Beard by Syd. Artwork: Free Lunch Records and Warner Records, via Apple Music.
A good list starts with work that holds up. These three starting points come from Black queer women and from a Black lesbian organization: a feature film that changed American cinema, a 2026 album from one of the central voices in R&B, and a long-running interview podcast built for Black lesbians in the second half of life. Each entry links straight to the work.
The Watermelon Woman (1996), film. Cheryl Dunye wrote, directed, and stars in her debut feature. She plays Cheryl, a video store clerk and aspiring filmmaker who sets out to identify a Black actress from the 1930s who was credited only as the Watermelon Woman, while her own new relationship with Diana, played by Guinevere Turner, unfolds next to the search. The Criterion Collection calls the film a representation of Black lesbian identity by a Black lesbian filmmaker, and its Criterion page carries the film and its edition details. The film runs 84 minutes. Criterion’s director-approved Blu-ray, released July 11, 2023, holds a 2K restoration supervised by Dunye and adds six of her early short films.
Beard (2026), album by Syd. Warner Records announced Beard as Syd’s third solo album, and it was released July 17, 2026, on Free Lunch and Warner Records. Apple Music lists 12 songs and a running time of 41 minutes. Syd co-produced the album. Blu June sings on the lead single, "Callin," and the guests include Big Sean, James Fauntleroy, and Jordan Ward. Syd took the title from the peach fuzz on her upper lip, which she says she was taught to hate and learned to love; she calls the album a snapshot of her life right now. She was the only openly gay member of Odd Future in the group’s early years, and her songs have centered women from her first records with The Internet through this one.
The ZAMI NOBLA Podcast. ZAMI NOBLA, the National Organization of Black Lesbians on Aging, publishes this interview show, which describes itself as a sound source for Black Lesbians 40 and older. Angela Denise Davis created the show and works as its producer and host. Episodes cover current events, LGBT affairs, Black lesbian herstory, and health and wellness, and most run as long conversations with elders, scholars, and organizers. Apple Podcasts lists 70 episodes. The most recent entry in the listing, a conversation with writer and organizer Charlene A. Carruthers, was posted June 18, 2026.
Pick any one of the three. The film takes an evening, the album takes 41 minutes, and the podcast can start with whichever guest’s name you recognize first.
By Carolyn Satchell
October 14, 2026
