Black Love Letters
with Natalie Johnson, Cole Brown, and special guests RHIANNA JONES, AKILI KING, MALACHI ELIJAH, SOJOURNER BROWN, and ALLISA CHARLES-FINDLEY
In this exquisite anthology of letters and illustrations, Cole Brown and Natalie Johnson bring together a constellation of influential Black figures to write to the people, places, and moments that mean the most to them.
With a foreword from John Legend and contributions from Brontez Purnell, Morgan Jerkins, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Dr. Imani Perry, among many others, Black Love Letters is an ode to a phenomenal community: a testament to the fact that where there has been pain and suffering, there has also always been immeasurable, irrepressible joy and love.
Cole Brown is an author, producer, and political commentator. His first book, Greyboy: Finding Blackness in a White World was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award and selected for Steph Curry’s “Underrated” book club. His first co-authored book, First Impressions, was released in May ’22. Cole’s opinion writing appears in GQ, W, CNN, NBC, and others. He was a 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 in Media honoree. Today, he lives in New York working on various literary and film projects.
Natalie Johnson is a writer and illustrator who focuses on social justice. She is a former segment producer for MSNBC, VICE TV, and Black News Channel. Her writing can be found at MSNBC.com’s Know Your Value. Natalie holds a master’s degree in sociology from Columbia University and lives in New York City.
“There are many books about love but precious few are love. That’s a more difficult challenge—concentrating love to words on a page, capturing love as it is, delivering it still intact. Cole, Natalie, and the many authors in Black Love Letters have done just that—distilled love to soothe your soul. I just know you’ll love it like I do.”
—John Legend
SPECIAL GUESTS
RHIANNA JONES is a writer, activist, and model. Her passions are sustainable fashion, female narratives, and cultural inclusivity, and her viral Afro Emoji campaign started a global convo about beauty norms.
AKILI KING is a journalist and senior editor at Rose Inc. During her time as a beauty editor at Vogue, she created a column, “Texture Diaries,” that celebrates and affirms Black beauty, which she still writes to this day. Additionally, King writes for various magazines—where her writing spans topics such as beauty, wellness, culture, and music— including the Cut’s “Auto-Refill” column, Essence, Coveteur, Allure, and many others.
MALACHI ELIJAH is a musician, performer, songwriter, and part of the hip-hop collective SPACE CADE7S. Elijah also works in providing mentorship and artistic development for historically marginalized teens and young adults with the nonprofit Art Start in New York City.
SOJOURNER BROWN is a poet and multidisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, New York. Her writing has been published in literary journals, and she has been a featured guest in spoken-word events at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and other venues across NYC. Additionally, as an artist, Brown is currently in the cast of Hadestown on Broadway, and her work as an actor and vocalist has been seen on Disney Channel, Freeform, NBC, and at Carnegie Hall. She is currently working on an upcoming EP and a poetry book debut.
ALLISA CHARLES-FINDLEY is president of the Botham Jean Foundation, which was created after her twenty-six-year-old brother, Botham Jean, was murdered by an off-duty police officer in his apartment in Dallas, Texas. His name became a rallying cry for nationwide protests, and Findley has since worked to keep his name alive by promoting Christian intervention for social change, justice for police brutality victims, and police reform.