Book Orders

Africana Tea: A Global History of Tea and Black Women's Health 

• Balboa Press, Softcover or Hardcover ORDER HERE
• Amazon Kindle ORDER HERE

ABOUT THE BOOK: Africana Tea is a creative representation of Dr. Evans's research on tea traditions and Black women's historical wellness. Inspired by W. E. B. Du Bois's data visualization of his sociological studies about Black people in Georgia and around the globe, Evans sought to create portraits and artistic narratives about her work. This book offers visual highlights of the 320 memoirs that guide Evans in her research on tea and Black women's health history. 

ABOUT THE COLLABORATION: A historian, an artist, and a sociologist walk into a tea shop … and joy ensues! We come from very different academic backgrounds, but, as a small research collective, we have enjoyed getting to know more about tea and mental health. Together, we have exchanged insights from our areas of expertise, asked critical questions, and listened to each other as we learn and grow. Africana Tea is an invitation to practice collective self-care and engage in conversations about Black women’s wellness. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans is a Professor of Black Women’s Studies at Georgia State University. She earned a PhD in Afro-American Studies and a graduate certificate in Advanced Feminist Studies from University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a BA in Comparative Humanities from California State University, Long Beach. She is author of four books, including Black Women in the Ivory Tower, 1850-1954: An Intellectual History (UF Press, 2007) and Black Women’s Yoga History: Memoirs of Inner Peace (SUNY Press, 2021). She is also co-editor of five books, including Black Women's Mental Health: Balancing Strength and Vulnerability (SUNY Press, 2017) and Black Women and Public Health: Strategies to Name, Locate, and Change Systems of Power (SUNY Press, 2022). 

          For more info, visit https://professorevans.net/

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:   

Dania Wright is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose work spans painting, graphic design, mixed media, animation, and storytelling. Her creative practice meets at the intersection of storytelling and social impact, with a deep desire to elevate underrepresented perspectives. She has exhibited in solo and group shows in California, Florida, Georgia, and South Africa. Dania has worked with clients and partners like Clorox, Southern Poverty Law Center, Stanford University, YES! Magazine, as well as authors and literary publishers. She is a former K–12 visual art teacher and adjunct professor of animation and film production at Florida State College, Jacksonville. She graduated with a BA in Animation with a Studio Arts minor from Loyola Marymount University and an MPA from University of San Francisco. 

          For more info, visit https://www.fluffyjo.com/

ABOUT THE TEA SPECIALIST: Dr. Nishaun T. Battle is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Virginia State University. Dr. Battle received her doctorate from Howard University in Sociology, with a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies. She is the author of Black Girlhood, Punishment, and Resistance: Reimagining Justice for Black Girls in Virginia and was the Principal Investigator of a three-year STOP School Violence grant, funded by the US Department of Justice, from 2019–2022. She has written extensively on Black girlhood, with her most recent article, published in 2021, entitled “Black Girls and the Beauty Salon: Fostering a Safe Space for Collective Self-Care” in the journal Gender & Society. Dr. Battle is also owner of Lady Rose Specialty Teas, a tea service of herbal blends for health and wellness. 

          For more info, visit https://drnishaunbattle.com/

ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL: Dr. Nadia Richardson is Founder and CEO of the Black Women’s Mental Health Institute (BWMHI), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to building awareness of and support for the mental and holistic wellbeing of Black women and girls. Dr. Richardson received her Bachelor’s in Communications Management and International Affairs from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, her Master’s and Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama, and an executive certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University. Through the Black Women’s Mental Health Institute, Dr. Richardson hosts the annual Mental Health Equity and Liberation Summit, offers hundreds of hours of free counseling each month, administers an internship program aimed at increasing the number of licensed mental health professionals, and supports community outreach through signature programs such as the No More Martyrs Sisterhood Support Collective, Sister Speak Suicide Awareness and Prevention Initiative, and the Voting Matters to our Mental Health programs. 

          For more info, visit https://www.bwmhi.org/

ABOUT THE PRESS: As a creative project, Africana Tea is a self-published book. Dr. Evans selected Balboa as a home for Africana Tea because it also published Health First! The Black Women's Wellness Guide (Hay House, 2012).