Reading While Black Book Club

By J. Barnes

Reading While Black Book Club is a podcast where we dissect and discuss Black literature. Each month we select a book by us with us in mind giving our listeners access to the authors via interview whe... more

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FAQs about Reading While Black Book Club:

How many episodes does Reading While Black Book Club have?

The podcast currently has 20 episodes available.

Reading While Black Book Club episodes:

February 12, 2021Happy Black History Month X Happy Black Futures Month X Happy 4 Year Anniversary
Happy 4 Year Anniversary
Today we discuss Black History Month, Black Futures Month and our new rollout for the book club going forward.
I also have some special guests coming on the show today.
Thank you for rocking with us

To celebrate, all RWB merch is 35% off when you use the promo code RWBFOUR (R-W-B-F-O-U-R)

You can check out our shirts, hoodies, masks and tote bags HERE
We're on Slack
Be sure to join our Slack channel.

This online community will be a resource center for all our listeners and readers.

You will have access to the reading material and additional tools to help apply the books we're reading to everyday life. .

You can join HERE
February Books Of The Month
Feminism Is For Everybody by bell hooks
Recovering from Emotionally Immature Parents: Practical Tools to Establish Boundaries and Reclaim Your Emotional Autonomy by Lindsay C. Gibson
This is part of our Mental Health Mondays and is a continuation of Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

Every Mon at 6PM EST on Clubhouse.

Our next meeting is February 15th.
Heavy by Kiese Laymon
Every Mon, Wed, & Fri at 10AM EST on Clubhouse

Our first meeting is February 15th.
Roy Wilkins: The Quiet Revolutionary and the NAACP: Civil Rights and the Struggle for Black Equality in the Twentieth Century by Yvonne Ryan
Every Tue, Thu, & Sat at 10AM EST on Clubhouse.

Our first meeting is February 11th.
The End of Policing by Alex Vitale
Every Tue at 3PM EST on Clubhouse.

Our next meeting is February 16th.
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
Every Tue at 8PM EST on Clubhouse.

Our next meeting is February 16th.
All About Love by bell hooks
Every Mon, Wed & Thu 3PM EST on Clubhouse.

Our first meeting February 10th.
My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
Every Thu 6PM EST on Clubhouse.

Our next meeting is February 11th.
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George Johnson
Every Sat at 3PM.

Our next meeting is February 13th.

George just released a dramatic reading of All Boys Aren’t Blue on YouTube.
The Devil You Know by Charles M. Blow
Every Sun at 3PM EST on Clubhouse.

Our next meeting is February 14th.
How To Fight Racism by Jemar Tisby
This is a continuation of Jemar’s The Color of Compromise: The Truth About The American Church’s Complicity In Racism

Every Sun at 6PM EST on Clubhouse.

Our next meeting is February 14th.
Check out our Linktree HERE
...more
40min
August 28, 2020My 30th Birthday 🎉🎈🎁
Hey readers,
It is my 30th birthday and I wanted to give you a special episode just for today with a new segment highlight my favorite Black Podcasts and huge announcement about a new miniseries coming to Reading While Black. I hope you enjoy
Remember “If you love what you hear, you can help with Listener Support. You can assist us to buy books for youth incarcerated at the Alabama DYS Mt. Meigs campus, L.B. Wallace as they transition from behind bars back into their community. ”
There are three tiers
$0.99

$4.99

$9.99
Remember to support your local bookstore. If you're looking for a bookstore 1977 Books here in Montgomery, AL
You can become a Patreon like me and receive exclusive books each month. Also they carry all the books selected by Reading While Black Podcast.
www.1977Books.com

Facebook: @1977Books

Instagram: @1977Books

Twitter: @1977Books

Remember to leave us a Voice Message so you can share your reading experience and be a part of the podcast.
Remember to check out Reading While Black Merch Use promo code “RWBFAM” for 35% off
Remember to leave a review and five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Follow Us
Facebook: @ReadingWhileBLK

