Learn
A library, curated with care.
Knowledge is a starting point. These resources — by and for Black voices — are gathered to support your understanding, your unlearning, and your becoming.
Books
Memoirs, workbooks, and scholarship from Black authors on healing, identity, and liberation.
Healing While Black: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Psychology and the Science of Healing
Natasha Ickes
A groundbreaking guide to healing the psychological impact of being Black in America. Despite centuries of systemic trauma, Black communities continue to demonstrate extraordinary resilience, creativity, and strength. Yet the emotional toll of navigating race, identity, and survival in modern America remains one of the most overlooked public health issues of our time. Healing While Black offers a research-informed, culturally grounded roadmap for understanding how trauma shows up—and how to heal from it. Blending modern psychology, historical context, and evidence-based practices, this book equips readers with practical tools to restore well-being, build resilience, and create lasting change. Inside, you’ll discover: How generational trauma impacts the brain, body, and behavior The psychological effects of racism and systemic inequity Science-backed tools for emotional regulation and stress recovery Culturally relevant healing practices rooted in research How personal healing becomes empowerment, leadership, and legacy Engaging, accessible, and deeply relevant, this book is designed for individuals, families, educators, therapists, and organizations committed to supporting Black mental health. Whether you’re seeking your own healing, supporting a loved one, or working to build healthier communities, this book delivers clarity, validation, and actionable strategies for long-term transformation. Healing is your birthright—and reclaiming it is revolutionary
"This book was born from a simple belief: healing is your birthright. I was tired of our history being watered down, distorted, and only focused on the trauma. I wanted to create a book that highlights the power, strength, resilience, and beauty of our people. So I poured my heart and soul into writing this book as a guide, a source of hope, and an invitation to healing. My hope is that readers walk away feeling empowered, inspired, and more deeply connected to themselves, their history, and their capacity to heal."
Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual
Luvvie Ajayi Jones
We're all afraid. We're afraid of asking for what we want because we're afraid of hearing "no." We're afraid of being different, of being too much or not enough. We're afraid of leaving behind the known for the unknown. But in order to do the things that will truly, meaningfully change our lives, we have to become professional troublemakers: people who are committed to not letting fear talk them out of the things they need to do or say to live free. With humor and honesty, and guided by the influence of her professional troublemaking Nigerian grandmother, Funmilayo Faloyin, Luvvie walks us through what we must get right within ourselves before we can do the things that scare us; how to use our voice for a greater good; and how to put movement to the voice we've been silencing--because truth-telling is a muscle.
"This book is a reminder that courage isn't the absence of fear—it's choosing to act anyway. I loved how Luvvie challenges readers to take up space, use their voice, and stop waiting for permission to pursue what matters."
All About Love
Bell Hooks
In this landmark book, bell hooks explores the question “What is love?” Her answers strike at both the mind and heart. Disputing that the ideal love is infused with sex and desire, she provides a new path to love that is sacred, redemptive, and healing for individuals and for a nation. All About Love is a powerful, timely affirmation of just how profoundly love and community can change hearts and minds for the better.
"Love is often talked about as a feeling, but bell hooks challenges us to see it as a practice rooted in honesty, care, accountability, and growth. This book makes us think differently about the relationships we build—not just with others, but with ourselves."
Peace from Broken Pieces: How to Get Through What You're Going Through
Iyanla Vanzant
New York Times best-selling author Iyanla Vanzant recounts the last decade of her life and the spiritual lessons learned—from the price of success during her meteoric rise as a TV celebrity on Oprah, the Iyanla TV show (produced by Barbara Walters), to the dissolution of her marriage and her daughter’s 15 months of illness and death on Christmas day. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Iyanla shares why everything we need to learn is reflected in our relationships and the strength and wisdom she has gained by supporting others in their journeys to make sense out of the puzzle pieces of their lives.
"Iyanla shares her story with a level of honesty that is both heartbreaking and inspiring. This book is a powerful reminder that our past may shape us, but it does not have to define what is possible for our future."
