I went to Washington, DC, last month for a conference. I had the privilege of attending a ” Hamilton ” showing at the Kennedy Center. I saw the play with the original cast on Disney+ last year, but watching it live was amazing! The Kennedy Center is also a beautiful space where they are doing inclusive programming.
I haven’t stopped playing the soundtrack.
Hispanic Heritage Month begins September 15, and I put together a recommended reading list for Rozzie Bound.
I saw Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, the author of The Sex Lives of African Women, at a Brookline Booksmith event last March. I got the book then but didn’t get around to reading it until last month.
The book is based on her popular blog, Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women, where she interviews 30 women of African descent from all over the world about their sexual habits and feelings. I was impressed by the diversity of women chosen – single and married women, straight and LGBTQ+ women, polyamorous and monogamous women, disabled and non-disabled women, women who are celibate or into BDSM, women living with STDs or endometriosis, etc. The book also touched on racism, sexism, and colorism and how Black women feel about themselves and the partners they choose.
I was particularly disturbed by the amount of sexual assault and rape in the book. These were all stories told under the condition of anonymity. If anything, the book highlighted how pervasive abuse is in the world.
But there were some heartwarming stories in the book too. My favorite was the HIV-positive Kenyan sex worker who has a rough life, and her son decides to become a pastor who doesn’t want to judge his mother’s life.
This is an excellent book about women of color from a sex-positive perspective.
We survived the summer. Let’s dance!