In his debut book titled co-authors Jannah Handy and Kiyanna Stewart invite readers to a world where history, memory, and identity intersect through the ability of material culture. This visually stunning work, which premiered on October 15, is greater than a set – it’s a testament to the stories embedded in on a regular basis objects which have long shaped the Black experience.

Through over 300 photographs, the book evokes the intimacy of a scrapbook or family album. Readers will discover nuanced stories embedded in objects comparable to Shirley Chisholm’s 1972 campaign pins, HBCU yearbooks from the Twenties, and hand-drawn maps of Africa from the nineteenth century. These objects change into carriers of broader conversations about heritage and memory. Spike Lee’s foreword strongly emphasizes this concept, stating that “what you have is precious,” reminding readers that relics of the past are key to understanding the current and reimagining the long run.

Two founders from Brooklyn BLK MKT Vintagebring a combined 20 years of experience in collecting, acquiring and curating black ephemera. Their work began in 2014 with a mission to rejoice the narratives inherent within the production of Black culture. As Handy says, “We strive to expose people to the power of history through non-traditional means and unconventional pedagogies.” This approach runs throughout the book, where historical objects change into conduits for storytelling and social connection.

The authors’ backgrounds – Handy in business and education, Stewart in journalism and Africana studies – shape their storytelling with academic rigor and personal insight. Stewart reflects, “I see our work in designing and curating the space for BLK MKT Vintage in a similar vein – using objects to decorate a space to tell a larger story about the person inhabiting it.” Their narrative is interwoven with personal anecdotes and scholarly perspectives, offering readers not only an archive, but in addition a guide to discovering one’s identity and appreciating one’s history.

In addition to featuring rare objects and interviews with other Black collectors and archivists, the book highlights the importance of preserving memory within the face of grief and loss. When readers turn the last page, they may feel the necessity to reclaim, preserve, and rejoice their very own stories.

ESSENCE: Jannah, your background in business and education has shaped your approach to vintage collections. How has this data influenced the way in which you construct and maintain your BLK MKT Vintage collection?

Jannah Handy: The basis of this activity is my personal and collective knowledge in the sphere of education. We strive to reveal people to the ability of history using non-traditional means and unconventional pedagogical methods. Our curatorial practice focuses on learning outcomes from primary historical sources. While we do not have lesson plans for each item we sell – although we could, imagine me – learning is all the time at the center of what we do, we just attempt to make it more engaging and accessible. My business experience has less influence on the BLK MKT Vintage collection and more influence on our marketing and location. While Econ 101 didn’t fully cover the obstacles of entrepreneurship, the teachings on consumer habits and marketing best practices proved relevant.

Kiyanna, your background in journalism and African studies clearly informs your approach to storytelling. How did you weave your passion for these topics into the narrative of this book?

Kiyanna Stewart: I actually like this query and was grateful to seek out the tutorial and life foundations for my approach to storytelling throughout the book. I feel I turned to journalism/media studies, African studies, and women’s studies in my academic journey because I used to be searching not just for myself, but in addition for methods, tools, and language to specific/form myself as a Black, Caribbean American, queer creative person. These disciplines taught me to query the voice of who speaks and about whom, who rules and who’s excluded/invisible – which is why I imagine that the above questions often lie on the core of my curatorial work for BLK MKT Vintage.

This book lays the inspiration for our work by introducing readers to common/useful and shared vocabulary – while also difficult that very same vocabulary to see who/what’s invisible. The book also introduces my wife and I in an intimate way – specializing in our personal stories to support the broad, meta-thematic work. I actually have also argued for the work of various Black intellectuals to serve because the theoretical foundation for this book – to situate us in conversation with existing works, to pay homage to the intellectual-cultural work that has already been put into the study of Black and marginalized people, and to proceed the tradition of lending and adding – riffing, remixing and interpolating black mental thought in an accessible way. People like Audre Lorde, Bell Hooks, Toni Morrison, Arturo Schomburg, Stuart Hall, Marion Stokes etc.

How you hope evokes a deeper connection between readers and the Black material culture you curate?

