As Black Futures Month draws to a close, we remember that we must keep building movements toward Black liberation and liberation for all of us — not just in February, but all year long.
Over the next few months, Bend the Arc leaders across the country are organizing at the local, state, and federal levels, demanding our elected leaders cut funding to racist institutions and instead invest in our communities.
In the meantime, we're recommitting ourselves to the promise of Black Futures and the possibility of liberation, something that Black Jews in our communities have been doing for generations.
In that spirit, we’ve compiled a list of Black Jewish writers, thinkers, organizers, and creators who move and inspire us. Read on below to learn more about their work, and follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and beyond.
We hope that you enjoy discovering their content — as we have!
L’atidim sh’chorim (Towards Black Futures),
The Bend the Arc team
Michael Twitty is a culinary historian and author of The Cooking Gene and Kosher Soul. We love how he explores the histories, tastes, and flavors of his Black and Jewish identities as critical expressions of culture and spirit. Twitty also documents his experiences on his blog, Afroculinaria, where he teaches, documents, and preserves the Black American culinary traditions of the historic South and its connections with the wider African-Atlantic world and parent traditions in Africa.
Follow Michael Twitty on Twitter and Instagram
There’s no doubt that Raven Schwam-Curtis is a member of Gen Z. They’ve got the confidence and the social media savvy to make things happen! Schwam-Curtis, known as RavenReveals, is a content creator on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok who addresses their Black and Jewish identity through an intersectional lens and a touch of humor. We love how Schwam-Curtis’ work strives to educate her audiences through fun, valuable content.
Follow RavenReveals on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram
(Click the image to play video on Instagram)
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is a guiding force on issues related to inclusion and intersectionality in academia! Prescod-Weinstein is an American theoretical cosmologist and particle physicist who uses her social media platform to advocate for increasing diversity in science and to raise awareness on important issues relating to race, politics, and their own Jewish identity. She helped organize 4,500 academics to participate in the June 10th, 2020 global "Strike for Black Lives" and has a book called The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred.
Follow Chanda on Twitter and Instagram
Could math be linked to love? That’s the question explored in Camonghne Felix’s memoir Dyscalculia: A Love Story of Epic Miscalculation. It’s a story of how she healed herself through connection to history she’d left behind — from early childhood trauma to her relationship with mathematics. Her debut poetry collection, Build Yourself A Boat, was longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award. The poems are all about using your voice to change the world.
Follow Camonghne on Twitter and Instagram
April Baskin was “that rare kid who loved Hebrew school,” and has spent her career working to open doors and embrace diversity in the Jewish community. Baskin founded Joyous Justice in 2019, leveraging nearly two decades of intersectional diversity, equity, and belonging work to create a new platform that brings together Jews committed to social change.
Follow April on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram
(Click the image to play video on Instagram)
MaNishtana (Hebrew: מה נשתנה) is the pseudonym of Shais Rishon, a Black Orthodox Jewish writer, speaker, rabbi, and author. The name MaNishtana comes from the first two words in a phrase meaning, "Why is tonight different from all other nights?" As a child, he felt alienated from the Jewish community because of his race and the treatment he received from white Jews. His work reflects his own personal journey at the intersection of race and religion. His latest book is Ariel Samson: Freelance Rabbi, a semi-fictionalized memoir about a 20-something Black Orthodox Jewish rabbi looking for love and figuring out life — and how to navigate between those worlds.
