Radio host and author Charlamagne Tha God has a new business venture and is once again pushing Black talent to the forefront.
This week, Variety announced activist Tamika Mallory — a Time 100 honoree and co-founder of 2017’s Women’s March — plans to make her literary debut under Charlamagne Tha God’s Black Privilege Publishing — a new imprint from Atria Books at Simon & Schuster.
Mallory’s book, “State of Emergency” — described as “a searing indictment of America’s historical, deadly, and continuing assault on Black lives” — will be the first literary work to be published from Charlamagne’s Black-led imprint.
The news of Charlamagne’s publishing imprint comes after he announced himself as founder of the Black Effect Podcast Network — a joint venture with iHeart Media — as well as his forthcoming late-night show on Comedy Central.
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According to Variety, the new imprint will “focus on opening new doors in the publishing marketplace by amplifying Black and brown narratives and rethinking traditional approaches to the industry.”
“This country can’t undo the gross atrocities and inner and outer scars committed against the Black, brown, indigenous, and immigrant lives that were sacrificed for the benefit of its creation, development, and rise,” Mallory said in a statement.
Charlamagne — a South Carolina native — notes that teaching slaves to read and write in his home state was once prohibited. Now he’s doing his part to pay it forward.
“Now, thanks to Black Privilege Publishing, we don’t just read and write — we read, we write, and we publish our own narratives,” he told Variety. “Black Privilege Publishing is a home for the descendants of slaves impacted by Anti-Literacy Laws to forge stories that our ancestors could only dream of reading.”
Mallory will be the first Black woman under a newly-launched Black-led company, and Charlamagne believes she was best person to help kick-off his latest project.
“Tamika is one of those people who’s always on the frontlines fighting for us—not for self-serving reasons, but because she cares about Black People,” he said to Variety. “‘State of Emergency’ is going to immortalize her words and give Black people a study guide that will help us navigate our way to true freedom.”
Black Privilege Publishing will reportedly operate under Atria Books, run by Editor Nicholas Ciani and Senior Vice President and Publisher Libby McGuire.
“There is no one better positioned to discover, cultivate, and elevate the next generation of art and leadership in Black and brown America than Charlamagne Tha God,” Ciani said in a statement. “I am thrilled to take this journey alongside him.”
“Atria Books has had a longstanding commitment to publishing that reflects a wide range of cultures, experiences, and origins,” McGuire shared with Variety. “Black Privilege Publishing is a big, bold step in continuing and expanding that tradition. I could not be more excited to partner with Charlamagne as he builds this new imprint and help in its development.”
Mallory’s book is available for pre-order and is set to release May 11, 2021.
