Your Black Friend Has Something to Say: A Memoir in Essays

by Melva Graham

Overview

Your Black Friend Has Something To Say is a powerful debut and an intimate examination of race and identity. For thirty years Melva Graham has lived and worked in neighborhoods that are predominantly white and wealthy. Just to be clear, she is neither. The only thing that makes her more uncomfortable than talking about herself is talking about race—and she has decided to do both. In this bold and brutally honest memoir Melva answers back to the bias and bigotry she has experienced from childhood to adulthood, as she attends private school in a Pittsburgh suburb, studies acting at NYU, works as a nanny for the one percent, and balances a social life in between. This narrative depicts one woman’s journey to own her truth, find her voice, and take back her power.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646030187
Publisher:	Regal House Publishing
Publication date:	03/03/2020
Pages:	225
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Melva Graham grew up in Sewickley, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Drama. She lives in Los Angeles and is the proud aunt of a niece and two nephews. Your Black Friend Has Something To Say is her first book.

Table of Contents

Author's Note 1

Introduction 3

Reading Rainbow 9

The Bubble 15

For the Culture 26

A Seat at the Lunch Table 34

An (African) American Tale 39

Notes From the Director 44

The Summer I Left Sewickley 49

'I' For Ignorant 54

Racist AF 58

Notes From the Director 60

The Misrepresentation of Melva Graham 63

Classmates and Roommates 69

Speechless 75

Notes From the Director 78

The Girl Who Didn't Get the Memo 82

The 'S' Word 87

Welcome to Vermont 107

Summer in Central Park 116

Harry and the Hamptons 122

Timothy and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day 141

Matchmaker 146

Single Black Female 154

Squad Goals 160

'The Help' Revisited 166

No Justice, No Peace 180

The Neighborhood Watch 185

Shit White People Say About Black People 190

The Women's March 200

I'm Going to Pretend You Didn't just Say That 205

Minorities Encouraged to Attend 214

Acknowledgments 219

Editorial Reviews

"In Your Black Friend Has Something to Say, Melva Graham digs deep into the dangers of being labeled a token and the insidious ways racism creeps into everyday interactions. These poignant essays are an insightful and honest exploration of race relations, providing context and history as to how a seemingly innocuous comment can turn into a harmful microaggression. This should be required reading.” — Brandy Colbert, award-winning author, The Revolution of Birdie Randolph

From the Publisher