Jaha Nailah Avery

2 weeks ago | lithub.com | Jaha Nailah Avery

On the day I was born, a member of our church brought a big, beautiful stuffed doll to the hospital as a gift to celebrate my arrival. The doll has thick black hair, styled in two plaits on either side of her head. Her dark brown skin and big black eyes are complemented by an ornate white and purple floral outfit, trimmed in lace. She’s lovely, and even today, she garners attention from everyone who visits my home. She was my first doll, and marked the start of my lifelong hobby of doll collecting.

1 month ago | essence.com | Jaha Nailah Avery

Early American banjo music is Black music. The banjo was created by enslaved African Americans, and , up until the 1830s, the banjo was exclusively an African American tradition. Banjo history has since been colonized and rewritten, but today, an increasingly growing number of people are ushering in a Black banjo revival. The banjo is a time machine. For centuries before colonialism, its music connected our ancestors to place, history, and heritage.

1 month ago | essence.com | Jaha Nailah Avery

Cheyney McKnight says her work as a historical interpreter and researcher led to her path as a designer. McKnight launched Not Your Momma’s History in 2014, where she develops programming and makes videos that educate about slavery and the Black experience, in collaboration with museums, historical sites, and businesses. McKnight is also the Manager of Living History at The New York Historical.

1 month ago | essence.com | Jaha Nailah Avery

Pleasant Company’s mission was to make history accessible to young girls, using dolls. Each American Girl character had a series of books, and corresponding dolls, that explored her story in a particular time throughout history. The company started in 1986, and by the early 1990s, American Girl was everywhere. There were full spreads in catalogs, commercials on TV, and copies of the books in school libraries everywhere.

Mar 27, 2025 | essence.com | Jaha Nailah Avery

Monrowe NYC Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter highlights the history of African American influence in the making of American Western culture, uplifting country music, cowboy life, and entrepreneurship in the Wild West.