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- Brittany S.
- Saturday, June 11, 2022
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We love to see the illuminating joy that happens when Black women come together. Below are lists of Books, Films, and Music that spotlight the beauty of Black sisterhood.
Created by Alexis Nicholson and Brittany Smith
#ItsTheSisterhoodForMe 📖
Books that shine a light on friendship and sisterhood.
In Every Mirror She's Black
A Novel
Published in 2021
"A timely and arresting debut for anyone looking for insight into what it means to be a Black woman in the world. Three Black women are linked in unexpected ways to the same influential white man in Stockholm as they build their new lives in the most open society run by the most private people. Successful marketing executive Kemi Adeyemi is lured from the U.S. to Sweden by Jonny von Lundin, CEO of the nation's largest marketing firm, to help fix a PR fiasco involving a racially tone-deaf campaign. A killer at work but a failure in love, Kemi's move is a last-ditch effort to reclaim her social life. A chance meeting with Jonny in business class en route to the U.S. propels former model-turned-flight-attendant Brittany-Rae Johnson into a life of wealth, luxury, and privilege-a life she's not sure she wants-as the object of his unhealthy obsession. And Somali refugee Muna Saheed, who lost her entire family, finds a job cleaning the toilets at Jonny's office as she works to establish her residency in Sweden and, more importantly, seeks connection and a place she can call home. Told through the perspectives of each of the three women, In Every Mirror She's Black is a fast-paced, richly nuanced yet accessible contemporary novel that touches on important social issues of racism, classism, fetishization, and tokenism, and what it means to be a Black woman navigating a white-dominated society. Lola Akinmade Åkerström is an African-American (Nigerian-American) award-winning author, speaker, and photographer based in Sweden. This is her first novel"-- Provided by publisher.
Sisters in Arms
A Novel of the Daring Black Women Who Served During World War II
Published in 2021
The first Black women allowed to serve in the army, Grace Steele and Eliza Jones, helping form the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, navigate their way through the segregated ranks, finally making it overseas where they do their parts for the country they love.
The Vanishing Half
Published in 2020
"The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect? Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing."--Provided by publisher.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown
Published in 2021
"Eve Brown is a certified hot mess. No matter how hard she strives to do right, her life always goes horribly wrong--so she's given up trying. But when her personal brand of chaos ruins an expensive wedding (someone had to liberate those poor doves), her parents draw the line. It's time for Eve to grow up and prove herself even though she's not entirely sure how. Jacob Wayne is in control. Always. The bed and breakfast owner is on a mission to dominate the hospitality industry and he expects nothing less than perfection. So when a purple-haired tornado of a woman turns up out of the blue to interview for his open chef position, he tells her the brutal truth: not a chance in hell. Then she hits him with her car supposedly by accident. Yeah, right. Now his arm is broken, his B&B is understaffed, and the dangerously unpredictable Eve is fluttering around, trying to help. Before long, she's infiltrated his work, his kitchen and his spare bedroom. Jacob hates everything about it. Or rather, he should. Sunny, chaotic Eve is his natural-born nemesis, but the longer these two enemies spend in close quarters, the more their animosity turns into something else. Like Eve, the heat between them is impossible to ignore and it's melting Jacob's frosty exterior."-- provided by publisher.
Take a Hint, Dani Brown
A Novel
Published in 2020
A young woman agrees to fake-date her friend after a video of him "rescuing" her from their office building goes viral.
So Many Beginnings
A Little Women Remix
Published in 2021
At the Freedman's Colony of Roanoke Island, a haven for the recently emancipated, the four March sisters--Meg, Joanna, Bethlehem, and Amethyst--come into their own as independent young Black women together facing love, sickness, heartbreak, and new horizons.
One of the Good Ones
Published in 2021
Although distraught, Happi is also unsettled by the way people have idealized the memory of her sister who was killed after attending a social justice rally-- why do people have to be perfect in order to be missed? As a way to honor the memory, however, Happi and her other sister Genny go on a roadtrip using the original "Green Book"-- but the trip reveals secrets neither sister knew about the dead Kezi.
