Makenna’s Reading List
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Makenna’s Reading List *
Booked and Busy
Here you can find the reads that have informed, challenged, and inspired me along the way. In sharing these pieces I hope to present the foundation for the work I am most interested in, as well as acknowledge the brilliant thinkers that continue to inspire me. Additionally, I have provided some links to articles I have been quoted and/or published in.
What I’m Reading Now: GoodReads
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All About Love is a beautiful work that challenges how we understand and practice love in our current society. Known for her social activism and work in Black feminism, hooks encourages individuals to engage in radical love not only for themselves, but also for others. More here.
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Beloved is a hauntingly beautiful read about Sethe, a formerly enslaved woman who is tormented by the ghost of her baby daughter, killed by Sethe in efforts to protect her from slavery’s horrors. The pain and suffering in the novel parallels its love and tales of the Black human experience. Big love to Toni Morrison. More here.
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Black Women’s Reproductive Health & Sexuality: A Holistic Public Health Approach by Regina Davis Moss, PhD, MPH and other authors is a thorough resource for public health professionals exploring the intersection of physical, mental, and social determinants of Black women’s sexual and reproductive health. More here.
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Homegoing is a historical fiction novel that follows the lineage of two sisters in 18th century Ghana. Each chapter introduces a new character of each sister’s bloodline, covering three hundred years of oppression experienced both in Ghana and in the United States. More here.
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Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction and the Meaning of Liberty provides an excellent review of reproductive violence as it has been imposed upon Black American women. Roberts details both historical and present violations of the sexual and reproductive rights of Black women and girls in the United States. More here.
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Parable of the Sower tells the story of a young Lauren Olamina, who survives the collapse of society and develops a new belief system—Earthseed—while searching for safety, community, and sustainability in a dystopian United States (more dystopian than it already is, if that seems possible). More here.
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Sula recounts the story of Sula and Nel, two Black women living in the fictional town of Medallion, Ohio. The novel includes themes of friendship, identity, community, sexuality, family, and betrayal. An absolute must-read for Black girls and women. More here.
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A community empowerment approach to the HIV response among sex workers
Sex workers in HIV prevention: From Social Change Agents to Peer Educators
STRUCTURAL RACISM AND HEALTH INEQUITIES: Old Issues, New Directions
The Social Determinants of Health: It’s Time to Consider the Causes of the Causes
What is Reproductive Justice? How Women of Color Activists Are Redefining the Pro-Choice Paradigm
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Creative Writing Publication: El Sangre Negro by Makenna Lindsay in The Griot Summer 2022
On Racial Disparities in Advanced Placement Courses: More low-income, Hispanic students taking AP classes, narrowing disparities
On 2020 Election Results: American University community reacts to news of Biden’s victory
On the Derick Chauvin Verdict: AU community shares concerns and relief over guilty verdict in Derek Chauvin trial
On Protesting in Summer 2020: Black Immigrants Joined in Solidarity With George Floyd Protesters