Looking back on landmarks of US Black history from an era of erasure – in pictures

Amid an aggressive campaign to roll back diversity and inclusion programs, which could bring a more forceful implementation of the banning of African American history in some public schools, a new book seeks to do the opposite.Picturing Black History: Photographs and Stories That Changed the World, released last month, offers American students an alternative way of learning about Black history through images. “Photography allows us to see a representation of what people might already discuss in a classroom, in terms of repression and violence, but also in terms of other elements of Black joy and imagination,” said Damarius Johnson, a co-author of the book and the former managing editor of the Picturing Black History initiative. Along with his co-authors, Nicholas B Breyfogle, Steven Conn and Daniela Edmeier, Johnson sees the book as “really valuable in showing that African Americans have been part of that history since the beginning”.The book features more than 250 photographs, some never before seen, that tell untold stories of the Black experience in America and around the world

Preston’s golden age: mysterious guerrilla art tackles everything from toilets to Shakespeare

I missed the first one.I only caught on after seeing posts about a mysterious golden toilet among the Northcote Plaza Appreciation Society Facebook page’s usual chat about the “good Coles”, the “shit Coles” and Frank the pigeon’s latest exploits.Then a golden fan appeared and my fascination with Northcote’s golden objects began.They first popped up in the middle of St Georges Road in Melbourne’s north at the end of 2022, sitting on a black air valve cover that used to be part of a water main drain.There have now been 15 variations to ponder as you head into the city in the morning peak hour traffic – an ever-changing display of toilets, fans and plungers, always painted gold and combined with written commentary

And the 2024 Braddies go to … Peter Bradshaw’s film picks of the year

Now the Guardian’s Top 50 countdowns, as voted for by the whole film team, have announced their No 1s, here are our chief critic’s personal choices, in no particular order The 50 best films of 2024 in the UK The 50 best movies of 2024 in the US More on the best culture of 2024The time has come once more for me to present my “Braddies”, a strictly personal awards list for films getting a UK release in the calendar year just gone – quite distinct from the Guardian’s collegiate best-of-year critics’ poll.It’s been 12 months in which the big-worry issue refuses to go away, two little letters that until recently, didn’t mean anything much at all and now reduce us to a quiver of anxiety: AI. The conclusion of the writers’ strike was supposed to have provided for the primacy of creative humanity, and for keeping AI in its place as a tool. But studios are keen to find efficient and profitable ways to exploit their intellectual property and Lionsgate has actually signed a deal with artificial intelligence firm Runway to engage with their back catalogue. An uneasy thought

‘Still so relatable’: how teenage discovery of the Brontës fostered career in literature

Lucy Powrie was 15 years old when she first read Anne Brontë’s 1847 novel Agnes Grey and instantly, intensely, fell in love. “There was just this moment of, I suppose, feeling like I’d come home. I’d found something that was just better than anything I had ever found in my life.”Already a wildly enthusiastic reader, she had been blogging about books since the age of 12, and hosting a book review channel on YouTube since she was 13. Discovering Anne Brontë, followed immediately by her older sisters Emily and Charlotte, opened the door to a new world: “They were everything that I didn’t realise was out there

‘All the kids were spewing innuendo’: actors and comedians remember their first nativity plays

Whether it’s a slightly inappropriate comedy spin on the story or a surprise casting as the Angel Gabriel, Nick Mohammed, Pearl Mackie, Omid Djalili and more look back on their infant brushes with stardomLines rehearsed and carols belted out in preparation. Shepherds, angels and kings queueing up, stage left, for their grand entrance. Mums and dads sitting patiently in the audience for the show of the season, hoping their child nails their appearance as sheep #4, or at the very least doesn’t misbehave in front of the whole auditorium.Ah, the nativity, the beloved bible story that offers kids their first shot at performing and gives teachers the chance to flex their scriptwriting muscles. It has the potential to be a logistical nightmare, but might also be the early making of future acting greats

Rob Brydon: ‘Ruth Jones is the closest thing I have to a sister’

The Gavin & Stacey actor on the last ever Christmas special, ​first working with his co-star Ruth Jones​ aged 14, and why he puts family before his careerRob Brydon was born in Baglan, south Wales, in 1965. His father was a car salesman and his mother a teacher. He attended the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama but left aged 20 to work for BBC Radio Wales. Jobs followed on regional TV, shopping channels and advert voiceovers, before his break at 35 with his one-man sitcom, Marion and Geoff, and Human Remains, a series with Julia Davis; both were produced by Steve Coogan’s production company, Baby Cow. Today, he mixes primetime gameshow presenting with acting, and reprises his role as Uncle Bryn on Christmas Day in BBC One’s Gavin & Stacey: The Finale