Facebook Group: Reading While Black Book Club

Twitter: @ReadingWhileBLK

Instagram: @ReadingWhileBLK

www.readingwhileblackbookclub.com
...more
37min
May 01, 2020 Cognac & Celexa (Reading While Black Discusses I Don't Want To Die Poor with author Michael Arceneaux)
Welcome back readers,
I'm back with another episode of Reading While Black Podcast and today we have Michael Arceneaux here to discuss his second book, I Don't Want To Die Poor. This is not just a perfect book for right now at this moment as student loan debt is a national conversation during the 2020 Presidential Race but it was a perfect book 10 years ago. Michael tells his story and how debt doesn't just affect you financially but becomes burdens on your mental health and your dating life. It's not too late to pick up I Don't Want To Die Poor. Remember to support your local bookstores in your community.
It's also time to announce our May Book of the Month. If you did not know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month and I thought it was appropriate to select a book that focused on solutions to dealing with trauma. It gives me great pleasure to announce our book of the month for May is My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Mending of Our Bodies and Hearts by Resmaa Menakem.
The body is where our instincts reside and where we fight, flee, or freeze, and it endures the trauma inflicted by the ills that plague society. In this groundbreaking work, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of body-centered psychology. He argues this destruction will continue until Americans learn to heal the generational anguish of white supremacy, which is deeply embedded in all our bodies. Our collective agony doesn't just affect African Americans. White Americans suffer their own secondary trauma as well. So do blue Americans—our police. My Grandmother's Hands is a call to action for all of us to recognize that racism is not about the head, but about the body, and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide. Paves the way for a new, body-centered understanding of white supremacy—how it is literally in our blood and our nervous system. Offers a step-by-step solution—a healing process—in addition to incisive social commentary. Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, is a therapist with decades of experience currently in private practice in Minneapolis, MN, specializing in trauma, body-centered psychotherapy, and violence prevention. He has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and Dr. Phil as an expert on conflict and violence. Menakem has studied with bestselling authors Dr. David Schnarch (Passionate Marriage) and Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score). He also trained at Peter Levine's Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute.
If you live in the Montgomery, AL area, you can pick it up at your local abolition bookstore 1977 Books.
In light of COVID-19, 1977 Books have gone digital so check them out on their website.
www.1977Books.com
Facebook: @1977Books
Instagram: @1977Books
Twitter: @1977Books
Remember to leave us a Voice Message so you can share your reading experience and be a part of the podcast.
Remember to check out Reading While Black Merch Use promo code “RWBFAM” for 35% off
Remember to leave a review and five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Follow Us
Facebook: @ReadingWhileBLK
Facebook Group: Reading While Black Book Club
Twitter: @ReadingWhileBLK
Instagram: @ReadingWhileBLK
www.readingwhileblackbookclub.com

