Happy Black History Month!
At Wavelength, we strive to celebrate the Black and African American students, faculty, and staff, members of our community and beyond, throughout the year, not just during Black History Month. But, as it is Black History Month, we also understand the importance of acknowledging the history and experiences of Black and African American people in the United States and around the world. Educating ourselves on the history, experiences, accomplishments, and contributions of Black and African American people is something we believe is not only important but necessary to filling gaps of cultural knowledge in ourselves and others, and to continue fostering a compassionate, equitable, and inclusive campus environment for Black and African American members of the Western community.
In providing a space where students can further engage with their personal education, acknowledgement, and celebration during Black History Month, we have compiled a variety of resources that have broadened our own scope of the experiences of Black and African American people. We hope you take the opportunity to expand your own perspective, either through these resources, or through your own research and reflection.
Books:
- Piecing Me Together (2017) by Renee Watson
- Beloved (1987) and The Bluest Eye (1970) by Toni Morrison
- Erasure (2001) by Percival Everett
- Killing the Black Body (1997) by Dorothy Roberts
- Maya Angelou: The Complete Poetry (2003) by Maya Angelou
- Hot Comb (2019) by Ebony Flowers
- Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head (2022) by Warsan Shire
- If Beale Street Could Talk (1974), Go Tell It on the Mountain (1952), and The Fire Next Time (1963) by James Baldwin
- Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism (1981) by bell hooks
- The New Jim Crow (2010) By Michelle Alexander
- Stamped from the Beginning (2016) by Ibram X. Kendi
Films:
- 13th (2016) directed by Ava DuVernay
- American Fiction (2023) directed by Cord Jefferson
- Hidden Figures (2016) directed by Theodore Melfi
- I Am Not Your Negro (2016) directed by Raoul Peck
- Get Out (2017) directed by Jordan Peele
- Do the Right Thing (1986) by Spike Lee
- Summer of Soul (2021) by Questlove
YouTube Videos:
Other Resources:
- @ebonywarriorstudios on Instagram
- @beverlymahone on Instagram
- @angelasummernamubiru on Instagram
- @bellewoghirenn on Instagram
As a student publication, the Wavelength staff works to represent the diverse student body at Western and all aspects of the individuals who make it up. As the students on the staff, but also as students outside the staff, we are constantly looking for opportunities to further educate ourselves, through media, literature, classes, or any other form, to continue upholding our values and commitments to diversity and inclusion. Our work to continue educating ourselves on the history, experiences, accomplishments, and contributions of Black and African American people at Western, in the United States, and around the world is something that should be expected from us as individuals and as a staff.
Sincerely,
The Wavelength Staff