JH: For us, the essence of this work is to discuss value and the values ​​of people. We implore readers to reconsider the kinds of values ​​we place on things and transcend just monetary value. At the start of the book, Spike Lee perfectly demonstrates the ability of material culture in personal and creative development and declares to the reader that “…what you have is valuable.” We hope that individuals who read this book will gain a brand new understanding of appreciating historic objects, history, and macro values ​​in other facets of their lives. By working on this book, we encourage others to seek out value in their very own and family stories.

The book accommodates over 300 photos. What piece or item out of your collection stands out to you and why?

JH: This is such a difficult query. We’ve been exposed to 1000’s of Black ephemera over time, and those that never get old for me are the magazines. We offer magazines from the primary issue from the Fifties to the last issue in 2014. What I like most about these magazines is the large amount of information and hot gossip between the pages. From the historical to the raunchy to the mundane, Johnson Publishing’s reporting and storytelling provide invaluable snapshots of Black life throughout the many years. When our brick-and-mortar location was open, people spent hours flipping through issues, praising the stories they found. Imagine your favorite social media app’s timeline in a black and white, pocket-sized form – that is it!

The book focuses the eye of black archivists and collectors. Can you share your experiences of working with those individuals who have had an enduring impact on you?

KS: There were many amazing moments on this book that we shared with collectors and archivists, some of which weren’t published in the ultimate version. Each conversation was unique and exceeded our allotted time, but people were incredibly generous in sharing their time, knowledge and stories. What has stuck with me since these conversations is the way in which grief, loss, and memory hook up with their work with archives, collecting, and material culture. So many individuals shared stories, either about themselves or by finding objects that focused on sadness, which was really encouraging for each of us. While working on this book, I struggled with my mother’s dementia diagnosis; in any case, she was the rationale I turned to this work as a teen, and while I’m extremely grateful that she remains to be with us physically, I actually have mourned her for a very long time. Several of the people we spoke to were grieving a private loss of their immediate family, and there have been often personal items that contained memories and direct connections to those people. We felt deeply honored to have the opportunity to share our memories with them and trust them. Personally, I reflect on this work’s connection to sadness daily, so the confirmation of these interviews left an indelible mark on me. I’m a proud steward of stories beyond my very own.

How can this book function a bridge between the past and the long run in telling Black stories through objects?

JH: Consciously documenting our contemporary history and our work in history, with this book we now have preserved our history for future generations. We hope to create bridges with every person who engages with our work; a bridge back to their personal lineage, a bridge to a conscious future, and a bridge to the people around them. We created this book with the express purpose of finding ourselves in the long run. We hope this book will fill the gaps that all the time exist in our historical documentation, the antiquities industry, and the restoration of historical preservation.

What role does fashion and design play in how you choose and present vintage items at BLK MKT Vintage, each in your store and within the book?

KS: Fashion and design are really useful tools in my curatorial process for BLK MKT Vintage because they’ve given me access to a wealthy archive of inspiration from which I can draw and draw. I used to work in the style department with the style editors at Women’s Wear Daily and saw a whole lot, if not 1000’s, of samples there. I understood their work as being on the intersection of the materiality of clothing and the chances of marketing/storytelling. They didn’t design; combed through clothes to discover trends and find/create/tell stories – each written and visual – to assist readers and customers imagine the chances with clothing/clothing. I see our work in designing and curating spaces for BLK MKT Vintage in the same vein – using objects to embellish an area to inform a broader story in regards to the person inhabiting it. Both fashion and design have helped me sharpen my eye and sartorial sensitivity – I actually have unapologetically defined who I’m as a curator/collector, what matches and how I can best serve a given project/task.

How do you envision readers using BLK MKT Vintage as a tool to start their very own journey toward collecting works that reflect their identity and heritage?

KS: This is definitely the purpose of this work. We hope that this book will encourage people to see themselves as part of an ecosystem, an engine that ensures Black historical memory. We are all needed – at the non-public, family, community and institutional levels. I hope this book serves as proof that collecting/selling/trading black ephemera is a viable, profitable and respectable business/profession path, and that it expands people’s imagination of what is feasible when the main focus is black people and our culture production. We also want people to begin at home and intentionally create lives and spaces for themselves with sankofi in mind. “Go back and get it” is tremendous. We hope that once you come back you’ll take into consideration BLK MKT Vintage.