...more
52min
April 03, 2020 One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy with Dr. Carol Anderson
Welcome Back Readers,
I'm back with another episode of Reading While Black Podcast and today we have Dr. Carol Anderson here to discuss her book One Person, No Vote. This is not only a history lesson in Voter Suppression but the keys to what it takes to defeat it. In this conversation you will hear Dr. Anderson and I cover a wide range of topics from the history of voter suppression, the continued effort by states to suppress the vote for terrible result and what the resistance is doing to stop it. This is maybe one of the most important reads you'll ever embark on. You will never say "Black people don't show up to the ballot" once you understand why that's happening.
March is Women's History and 2020 is an election year, choosing our next book was a no brainer. Our March Book of the Month is One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson. In her New York Times bestseller White Rage, Carol Anderson laid bare an insidious history of policies that have systematically impeded black progress in America, from 1865 to our combustible present. With One Person, No Vote, she chronicles a related history: the rollbacks to African American participation in the vote since the 2013 Supreme Court decision that eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Known as the Shelby ruling, this decision effectively allowed districts with a demonstrated history of racial discrimination to change voting requirements without approval from the Department of Justice. Focusing on the aftermath of Shelby, Anderson follows the astonishing story of government-dictated racial discrimination unfolding before our very eyes as more and more states adopt voter suppression laws. In gripping, enlightening detail she explains how voter suppression works, from photo ID requirements to gerrymandering to poll closures. And with vivid characters, she explores the resistance: the organizing, activism, and court battles to restore the basic right to vote to all Americans as the nation gears up for the 2018 midterm elections.
Also it's the perfect time to announce our April Book of the Month, I Don’t Want To Die Poor by Michael Arceneaux. You can pre-order now!!! The book releases April 7, 2020.
From the New York Times bestselling author of I Can’t Date Jesus, which Vogue called “a piece of personal and cultural storytelling that is as fun as it is illuminating,” comes a wry and insightful essay collection that explores the financial and emotional cost of chasing your dreams.
If you live in the Montgomery, AL area, you can pick it up at your local abolition bookstore 1977 Books.
In light of COVID-19, 1977 Books has gone digital so check them out on their website here
1977 Books is located at 39 Dexter Ave Suite #209, Montgomery, AL 36104.
Facebook: @1977Books
Instagram: @1977Books
Twitter: @1977Books
Remember to leave us a Voice Message so you can share your reading experience and be a part of the podcast.
Remember to check out Reading While Black Merch Use promo code “RWBFAM” for 35% off
Remember to leave a review and five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Follow Us
Facebook: @ReadingWhileBLK
Facebook Group: Reading While Black Book Club
Twitter: @ReadingWhileBLK
Instagram: @ReadingWhileBLK
www.readingwhileblackbookclub.com
...more
1h 47min
March 07, 2020 Reading While Black Teams Up With NAACP to Visit Selma, Alabama for the 55th Anniversary Bridge Crossing Jubilee
In this episode, I teamed up with NAACP Youth & College Division to visit Selma, Alabama for 55th anniversary of the Selma Jubilee. Selma and the Alabama Black Belt were the battlegrounds for the Voting Rights Movement that resulted in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Alabamians stood up and peacefully fought for the right to vote. SNCC, SCLC, national churches and religious organizations, civil rights and labor organizations, and stars of the Movement supported the Alabama Voting Rights Movement. We commemorate and thank them for their work, leadership and sacrifice.
Several presidential candidates were in attendance including former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Billionaire Tom Steyer. We had a chance to talk with NAACP Youth & College members from several universities speaking on many of their first experience cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. I also had a chance to chat with President and CEO of the NAACP Derrick Johnson and newly elected Mayor of Talladega and youngest Mayor in the state of Alabama, Timothy Ragland.
March is Women's History and 2020 is an election year, choosing our next book was a no brainer. Our March Book of the Month is One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson.
In her New York Times bestseller White Rage, Carol Anderson laid bare an insidious history of policies that have systematically impeded black progress in America, from 1865 to our combustible present. With One Person, No Vote, she chronicles a related history: the rollbacks to African American participation in the vote since the 2013 Supreme Court decision that eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Known as the Shelby ruling, this decision effectively allowed districts with a demonstrated history of racial discrimination to change voting requirements without approval from the Department of Justice.
Focusing on the aftermath of Shelby, Anderson follows the astonishing story of government-dictated racial discrimination unfolding before our very eyes as more and more states adopt voter suppression laws. In gripping, enlightening detail she explains how voter suppression works, from photo ID requirements to gerrymandering to poll closures. And with vivid characters, she explores the resistance: the organizing, activism, and court battles to restore the basic right to vote to all Americans as the nation gears up for the 2018 midterm elections.
If you live in the Montgomery, AL area, you can pick it up at your local abolition bookstore 1977 Books.
1977 Books is located at 39 Dexter Ave Suite #209, Montgomery, AL 36104.
Facebook: 1977 Books
Instagram: @1977Books
Twitter: @1977Books
Remember to leave us a Voice Message so you can share your reading experience and be a part of the podcast.
Remember to check out Reading While Black Merch
Use promo code “RWBFAM” for 35% off
Remember to leave a review and 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Follow Us: Twitter: @ReadingWhileBLK
Instagram: @ReadingWhileBLK
www.readingwhileblackbookclub.com
...more
1h 29min
December 13, 2019 @ReadingWhileBlk welcomes back Kia Smith to discuss The Black Art of Escape by Casey Gerald
Today on the pod, we have a now 3 time returning quest Kia Smith (@KiaSpeaks) to discuss Casey Gerald’s The Black Art of Escape and how it connects to the recently released film Queen & Slim. Apologies for the audio quality difficulties.
This is a review of the film so if you haven’t seen it yet, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Facebook: Kia Speaks
Twitter: @KiaSpeaks
Instagram: @KiaSpeaks

