The media and art we consume help create laughter, calm, and an escape from the stresses of life. Many of us think critically about the literature and music we consume, and we, again, are focusing on the works of Black creators. We happily recognize and celebrate the massive and meaningful contributions of Black artists. As an ongoing honor to Black History Month, we have created a list of Sierra Club Ohio team favorite picks - we hope you enjoy our favorites as much as we do.
Literature:
- The Message (2024) by Ta-Nehisi Coates
In The Message, National Book Award–winning author Ta-Nehisi Coates returns with a powerful collection of essays that interrogate truth, storytelling, and the responsibility of writers, artists, and movements in moments of moral clarity and political urgency. Moving between Senegal, South Carolina, and Palestine, Coates reflects on how narratives shape power—and how silence, distortion, or selective memory can be as harmful as overt injustice.
Known for his incisive analysis of race, democracy, and American identity, Coates challenges readers to consider who controls the stories we tell, whose voices are elevated, and whose humanity is denied. The Message is both a meditation on craft and a call to moral courage, urging readers to confront uncomfortable realities while remaining grounded in historical truth.
About the Author:
Ta-Nehisi Coates is a MacArthur Fellow, journalist, and bestselling author of Between the World and Me, We Were Eight Years in Power, and The Water Dancer. His work has shaped national conversations on race, history, and justice, and continues to influence scholars, organizers, and cultural leaders across generations.
- The 1619 Project (2021) by Nikole Hannah-Jones is an anthology of essays investigating the origins of the slave trade in America, and how it has shaped what the country would become. It’s also an exploration of how we create history, and how these stories shape our political present. The essays are accompanied by fictional excerpts and poetry, bringing to life the experiences of enslaved people in America.
About the Author:
Nikole Hannah-Jones is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist covering racial injustice for The New York Times Magazine, and creator of the 1619 Project. She has received a MacArthur Foundation Grant as well as a Peabody Award, two George Polk Awards and the 2018 John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism from Columbia University. In 2016, Hannah-Jones founded the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting with the aim of supporting the work of investigative reporters of color.
- The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas, examines the inextricable link between environmentalism, racism, and privilege, and promotes awareness of the fundamental truth that we cannot save the planet without uplifting the voices of its people — especially those most often unheard. Written by Leah Thomas, a prominent voice in the field and the activist who coined the term "Intersectional Environmentalism," this book is simultaneously a call to action, a guide to instigating change for all, and a pledge to work towards the empowerment of all people and the betterment of the planet. Thomas shows how not only are Black, Indigenous and people of color unequally and unfairly impacted by environmental injustices, but she argues that the fight for the planet lies in tandem to the fight for civil rights; and in fact, that one cannot exist without the other. An essential read, this book addresses the most pressing issues that the people and our planet face, examines and dismantles privilege, and looks to the future as the voice of a movement that will define a generation.
- Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin encapsulates Black cooking, history and joy in the way of food historian, writer and Cook’s Country editor-in-chief Toni Tipton-Martin. As the first African American editor of a major American newspaper’s food section, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Tipton-Martin’s role in the Black food history cannon is prominent. Jubilee shines light on important but often ignored or underappreciated figures of American food history such as Samuel Fraunces, Freda DeKnight and Chef George Crum. In giving life to their stories, Tipton-Martin undertakes the remarkable task of rightfully placing the source of American food and culinary culture with the Black Americans who invented it. As she offers thoughtful context and history, the author provides tantalizing recipes for dishes.
- The Rise of the American Conservation Movement: Power, Privilege and Environmental Protection by Dorceta Taylor, examines the emergence and rise of the multifaceted U.S. conservation movement from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century. She shows how race, class, and gender influenced every aspect of the movement, including the establishment of parks; campaigns to protect wild game, birds, and fish; forest conservation; outdoor recreation; and the movement's links to nineteenth-century ideologies. Initially led by white urban elites—whose early efforts discriminated against the lower class and were often tied up with slavery and the appropriation of Native lands—the movement benefited from contributions to policy making, knowledge about the environment, and activism by the poor and working class, people of color, women, and Native Americans. Far-ranging and nuanced, The Rise of the American Conservation Movement comprehensively documents the movement's competing motivations, conflicts, problematic practices, and achievements in new ways.
- The Look by Michelle Obama (2025)
In The Look, former First Lady Michelle Obama explores the story behind her evolving personal style and how fashion became a form of expression, identity, and cultural storytelling throughout her public life. Beautifully illustrated with more than 200 photographs, many previously unpublished, the book traces her journey from the early days of her husband’s political career through her tenure in the White House and into her post–first-lady life. Obama shares candid reflections on how intentional wardrobe choices helped amplify her message, celebrate her heritage, and shape public perception—while also asserting confidence and authenticity on her own terms.
Featuring insights from her longtime stylist Meredith Koop and members of her beauty team, The Look celebrates the collaborative creativity behind iconic fashion moments and uses clothing as a lens to explore confidence, identity, and the power of presentation. Obama’s narrative underscores how style can both reflect and reinforce one’s values and purpose.
The Look was published on November 4, 2025 by Crown Publishing Group and is accompanied by a companion six-part podcast series titled IMO: The Look.
Music:
- Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
A genre-bending, cinematic album that blends hip-hop, soul, and orchestral production while exploring Black womanhood, mental health, politics, and self-determination. Little Simz delivers vulnerability and power in equal measure. - Burna Boy – I Told Them…
A global Afrofusion album that connects African diasporic sounds with themes of resilience, legacy, and cultural pride. Burna Boy continues to challenge Western dominance in music by centering African narratives on a global stage. - Janelle Monáe – The Age of Pleasure
Joy as resistance. This album celebrates Black queer freedom, pleasure, and liberation, while still grounded in political and cultural intention. It’s a reminder that rest, joy, and self-expression are essential to justice work. - Robert Glasper – Black Radio III
A continuation of Glasper’s influential Black Radio series, blending jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and soul while showcasing collaboration as a form of cultural preservation and innovation.
Film:
- Origin (2023), directed by Ava DuVernay
Based on Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste, Origin examines the invisible systems that shape inequality across societies. A deeply reflective and challenging film that connects history, race, and power across global contexts. - American Fiction (2023) by Cord Jefferson
A sharp satire that critiques how Black stories are commodified and distorted for mainstream consumption. The film interrogates authenticity, respectability, and who gets to define Black narratives. - Rye Lane (2023) by Raine Allen Miller
A joyful, visually dynamic romantic comedy set in South London that centers young Black love without trauma as the focal point. A refreshing portrayal of Black life rooted in humor, vulnerability, and community.
The Burial (2023) by Maggie Betts
Inspired by a true story, this courtroom drama starring Jamie Foxx highlights power, corruption, and the fight for dignity in the face of corporate exploitation—an underdog story with broader justice themes.