2020 was a year of racial reckoning in America unlike anything we'd seen since the 1960s. So in honor of this year's Black History Month, we're highlighting programs that question our assumptions about Black history, politics, and culture.
In 2017, Ken and Debra spoke to Chris Lebron from Johns Hopkins University about his then-new book, The Making of Black Lives Matter: A Brief History of an Idea. A few years earlier, John and Ken asked Tommie Shelby from Harvard University about Black Solidarity. In between, they also spoke to Namoi Zack from the University of Oregon (now at City University of New York) about White Privilege and Racial Injustice.
We've also included episodes about some foundational Black thinkers. We dug deep into the archives to select John and Ken's 2006 conversation with Lucius Outlaw from Vanderbilt University about the life and thought of W.E.B. Dubois (born February 23, 1868). More recently, Debra and Ken spoke to Christopher Freeburg from the University of Illinois about James Baldwin and Social Justice. And for a more international view, Josh and Ken asked Nigel Gibson from Emerson College about the life and thought of Frantz Fanon.
We hope these episodes make you think! And please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
Black History
| Episode Title | Guest | Related Content | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Race Matters | Christopher Lebron, Professor of Philosophy, Johns Hopkins University | Why Race Matters | |
 | Black Solidarity | Tommie Shelby, Professor of African and African American Studies and of Philosophy, Harvard University | Black Solidarity | |
 | White Privilege and Racial Injustice | Naomi Zack, Professor of Philosophy, Lehman College, City University of New York | Is White Privilege a Distraction? | |
 | James Baldwin and Social Justice | Christopher Freeburg, Conrad Humanities Scholar and Professor of English, University of Illinois | Baldwin and Racial Justice | |
 | Frantz Fanon and the Violence of Colonialism | Nigel Gibson, Professor in the Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies, Emerson College | Fanon, Violence, and the Struggle Against Colonialism |
Comments (1)
Harold G. Neuman
Friday, February 26, 2021 -- 6:20 AM
Black History MonthI have not said much about this topic before. I won't say much now. Everyone; every race, creed, color; national origin, and so on earns some place or other,
some mention in history..But, think about this: If what I acknowledge is right, there ought to be a month dedicated to all those diverse peoples. On another hand, however, how in the world would we ever keep track of all those tributes? Moreover, what if all of them compelled equal airtime; mandated the status of, say, national holiday? You see where this goes, right? I can count on one hand the number of friendships I have had with Black people. I don't know if any Blacks I have known counted me an enemy. Realistically, it does not worry me---one way or the other.