Still Telling Our Stories: Obsidian Magazine Returns with Volume 2
- Angela Ford
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Reclaiming the Black Narrative — One Photograph at a Time
We are thrilled to announce that Volume 2 of The Obsidian Magazine is now available. This issue is dedicated to The Photographers: the men and women who stepped forward as first responders to Black history, who carried their cameras into the streets, the newsrooms, the salons, and the studios, and who refused to let our stories disappear.
Why This Issue Matters Right Now
We are not going to pretend that this magazine exists in a vacuum. In the Publisher’s Letter, Angela Ford says it plainly: we are living through a deliberate campaign to erase African American history from the public square. Museums and universities are being pressured to shrink our narratives. The message being sent is that our stories are optional.
We reject that. Completely and without apology.
Obsidian Magazine was built for exactly this moment. Our independence is our greatest asset. We answer to no university board, no government institution, no political calculation. That freedom means we can safeguard Black stories without compromise, without permission, and without retreat.
Stories That Are Evergreen
Volume 2 brings together an extraordinary group of image makers whose work spans decades and continents. From pioneering Black photojournalists who broke barriers in Chicago newsrooms, to a fashion photographer who spent twenty years documenting Black excellence in Paris, to a Caribbean born documentarian who captured the soul of Black life in London, these are stories that do not expire. They belong in a home, on a bookshelf, and passed from one generation to the next.
Continuing Our Global Outreach
Since establishing our presence in London in 2022, Obsidian has been committed to covering the full Black diaspora wherever our stories unfold. Volume 2 continues that mission, documenting Black life across America, Europe, and beyond. This is not just preservation. This is expansion.
Print Is Preservation
Angela Ford says it best: “History must not only be seen and heard... but held.” That is what a print magazine is. Something you slow down for. Something that does not disappear when a platform changes or a server goes offline. When you order your copy, you are investing in the permanence of our narrative.
We will not be erased. We will not be silenced. We will preserve, we will expand, and we will continue to thrive.
— Angela Ford, Publisher, Obsidian Magazine
These stories deserve a place in your home. Every issue of Obsidian Magazine is a collector’s item, a physical archive of Black culture and excellence designed to be held, studied, and passed down.
It’s inspiring to see Obsidian Magazine return with Volume 2, continuing its powerful legacy of amplifying diverse voices and authentic storytelling. The emphasis on culture, identity, and creative expression feels both timely and necessary. As a provider of custom illustration services, I admire how such publications visually and narratively preserve stories that truly deserve to be seen, shared, and celebrated.