“This book shattered so much of what I was taught about the history of Blackness as an identity, and it opened my eyes to the breadth and depth of the lived Black experience. It moved me in a serious way…”

— Brene Brown

One Drop: Shifting The Lens On Race

One Drop explores the extent to which historical definitions of race continue to shape contemporary racial identities and lived experiences of racial difference. Featuring the perspectives of 60 contributors representing 25 countries and combining candid narratives with striking portraiture, this book provides living testimony to the diversity of Blackness. Although contributors use varying terms to self-identify, they all see themselves as part of the larger racial, cultural, and social group generally referred to as Black. They have all had their identity called into question simply because they do not fit neatly into the stereotypical “Black box”—dark skin, “kinky” hair, broad nose, full lips, etc. Most have been asked “What are you?” or the more politically correct “Where are you from?” throughout their lives. It is through contributors’ lived experiences with and lived imaginings of Black identity that we can visualize multiple possibilities for Blackness.

Order Now

what they’re saying

… a gorgeous and evocative book.

“Through personal narrative, photographic portraits, and an astute historical backdrop, the reader is brought on a journey exploring both the borders and the depth of the complicated racial category ‘Black.’ Tears, laughter, and life-transforming ideas blossom on page after page.”
— Imani Perry, Author of Breathe: A Letter to My Sons
One Drop visually stuns while showing us the many different and often surprising faces of Blackness that make up the Americas."

“Yaba Blay is a scholar and cultural worker whose unapologetic love and centering of Black women and girls has made her one of today’s most formidable voices. In a world that shreds Black women’s self-esteem in big and small ways every day, we depend on Blay’s writing, Instagram tutorials, and undaunted compassion to put us back together again.”
— Brittney Cooper, author of the New York Times bestseller Eloquent Rage
In this contemporary sociopolitical climate...

“In this contemporary sociopolitical climate, where we are confronted by questions of racial identity almost daily, One Drop presents a nuanced exploration that serves as a practical guide for thinking critically about what it means to be Black in this moment.”
— Tarana J. Burke, author, activist, and founder of the Me Too movement
This book shattered so much of what I was taught about the history of Blackness as an identity...

“This book shattered so much of what I was taught about the history of Blackness as an identity, and it opened my eyes to the breadth and depth of the lived Black experience. It moved me in a serious way…”
— Brene Brown