Book cover titled 'We Now Belong to Ourselves' by Arianne Edmonds, featuring a black and white portrait of J.L. Edmonds in an oval frame, with a beige background and black and burgundy text.

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Bold black text reading 'REPLICA' with the middle letter 'I' replaced by a black square.

"A necessary offering, this book pulsates with inspiration and instruction for our time."

Tre'vell Anderson
"Edmonds has written an evocative guide in archival methods that should be read by anyone searching for their place in histories that have been erased, ignored, and overlooked."

Meredith D. Clark
"We Now Belong to Ourselves is a deeply personal, beautifully written homage to the Black press, the vanguards for Black liberation.."

Charlton D. McIlwain
"We Now Belong to Ourselves makes an important point that the stories that each Black American family has gathered need 'a home and an advocate.' Of historical interest, and an encouragement for further archival and oral historical work throughout Black America."

DeKirkus Reviews

We Now Belong to Ourselves by Arianne Edmonds explores how the Black press shaped Black citizenship after Reconstruction through poetry, personal stories, and family archives.

At the center is Jefferson Lewis Edmonds—Arianne’s great-great-grandfather—a former slave turned journalist and founder of The Liberator, a Los Angeles-based Black newspaper. His paper championed civil rights, women’s rights, education, land ownership, and everyday Black life, from political commentary to wedding announcements.

Through his work and others like him, the Black press offered a blueprint for liberation, resilience, and joy—narratives often excluded from mainstream history.

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Available for Purchase at

"A necessary offering, this book pulsates with inspiration and instruction for our time."

"Edmonds has written an evocative guide in archival methods that should be read by anyone searching for their place in histories that have been erased, ignored, and overlooked."

"We Now Belong to Ourselves is a deeply personal, beautifully written homage to the Black press, the vanguards for Black liberation.."

"We Now Belong to Ourselves makes an important point that the stories that each Black American family has gathered need 'a home and an advocate.' Of historical interest, and an encouragement for further archival and oral historical work throughout Black America."

We Now Belong to Ourselves by Arianne Edmonds explores how the Black press shaped Black citizenship after Reconstruction through poetry, personal stories, and family archives.

Purchase Book Now