Siena Blog

The Black History Month 2025 theme, African Americans and Labor, focuses on how different types of work are central to Black culture and history. For this important month, Siena is sharing some book and podcast recommendations to reinforce the important intellectual labor of these artistic and cultural contributions to the Black experience.

See the Association for the Study of African American Life and History for a wealth of information about Black History Month, including upcoming events and past and future themes.

Recent Books from Black Authors 

• Jayne Allen, Black Girls Must Die Exhausted 
• Marcia Brissett-Bailey (ed.), Black, Brilliant and Dyslexic
• Percival Everett, James
• Ijeoma Oluo, Be a Revolution
• Kiley Reid, Come and Get It 
• Safiya Sinclair, How to Say Babylon: A Memoir 
• Zadie Smith, The Fraud 
• Colson Whitehead, Harlem Shuffle and Crook Manifesto

See also this list of Moving Nonfiction by Black Authors from Penguin Random House, including A Visible Man, Legacy, and Four Hundred Souls.

Black Podcast Recommendations 

Need to add some podcasts to your playlist? Have a look at these selections for some podcasts about various contemporary and historical topics:

• 100 Best Black Podcasts You Must Follow in 2025
• Best Black Podcasts (2025) - Goodpods
• Black People Podcast - TheGrio

See also Daily Border Crossings, hosted by Siena’s Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement Samantha Fletcher.

Additional Resources for Families 

Past blog posts for Black History Month can be found here, including a feature on Siena’s community playlist from 2024. This crowdsourced music (available on Spotify) grew out of a student-generated playlist from their weekly multicultural affinity group, with some additional recommendations from Siena faculty and staff.  

See also some other Heritage Month spotlights about Hispanic Heritage Month 2024, Women’s History Month 2024, and Native American Heritage Month 2023. Learn more about Siena’s commitments and ongoing initiatives for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging here.

The Siena School, a national leader in dyslexia education, proudly serves bright, college-bound students with language-based learning differences on campuses in Silver Spring, MD (grades 3-4 and 5-12) and Oakton, VA (grades 3-12).