February is Black History Month!
IHS would like to help you celebrate with these 10 sapphic books by Black authors!
There have always been people of color in the world. And LGBTQ+ people. And people with disabilities. This has been true throughout all of human history, but it doesn’t always feel this way. A quick glance at popular fiction paints a world where being white, cisgender, and heterosexual is the overwhelming norm.
Black authors and characters have historically been underrepresented in publishing, making it difficult for readers to find adequate representation in mainstream fiction. Beverly Jenkins, a trailblazing Black American romance author, wasn’t published until the 1990s! She explained in this interview that she wanted to write because she couldn’t find characters like her in the historical romances she loved to read.
Visibility is the main reason many sapphic fiction authors write, too. Big mainstream publishing houses have been slow to showcase sapphic characters and to allow them to have happy endings. Given this, it’s especially important to encourage diversity within the sapphic genre. Everyone deserves the chance to read and tell stories about people like themselves! To quote Ms. Jenkins, “Kids can’t be what they can’t see.”
In honor of Black History Month, we would like to highlight ten sapphic fiction books with Black main characters. All of these books are written by Black authors and bring much needed diversity to the sapphic fiction genre.
For even more books with Black characters, click here.
