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!✨

Thank you @lapublicpress and @zenagrossa for the feature! I’m so grateful that we’re shedding light on these powerful Black stories

Prominent African American newspaper editor and political activist in late 19th Century Los Angeles. Edmonds was born a slave in Mississippi and was freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. Educated in a series of “freedmen’s schools,” Edmonds eventually chose to move to California because of the conditions in the South. Edmonds was the founder and editor of The Liberator, a newspaper which served the African American community in Los Angeles. He eventually became a major force in promoting Los Angeles as a destination for African Americans fleeing racist violence and discrimination in the American South. In partnership with @standardvision , we’ve produced a series of digital art pieces for the Central Library Video Wall. This project involved creating cinematic moving “portraits” of Los Angeles historical figures, portrayed by library patrons and community members. Paul Edmonds, the great grandson of Jefferson Lewis Edmonds, stars in this video along with @arianneedmonds in the interview. #lapl #lapubliclibrary #iglibraries #librariesofinstagram

🚀TODAY is the launch my audio book!!! 🚀 I was deep in my feelings recording it. I hope you all enjoyyyyy. Purchasing links are in my bio

Thank you @rayzhon for naming “We Now Belong to Ourselves” as your summer reading book recommendation on @npr Pop Culture Happy Hour!! What a beautiful overview of the book. We’re so grateful!

Let’s celebrate and remember places and spaces in our Hyde Park & Inglewood neighborhoods. Now 2 through May 2, 2022 take part in sharing your stories, memories and hopes for the future. Introducing #MemoryFutureLabs, a new community-led arts activation developed by Arianne Edmonds of the JL Edmonds Project, Kelli Jackson of Hank’s Mini Mart in conjunction with artist Kim Schoenstadt’s Metro Art commission for the future Fairview Heights Station. If you have a connection to the Hyde Park and Inglewood communities, we welcome you to visit Hank’s community board or send your stories and images past, present and future of places, buildings, or landmarks that are significant to you at [email protected] or click link in the bio: The collected stories and images will form a physical map at Hank’s community board. Through a partnership with the Los Angeles Public Library, the stories and images shared will be archived as part of the Tessa digital collections. This will ensure that the stories of Hyde Park and Inglewood residents are preserved and accessible to community members and the world. Hank’s Mini Market will feature select memories on its Instagram feed once a week. #MemoryFutureLabs is organized by @ArianneEdmonds @HanksMiniMarket @KimSchoenstadt #MemoryFutureLabs #HanksMiniMarket#JLEdmondsProject #MetroArtLA #KelliJackson#ArianneEdmonds #KimSchoenstadt #Hanks25th#TessaDigitalCollection #LAPL #Inglewood #HydePark @lapubliclibrary @metrolosangeles @metro.art.la

Thank you #michaelkwilliams for being of our griots and one of our greats. Interview with Vanity Fair 2020. ✨

We partnered with the @lapubliclibrary Octavia Lab, a creative makerspace for Angelenos in memory of the late, great, Octavia Butler. Just in time for the holidays, the @labslapl published a Hidden Heroes coloring book. I had the honor of writing a really dreamy foreward about the founding of our great city. Feel free to grab a coloring book for all the history lovers in your life. Link is in the bio

We love how @kjjargon28 carefully curates partnerships, community programs and her store. It’s an honor to have our family archive apart of #hammermuseum LA made series at @hanksminimarket ! Be sure to stop by and check it out!

BREAKING NEWS: The @JL Edmonds project photo collection is officially apart of the new BLKNWS® broadcast. This powerful instillation is featured in the Made in L.A. 2020 biennial hosted by the @hammer_museum in partnership with Kahlil Joseph and @nomadicdivision Stop by @hanksminimarket owned by South LA’s sweetheart, @kjjargon28 and check out the instillation with our Edmonds family photo!!! #BLKNWS #KahlilJoseph #MadeinLA2020  @hammer_museum @nomadicdivision @kjjargon28 @hanksminimarket

Most folks don’t consider that Black Americans are the only group in this country that had literacy laws in place to prevent us from reading or writing. While many of those policies were rolled back during the reconstruction era, this powerful speech by the late great #repjohnlewis shows us that the barriers to education for Black Americans reached far into the 21st century and still affects us today. What a beautiful man. We’ve all learned how to be better, stronger people because of his work and legacy. We are forever grateful.

Jefferson’s thoughts on how this country settled the score after The Civil War and it’s lasting effects on Black Americans..............Southern democratic leaders were left to their own devices after their defeat. This of course led to sharecropping, Jim Crow laws, domestic terror and violence raining down on Black people for generations. Jefferson’s prediction in this August 1902 article tells us the Union’s “hands off” approach to the Reconstruction Era programs and new voter rights laid the foundation for the issues of Anti Black policies we are experiencing today. #juneteenth