BLACK LOVE LETTERS | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation
Date and Time
Nov 14, 2023 6:00 pm
Location
450K
450 K St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20001
Nov 14, 2023 6:00 pm
450K
In this exquisite anthology of letters and illustrations, Cole Brown and Natalie Johnson bring together a constellation of influential Black figures to write to the people, places, and moments that mean the most to them. With a foreword from John Legend and contributions from Brontez Purnell, Morgan Jerkins, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Dr. Imani Perry, among many others, Black Love Letters is an ode to a phenomenal community: a testament to the fact that where there has been pain and suffering, there has also always been immeasurable, irrepressible joy and love.
Cole Brown and Natalie Johnson are joining us on the Busboys stage to present a powerful and heartfelt celebration of Blackness in all its many forms. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and the authors will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of BLACK LOVE LETTERS will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is IN PERSON and will NOT be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
Contributors: Akili King, Alex Elle, Allisa Findley, Barbara Edelin Belinda Walker, Ben Crump, Bill Whitaker, Bilquisu Abdullah, Brianna Holt, Brontez Purnell, Cole Brown, Danez Smith, Deborah Willis, Dick Parsons, Douglas Jones, Douglas Kearney, Dr. Imani Perry, Jamila Woods, Jan Menafee, Jayne Allen, Jeh Johnson, Jenna Wortham, Joel Caston, Jonathan Capehart, Joy Reid, Justus Pugh, Kwame Dawes, Lynae Vanee, Mahogany L. Browne, Malachi Elijah, Michael Eric Dyson, Morgan Jerkins, Nadia Owusu, Natalie Johnson, Rakia Reynolds, Reverend Al Sharpton, Rhianna Jones, Roze Traore, Sojourner Brown, Tarana Burke, Tembe Denton Hurst, Topaz Jones, Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts, and VJ Jenkins
Cole Brown is an author, producer, and political commentator. His first book, Greyboy: Finding Blackness in a White World was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award and selected for Steph Curry’s “Underrated” book club. His first co-authored book, First Impressions, was released in May ’22. Cole’s opinion writing appears in GQ, W, CNN, NBC, and others. He was a 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 in Media honoree. Today, he lives in New York working on various literary and film projects.
Natalie Johnson is a writer and illustrator who focuses on social justice. She is a former segment producer for MSNBC, VICE TV, and Black News Channel. Her writing can be found at MSNBC.com’s Know Your Value. Natalie holds a master’s degree in sociology from Columbia University and lives in New York City.
LIST OF PARTICIPATING CONTRIBUTORS:
BILQUISU ABDULLAH is a student in Washington, DC, studying women’s and gender studies and medical humanities. She loves all things reading, writing, and grounding. If she’s not in class, you can most likely find her on a rooftop listening to music. The person who has inspired her most in life to celebrate love is her Nana. She continues to discover love through chats with her mom, time spent with her siblings, and traveling.
JONATHAN CAPEHART is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and political commentator. He is an associate editor of the Washington Post, a contributor to Brooks and Capehart on PBS NewsHour, and the host of The Saturday Show and The Sunday Show on MSNBC. In 2022, the National LGBTQ Task Force presented Capehart with the National Leadership Award for advancing freedom, justice, and full equality for LGBTQ Americans.
VJ JENKINS is a poet, writer, and civil rights attorney at the Department of Justice. As an attorney, Jenkins works to ensure that all people feel safe, seen, heard, and valued in the workplace by targeting institutions that perpetuate discriminatory workplace policies. As a poet-writer, VJ uses his work as a mechanism to explore self—Blackness and queerness are his leading muses. His greatest hope is that his writ- ing inspires an ethos in every Black child that they deserve more love than the world says they do.
