Girl, gurl, grrrl. Three words that represent, according to Kenya Hunt, the “unique love language between Black women, regardless of age.” These terms of endearment acknowledge the shared experiences of Black women, and Hunt’s first essay collection does the same, zig-zagging between merry dispatches from the U.K. premiere of Black Panther to the frustrating realities of renting an Airbnb while Black to the surprising religious alienation of Aretha Franklin’s funeral.
The book’s epilogue leaves the American journalist living in London questioning the online eulogies of George Floyd while also feeling unsure how to answer her young son’s question about whether that will happen to him should they ever move back to the United States. For all of the heartbreak, however, Hunt is more interested in the joys of being Black, centering Black women in each of her essays and making space for more—such as Queenie author Candice Carty-Williams—to share their stories, too. Girl Gurl Grrrl is unapologetically Black, because Hunt wants Black women to know they have nothing to apologize for. –Shannon Carlin
Girl Gurl Grrrl: On Womanhood and Belonging in the Age of Black Girl Magic
By Kenya Hunt
Girl Gurl Grrl will be published December 8th, 2020. This article originally appeared in the Winter 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!
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