Our podcast, formerly known as the AAS21 Podcast, acts as a conversation around the field of African American Studies and the Black experience in the 21st century. We focus on the political, economic, and cultural forces that shape our understanding of race within America. We invite you to listen as we explore outcomes, question and contextualize the dominant discourse, and consider evidence instead of myths.
Podcast Episodes
Housing justice isn’t just about where we live—it’s about power, equity, and the future of our communities. In this episode, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Hughes-Rogers Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, and Majora Carter, real estate developer, urban revitalization strategist, and MacArthur Fellow, examine the systemic racism baked into housing policies and the economic forces that shape our neighborhoods.
Host Justice Wilhoit engages in a critical conversation with Professors Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. and Marcus Lee about the current political landscape, particularly focusing on the implications of the 2020 election…
How do we look at, and respond to, work by Black contemporary artists? In this episode, we sat down with Tina Campt, Visiting Professor in Art & Archaeology and the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton.
In this episode, we sit down with the legendary historian and artist Nell Painter to discuss her career and its connections to Black Studies. From reckoning with historical figures as individuals to her life and work at Princeton, to her own works-in-progress, this podcast has something for everyone. Our hosts dive deep into Painter’s legacy and the lessons she has for our present moment.
On this podcast, we have addressed different dimensions of scientific racism from COVID-19 disparity data to the uses of human remains in anthropology.
Two events in 1921—more than a thousand miles apart—had a profound impact on African American history: the production of the all-Black musical Shuffle Along and the Tulsa race massacre. A century on, an online workshop held at Princeton, Reactivating Memory, sought to explore the relationship between these seemingly disparate events and consider their legacy in Black life today. Our host Mélena Laudig sat down with Michael J. Love, A.J. Muhammad, and Dr. Catherine M. Young, all contributors to the team that organized this fascinating workshop. Tune in to learn more about how they balance performance, scholarship, and activism, and to dig into the history of Shuffle Along and the legacy of Black theatrical practice.
Over the past decade, historians have probed the relationship between higher education and slavery through innovative public-facing projects that raise important questions. What role have academic institutions played in perpetuating racial inequality? How are scholars and students today working to hold universities accountable for past and present injustices? What role should public engagement play in shaping the future of scholarship and the mission of the university? As campuses buzz back to life, our hosts Ebun Ajayi and Mélena Laudig discuss the legacy of universities and slavery with up-and-coming scholars in Black Studies: R. Isabela Morales, Charlesa Redmond, and Ezelle Sanford, III.
When we talk about Juneteenth, sometimes called America's second Independence Day, what exactly are we talking about? How has the end of slavery been celebrated across time in Black communities? What political obligations does its commemoration bring to the fore? Join our hosts, Ebun Ajayi and Mélena Laudig, as they talk with Professor Joshua B. Guild about the past, present, and future of Juneteenth.
Our Team
