Today honors the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. As sapphic fiction authors and readers, we reflect on the work that still needs to be done to achieve racial equality in today’s world.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. The son and grandson of Baptist ministers, King also pursued a career in ministry. King rose to prominence as a leader in the civil rights movement, helping to orchestrate the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. He became one of the era’s most influential voices for racial justice and the use of nonviolent tactics. Tragically, he was killed by a sniper’s bullet in 1969 at only 39 years of age. The federal government recognized his birthday as a holiday in 1986.
Equal representation for all races remains a challenge today. It can be a find a struggle to find sapphic books by authors of color, or with non-white protagonists. To honor Dr. King’s legacy, we encourage you to check out these books by Black sapphic authors with main characters who are Black.
