Books offering valuable insights into Black history and identity

By Yolanda Marshall

These impactful and thought-provoking books offer readers valuable insights into Black history, identity, activism, and lived experiences in Canada and beyond. They explore themes such as the legacy of Black journalism, educational equity, creative resistance, and deeply personal poetry. Each title highlights the strength, resilience, and cultural contributions of Black communities, offering essential perspectives that educate, inspire, and foster meaningful discussions about social justice, belonging, and transformative change.

                                                                                                                                                                                                The Black Press: A Shadowed Canadian Tradition

Written by Claudine Bonner, Boulou Ebanda de b’Beri, and Nina Reid-Maroney.

“The Black Press brings together original, multidisciplinary research that explores the history and impact of Black newspapers in Canada. This collection of essays introduces readers to the rich archive of Black Canadian journalism, spanning the period from the abolitionist to the modern civil rights era, and reveals the extensive network of African and African-descended activist-journalists. The book positions Black Canadian journalists, editors, publishers, and readers as influential intellectual activists whose efforts shaped the press to drive socio-cultural change both in Canada and abroad. Through historical analysis and archival research, each essay highlights how Black journalists countered mainstream portrayals of their community, challenging dominant narratives of Blackness in the Canadian imaginary. The essays demonstrate how the Black Press served as a crucial space for reflecting on Black Canadian identity, belonging, social justice, and human rights within the colonial contexts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Combining historical, archival, and cultural analysis, the book uncovers the profound and often overlooked influence of the Black Press on Canada’s cultural and political landscape.” – University of Toronto Press, 2025.

The ABCs of Blackness in Our Schools: Affirming identity, fostering belonging, and celebrating learning

Written by Andrew B Campbell

“Conceived, planned, and written in conjunction with the Centre for Black Studies in Education (CBSE) at OISE-University of Toronto, this unique project features the voices of experts in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Each chapter examines a different aspect of a challenging topic, and explores ways that educators can meet these issues head-on and take a leadership role in changing the face of DEI in their classroom, school, and community. You can become a champion for the lesser-heard voices of marginalized students, and bring high expectations, enthusiasm, and joy to teaching and learning with every student.” – Pembroke, January 2026.

                                                                                           Free To Be More: Creative Activism in the Era of Black Lives Matter

Edited by Syrus Marcus Ware, and Ra’anaa Yaminah Ekundayo with d’bi.young anitafrika.

“Celebrating the artists at the forefront of a Black aesthetic renaissance and how they harness the arts to shape a freer future. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin of the Minneapolis Police Department and the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet during a health episode attended by Toronto Police Services in the turbulent summer of 2020, communities rose up in rage, grief, and resistance. Alongside mass protests came an outpouring of creative expression by Black artists, producing art that helped make sense of the moment and mobilize for change. Today, as anti-Black violence persists—fueled by the rise of white supremacy and fascism, even within the highest levels of government—Black artists, too, persist in painting, dancing, drawing, writing, and expressing their outrage and hope. Free to Be More honours the creative revolutionary labour of Black artists, past and present. This vibrant collection of essays, poems, images, and interviews affirms the deep connection between art and activism. More than that, it’s a testament to how art can amplify a movement and offer tools to gather, organize, and enact transformative interventions in anti-Black racism. Continuing and expanding the conversation from the bestselling Until We Are Free, Free to Be More brings together contributions from Rodney Diverlus, Ravyn Wngz, Aisha Sasha John, and other visionary artists to serve as both a singular creative archive and a rallying cry for future changemakers.” – University of Regina Press, May 2026.

Black Girl in The Ring

Written by Delores V. Mullings

 “Juxtaposing experiences of discrimination with love and resilience, this debut poetry collection critiques intimate and institutional violence and hostility, entwined with a celebration of beauty and fierceness. What is the difference between institutional violence enacted by trusted individuals and intimate violence enacted by loved ones? This collection of free verse, haiku, and narrative poetry guides the reader through these parallel experiences from a personal perspective. In a study of power relations, these poems delve into the complex structures of feminism, nature, and discrimination. A balanced mixture of reflection, celebration, energy, and sadness unfolds within the pages; drawing on a contemporary style, the author creates the space to feel grief, loss, sorrow, and disappointment in equal measure with joy, contemplation, excitement, and elation.”- Breakwater Books, April 14^th 2026.

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