Remember to pick up @CaseyGerald’s There Will Be No Miracles Here for the December book of the month. Support your local bookstore. Before you start Casey’s book, I think it’s important to get to know the author so here are few things to check out:
The Black Art of Escape
The Gospel of Doubt
Embrace your raw, strange music
If you live in the Montgomery, AL area, you can pick it up at 1977 Books.
1977 Books is located at 39 Dexter Ave Suite #209, Montgomery, AL 36104.
Facebook: 1977 Books
Instagram: @1977Books
Twitter: @1977Books
Remember to check out the Reading While Black Merch
Use promo code “RWBXMAS” for 35% off
Remember to leave a review and 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Remember to leave a Voice Message 📞📲
We had our first Voice Message on this episode and hoping for many many more!!!
Follow Us:
Facebook: Reading While Black Book Club
Twitter: @ReadingWhileBLK
Instagram: @ReadingWhileBLK
www.readingwhileblackbookclub.com
...more
1h 31min
November 13, 2019 @ReadingWhileBLK sits down with Michigan House of Representative District 11 Jewell Jones
Hello readers, we’re back again this week. We’re in full swing of our Different Day = Different Conversation special and today we have the Michigan’s youngest State House Representative from District 11, Jewell Jones. State Rep Jones is serving his second term representing the 11th House District, which comprises all of Garden City and Inkster, and portions of Dearborn Heights, Livonia and Westland. Jones previously served on the Communications and Technology, Regulatory Reform, and Military and Veterans Affairs Committees. Before serving in the Michigan House of Representatives, Jones was a member of the Inkster City Council. He was also a member of the Inkster Task Force, the Inkster Youth Coalition, the Inkster Chamber of Commerce and more. Jones attended the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he is pursuing a dual major in Political Science and Business Studies. He is also a member of the National Guard, Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, the Black Student Union and the Student Veteran Association. Jones is a native and current resident of Inkster. He has been active in political campaigns for several years and also operated a small business. In the House, he is focused on improving public education, keeping young talent in Michigan and maintaining strong, vibrant communities.
Instagram: @JewellJonesMI
Twitter: @JewellJonesMI
Remember to pick up @CaseyGerald’s There Will Be No Miracles Here for the December book of the month and support your local bookstore.
Before you start Casey’s book, I think it’s important to get to know the author so here are few things to check out:
The Black Art of Escape http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/08/the-black-art-of-escape.html
The Gospel of Doubt - https://youtu.be/NI915VTjCHE
Embrace your raw, strange music - https://youtu.be/DsrxbqFo41k
Remember to check out the Reading While Black Merch Use promo code “RWBXMAS” for 35% off
https://teespring.com/stores/reading-while-black-book-club?aid=marketplace
Remember to leave a review and 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Follow Us: Twitter: @ReadingWhileBLK
Instagram: @ReadingWhileBLK
www.readingwhileblackbookclub.com
...more
30min
November 12, 2019 @ReadingWhileBLK Sits With @MayaRupert, Campaign Manager for @JulianCastro
Hello readers, we’re back again this week. We’re in full swing of our Different Day = Different Conversation special and today we have the only Black Woman serving as Campaign Manager for the current 2020 presidential cycle, Maya Rupert.
Maya Rupert is the campaign manager for Julián Castro's (D) 2020 presidential campaign. She served as executive director of Castro's political action committee, Opportunity First, and worked as a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) while Castro was secretary of the department. Rupert also worked as a policy director for the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)