Sugar Town Queens
Published in 2021
"A biracial girl living in post-apartheid South Africa is determined to unveil the mystery of her white mother's hidden past"--Provided by publisher.
The Sisterhood of Blackberry Corner
Published in 2007
Canaan Creek, South Carolina, in the 1950s is a tiny town where the close-knit African-American community is united by long-term friendships and church ties. Bonnie Wilder has lived here, on Blackberry Corner, all her life, and would be content but for her deep desire to have a child. She and her husband Naz cannot conceive, and he refuses to adopt. Even the support of her outrageous best friend Thora - to whom Bonnie tells everything - can't help fill the emptiness inside her. Then Naz finds a blanketed infant on the banks of Canaan Creek, and suddenly Bonnie's life is transformed. She has found her calling. Together with Thora and the rest of the hilarious, tough, and all-too-human women from her church group, Bonnie creates an underground railroad for unwanted babies. But one of these precious gifts will come back to haunt her: a deception begun in good faith comes full circle, ultimately forcing Bonnie to find the courage to confront a difficult truth at the center of her own life. Filled with compassion, humor, and tenacity in the face of almost insurmountable odds, here is a rich, inspiring tale of friendship and family, sisterhood and mother love & and of finding grace where you least expect it.
The Sisters Are Alright
Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America
Published in 2015
"Everyone seems to have an opinion about American black women--they need to get married, change their hair, act like 'ladies,' and so on. Celebrated writer Tamara Winfrey Harris writes a searing account of being a black woman in America and explains why it's time for black women to speak for themselves"--Provided by publisher.
Dear Black Girl
Letters from Your Sisters on Stepping into Your Power
Published in 2021
"From the bestselling author of The Sisters Are Alright comes a book of personal letters written by black women to black girls to nurture healthy womanhood and sisterhood, covering topics like identity, self-love, parents, violence, grief, mental health, sex, and sexuality"-- Provided by publisher.
#That'sMyBestFriend📽️
Movies & TV Shows that highlight friendship and sisterhood.
The Cheetah Girls 2
When in Spain.
Published in 2006
The Cheetahs get the opportunity of a lifetime when they strut their way to Barcelona, Spain to perform in an international music festival. This Cheetah-licious Edition has 2 versions - the exclusive extended version and the sing-along version.
A Different World. Season 1.
Published in 1987
Denise Huxtable takes up residence in Hillman College's Gilbert Hall and immediately clashes with her assigned roomate, Jaleesa Vinson.
Girlfriends. The Complete First Season.
Published in 2007
Meet four professional African-American women living in Los Angeles who are struggling with the weighty issues of life, including men, love, money, and more men. No matter what is going on in life, they rely on each other for support and humor.
Girls Trip
Published in 2017
When four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there|s enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.
The Help
.
Published in 2011
Mississippi during the 1960s: Skeeter, a southern society girl, returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends' lives, and a small Mississippi town, upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families. Aibileen, Skeeter's best friend's housekeeper, is the first to open up, to the dismay of her friends in the tight-knit black community.
Hidden Figures
Published in 2017
As the United States raced against Russia to put a man in space, NASA found untapped talent in a group of African-American female mathematicians that served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in U.S. history. Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson crossed all gender, race, and professional lines while their brilliance and desire to dream big, beyond anything ever accomplished before by the human race, firmly cemented them in U.S. history as true American heroes.
Insecure. The Complete First Season
Published in 2017
A painfully funny new comedy series which follows best friends Issa and Molly as they navigate the tricky professional and personal terrain of Los Angeles while facing the challenges of being two black women who defy all stereotypes. Insecure explores the black female experience in a subtle, witty, and authentic way, as Issa and Molly stumble their way toward pulling their lives together while trying their hardest to never settle for less.
Little
Published in 2019
Jordan is a take-no-prisoners mogul who torments her long-suffering assistant and employees daily. She soon faces an unexpected threat to her personal life and career when she magically transforms into a thirteen-year-old version of herself.
