WHO IS SHANITA HUBBARD?

Shanita Hubbard is an acclaimed writer, a journalism instructor at the University of Toronto, chair of the Freelance Taskforce for the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Soros Fellow, and author of the book “RIDE OR DIE: A Feminist Manifesto for the Well-Being of Black Women.”

In 2020 she was awarded a prestigious LA Maison Baldwin Writer’s Residency Fellowship. The fellowship is awarded to Black emerging writers who “are working in the spirit of James Baldwin.” This is a fitting honor considering Hubbard uses her work to provoke meaningful change for historically marginalized communities.

NOW IN BOOKSTORES

Ride or Die: A Feminist Manifesto for the Well-Being of Black Women

In this book, author, adjunct professor of sociology, and former therapist Shanita Hubbard disrupts the ride-or-die complex and argues that this way of life has left Black women exhausted, overworked, overlooked, and feeling depleted. She suggests that Black women are susceptible to this mentality because it’s normalized in our culture. It rings loud in your favorite hip-hop songs, and it even shows up in the most important relationship you will ever have—the one with yourself.

Book Reviews

Powerful Must-Read
“A powerful must-read book for Black women. This engaging, thoughtful book uses hip hop as a backdrop to honor our strength and healing as a collective.”
Gabrielle Union
Candid and Provocative
“Candid and provocative, Hubbard’s examination of the unspoken truths about Black women’s lives is well rendered and liberating. An important book about significant issues that often go unexplored.”
Kirkus Reviews
Poignant Venerability
"With clear-eyed analysis, poignant venerability and notable grace, Shanita Hubbard continues the decades-old work of moving the important narratives of women and genderqueer people of the hip hop generation from the margins of the center."
Dr. Joan Morgan, "When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost"
An Impassioned Testimony
"Shanita masterfully navigates the complexities of Black womanhood through hip-hop’s problematic lens—as only a thought leader of her caliber can. As such, Ride or Die is much more than ‘a feminist manifesto,’ it's an impassioned testimony that implores each of us to reassess our participation in—and contributions to—the continuous destruction of Black women.”
Jay Connor, Senior Editor, The Root
A Warm Insightful Examination
“A warm insightful examination of the music and the culture that raises Black women to be leaders and then insists that they step out of the spotlight, Ride or Die is exactly what we need right now. If we're going to listen to Black women it can't just be for clues to what will serve the needs of others, it has to be to understand and support Black women. To be ready and able to show up and show out for all Black women the way we expect them to show up for their communities. Hubbard weaves together memoir, music, and motivation to be better to each other and to ourselves.”
Mikki Kendall, "Hood Feminism"
Unapologetic Strength
“This beautiful brilliant Black woman bares her soul, revealing the struggle far too many of us experience. Shanita takes us into deeply intimate moments of her own life to deconstruct why being a ‘ride or die’ is problematic in ways rarely discussed. With unapologetic strength, she challenges us to see the piercing hole this generational badge of ‘honor’ leaves open and reveals why it's time to remove it and heal.”
Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall Show
Honest and Poignant
"In a world that continues to do everything in its power to silence the voice of the Black woman, Shanita's book is the light the world so desperately needs. Ride or Die is honest and poignant about the lives of Black women. Shanita uses the beautifully complex world of hip-hop she was raised in and grew to love as fascinating entry points. But she ultimately holds that same world accountable for its shortcomings of its portrayal of Black women. It's the culture holding the culture responsible."
Justin Tinsley, "It Was All A Dream"