1 00:00:00,170 --> 00:00:03,570 - After a year of racial reckoning in the United States, 2 00:00:03,570 --> 00:00:06,380 many of us have spent a lot of time thinking about 3 00:00:06,380 --> 00:00:08,220 systemic racism in this country, (upbeat music) 4 00:00:08,220 --> 00:00:09,670 but this Black History Month, 5 00:00:09,670 --> 00:00:12,890 I want to immerse myself in black culture 6 00:00:12,890 --> 00:00:15,760 and enjoy all of the beauty and creativity 7 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:17,810 that is coming out of the black community. 8 00:00:17,810 --> 00:00:19,860 And I have recommendations for you 9 00:00:19,860 --> 00:00:21,690 to join me on this journey. 10 00:00:21,690 --> 00:00:23,390 Hi, I'm Liz Segran, 11 00:00:23,390 --> 00:00:25,780 and I'm a senior staff writer here at Fast Company. 12 00:00:25,780 --> 00:00:29,100 We all want to be the best version of ourselves, 13 00:00:29,100 --> 00:00:32,290 and every week I come to you with recommendations 14 00:00:32,290 --> 00:00:35,130 that will make your life happier, healthier, 15 00:00:35,130 --> 00:00:36,279 and more meaning. 16 00:00:36,279 --> 00:00:39,112 (twinkling music) 17 00:00:43,210 --> 00:00:45,840 My first recommendation is for you to check out 18 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:48,170 a book club called Literati. 19 00:00:48,170 --> 00:00:50,520 Literati picks icons in our culture, 20 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:52,810 like the basketball player, Steph Curry, 21 00:00:52,810 --> 00:00:55,660 and the activist Malala Yousafzai, 22 00:00:55,660 --> 00:00:59,130 and they help curate books from some of the most 23 00:00:59,130 --> 00:01:01,100 interesting authors of our time. 24 00:01:01,100 --> 00:01:02,410 And for Black History Month, 25 00:01:02,410 --> 00:01:04,930 they've picked some of the most interesting titles 26 00:01:04,930 --> 00:01:06,830 coming out from black authors, 27 00:01:06,830 --> 00:01:08,727 including "Salvage the Bones," 28 00:01:08,727 --> 00:01:11,070 "The Wedding Date," and "Black Brother." 29 00:01:11,070 --> 00:01:13,810 This is an amazing opportunity to 30 00:01:13,810 --> 00:01:17,100 learn about some of the best black talent out there, 31 00:01:17,100 --> 00:01:18,750 and hear their voices, 32 00:01:18,750 --> 00:01:20,863 and see the world from their perspective. 33 00:01:22,170 --> 00:01:25,040 No matter how you feel about Barbie dolls, 34 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:27,710 the brand has been really trying to become 35 00:01:27,710 --> 00:01:29,350 more diverse and inclusive. 36 00:01:29,350 --> 00:01:30,810 And as part of that mission, 37 00:01:30,810 --> 00:01:34,240 they have created a Maya Angelou Barbie. 38 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:37,110 So if your child has been asking you for a Barbie, 39 00:01:37,110 --> 00:01:40,020 this is an opportunity to give them a Barbie, 40 00:01:40,020 --> 00:01:44,340 but also to introduce them to the amazing work 41 00:01:44,340 --> 00:01:47,083 of this visionary American poet. 42 00:01:48,270 --> 00:01:49,890 And speaking of poets, 43 00:01:49,890 --> 00:01:54,890 who can forget the amazing performance of Amanda Gorman 44 00:01:54,890 --> 00:01:58,090 who performed her poem, "The Hill We climb" 45 00:01:58,090 --> 00:02:00,550 at Biden's inauguration this year. 46 00:02:00,550 --> 00:02:02,400 - For there was always light. 47 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,100 If only we're brave enough to see it, 48 00:02:05,100 --> 00:02:09,070 if only we're brave enough to be it. 49 00:02:09,070 --> 00:02:11,270 If you can't get enough of Amanda's work, 50 00:02:11,270 --> 00:02:13,810 you can create order two books of hers 51 00:02:13,810 --> 00:02:15,290 that are coming out this year. 52 00:02:15,290 --> 00:02:17,660 One is a book of poems for adults, 53 00:02:17,660 --> 00:02:20,300 and the other, which I'm particularly excited about, 54 00:02:20,300 --> 00:02:23,280 is a children's book called "Change Things." 55 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:27,430 I personally can't wait to add it to my daughter's bookshelf 56 00:02:27,430 --> 00:02:30,620 so that she grows up with a wide range 57 00:02:30,620 --> 00:02:32,820 of amazing influences 58 00:02:32,820 --> 00:02:36,603 and perhaps even is inspired to become a poet herself. 59 00:02:37,970 --> 00:02:40,920 If you are a podcast person like me, 60 00:02:40,920 --> 00:02:42,960 then I recommend that you check out 61 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:44,920 the Still Processing podcast. 62 00:02:44,920 --> 00:02:48,020 It comes to us from two New York Times writers, 63 00:02:48,020 --> 00:02:49,970 Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham. 64 00:02:49,970 --> 00:02:52,300 And what I love about the podcast is that 65 00:02:52,300 --> 00:02:55,930 it explores so many different aspects of pop culture 66 00:02:55,930 --> 00:02:59,280 but through the lens of these black queer writers. 67 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:00,530 Every time I listen to it 68 00:03:00,530 --> 00:03:02,440 I feel like I learned something new, 69 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:05,290 and I have something to chew on for the rest of the week. 70 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:11,820 And finally, I really love this new album called "Omega" 71 00:03:11,820 --> 00:03:14,940 by an up-and-coming jazz musician, Immanuel Wilkins 72 00:03:14,940 --> 00:03:17,670 who's really pushing the African-American 73 00:03:17,670 --> 00:03:19,150 jazz tradition forward. 74 00:03:19,150 --> 00:03:20,360 I love this album 75 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:23,220 because it always makes me feel more relaxed. 76 00:03:23,220 --> 00:03:26,330 And in moments when I'm feeling creatively challenged, 77 00:03:26,330 --> 00:03:28,090 which happens pretty much every day, 78 00:03:28,090 --> 00:03:30,500 having this amazing music on in the background 79 00:03:30,500 --> 00:03:32,670 helps me get my juices flowing. 80 00:03:32,670 --> 00:03:35,620 Black History Month is an amazing opportunity 81 00:03:35,620 --> 00:03:38,160 to explore parts of black culture 82 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:40,010 that you had never seen before, 83 00:03:40,010 --> 00:03:43,220 and hopefully that exploration will continue 84 00:03:43,220 --> 00:03:45,323 long after the month of February.