October was designated as Black History Month in the UK by Akyaaba Addai Sebo in 1987. This was as a result to the riots of the 1980s in the UK when black Britons fought for tolerance and acceptance and their fight against racism and marginalization headlined. Black History Month was chosen to be in the month of October because it is the month when African leaders and chiefs get together to settle their differences. It also corresponds to the beginning of the school year and there was hope that it would instill pride in black children.
Since I host a month of videos, Instagram photo challenges, a readalong, and blog posts for Black History Month in February for the US, I felt like I needed to do something this year for Black History Month UK and I will continue to do things for October. I’m terribly disappointed that it is hardly mentioned in the book communities online, especially since there are many other different book activities hosted this month. So, I decided to spearhead a readalong of 26a by Diana Evans over on Goodreads.
I believe when readers are asked who is their favorite black British writer they either have a tendance to say Zadie Smith or they have no idea. I find that a little sad because there are a plethora of black British writers out there but I don’t think they are getting as much recognition and love as they should. So I decided to contribute these two extensive lists below of black British Women and Men Writers that you may not have even heard of.
Once during one of my Instalives someone asked me, «Who is your favorite British author? » I was taken aback because the only name that came to mind was Zadie Smith. It was in that moment that I realized I was lacking in reading Black British authors. There were other names I could have said that I’d read, but for some reason they weren’t coming to mind. That goes to show how important publicity is and why it’s important to not only read black writers but to talk about them and to gush about your favorites. Why is it we can name white men and women British writers’ names without hesitation? Their names are foremost in our heads because they are literally all over the net ALL THE TIME from Goodreads to YouTube to Instagram to Litsy and so on….
In order to encourage you to discover some black British writers check out my list below. I’ll highlight the authors and the titles I’ve read. I’m sure this is another literary journey I’ll attempt to go on eventually because the lists are rich. At the moment, I’m enjoying discovering literature from the Caribbean, which will overlap with these two lists. Concerning my Caribbean reading journey, the backlist has been where I’m finding the gems. The Backlist is where it’s at people. You’re chasing the new titles and missing out on the tried and true. Remember there will always be new titles coming out but the oldies are classics which stand the test of time.
Black British Women Writiers
Mojisola ADEBAYO
Helen OYEYEMI
Patience AGBABI
Joan ANIM-ADDO
Similar BEDFORD
Malorie BLACKMAN – Noughts and Crosses
Zena EDWARDS
Buchi EMECHETA
Diana EVANS – 26a
Bernadine EVARISTO
Laura FISH
Aminatta FORNA – The Memory of Love
Beryl GILROY
Jackie KAY – Red Dust Road An Autobiographical Journey
Dorothy Koomson
Andrea LEVY
Sheree MACK
Dreda Say MITCHELL
Nadifa MOHAMED
Grace NICHOLS
Sharon DODUA
Winsome PINNOCK
Lou PRENDERGAST
Mary PRINCE
Joan RILEY
Mary SEACOLE
Khadijah (George) SESAY
Dorothea SMARTT
Zadie SMITH – NW/On Beauty/White Teeth/Swing Time (curently reading Feel Free)
Adela SOLANKE
Su ANDI
Debbie TUCKER GREEN
Yrsa DALEY-WARD – bone
Precious WILLIMAS
Oona KING
Irenosen OKOJIE
Hannah POOL
Yvette EDWARDS
Black British Men Writers:
Alex WHEATLE
Benjamin ZEPHANIAH
Caryl PHILLIPS – Crossing the River
Courttia Newland – The Gospel According to Cane
Diran ADEBAYO
Mike GAYLE
Paul GILROY
Ben OKRI
E. R. BRAITHWAITE
Gary YOUNGE