Catherine Joy White’s new book chronicles the beauty of Black womanhood (Picture: Getty/PA/REX/ Thomas Elliot Wood)
A writer has vowed to ‘uncover the stories that history has overlooked’ by shining a light on trailblazing Black women.
In UK schools, children learn about the achievements of famed inventors such as Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell.
But women, specifically Black women, are often omitted from the pages of history books.
Writer Catherine Joy White is now determined to ‘reclaim’ their determined acts of resistance and bring their stories to a new generation.
Her new book, the Thread of Gold, highlights women from across history.
Catherine told Metro.co.uk: ‘With the exception of the likes of Rosa Parks, we didn’t hear enough of the other Black women.
‘Add to that the fact that I have just never read anything that chronicles the beauty of Black womanhood – and trusts itself that this is enough.
‘Traditional narratives focus on oppression, but This Thread of Gold is an exploration of joy – and a call to arms.
The late Audre Lorde – an American writer, feminist, professor, philosopher and civil rights activist (Picture: Wikicommons)
Baroness Doreen Lawrence on stage at the Unity concert in memory of her son Stephen Lawrence (Picture: Samir Hussein/Redferns via Getty Images)
‘For centuries, Black women have been writing, building, making, weaving – out of their own hands – a tapestry of beauty, of majesty.
‘We can see the ebullient shine of its thread in unexpected places.
‘Finding strength in songs, in recipes, in hairdressers, in nature and on the sports field, Black women have defied the odds to rise up. In writing this book I wanted to take up their thread and make my own addition to the tapestry.’
The Thread of Gold features women from throughout history – from writer and famed feminist Audre Lorde born in 1934 to singer and activist Zendaya born in 1996.
It highlights the ever-present efforts of Black people in demanding change while taking inspiration from those who came before.
‘It used to make me feel sad’ Catherine said, when asked about the fact women are still forced to fight for basic equal rights.
Catherine Joy White was inspired by her own experience through school (Picture: Thomas Elliot Wood)
She continued: ‘And it still does when I see consider some of the heavy statistics – for example such as the fact that Black women are still three times more likely to die in childbirth in the US and UK than white women – but also I see a drawing together and a feeling of rallying to bring about lasting change.
‘My hope – and I do believe we will see this – is that even if we don’t reach true equality in our lifetime, we reach a majority of people who are willing to fight for it.’
In the coming years, Catherine is hopeful the biggest obstacles facing Black women can be overcome.
Many are still ‘working twice as hard to be taken half as seriously’ in society.
She continued: ‘Something I come back to over and over in the book is how we must give ourselves a break.
‘We don’t have to stretch ourselves until we snap – and I think that pressure that the world puts on us – but also that we put on ourselves – is one of the first things we should work to dismantle.
Thousands of Black Lives Matter protesters in central London in 2022 following the death of Chris Kaba (Picture: Thomas Krych/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock)
‘Also, the world needs to stop seeing us as strong before they see us as human. Once we are seen in the full glorious extent of our humanity then we will have a very different conversation.’
The Thread of Gold took a year to write, and was set against the backdrop of topical events for women such as when Roe v Wade was overturned in America.
That recent history also provided inspiration.
Catherine continued: ‘I found myself penning a furious letter to my imaginary future daughter – which ended up being the final (and possibly my favourite) chapter in the book – detailing the life I imagine for her – and for all women.
‘I have some very exciting news about it which I will soon be able to talk about.’
The Thread of Gold will be unveiled at a book launch in London on Wednesday, and is available to pre-order online.
The book is published in the UK by Dialogue Books and will be published in the US by Penguin Random House’s Tiny Reparations Books in 2024.
If you’re in Scotland, you can pop into the Portobello bookshop to find a copy.
‘As for what I hope people will take from reading,’ Catherine began.
‘I think one of the biggest – and most unexpected things – I took from writing the book was the sense of healing I found within myself; it was a healing I didn’t even know I needed.
‘So I guess I hope it encourages every single person who reads it to know that they are weaving a golden tapestry of their own.
‘I feel proud to be giving space to an unashamed celebration and I hope that in doing so This Thread of Gold will permanently correct a historical record, change the dominant narrative and inspire a generation of readers.
‘I guess at its heart, This Thread of Gold is a book about connections: what anchors us to our past and what we carry with us into our future. I hope every single guest will leave feeling connected to the brighter future that we can all be a part of.’
Catherine, outside her writing, has worked as a gender expert for the United Nations, as an actor, writer and filmmaker.
Named last year on the Forbes 30 under 30, she also wrote and created the film Fifty-Four Days.
The Thread of Gold will launch on Wednesday with live music, a reading from the book, Caribbean caterers Trapfruits with food and drinks from Severan Wine.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
‘With the exception of the likes of Rosa Parks, we didn’t hear enough of the other Black women.’