Black History Month 2021: Recommended Books, Music, Shows, and Film by Black New School Alumni

New School Alumni
2 min readFeb 17, 2021

In recognition of Black History Month 2021, the Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice at The New School has been collecting media recommendations from the entire New School community. The Office of Alumni Relations pulled together a list of inspiring, powerful books, music, shows, films, and media created by Black New School alumni. View our recommendations below and join us in celebrating their work this month and throughout the year.

Books

Darkly: Black History and America’s Gothic Soul by Leila Taylor, MA Liberal Studies ’18
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender, MFA Creative Writing ’14
Circus by Dante Micheaux, BA Liberal Arts ’02
No Heaven For Good Boys by Keisha Bush, MFA Creative Writing ’15
Solemn by Kalisha Buckhanon, MFA Creative Writing ’03
Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson, BA Liberal Arts ’09

Television + Film

Orange Is the New Black featuring Adrienne Moore, MFA Acting ’09
Changing the Face of Medicine: Black Women in Medicine produced and directed by Crystal Emery, MA Media Studies ’13

Music

Jillian Hervey of Lion Babe, BA The Arts ’11
James Francies, BFA Jazz & Contemporary Music ’17
Marcus Baylor, BFA Jazz & Contemporary Music ’99
Lakecia Benjamin, BFA Jazz and Contemporary Music ’05
Robert Glasper, BFA Performance ’01
Tyga Paw, Liberal Arts ’06
Jazzmeia Horn, BFA Jazz and Contemporary Music ’14

Follow us on Spotify to check out these alumni artists.

Media

Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah, BA Culture and Media ’06
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for her GQ profile, “A Most American Terrorist: The Making of Dylann Roof”

Andre Singleton, BA The Arts ’11
Co-Founder of The Very Black Project

Amy Sall, BA Culture and Media ’12
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of SUNU: Journal of African Affairs, Critical Thought + Aesthetics

Have a recommendation you’d like us to add? Let us know by filling out this form. View the full New School community list here.

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New School Alumni

Celebrating the New School alumni community, a vibrant network of creative, progressive thinkers working in the arts, politics, design, education, and more.