' Yaa Gyasi 's debut novel, Homegoing , won a PEN/Hemingway Award. Her follow-up, Transcendent Kingdom , draws on Gyasi's life as the daughter of immigrants from Ghana.'
'Many of Jacqueline Woodson 's books tackle serious issues in a way that's accessible for kids: Race, drugs, foster care, classism, intolerance. Her latest book does that, too. It's called Before the Ever After and it's written in the voice of a 12-year-old boy whose father is a professional football player, a big star both on TV and to the neighborhood kids. But his father is also suffering from
' Virtues & Vocations is a national forum housed at the Kenan Institute for Ethics for scholars and practitioners across disciplines to consider how best to cultivate character in pre-professional and professional education. In this talk from the summer webinar series “Reimagining Education: Conversations on Character, Community, and Crisis,” Kenan Institute Director and Professor of Sociology Su
'In 1920, the king of Broadway, playwright Eugene O’Neill cast Charles Gilpin as the lead in his new play, The Emperor Jones. At a time when roles of color were played by White men in blackface, Gilpin became the first Black actor to play a lead role. The play made stars of both Gilpin and O’Neill, but when Gilpin took issue with O’Neill’s liberal use of the word "nigger" in the script, altering
'In the pilot episode of cartoonist Keith Knight ’s new Hulu show Woke , the main character Keef is putting up posters in a park when police officers show up, draw guns and slam him to the ground. The cops think he is a suspect in a string of muggings because he "fit the description": a six-foot-tall Black male. The nerdy character, played by Lamorne Morris, is understandably shaken after the inc
Brittney Cooper joins Koritha Mitchell for a conversation about Mitchell’s new book From Slave Cabins to the White House: Homemade Citizenship in African American Culture ( University of Illinois Press).
'Host Marc Lamont Hill goes on a journey with historian, legal scholar and professor of history at Johns Hopkins University, Martha S. Jones, who discusses her new book, Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All . The two explore the importance of her book being released in the current times, her writing process, and why she would choose fact or fict
'A new generation of Black artists and curators are making their mark on the art world while advocating for change within its institutions. The new book, Young Gifted and Black: A New Generation of Artists , includes work from a wide range of contemporary artists and credits the necessary work done to ensure Black art is made, seen, and valued. Curator and editor Antwaun Sargent joins All Of It t
' Here & Now host Tonya Mosley speaks with Oscar-nominated actor Laurence Fishburne whose new audiobook The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley was recently released.'
'In sports arenas around the world , taking a knee is no longer taboo — it’s trending. But there’s at least one place where protesting is still not allowed. The Olympic medal podium. In this video Op-Ed, the track and field Olympian Gwen Berry confronts Thomas Bach , president of the International Olympic Committee, over what she feels is his organization’s hypocrisy: Olympians are celebrated for
'As protests against police brutality spread across the U.S. this summer, major fashion brands and companies expressed solidarity with Black Lives Matter through social media posts, public statements, and commitments to quote “do better.” But have those gestures translated into real change within the fashion world? The Takeaway spoke to Robin Givhan , Washington Post fashion critic, and Tracy Ree
'The murder of Emmett Till 65 years ago this week became a catalyst for the civil rights movement. Radio Diaries tells a lesser-known story of Clinton Melton , a Black man killed in a nearby town three months later.' -- Code Switch
'The pandemic has upended the living situations and social lives of millions of Americans, forcing us to adapt to an increasingly socially-isolated lifestyle. Sexual habits have likewise had to change, as we grapple with meeting new people in new ways and protecting our quarantine bubbles during a global pandemic. Nevertheless, sex is still happening, and an emerging etiquette around hooking-up i
'A longtime professor of English and comparative literature at UNC-Chapel Hill, Randall Kenan was beloved by students, colleagues, and the North Carolina community. He was world-renowned as a important Black, male, queer voice and as part of the Southern gothic tradition. State of Things host Frank Stasio pays tribute to him with two of his friends and colleagues: Rebecka Rutledge Fisher , associ
| @NewBlackMan | NewBlackMan (in Exile) “I’ve tried to be an artist who, after the party is over...after whatever frustrations people are having, whatever problems they are experiencing, they can put my music on, and maybe see the light of day.” -- D.J. Rogers I picked up a tattered copy of D.
