Arianne Edmonds

Yesterday was such a dream! I officially launched my book, We Now Belong to Ourselves at the amazing @reparations.club . Thank you @amberabundance for co-creating such a wonderful event with me. It was also Adina’s graduation yallll! It was a full day of celebration, family and friends. I’m feeling full and grateful

I have BIG news!! My book, We Now Belong to Ourselves, published by Oxford University Press @oxunipress will officially launch June 2nd in the US & September 1st in the UK/Europe!!! This whole process has been a true labor of love. The book honors my great great grandfather, Jefferson Lewis Edmonds @jledproject and his role in shaping Black American citizenship and the Black press. It details his blueprint for Black liberation, sanctuary and joy. I can’t wait for all of you to read it! Stay tuned for the book launch and upcoming book talks. ✨Check out the pre-order link in my bio!✨

Just a few reminders of why I do this work… My great grandparents Virginia & Walter Edmonds with cousins & friends Bruce’s Beach Californa May 1911 Excerpt from my book “We Now Belong to Ourselves: J.L. Edmonds, The Black Press, and Black Citizenship in America” June 2025 Pages from our family newspaper The Liberator Booker T. Washington Cover Page January 1903 Mommy & Baby Los Angeles April 2025 Alice Walker Charlie Rose PBS Interview 1998

Thank you @uscartsnow for hosting us today at the @latimesfob - what a fun time! . Thanks so much @macfound @nupress and @meganstielstra for helping us get here!

Come meet @arianneedmonds +7 more authors of We Are Civic Media on Saturday @latimesfob 1:45-2:30pm - Get your copy SIGNED at the @uscartsnow tent - 93 in the Cardinal Zone, just outside the Student Union!

Book Talk with Arianne Edmonds! 📚 On her book “We Now Belong to Ourselves” Published June 2, 2025 This book is weaving together poetry, personal narrative, and never-before-seen documents from the Jefferson Lewis Edmonds, family archive! Arianne Edmonds provides wide-ranging look at how the Black Press of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries defined Black citizenship after Reconstruction, fostered networks of resistance, and set in motion critical social justice narratives that are still relevant today. You do not need to have read the book prior of attending. Come meet the author and get insights of her latest book! 👀 Book available to purchase on sight 🗓️ Wednesday, March 25, 2026 ⏰ 6PM 📍306 W Compton Blvd #200A #booktalk #arianneedmonds #meettheauthor #communtiy

Join us for an intimate book conversation rooted in care, honesty, and Black storytelling. As part of Living Black Worlds, Black River Life and Phoenix Center for the Arts invite you to gather on Friday, Feb. 27 at 5:30 PM in the Black Box Theater for an evening with author Arianne Edmonds. We’ll be diving into her powerful book, "We Now Belong to Ourselves" - a moving story of family, identity, belonging, and claiming Black dignity on our own terms. You’ll hear directly from the author, ask questions, and sit in meaningful dialogue alongside community voices including: Cloves Campbell (Arizona Informant) Retha Hill (NABJ Hall of Fame Journalism Pioneer) Carla Lyndale Bishop (ASU Poitier Film School) Moderated by Dr. Treya Allen (University of Arizona) Free and open to the public!🧡 See the full Living Black Worlds schedule at the link in our bio: www.blackriver.life/livingblackworlds

🛎️ Event Alert: Feb. 27–28 • Details at www.blackriver.life/livingblackworlds Sign up now to meet author Arianne Edmonds! Join her on Feb. 27 at 5:30 PM as part of Living Black Worlds, a two-day activation of African Diaspora arts, literature, music and dance. Arianne will join a roundtable of local voices discussing her new book We Now Belong to Ourselves, which chronicles the journey of her great-grandfather J.L. Edmonds out of the South into Los Angeles after Emancipation. A fascinating and meticulously researched true story that holds much wisdom for the present time – don’t miss it. . . @arianneedmonds @phoenixcenterforthearts . . #blackriverlife #blackloveAZ #blackhistorymonth #bhm #blackhistorymonthphx #phxsoul #azinformant #wenowbelongtoourselves #blackauthors #blackbooksmatter #migration #blackmigration #thegreatmigration #blackpress #blacknews #journalism #journalist #reparations #phoenixaz #losangeles

