Black Love Matters is an anthology of essays about Black readers, writers, characters, and stories as they relate to the romance genre of books. Edited by Jessica P. Pryde, the book discusses the history of Black people within the romance genre as both the creators and subjects of stories. Each essay offers a different perspective on what has taken place within the genre so far and/or what needs to be done to ensure greater participation and representation of Black people. It’s worth noting that while there is some discussion of specific books and characters much of the book’s focus is on the genre and book publishing industry.
Tag: <span>romance</span>
All in all, “Love & Basketball” isn’t a bad movie but its problematic love story is trash. And I think it gets a pass with most people because the basketball story is decent and the lead characters don’t fit the stereotype of being poor and down on their luck.
If you’re unfamiliar, “Love Jones” was one in a series of what’s considered the modern classics of the 1990s golden age of Black films. The film tells the story of Darius Lovehall (Larenz Tate) and Nina Mosley (Nia Long) two twenty-somethings who meet and begin dating while living in Chicago during the 1990s. Although its several years old the story of this young Black couple still feels new and refreshing in comparison to some of the other stories that had been told up to that point and since then.
“Queen & Slim” is a drama written by Lena Waithe and directed by Melina Matsoukas. The film tells the story of a young Black man and woman out on their first date in Cleveland, Ohio. When the date doesn’t exactly turn out to be a love connection, the two prepare to go their own way. On the drive home what should be a routine traffic stop goes wrong and the couple find themselves on the run after shooting a police officer in self-defense.
Django Unchained is a movie set two years before the Civil War that tells the story of a slave named Django (Jamie Foxx). Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), seeks out Django’s help with identifying and hunting down a group of wanted criminals. In exchange, Schultz promises Django his freedom and the opportunity to save his wife from bondage.