The Light Between Us
Laura Lynn Jackson
Laura Lynne Jackson is a wife, a mother, a high school English teacher—and a psychic medium. Where most believe an impenetrable wall divides the world between the living and the dead, Jackson sees brilliant cords of light. She has dedicated her life to exploring our connection to the Other Side, conversing with departed loved ones, and helping people come to terms with loss. In The Light Between Us, she writes with clarity and grace, addressing the eternal questions that vex us all: Why are we here? What happens when we die? How do we find our true path in this life? Laura Lynne Jackson’s story offers a new understanding of the vast reach of our consciousness and enlarges our view of the human experience.
"This book was life changing for me and I promptly bought 10 copies which I shared with anyone going through or recovering from loss. While most of the resources on this site intentionally amplify Black voices, this is one of the rare exceptions because of the profound impact it had on my own healing journey and the comfort it has brought to so many others. Whether you're skeptical or deeply spiritual, this book invites you to keep an open mind and consider the possibility that our connections to those we love may be more enduring than we realize."
Sacred Rest
Saundra Dalton-Smith
Staying busy is easy. Staying well rested-now there's a challenge. How can you keep your energy, happiness, creativity, and relationships fresh and thriving in the midst of never-ending family demands, career pressures, and the stress of everyday life? In Sacred Rest, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, a board-certified internal medicine doctor, reveals why rest can no longer remain optional.
"Many of us think we need more sleep when what we really need is rest in the deeper areas of our lives. This book helped me rethink burnout and recognize that true restoration involves our minds, bodies, relationships, and spirit- breaking down the 7 types of rest we all need."
Podcasts
Listen to therapists, healers, and storytellers naming what so many of us carry.
The Realities of Black Grief
Doneila McIntosh, M.Div., M.A.
The reality for Black individuals and families living in the U.S. is that death happens more often and earlier on than for their white counterparts. In the last two decades, these higher rates of mortality resulted in 1.63 million excess deaths for Black Americans compared to white Americans. Doneila McIntosh brings her personal and professional experiences with this reality to her work as a researcher studying the intersections of disenfranchised grief among African American families.
David Goggins and Jay Shetty
David Goggins
PIn this powerful conversation, David Goggins shares the mindset and habits that helped him overcome adversity, push beyond perceived limits, and develop extraordinary resilience. Together, Jay Shetty and Goggins explore what it means to take ownership of your life and pursue growth even when the path is difficult.
"Growth often begins where comfort ends. This episode encourages listeners to rethink their limits, embrace discomfort as part of the process, and recognize their capacity for transformation."
I'm Still Here
Austin Channing Brown
Austin Channing Brown is an author, speaker, and advocate whose work explores race, identity, belonging, and human dignity. In this conversation, she reflects on the experiences that shaped her perspective and the lessons from her bestselling book, I'm Still Here.
"Brown invites us to consider how identity, community, and belonging influence our wellbeing. Her insights encourage deeper empathy, self-reflection, and a more expansive understanding of what it means to be fully seen and valued."
TED Talks
Powerful, accessible talks that reframe healing through a Black lens.
Rethinking how we hold space for grief and loss
Michele Pearson Clarke
Michele Pearson Clarke ask us two simple, yet compelling questions: Whose space will you hold grief for? How will you hold space for your grief? In this talk, she asks us to rethink how we support those in our community who are coping with death, grief or loss. She takes the listener on a journey where she describes how she managed the loss of her own mother and the surprising things she learned in the experience. In this thoughtful talk, Michele asks to take look at something that happens every day and rethink it.
Understanding and Healing from Racial Trauma
Ashley Mcgirt
Ashley McGirt shares her passion for decolonizing therapy & the importance of incorporating multicultural experiences with her therapy practice. Through her own story, she demonstrates the importance of finding happiness and healing within by unpacking baggage, resting, reflecting, and restoring herself to be who she was intended to be on this earth.
Surviving Betrayal
Dr. Roselyn Aker-Black
The Power of the Black Woman's Self Love Journey
Denise Francis
A Black Mans Guide to Love
LeRon Barton
Black Mental Health Matters
Phillip Roundtree
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