Reading as Resistance
Happy Merry Kwanzmas Sistah Girls! The last month of this year is upon us. Cold weather and early sunsets make this the perfect time for staying indoors, lounging in your cozy clothes, and making a dent in your TBR.
Unfortunately for me, ya girl is in the middle of a record-breaking book slump. So until further notice, I will be catching up on my cross-stream to-be-watched lists.
My sister and I have been binging these independent thriller/comedy movies, where the protagonists (either a teenage girl or an adult woman) have to defeat a killer. Which always turns out to be some red pill content ingesting male and his pals.
Something that intrigues me about this genre I’ve recently been introduced to is how writers use storytelling to portray women and girls pushing back against harmful societal norms and mistreatment by men.
As a Black woman in the United States, the majority of my obstacles occur at the intersection of Racism Way and Sexism Boulevard.
Position that between the real-life recognition that it is safer to “choose the bear.” And having to deal with a bunch of clueless males making legal declarations over my reproductive rights; now more than ever, a thug is thankful for the artistic mediums that portray the feelings, fears, and fight of women and girls.
Growing up, my parents made sure that, along with the childhood classics, my young adult fiction, and my fantasy novels, I read books about women who bucked the system, questioned societal norms, and took a stand against civil injustices.
Fast forward to 2025, and Black authors like Skye Moon, Jasmine Nicole, Kimberly Brown, and more are phenomenally carrying the baton–penning stories that uplift, empower, and evoke one’s sense of humanity.
GOING BACK TO MOVIES FOR A SECOND
Another film that I have recently watched was called Fahrenheit 451. Starring Michael B. Jordan, the book-to-big-screen follows a group of firefighters as they apprehend any citizen caught with literature (which was illegal in this dystopian setting) and set fire to any collected contraband.
As a book lover, of course, the movie blew my mind! But what it also did was remind me not to take for granted this opportunity I have, where unlimited knowledge and adventure are at my fingertips via books.
I have always been a lover of art that evokes the senses. The kind that causes you to deep dive into the history of something. Or empowers you to stand up for a cause.
Don’t get me wrong, abstract mediums hold a fair portion of my fancy as well. But, in my opinion, some of the best artistic displays are the ones that spark the mind and encourage free thought.
Especially when that display is through literature and the viewpoint of a Black woman.
It was literary voices such as Nikki Giovanni, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, Dr. Ava Muhammad, and many others who taught, inspired, and helped mold young Takeah’s mind and outlook on this little journey called life.
Whether the topic covered colorism, gender disparities, or was simply a good ol’ romance tale, Black women have had the literary block on lock for decades!
And as a reader, there is nothing more spectacular and comforting than opening the pages of a book written by a Black woman, and it feels like a conversation between kinfolk.
There is an old African proverb that says, “When you educate a woman, you educate a nation.”
Now, while I do not advocate for Black women being the saviors of the world… because let’s be honest, we have been everything to everyone for too long…
What I can say is that by writing and sharing their stories, Black women writers across genres are keeping open the literary floodgates for empowerment, generational healing, and emotional reconnections from one human being to the next.
Sistah Girls, it’s time for me to snuggle into my cozy clothes and let Moesha and the gang entertain me while I research my next Black woman author to read.
Until next time, remember: “There’s nothing greater on earth than Black women” -Nikki Giovanni (may she rest in power 🙏🏽).
