For Black History & Futures Month, we reached out to our WCH community and asked which Black authors, musicians, and filmmakers they’re celebrating this month.
Black History & Futures Month Book Club
Earlier this month, we asked our staff and physicians: What are your favourite books by Black authors, or who are your favourite Black authors? Their answers informed our Book Club reading list. We encourage everyone to take part by picking up a book from the list that might be new to them!
Favourite books by Black authors:
- The Book of Negroes – Lawrence Hill
- The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison
- Homegoing – Yaa Gyasi
- The Water Dancer – Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Beloved – Toni Morrison
- Queenie – Candice Carty-Williams
- Black Buck – Mateo Askaripour
- Transcendent Kingdom – Yaa Gyasi
- Half of a Yellow Sun – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Favourite Black authors:
- James Baldwin
- Colson Whitehead
- Isabel WIlkerson
- Malcolm X
- Octavia Butler
- Lawrence Hill
- Toni Morrison
- Esi Edugyan
Black History & Futures Month Mixtapes
Black musicians have influenced modern music for decades, with many current genres of music havign their roots in Black culture. Without Black musicians, the music we know and love today wouldn’t exist. Early Black music became the inspiration for rock n’ roll and pop; many of our favourite jazz tunes were influenced by or the product of Black musicians. From motown and reggae to rhynthm & blues and pop, take a look at some notable favourite Black musicians.
Black History & Futures Month Film Reels
While being widely underrepresented in formal film awards, Black actors, directors, producers, and film makers have been an integral part of the movie industry since the early 1900s, when Black directors were making silent films like The Flames of Wrath and The Railroad Porter. Despite the challenges faced by Black artists and film makers, moves about and by Black artists have continued to inspire movie goers and and introduce them to Black characters and tell Black stories. Here are some notable Black artists in the film industry.
Black directors
Despite the numerous Black directors in Hollywood, only six Black directors have ever been nominated for Best Director Oscars, and all of them are male:
| Black Directors nominated for Best Director Oscars | Notable Black woman directors |
|---|---|
| Barry Jenkins Steve McQueen Spike Lee Lee Daniels John Singleton Jordan Peele | Ava DuVernay Victoria Mahoney Maria P. Williams Julie Dash Debbie Allen Janicza Bravo Nia DaCosta |
WCH’s favourite movies about Black stories/made by Black film makers:
- Malcolm X
- Selma
- Hidden Figures
- Black Panther
- The Hate U Give
- Get Out
- Hair Love
- 42
- Moonlight
- 13th
Black actors/actresses
Only a handful of Black actors have actually won awards for their work in the film industry. Most notable among the group is Sidney Poitier, the first Black actor out of four to win an Oscar for Best Actor, and Halle Berry, the first and only Black woman to win a Best Actress Oscar. Only 14 other Black actors have won Oscars for their performances. Here are some of WCH’s favourite Black actors and actresses:
- Denzel Washington
- Taraji P. Henson
- Idris Elba
- Chadwick Boseman
- Halle Berry
- Viola Davis
- Will Smith
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Jamie Foxx
- Donald Glover
- Michael Clarke Duncan
- Zendaya
- Ice Cube