Twitter: @MayaRupert
Twitter: @JulianCastro
Remember to pick up Casey Gerald’s There Will Be No Miracles Here for the December book of the month and support your local bookstore.
Before you start Casey’s book, I think it’s important to get to know the author so here are few things to check out:
The Black Art of Escape - http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/08/the-black-art-of-escape.html
The Gospel of Doubt - https://youtu.be/NI915VTjCHE
Embrace your raw, strange music - https://youtu.be/DsrxbqFo41k
Remember to check out the Reading While Black Merch
Use promo code “RWBXMAS” for 35% off https://teespring.com/stores/reading-while-black-book-club?aid=marketplace
Remember to leave a review and 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Follow Us:
Twitter: @ReadingWhileBLK
Instagram: @ReadingWhileBLK
www.readingwhileblackbookclub.com
...more
48min
November 11, 2019 @ReadingWhileBlk sits down with Shanequa Davis & Victoria Kirby-York from @TheTaskForce
Back in July, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Shanequa Davis & Victoria Kirby-York of the National LGBTQ Task Force. The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people. We are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we’ve made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. These barriers must go. That’s why the Task Force is training and mobilizing millions of activists across our nation to deliver a world where you can be you. This is a wonderful conversation you don’t want to miss and I hope you appreciate the dialogue.
Twitter: @TheTaskForce
Instagram: @TheTaskForce
Remember to check out the Reading While Black Merch
Use promo code “RWBXMAS” for 35% off
https://teespring.com/stores/reading-while-black-apparel
Follow Us:
Twitter: @ReadingWhileBLK
Instagram: @ReadingWhileBLK
www.readingwhileblackbookclub.com
...more
39min
November 10, 2019 @ReadingWhileBLK sits down with David Johns from the National Black Justice Coalition
Back in late July of this year, I had the opportunity to sit down with David Johns from the National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer and same gender loving (LGBTQ/SGL) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). NBJC’s mission is to end racism, homophobia, and LGBTQ/SGL bias and stigma. As America’s leading national Black LGBTQ/SGL civil rights organization focused on federal public policy, NBJC has accepted the charge to lead Black families in strengthening the bonds and bridging the gaps between the movements for racial justice and LGBTQ/SGL equality.
David J. Johns is known for his passion, public policy acumen and fierce advocacy for youth. He is an enthusiast about equity—leveraging his time, talent and treasures to address the needs of individuals and communities often neglected and ignored. A recognized thought leader and social justice champion, David’s career has focused on improving life outcomes and opportunities for Black people.
On September 1, 2017, David Johns began his next life chapter as the executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC)—a civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS. NBJC’s mission is to end racism, homophobia, and LGBTQ bias and stigma.
We discuss his work at the NBJC, our work together with Chikesia Clemons and Anthony Wall along with a plethora of other things.
Twitter: @MrDavidJohns
Instagram: @MrDavidJohns
Website: http://www.nbjc.org
Remember to check out the Reading While Black Merch
Use promo code “RWBXMAS” for 35% off
https://teespring.com/stores/reading-while-black-book-club?aid=marketplace
Follow Us:
Twitter: @ReadingWhileBLK
Instagram: @ReadingWhileBLK
www.ReadingWhileBlackBookClub.com
...more
50min

FAQs about Reading While Black Book Club:

How many episodes does Reading While Black Book Club have?

The podcast currently has 20 episodes available.