I’m honored to be part of @PinkCornrows ’ @_blackpolicylab 2025 ✨ On Wed., Dec. 10th, I’ll be in the Lab with @hillharper discussing Black legacy, Black stories and my book, We Now Belong to Ourselves as part of this year’s theme: “Black is Human, Too.” In a moment when Black existence is under attack—from dismantled equity programs to AI systems causing harm—we’re gathering to name truth, build strategy, and co-create policy rooted in our freedom. It’s FREE, virtual, and ASL interpretation is provided—because accessibility matters. But you must Register: 🔗 link is in the bio🔗 #BlackIsHumanToo #BPL2025 #HackBlackFutures

TODAY! NOV 22. 12PM. First ten attendees get a free signed copy of Arianne Edmond’s brilliant “We Belong to Ourselves” - a familial history of how the Black press shaped Black citizenship and social justice in post-Reconstruction America. This is simultaneously family archive, previously unwritten history and a very Los Angeles story told with love and admiration. I am *THRILLED* to host author and thinker Arianne Edmonds in dialogue with artist and organizer Kim Schoenstadt to discuss the importance of remembering our history and to celebrate the art of language. As the very nature of expression is under attack, we will *CELEBRATE* EVERY BANNED WORD. The entire list according to @penamerica has been made into a giant scroll. Oxford Pennants remind us that WOMAN, BLACK and CLIMATE are all among the list of 350+ words this regime is afraid of. And Mykki Blanco reminds us of why we want a dyke for president. Please join us for this special gathering to celebrate ourselves, our ancestors, and the power of the words that refuse to be silenced. We hope to see you there. FALL OF FREEDOM at Laboratory for the Future 11-22, 12PM Talk begins at 12:30. Propeller Gallery, Santa Monica @falloffreedom @kimschoenstadt @arianneedmonds @nowbehereart @art.samo

Laboratory for the Future — a Fall of Freedom action⁠ Saturday, November 22, 12–2 PM⁠ Airport Arts Center Propeller Gallery ⁠ 3026 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90405⁠ ⁠ Seating is limited - RSVP 🔗 in bio⁠ ⁠ As part of the nationwide Fall of Freedom (@falloffreedom ) activations, Debra Scacco’s (@debrascacco ) Laboratory for the Future presents a collaborative action with The J.L. Edmonds Project / Arianne Edmonds (@arianneedmonds ) and Now Be Here / Kim Schoenstadt (@kimschoenstadt ) to confront the language of erasure and celebrate the resilience of expression.⁠ ⁠ The event features a conversation between Arianne Edmonds and Kim Schoenstadt, exploring the importance of creating a blueprint for resisting historical erasure through Edmonds’ new book, We Now Belong to Ourselves: J.L. Edmonds, The Black Press, and Black Citizenship in America.⁠ ⁠ Throughout the day, a special installation will center around words drawn from PEN America’s (@penamerica ) current list of terms banned by the federal administration, displayed on banners and a magnetic poetry board. Visitors are invited to compose and share their banned words poetry with the community and on social media. ⁠ ⁠ A screening of Zoe Leonard’s “I Want a President”, a poem created in support of American poet and activist Eileen Myles’ 1992 presidential campaign, as read by Mykki Blanco (@mykkiblanco ) and filmed by Adinah Dancyger (@adinahdancyger ), will also be played.⁠ ⁠ The first 10 people will receive a free, signed copy of Edmonds' new book! Be sure to RSVP, 🔗 in bio⁠ for easy access⁠ ⁠ #FallOfFreedom⁠ #LaboratoryForTheFuture⁠ #DebraScacco⁠ #ArianneEdmonds⁠ #NowBeHereArt

We Are Civic Media is finally out! Check out my chapter, “Awakening the archives: A search for family, connection and meaning.” It was such a joy writing it. Join us for our book launch AfterWords: An Evening of Ideas at The Underground Museum on October 25, 2025. Join authors, storytellers, artists, organizers, and others working at the intersections of technology, social justice, and culture for an engaging convening in celebration of We Are Civic Media, a brilliant book penned by USC Annenberg Innovation Lab Fellows. @annenberglab The evening will be filled with celebration, conversation, and music as we honor the contributors who are shaping the future of civic imagination and media. Hosted by @amberabundance & featuring music by DJ Angboo tyreeBP @arianneedmonds @nialeeomg @intelligentmischief @anuyadavishere @стас @sydette @eloyer17 @coloredgirlslal @44ian @amberabundance