Episode 05: Kenrya Rankin, Fighting White Supremacy, and Black Romance Literature

Kenrya Rankin, author, activist, doula, and former senior editorial director of Colorlines, joins Chevon and Hiba to talk about everything from ‘freedom dreaming’ to Black love and sex in books and podcasts. Kenrya talks about her beginnings in Cleveland and her move to New York, what her book How We Fight White Supremacy: A Field Guide To White Resistance means to her one year later, and her own journey as co-host of The Turn On, a podcast about sex and literary erotica.

We preview a new Mass Freedom FRED Talks conversation between Dawn Harrington, Executive Director at Free Hearts, and Jessica Rodriguez, an immigrant rights activist and Director of the Southside Workers Center. They explore why it’s important to build solidarity across movements to end mass incarceration and mass detention.

In celebration of Black History Month and Valentine’s Day, Hiba and Chevon discuss the late Eva Rutland’s contributions to the romance novel genre, and talk about the importance of uplifting Black romance writing and representation.

Resources (by order of mention)

Eva Rutland, Browne Popular Culture Library (Thread)

https://bit.ly/39LlSY6

Entwined Destinies Digital Gallery: Elsie B. Washington, Vivian Stephens, and 40 Years of Black Voices in Romance

https://digitalgallery.bgsu.edu/exhibits/show/entwineddestinies/introduction

30 Romance Authors of Color You Should Be Reading, Twin Cities Geek

http://twincitiesgeek.com/2019/12/30-romance-authors-of-color-you-should-be-reading/

Mass Freedom FRED Talks with Dawn Harrington and Jessica Rodriguez

https://www.massfreedom.org/fred_talks/

Kenrya Rankin Website

http://www.kenrya.com/

The new and updated Colorlines website

https://www.colorlines.com/

How We Fight White Supremacy: A Field Guide To Resistance

https://bit.ly/2P2THvU

The Turn On Podcast

https://www.theturnonpodcast.com/

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Executive Producers:

Hendel Leiva and Melissa Franqui