Celebrate Women's History by Getting to Know These Women
We found three books to recommend this week that celebrate diversity both in their content and by the author. They each introduce us to Black women throughout history who have made an impact.
Diverse Children's Book
We saw this first book and fell in love! A is for Aretha is a great board book for your own children or to take as a baby shower gift - especially if they are a family of music fans.
A is for Aretha by Leslie Kwan and Rachelle Baker
An exciting ABC board book featuring Black women musicians whose artistry and activism globally changed the way we hear and interact with music, one song at a time.
Spotlighting 26 Black women in music, A is for Aretha is a celebration of the contributions they made not only within their industry but also of the social causes that often underpinned their music. Within these pages are women whose music encouraged joy and self-love, advocated for racial justice, buoyed civil rights protests, and trailblazed paths for Black creatives that are still felt to this day.
Diverse Teen/Young Adult Book
Pauli Murray is definitely an author and activist we should all know more about. She was a fighter for not only civil rights and women's rights but for the rights of all humans seeking dignity.
Pauli Murray: The Life of a Pioneering Feminist and Civil Rights Activist by Terry Catasús Jennings and Rosita Stevens-Holsey,
Pauli Murray was a trailblazer who spent her life fighting for civil rights and women's rights. Writer, lawyer, activist, priest, Pauli was a champion for justice. Her extraordinary life is immortalized in this riveting biography told in verse.
"Pauli Murray was brilliant, outspoken, and committed to achieving dignity and equality for all under the law. Rising from poverty, Murray challenged pervasive race and sex discrimination and helped launch the two most important movements of the Twentieth Century: civil rights and women's rights. This new biography capsulizes important events and accomplishments of an iconoclast who would not take 'No' for an answer. Young readers will be drawn to the story of Pauli's bravery and pivotal role in history." -- Christian F. Nunes, President, National Organization for Women
"This is a compelling biography of an 'unsung force'-an inspiring and transformative figure who broke barriers pivotal to both the civil rights and women's movements."--Horn Book Magazine
Pauli Murray was a thorn in the side of white America demanding justice and equal treatment for all. She was a queer civil rights and women's rights activist before any movement advocated for either--the brilliant mind that, in 1944, conceptualized the arguments that would win Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka; and in 1964, the arguments that won women equality in the workplace.
Throughout her life, she fought for the oppressed, not only through changing laws, but by using her powerful prose to influence those who could affect change. She lived by her convictions and challenged authority to demand fairness and justice regardless of the personal consequences. Without seeking acknowledgment, glory, or financial gain for what she did, Pauli Murray fought in the trenches for many of the rights we take for granted. Her goal was human rights and the dignity of life for all.
Diverse Adult Book
Our adult book pick this month is a memoir from Debra Lee, the former CEO of Black Entertainment Television [BET]. In addition to facing the early challenges of segregation, Lee also had to navigate the corporate world as a powerful woman. This a great book of inspiration for any reader who wants to overcome adversity and become successful. Plus, a fabulous gift!
I Am Debra Lee: A Memoir by Debra Lee
*Well-Read Black Girl - Book Club Pick*
A riveting memoir by the former CEO of Black Entertainment Television (BET), about the glamorous and ugly moments of being a high-powered Black woman executive in the entertainment industry.
As an incredible glass-ceiling breaker and the woman who brought timeless television shows like The Game and Being Mary Jane to cable, Debra Lee has been the visionary responsible for elevating Black images and storytelling for decades. Now she's telling her own story, in an intimate and eye-opening tale about the triumphant and tricky moments of a career in entertainment.
I Am Debra Lee is a page-turner, filled with deeply personal revelations, juicy celebrity intel, and electrifying behind-the-scenes stories that reveal how she went from a girl raised in the segregated South to leading the first Black company traded on the New York Stock Exchange and how she juggled social responsibility while managing a company targeted toward the Black community. In a rousing narrative, Lee writes: "I don't just love Black culture--the magic in our hair, the swagger in our steps, the particular way we can say 'alright now' to fit our changing moods--Black culture saved me." In her exciting debut, she answers all of our questions about building an unapologetically Black enterprise as a Black woman. What to do when you're forced to attend a board meeting eight weeks after a C-section. How to manage a team of men when you're the first female CEO at the company. How she learned the hard way to say no to those in power when their vision didn't align with her purpose.
I Am Debra Lee tackles lessons that women CEOs rarely dare to. She addresses her personal struggles with motherhood and "having it all," navigating reproductive choice, fertility, and #MeToo while achieving great professional success. Being Black and a woman in corporate life isn't easy for anyone. But Lee shows how she evolved from a shy girl who dreaded public speaking to becoming a force to be reckoned with as she helped build the leading entertainment company for Black audiences and consumers of Black culture globally.
I Am Debra Lee is a must-read for all strivers in any industry. Lee is a truthteller about the critical choices that Black leaders face. As she has done her whole career, in this book, she opens the door for others to come after her, by sharing the truth behind her own inspiring story of power, perseverance, and success.
Looking for more diverse book recommendations?