An empowering and celebratory portrait of Black women—from
Josephine Baker to Aunt Viv to Cardi B.
"Powerful...
Calling for Black women (in and out of the public eye) to be treated
with empathy, Blay’s pivotal work will engage all readers,
especially fans of Mikki Kendall’s Hood Feminism." —Kirkus
(Starred)
In 2013, film and
culture critic Zeba Blay was one of the first people to coin the
viral term #carefreeblackgirls on Twitter. As she says, it was “a
way to carve out a space of celebration and freedom for Black women
online.”
In this collection
of essays, Carefree Black Girls, Blay expands on this initial
idea by delving into the work and lasting achievements of influential
Black women in American culture--writers, artists, actresses,
dancers, hip-hop stars--whose contributions often come in the face of
bigotry, misogyny, and stereotypes. Blay celebrates the strength and
fortitude of these Black women, while also examining the many
stereotypes and rigid identities that have clung to them. In writing
that is both luminous and sharp, expansive and intimate, Blay seeks a
path forward to a culture and society in which Black women and their
art are appreciated and celebrated.
