GO Public Schools Black History Month
African American Film & Literature Recommendations
“Check out Writer and Director ​Tina Mabry!​ ​She most recently worked on ​“An
American Girl Story: Melody 1963: Love Has to Win”​ and ​“Queen Sugar,”​ but some of
my favorite work by her is in the short film ​“Crossover”​ - it’s a futuristic tale about a
parent who is navigating the public school system.”
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Angela Badami-Knight, GO Oakland Manager of Educator Community
“​The ​ New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander ​is a devastating book and required
reading for anyone who wants to understand why the United States has the largest
prison population in the world. Spoiler alert: it's because slavery never ended.”
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“I loved ​Wench by Dolen
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Perkins-Valdez​ from the first page to the end.”
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Ryan Beck Turner, GO Oakland Manager of Data and Advocacy Strategy
Erika Ruiz Rodriguez, GO West Contra Costa Operations and Outreach
Coordinator
Mirella Rangel, GO Oakland’s Director of Community Engagement, shared a quote
from one of her favorite books​ - ​The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's
Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson ​- that resonates with her:
“Jim Crow had a way of turning everyone against one another, not just white against
black or landed against lowly, but poor against poorer and black against black for
an extra scrap of privilege.”
“My favorite African American entertainer is ​Denzel Washington.​ In an industry that is
underrepresented by minorities, Denzel stands tall among the all-time actors of our
time. Hollywood tends to limit Asian, Latino, and African American actors and
actresses to limited and often times stereotypical roles. Denzel, however, has
transcended those limits and has often been cast for serious and impactful roles.
Starring in movies like ‘​Malcolm X,​’ ‘​The Hurricane,​’ the critically-acclaimed
‘​Philadelphia,​’ and ‘​Courage Under Fire,​’ Denzel has demonstrated a wide breadth
of ability. He's someone who I look at as a role model for men of color everywhere.”
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Melquis Naveo, GO Oakland Manager of Community Outreach
Finally, Maribel Lopez, GO West Contra Costa Director of Community Leadership,
shared some of her ​favorite quotes from African American writers​ ​Audre Lorde​ and
Maya Angelou​:
“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it
becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”― ​Audre Lorde
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of
political warfare.” - ​Audre Lorde
“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different
from my own.” - ​Audre Lorde
“The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house.” - ​Audre Lorde
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - ​Maya Angelou
Please share your recommendations for African American literature and film with us!
Email [email protected] with your top picks and we’ll share them with our
network.