This Juneteenth event mixed literature with the carefree, artistic, and meditative process of nail polishing. In this workshop, participants read an assigned section from Toni Morrison’s seminal 1987 novel, Beloved. The selected one-page reading passage combined with the self-expressive practice of nail polishing encouraged participants to reflect on body politics. Reflecting on community and the self, participants thought deeply about how body art  —in particular, nail polishing — can also be a radical act of self-care, self expression, and self reclamation.

Josie Wells is an award-winning journalist and founder of Footnotes and Indexes, a New York-based book club that aims to initiate personal growth and foster critical thinking through works by Black writers and Black feminist philosophies.