December 2021 Edition

Culture & News

Black Victorians

The reign of Queen Victoria gave rise to the Victorian era (1840-1900) in England. This time-period was characterized by imperial wealth, colonial wars, chattel slavery, emancipation, and African diplomatic envoys. The book: Black Victorians/Black Victoriana, 222 pages, Edited by Gretchen, Holbrook, & Gerzina, 2003) explores these issues through the African-descent perspective of the British Empire. There are notable Blacks featured such as: Sally Bonetta Forbes, Pablo Fanque, Ida B. Wells, Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Mary Seacole, and Cetshwayo. The book states that prominent Black Victorians were more easily identified compared to everyday Black people: “We can identify prominent black Victorians because they have left a record of their presence…but other black people lived less conspicuous lives in London at this time: “the black man that waits at table” in upper-class Mayfair…This Zulu sailor, like the mass of Victorians, was anonymous” (p. 48).

The Victorian racial discourse had elements of “scientific racism” that put forth pseudo-scientific ideas to justify racism and children’s publications that waged an unholy public relations campaign against the African. These self-serving methods re-enforced stereotypes to maintain the racist status quo. There were challenges from Black abolitionists, British Quakers, feminists, and others who fought for the basic human rights of Blacks. The book asserts more research needs to be done on the masses of Black Victorians. As England lacked “formal segregation” population statistics are harder to obtain, in comparison to the United States, which enforced segregation laws and have more population data.

There is an entire chapter dedicated to the anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells. In 1862, she was born into slavery in Mississippi. She was emancipated as what was called a “liberated African.” She went on to work as a teacher, journalist, and activist. Her rise to the international forum allowed the anti-lynching argument to be made in front of British audiences. The book states: “Wells played upon the ideas of citizenship and exile as a means of highlighting the ways in which she had personally been disenfranchised and the way in which blacks as a group were systematically prevented from accessing the basic privileges of American citizenship” (p. 95). The chapter also touches on her ideological differences with White feminists and provides the basic principles of Victorian womanhood.

Overall, this book is a very good read. It is well written, has informative footnotes, and includes photos. The chapter on Ida B. Wells is an excellent read! I recommend this book to get more understanding of the Victorian era and the influence of Black Victorians.  

💖Purchase/Read the Book Synopsis here

Art/Film/Literature News

Children’s Christmas Books

Here’s a few children’s Christmas books to get in the holiday spirit! The Christmas Cookies by Mark Collins, A Christmas Pageant for Jesus by Susan Jones, & T’was The Night Before Christmas by Angela Nixon (all available on kindle).

💖Purchase/Read the Book Synopsis here, here, and here!

Business/Non-Profit News

Designer Journals

Daveia Odoi is the owner of The Dyna Smiles company that produces designer journals, phone cases, and t-shirts. Her husband and co-founder, Edmund, unexpectedly passed away from cancer. She remembers his entrepreneurial encouragement as they strolled through the aisles of Target. Now, her journals are available at Target and online here. Congratulations!  

Black News.com: Founder of Black-Owned Stationery Brand Lands Deal with Target; Fulfills Dream of Late Husband

https://www.blacknews.com/news/black-owned-stationery-brand-dynasmiles-lands-deal-target-stores/

Book Review

A Slice of Life

Enjoy a heart-warming collection of short stories in the book: A Slice of Life: Every Person Has A Story by Smita Das Jain (84 pages, 2021, kindle edition). A variety of love-infused stories that focus on: marriage, courtship, class divisions, and Covid lockdown epiphanies. A well written collection with a few twists and turns. The author includes in her dedication to: “All Indian Writers-for making the reader in me realise that I need not pick up a foreign author’s book every time for a good read…” (kindle p. 4). A great book!

Some Favorite Book Quotes:

“Time flies past but leaves shadows behind” (kindle p. 17).

“He was a person of eclectic but predictable tastes” (kindle p. 59).

“I have made a beginning by befriending you” (kindle p. 66).    

💖Purchase/Read Book Synopsis here

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