‘Modern HERstory’ Amplifies the Voices of Unsung Activists
Featuring profiles of 70 women and nonbinary agents of change, 'Modern HERstory,' written by Blair Imani and illustrated by Monique Le, is a profoundly inclusive approach to history.
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Blair Imani is no stranger to the role social media plays in social justice. During one of her rare days off, in between flights, writing and speaking engagements, the 24-year-old author and activist jokes, “I wouldn’t have a career if it weren’t for Twitter.”
Some may remember Imani as the queer, American-Muslim woman fighting for safe spaces in a debate with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson last summer. Others, more ingrained in the day-to-day labor of activism, may know her for her work with GLAAD as well as her own educational nonprofit Equality For HER. Or, if you’re one of the 1.8 million people who follow actor and former Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton, you know her from a tweet he sent last year asking “somebody [to] publish this woman’s book” in support of Imani’s forthcoming illustrated text, Modern HERstory.
Featuring profiles of 70 women and nonbinary agents of change, Modern HERstory, written by Imani and illustrated by Monique Le, is a profoundly inclusive approach to history, celebrating otherwise unsung and unconventional champions of equality. Positioning wildly famous figures such as Oprah Winfrey, Solange Knowles, and Serena Williams alongside lesser known but equally dedicated women like Janet Mock, Franchesca Ramsey, and Raquel Willis, Modern HERstory amplifies the voices of women who wouldn’t ordinarily find themselves in a traditional history book. In the process, this legitimizes the merits of what Imani refers to as “visibility activism.”
With the social impact of politically passionate talk show hosts, artists, and athletes being fairly evident, the most interesting portions of Modern HERstory explore the cultural capital of social media influencers and visibility activists. Blair focuses on how these women work within atypical roles to contribute to the intersectional feminist movement.
In a conversation with Complex, Imani shares how she found ways to sing the praises of her favorite authors, educators, and “Black Twitter” all-stars throughout her groundbreaking new book. Below are a few notable women the newly published wordsmith chose to highlight in her own words.
JAMILAH LEMIEUX, Communications Advisor for Cynthia Nixon and former VP of Programing at Cassius
“I think what’s really notable about Jamilah is she’s so committed to black liberation and women’s liberation and being unapologetic about vocalizing those passions. For example, I got a bunch of old Ebony magazines [where Lemieux previously worked as an editor], and from the jump, when you see Jamilah’s work, you’re seeing more thoughtful conversations.
In telling Jamilah’s story, I really wanted to highlight that this didn’t come out of thin air. It came out of her parents being folks who were embedded in the movement. That really translates into her work today. She’s now working at Cassius, continuing to help black folks from all walks of life tell their stories in authentic ways. That didn’t happen by accident. It’s inherent in who she is.”
FRANCHESCA RAMSEY, writer/comedian and host of MTV’s ‘Decoded’
“Franchesca is a comedian, and in her story, I asked her: ‘What was a formative moment in your childhood?’ She said it was when her teacher told her to be quiet and threatened to call her mom if she kept talking, and she responded, ‘That’s fine, my mama will love me anyway.’
That’s the smartest sh*t ever! That’s so encapsulating [of who she is]. Talking became something she was known for, and she always puts her own comedic flare on [social issues].
Franchesca made this video called ‘Sh*t White Girls Say...to Black Girls,’ and it got so many views that people started expecting her to be a full-on race relations scholar. She is a really great example of how these viral moments can guide your career. Overnight people wanted her to be an activist and an influencer. She has a book out now called Well, That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs of an Accidental Activist, because that’s basically how her career [in activism] has gone. It escalated so quickly.
But that wouldn’t have happened in any other time in history. Because we didn’t have the internet allowing someone to create original content, and then the next day be on all the morning shows and have so many people talking about you. She shows a new type of activism that’s really rooted in the idea of Modern HERstory.”
JANET MOCK, writer/director/producer for FX’s ‘Pose’, and New York Times bestselling author
“One of the ways a lot of people came to know Janet Mock is through her books (Redefining Realnessand Surpassing Certainty). Everyone speculates what it’s like to be a trans youth or a trans adult, but she’s like, ‘No, this is what it’s really like.’
Even the work she’s doing now on Pose is about telling these stories in real ways. It’s about human connection. It’s not about ‘we’re just like you’—it’s about ‘we are ourselves and this is our reality, and once you respect it, you’ll then find commonalities.’
Janet created the hashtag #GirlsLikeUs for trans women to come together and unite. She also created a trans book drive, so that folks who are trans but don’t have access to certain information can get what they need. The way she’s risen in media but also pours her visibility and resources back into the community is what makes her powerful.”
RAQUEL WILLIS, national organizer for the Transgender Law Center
“As someone who’s older than Raquel, Janet provides her with mentorship. It’s a really cool display of something similar Jamilah has done for me—she’s creating space.
Raquel became a visibility activist just by being out at her school in Georgia when nobody else was. She told me once she came out, which was hard for her, she was able to see more people at her school be comfortable with coming out themselves. She’s someone who has worked the frontlines.
She used to work for different newspapers in Georgia until she realized the people she was reporting on weren’t actually getting the help and the resources that they needed, so she started doing more grassroots work. She then moved to the Bay Area working with the Transgender Law Center, where she became a communications associate. Now she works with them as a national organizer.
Raquel rallies folks digitally and in real life to get the truth out. I feel like she uses every hour of her day in which she’s not sleeping to make spaces for more queer people to exist and learn and love each other, so they’re not just surviving but they’re also thriving.”
ROXANE GAY, New York Times contributor and bestselling author
“I learned about Roxane Gay when I was in my women’s and gender studies class at Louisiana State University. We were learning about her book Bad Feminist.
The way that we as women and femmes typically talk about feminism, it’s like this pillar that you can never reach. It’s like this perfection that you can’t ever obtain—so with that book it was like, ‘Nah, I’m a bad feminist.’ What that book gets at is being a feminist is about being who you are while occupying certain spaces without losing yourself in your search for equality.
If I can sum Roxane Gay up in one word it’d be ‘deep.’ She just brings depth to every conversation. And she always brings it to the personal. She’ll tell a personal story and apply it to a big theory about feminism.
In the past, I’ve had a hard time grasping certain things, like ‘what does that really mean?’ And then she’ll bring it to a personal story, making it accessible and easy to understand. For people who don’t know what folks are going through, she’s that bridge. That’s why she’s in Chapter 3: Speaking Truth to Power.”
Modern HERstory will be available for purchase at all major bookstores October 16.
