“Black Futures” Edited by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham

Cover of Black Futures, via Bookshop.

Black Futures (2020) is a visual, mix-media anthology that pays homage to the intricacies of Black culture and illuminates what it means to live a vibrant Black life in both the present and the future.

Purchase Black Futures on Bookshop or your local Black-Owned Bookstore.

Black Futures was edited by Kimberly Drew, an art curator, and the previous social media manager for Metropolitan Museum, and Jenna Wortham, a New York Times culture writer (Refinery29). Drew and Wortham conceived the basis for Black Futures in their Twitter DMs. Wortham admired Drew’s art-focused Tumblr and reached about a collaboration between the two (WBur). Their Twitter DM exchange sparked the creative partnerships that led to the creation of Black Futures.

Drew and Wortham attempt to examine the question of the possibility of the Black future by collecting and celebrating the realities of the Black present. The two Black women did so by creating a unique experiential reading by including a diverse array of Black cultural mementos of the present moment. The pages of Black Futures contain a melody of different Black works, ranging from classic cultural artifacts such as photos and essays to modern renditions such as tweets and memes (Penguin Random House). Black Futures contains contributions from some favorite Black cultural contemporaries such as Solange Knowles, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Teju Cole, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and more (Kirkus Reviews).

Black Futures was published in December 2020. It arrived at the tail end of one of the most demoralizing and devastating years for Black American life. This anthology helps to highlight and recognize the infinite beauty that resonates through the various corners of Black culture. It also offers respite, in the sense that it helps us craft positive and powerful images for how Black people will remain a vital, resilient and celebratory community today and tomorrow.

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The title is really a hope and understanding that we all have a potential for a future and they’re all multiplicitous. I think having finished the book now, it’s really important when both Jenna and I continue to drive this home, that it is everyone’s duty and everyone has the opportunity and hopefully the capacity to build what they imagine to be their Black future. It’s really this kind of invitation project.

Kimberly Drew, in conversation with Stephanie Long for Refinery29

Reflection Questions

• Black Futures focuses on looking at the present condition of Black art and culture to imagine the future of Black art and culture. If you identify as Black, consider: what are the most salient aspects of our past and present that you personally believe should be foundational aspects of our experience in the future?
• Black Futures mixes various artistic elements (essays, recipes, tweets, and more) of Black culture to create a truly multimedia reading experience. In your opinion, how are other ways you can mix the different art and media in your creative work? What about different subject areas or philosophies?
• The year 2020, was an incredibly traumatic time. When one’s present is in a state of crisis, how helpful do you thinking envisioning the future can be? Why or why not do you think imagining the future can (or can not help) when the present may be painful?

Learn More

• Article: Refinery29 With Black Futures, Jenna Wortham & Kimberly Drew Bring Clarity To A Wayfinder Moment
• Book Excerpt: The Cut’s Ntozake Been Said That: An excerpt from Black Futures, edited by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham
• Podcast: 1A’s A Conversation With 'Black Futures' Co-Editors Kimberly Drew And Jenna Wortham