Anthology of Blackness, An

Terresa Moses is the Creative Director of Blackbird Revolt, Director of Design Justice, and Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at the University of Minnesota. She created Project Naptural, co-created Racism Untaught, and is both a core team member of African American Graphic Designers and a collaborator with the Black Liberation Lab. Omari Souza is an Assistant Professor of Communication Design at the University of North Texas, the organizer of the State of Black Design Conference, and a Design Researcher at Capital One. Formerly, he worked at VIBE magazine, CBS Radio, and Case Western Reserve University.

Best books of 2023 — Architecture & Design, Financial Times "Born from the Black Lives Matter movement, this collection on design responds to a field in which black voices remain severely underserved and often unheard...A valuable and provocative addition."–The Financial Times"Unapologetic is the only way to describe this anthology; it’s a scholarly “state of the union,” with design practitioners, researchers, scholars, and educators documenting their groundbreaking perspectives, research, and advocacy. An Anthology of Blackness offers bold treatises of where Black designers have been, where we are, and where we are heading, bridging the gap between the past and today’s advancement of the Black designer in the global design conversation."–Print“This collection of essays, opinion pieces, case studies, and visual narratives looks toward the horizon of an anti-racist design industry. Divided into three sections that focus on the design industry itself, surrounding pedagogy, and activism, the book analyzes how Black graphic designers—from the early 20th century to today—have called for social justice while exploring the legacy of Eurocentric beauty standards, especially hair. There’s a brisk survey of African histories of making in the pedagogy section, as well as an investigation of why Black students don’t enroll in design electives. The portion on the design industry offers technocratic and heartfelt suggestions: for example, using video games to attract Black youth to design, and improving practices of arts and cultural stewardship. With intersectional perspectives on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and ability, the anthology reminds the reader: 'Design is not a master’s tool.''–Metropolis "The history of design as we know it excludes centuries of highly skilled and creative production by Africans and the African diaspora. This book – edited by Terresa Moses of the University of Toronto and Omari Souza of the University of North Texas – seeks to turn things around. Starting from the media attention sparked by the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, it delves into the protests of African American communities in the 1920s and 1960s and examines the creative tactics they employed. Building on these historical roots, the book leads us to question design's ability to challenge racial biases, forms of oppression, and establish itself as a truly inclusive social practice."–Domus"This collection provides essays, case studies, and opinions along with visual storytelling. Sparked by the Black Lives Matter movement, the book looks closely at why the design field/industry has failed to produce Black professionals. The contributors write from perspectives of race, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity. The book is divided into three sections—"Black Design Industry and Organizations," "Black Design Pedagogy," and "Black Design ." The pedagogy section includes a brisk survey and an investigation of why BlaActivismck students tend not to enroll in design classes. The collection looks at where Black designers have been, where they are today, and where they are going. The book also offers guidance for how to enrich the design industry with Black representation, antiracist pedagogy, and radical self-care. For example, there are discussions of using video games to generate interest in the field on the part of Black youth and how Black designers can impact an antiracist design industry. The contributors describe their personal experiences, including their struggles, solutions, and research through proven methods. They offer their versions of ethnographic studies of applied solutions in hopes of an inclusive design practice and an equitable future."–Choice“An adventurous collection that examines how the design field has consistently failed to attract and support Black professionals—and how to create an anti-racist, pro-Black design industry instead…Through autoethnography, lived experience, scholarship, and applied research, these contributors share proven methods for creating an anti-racist and inclusive design practice.”–Diversity in Action

• Foreword by Dori TunstallIntroduction by Terresa Moses and Omari SouzaAn Introduction to Black Design Industry + Organizations by Terresa Moses and Omari SouzaThe Ontology of Black Design by S. Alfonso WilliamsStewardship and the Survival of Black Design Communities by Terrence MolineShattering Spaces of Othering: Building a Creative Culture of Creativity, Blackness and Brown Power by Antionette D. Carroll, Supported by Maya Aduba WilliamsSo, You Want To Solve the Diversity Problem in Design by Jacinda N. WalkerWhy Asking for a List Won’t Solve Racial Disparities by Melanie WalbyAin’t I a Woman by Omari SouzaUsing Video Games to Champion Justice and Expand Imaginations of Superheroes by Jules PorterDesigning a Black Future by John Brown VIAn Introduction to Black Design Pedagogy by Terresa Moses and Omari SouzaBlack Student Perceptions of Design Courses at an Elite Private University by Lesley-Ann NoelDesign’s Ledger of White Supremacy: Constructing a Critical Race Pedagogy to Shape Design Futures by Pierce Otlhogile-GordonAfrican Design: Origins and Migration by Jillian Harris#BlackHistoryMatters by Stacey RobinsonThe Movement Imprinted by Terresa MosesUsing Exhibition Design to Support Political Engagement, Active Learning, and Civic Participation by Anne H. Berry and Kelly WaltersAn Introduction to Black Design Activism by Terresa Moses and Omari SouzaGetting to the Root: An Exhibition Catalog on Natural Hair by Jazmine BeattyPaving the Way: Black Designers Then & Now by Nichole BurroughsAmplifying the Black Voice Through Design by Terresa MosesPeace of Mind by Kprecia AmbersPANTHERS VOTE!: A Studio Project Exposing Past Voter Suppression Methods To a Collegiate Population that has been Historically Disenfranchised by Tracey L. MooreCorrections, Cures, and Spoils: How Vote by Mail Information and Service Design Disenfranchised Black Voters in the 2020 US Election Cycle by Asher KolieboiAmplifying Accessibility & Abolishing Ableism: Designing to Embolden Black Disability Visual Culture by Jennifer White-JohnsonEpilogueAcknowledgementsEndnotesIndex