“We reserve this space for our humanity in all of its fond, ironic, elated, grief-stricken, confused glory. In the following pages you will find letters crafted by activists, statesmen, acclaimed and upcoming writers, artists, poets, and creators—all reflecting on what it means to be Black, to love, and to be loved in America,” write editors Cole Brown and Natalie Johnson in the introduction to this illustrated anthology of letters by a wide range of Black leaders and writers. Contributors include Mahogany Browne, Ben Crump, Morgan Jerkins, Douglas Kearney, Nadia Owusu, Imani Perry, Al Sharpton, Danez Smith, and Jamila Woods. The five sections of the book cover an array of ways love is expressed with the titles: Care, Awe, Loss, Ambivalence, and Transformation. Filled with intimate and powerful testaments, the editors have created “a site for our people to come together on the deepest, strongest emotion we share” and “a space for healing, together.”
