Contexthooks on reading as escape and liberation, from a childhood where books were both refuge and rebellion.
Their StoryWriter and scholar (born Gloria Jean Watkins) whose work on love, race, class and feminism reached far beyond academia. She wrote under a lowercase pen name, borrowed from her great-grandmother, to keep the focus on the ideas rather than herself.'All About Love' and 'Teaching to Transgress' are the usual entry points.See Their Full Story
Contexthooks on love as something practised and chosen, not just felt.
Their StoryWriter and scholar (born Gloria Jean Watkins) whose work on love, race, class and feminism reached far beyond academia. She wrote under a lowercase pen name, borrowed from her great-grandmother, to keep the focus on the ideas rather than herself.'All About Love' and 'Teaching to Transgress' are the usual entry points.See Their Full Story
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Contexthooks on choosing love as a form of resistance.
Their StoryWriter and scholar (born Gloria Jean Watkins) whose work on love, race, class and feminism reached far beyond academia. She wrote under a lowercase pen name, borrowed from her great-grandmother, to keep the focus on the ideas rather than herself.'All About Love' and 'Teaching to Transgress' are the usual entry points.See Their Full Story
“ I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there, I was promoted to the washtub. From there, I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there, I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations. ”
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextWalker's own summary of her path from field labour to building a business empire.
Their StoryBorn Sarah Breedlove to formerly enslaved parents in Louisiana in 1867, she built a line of hair care products for Black women into a business empire, becoming widely regarded as the first self-made female millionaire in America. She employed thousands of Black women as sales agents.Biographies by her great-great-granddaughter A'Lelia Bundles are the fullest primary-adjacent sources.See Their Full Story
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextBaker, an entertainer who became a civil-rights figure and wartime Resistance agent, on a life given to performance.Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
Their StoryMissouri-born entertainer who became one of France's most celebrated performers, taking Paris by storm in the 1920s. During the Second World War she worked with the French Resistance, smuggling coded messages hidden in her sheet music, and was later awarded the Croix de guerre. In 1963 she stood on the podium at the March on Washington as the only official female speaker.Her memoirs and the biography by Jean-Claude Baker are the fullest primary sources.See Their Full Story
Their StoryNovelist and essayist whose work on race, sexuality and belonging in America remains central reading. Born in Harlem in 1924, he wrote much of his sharpest work from France, at a distance that let him see his country clearly.'The Fire Next Time' and 'Giovanni's Room' are the usual entry points.See Their Full Story
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextBiles on withdrawing from Tokyo events to protect her mental health.Read More: Women in Sport
Their StoryAmerican gymnast and the most decorated gymnast in world championship history. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics she withdrew from several events, citing her mental health and a disorientation known as 'the twisties', and returned to compete at the Paris 2024 Games.Her post-Tokyo and Paris interviews are the clearest primary sources for her own framing.See Their Full Story
Their StoryHistorian and author of 'How to Be an Antiracist' and 'Stamped from the Beginning', which won the National Book Award. He founded the Center for Antiracist Research, first at American University and later at Boston University.'How to Be an Antiracist' is the direct primary source for his own framing.See Their Full Story
“ Stop talking about it. I'm going to stop calling you a white man. And I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man. I know you as Mike Wallace. You know me as Morgan Freeman. ”
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
ContextZendaya on why on-screen representation matters to young viewers.
Their StoryAmerican actor who became the youngest woman ever, and the second Black woman, to win the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, for her role in 'Euphoria', a win she repeated in 2022.Her Emmy acceptance speeches are direct primary sources.See Their Full Story
