ALL-SCHOOL AFROFUTURISM WITH NUBIA

Last year we explored Afrofuturism, a literary genre through which authors express notions of Black identity, agency, and freedom through art, creative works, and activism that envision both liberated histories and futures for Black life. 

Actor, author, and producer Omar Epps and his co-author Clarence Haynes joined students at Frederick Douglass Academy III in the Bronx for an All-School Program to discuss Nubia: The Awakening, a YA fantasy novel charting the saga of three refugee teens who must navigate their newfound powers in a climate-ravaged NYC. As the teens learn more about their past and their inherited powers, they find a way to thrive. The school hosted a student-led discussion panel about the book and the writing process with an audience of 300 FDA III students, teachers, and Bronx community leaders. 

Behind the Book was honored to collaborate with Penguin Random House and the students, teachers, and staff of Frederick Douglas III Academy for this special in-school author event. Introducing students to Afrofuturism, BtB empowered our young people to reclaim Black history and inspire Black liberation.

In a culmination of the program, students explored personal Afrofuturist visions by creating their own artwork and narratives, interweaving the worlds of Nubia with their own lives in a creative writing assignment complemented by digital visual art. Participating students were empowered to envision their lives beyond the current day-to-day and unleash their full creative potential.