officers accountable for their actions,  Cullors says the demand to defund law enforcement and reinvest the money in black communities is what can achieve justice for black Americans.

‘The demand of defunding law enforcement becomes a central demand in how we actually get real accountability and justice,’ she says, ‘because it means we are reducing the ability of law enforcement to have resources that harm our communities.’”

Follow the link above to read the remainder of this fascinating article.

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New York Times | June 3, 2020

“ LOS ANGELES — Patrisse Cullors was 8 in 1992, when Los Angeles erupted in riots after four police officers were acquitted of assault for the beating of Rodney King, which occurred outside a San Fernando Valley apartment building not far from where Ms. Cullors grew up.

‘I was scared as hell,’ she recalled. ‘As children, when we would see the police, our parents would tell us, ‘Behave, be quiet, don’t say anything.’’ There was such fear of law enforcement in this city.’”

Follow the link above to read the full article.

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Teen Vogue | June 3, 2020

“Veteran organizers, like Nupol Kiazolu, the 19-year-old president of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, are familiar with the ebbs and flows of a protest. She stood nose-to-nose with Nazis in Charlottesville. She’s fled law enforcement with rifle sights set on her chest. She knows it means risking her life, even before the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the United States. But now she not only has to fear police and counterprotesters; the mere act of coming together to demonstrate poses just as much of a threat to protesters’ health and safety. And still, they gather.

‘At the end of the day, whether I sit at home or I’m on the front lines, I could be killed just for the color of my skin,’ Nupol says. ‘If anything were to happen to me, I would want it to be for a righteous cause.’

Nupol’s voice was still hoarse from tear gas. She spoke to Teen Vogue from Minneapolis, where she has worked as a frontline organizer with Minnesota’s Black Lives Matter to coordinate resistance efforts in the city where law enforcement officers were filmed kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, for nearly nine minutes, killing him. The resulting protests have wrought even more viral instances of police violence against Black protesters, journalists, and even apparent bystanders.

[…]

‘What folks in the streets right now, especially young people, need to hear right now is that you’re powerful,’ says Patrisse Cullors, cofounder of the global Black Lives National movement. ‘This moment of uprising is part of a long history of uprisings. We can only hold onto grief for so long until our grief turns into protest.’”

Follow the link above to read the rest of this powerful article.

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Kirkus | June 3, 2020

“A little girl shares a joy-filled rainy day with Mama.

Mother-daughter pairings of swimsuits, flower bouquets, and bicycles are presented in small, bright vignettes on the endpapers of Cabrera’s cozy tale, serving as appetizers for the visual feast within. Impressively detailed scenes, from the first spread, which shows the child coming downstairs, to her mama’s artfully designed workspace to a later scene of the little girl drifting off to sleep haloed by stars and dreaming of day with her mother, are rendered with visible daubs of acrylic paint. They are complemented by alternating scenes of single objects, such as Mama’s teacup beside her daughter’s sippy cup, set against pastel backgrounds showing the strengthening of their bond through the daily actions mother and daughter share. Though much of the text is uneven in rhythm with no consistent movement to usher readers from page to page, it contains gems, such as a description of the vegetation on the sidewalk, ‘in the in-between. / It’s moss, Mama says. / It’s velvet, I say.’ Still, the greatest delight is in the images that vibrantly showcase their simple, loving connection. In the book, the mother, daughter and, later, brother Luca all have gorgeous, varied hues of brown skin, with textured hair that is plaited, coily, and afro-puffed.”

Me & Mama by Cozbi A. Cabrera received a lovely review from Kirkus!

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ABC News | June 3, 2020

“John Legend, Lizzo, The Weeknd, Common and others signed an open letter Tuesday urging local governments to decrease police budgets in favor of spending more on health care, education, and other community programs.

The letter, written in response to the death of George Floyd, was released by Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter and a founding member of the Movement 4 Black Lives, a coalition of over 100 black rights organizations.”

Follow the link above to read more about the open letter asking to decrease police spending.

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OPB | June 3, 2020

“Nine days after the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police, widespread civil unrest continues as people across the country defy curfews and threats of a military crackdown from the federal government to protest police brutality.

Here & Now’s Tonya Mosley speaks with Patrisse Cullors, one of the co-founders of Black Lives Matter.”

Follow the link above to read more on the OPB website.

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Democracy Now | June 2, 2020

“As thousands in Los Angeles continue to protest against police brutality and face mass arrests, Mayor Eric Garcetti is facing criticism for increasing the budget for the Los Angeles Police Department. Organizers have called on the City Council to enact a People’s Budget that slashes money for police and invests in services for the community instead. ‘We have created a system that overrelies on law enforcement and prioritizes their money, their budget, their needs over everything else,’ says Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, and Reform L.A. Jails. ‘Now is the time that we redirect resources back into our communities.’”

Click the link above to read the interview with Patrisse Cullors.

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ABC11 News | June 2, 2020

“Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement and the chair of Reform L.A. Jails, told ‘Nightline’ that at the core of what protesters across the country are demanding, is accountability.

’They want to see the arrest of all the officers involved [in the murder of George Floyd]. They want to have no more terror, no more police terror in their communities,’ Cullors said. ‘Everybody wants to be apologized to. Everybody wants to be told, “I'm sorry. What I did was wrong. It was unacceptable. We won't do it again and, in fact, this is how we change.”’

But grieving communities don't often receive that kind of apology and acknowledgement, she said.

’We barely get a sorry, we rarely get accountability and we never get change,’ she said. ‘So what are people to do?’"

Click the link above to read the full interview with Patrisse Cullors.

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The Zoe Report | June 2, 2020

“The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and the many, many more before them have ignited protests in at least 140 cities in the United States since May 30. In addition to protesting, there are still a lot of ways you can take immediate action. Something you can do right this second is find Black Lives Matter organizations you can donate money to. If you have the means to donate to these organizations, whether that be $10 or $100, every single dollar counts.

To ensure that you're choosing a reputable organization to donate to, Patrisse Cullors, Political Strategist, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter and Founder of Reform LA Jails, provided a list she recommends to support and follow that are working to end systematic racism. But if you don't have the funds to donate, there's still plenty you can do. For starters, you can support George Floyd's case by signing petitions, as well as texting and calling demanding justice. For resources to find out where you can do all of the above, look to a comprehensive action card from Black Lives Matter.”

Follow the link at the top of the page to see the list of organizations recommended by Patrisse Cullors.

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Shelf Awareness | June 2, 2020

“Sisters Valerie and Lynn Constantine (The Last Mrs. Parrish), who write together as Liv, return to familiar territory with a story about envy and manipulation set in Connecticut, involving people in seemingly perfect lives and women with mysterious pasts. The characters can be frustrating and behave in confounding ways, but the story's swift pace and twist in the final act should keep domestic thriller fans engaged.”

The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine was reviewed by Shelf Awareness. Follow the link above to read the full review.

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