Just over 100 years ago, W. E. B. Du Bois created a magazine just for children. The Brownies' Book: A Monthly Magazine for Children of the Sun reached thousands of children in the early 1920s...including (the fictional) Claudie Wells.

For this month's episode, we reviewed a 2023 tribute to The Brownies' Book curated by a team of scholars and artists. Their Love Letter to Black Families includes material from the original Brownies' magazines, such as poems by Langston Hughes and historic photographs, along with newly commissioned collages, essays, and tributes. We talk about how this book that was largely made in homage to Du Bois and the Harlem Renaissance speaks to children and adults living in the contemporary, post-2020 world.

 

Original air date: February 23, 2024