At the vibrant Black Books Matter Festival in National Harbor, the inspiring co-founder of MahoganyBooks, Ramunda Young, and the passionate literary curator, Morgan Menzies, come together to explore the vital role of community in elevating Black literature. Ramunda, who proudly hails from Tulsa—home of Black Wall Street—shares the heartfelt journey of MahoganyBooks, sparked by her husband's dream and transformed into her mission when she recognized Tulsa's rich yet overlooked Black history being withheld from local youth, including her.
Throughout their engaging discussion, Ramunda and Morgan passionately highlight key principles that guide their efforts in nurturing a thriving Black book community. They stress the importance of making Black literature easily accessible, fostering connections through book clubs, and introducing creative experiences, like Morgan's innovative audiobook walking club, ‘Pages on the Path.’ They also address the crucial necessity of preserving history amidst the rise of AI by advocating for the purchase and protection of physical book copies.
As they exchange thoughts on impactful recent reads, audience engagement thrives around topics like multigenerational participation, establishing dedicated Black book spaces, and the joy and security of recommending thought-provoking titles within a welcoming Black bookstore. Their enthusiasm for promoting Black-centered literature shines brightly!
Mentioned in this episode:
African Ancestry
We are the pioneers of genetic ancestry tracing for Black people globally, reconnecting you to your specific African roots–the country and the people. Our scientists compare your DNA markers to the largest African reference database in the world in order to find your African origin up to 2000 years ago.
African Ancestry
We are the pioneers of genetic ancestry tracing for Black people globally, reconnecting you to your specific African roots–the country and the people. Our scientists compare your DNA markers to the largest African reference database in the world in order to find your African origin up to 2000 years ago.