Living Single. The Complete First Season
Published in 2006
This group of seemingly mismatched women have found the recipe for twenty-something happiness. Enjoy all 27 season one episodes of the comedy series about four fly women living large and living single. Includes a terrific bonus featurette.
Moesha. The First Season.
Published in 2012
Brandy Norwood stars as Moesha Mitchell, a head-strong, young woman who juggles romance, school, and family life. At every turn, Moesha, along with her friends and family, experiences hilarious new challenges that come with adolescence. The Mitchell family is made up of Frank, a car dealer and devoted dad; Dee, a dedicated educator as well as a wife and stepmother; Myles, a pre-teen with boundless curiosity and cynicism; and Moesha, who is in the midst of shaping her own identity.
Nobody's Fool
.
Published in 2019
Trying to get back on her feet, wild child Tanya looks to her buttoned-up, by-the-book sister Danica to help her get on track. As these polar opposites collide, with hilarious and sometimes disastrous results, Tanya discovers that Danica's picture-perfect life, including her mysterious boyfriend, may not be what it seems.
Orange is the New Black. Season One.
Published in 2014
Brooklynite Piper Chapman's wild past comes back to haunt her and results in her arrest and detention in a federal penitentiary. To pay her debt to society, Piper trades her comfortable New York life for an orange prison jumpsuit and finds unexpected conflict and camaraderie amidst an eccentric group of inmates.
Phat Girlz.
Published in 2006
A sassy plus-sized fashion designer is tired of taking no for an answer in life and love. When she designs a line for large women, she can't get funding for it. Will a trip to a resort help her find her money...and a man?
The Proud Family Complete Series.
Published in 2022
Follow the adventures and misadventures of Penny, a typical African American girl who's doing her best to navigate through the early years of teen-dom. Penny's every encounter inevitably spirals into bigger-than-life situations filled with hi-jinks, hilarity and heart. Her quest to balance her home, school and social lives are further complicated by friends like the sassy Dijonay, Penny's nemesis LaCienega Boulevardez, her loving, yet over-protective, parents and her hip-to-the-groove-granny, Suga Mama.
Queen Sugar. The Complete First Season.
Published in 2017
Produced by Oprah Winfrey, award winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay, and Melissa Carter. After a family tragedy forces them back together, the Bordelons must navigate the triumphs and struggles of their complicated lives in order to run an ailing sugarcane farm in the Deep South.
The Secret Life of Bees.
Published in 2009
14-year-old Lily Owens is haunted by the memory of her late mother. Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past. She finds solace in their mesmerizing world of beekeeping.
Set It off
Published in 2011
When four female friends in L.A. are pushed over the edge, they take up bank robbery to escape poverty and strike a blow against 'the man.'
Star. The Complete First Season
Published in 2018
Featuring a soundtrack of original music and stunning musical performances, the series follows three talented singers chasing stardom while running from their pasts. Star is a tough-as-nails young woman who came up in the foster care system and decides to take control of her destiny. Together with her sister Simone, and her Instagram bestie Alexandra, Star journeys to Atlanta where they all hope to become music superstars.
Steel Magnolias.
Published in 2013
Steel Magnolias is an American comedy-drama television film directed by Kenny Leon that premiered at Lifetime Network on October 7, 2012. It is the remake of 1989 film of the same name. The new film stars an all-African American cast.
Step.
Published in 2017
The senior year of a girls' high school step dance team against the background of inner city Baltimore. Empowered by their teachers, coaches, families, and each other, they strive to win a championship and go to college.
Think Like a Man Too.
Published in 2014
All the couples are back for a wedding in Las Vegas. But plans for a romantic weekend go awry when their various misadventures get them into some compromising situations that threaten to derail the big event.
Waiting to Exhale.
Published in 2006
Four African-American women are all waiting for the time when they can relax and stop worrying about finding the perfect man. This title has been repackaged.
#LoveToHearIt 🎵
Music and Music Groups that embody friendship and sisterhood.
Destiny's Child Live in Atlanta
Published in 2006
TLC
Published in 2017
Having largely stepped back from the public eye since the tragic passing of Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes, the group is now ready to return to the spotlight.