Free Black Thought Newsletter #3
Recommended reading from the Free Black Thought team.
Here is a helpful collection of recent articles and podcasts from the Journal of Free Black Thought, as well other curated articles from voices we think you may enjoy.
This newsletter has three sections. Click on the link to go to the one you want to read:
1. WHAT WE'VE DONE: updates on our activities and publications;
2. WHAT WE LIKE that others have done, with links;
3. WHAT WE'RE ABOUT TO DO: upcoming activities of FBT team members.
1. What we’ve done:
Podcasts, Interviews, & Essays from The Journal of Free Black Thought
Free Black Thought Podcast
Host Connie Morgan shines a light on black viewpoint diversity through insightful interviews.
Ep. 14 - Being Woke Was Awful For Me (Kiyah Willis)
An interview with former leftist turned capitalist Kiyah Willis
Ep. 12 - You Can Adopt Across Color Lines (Sharen Ford)
An interview with Director for Foster Care and Adoption at Focus on the Family Sharen Ford
Ep. 13 - What You Don't Know About American Lynchings (Bill Carrigan)
Historian Bill Carrigan unpacks the stereotypes and misunderstandings of lynchings with host Connie Morgan.
Robin DiAngelo Thinks Society Will Never Improve
Julian Adorney
Robin DiAngelo is one of the most influential people in American culture. Her term “white fragility” made the shortlist as an Oxford Word of the Year in 2017, and that was before she really blew up.
DEI Colleagues: Your Anti-Semitism is Showing
Tabia Lee, EdD
Time for an ideological reckoning. Toxic ideologues are ruining America’s institutions of higher learning. This is something I know firsthand.
Chief diversity officers are destroying the motivation of students: Dr. Tabia Lee | Fox Business Video
Panelists Dr. Tabia Lee and Jennifer Sey call out wokeness in the classroom and the office on 'The Bottom Line.'
Introduction to Empowered Humanity Theory
Jason Littlefield
A Framework for an Empowering and Dignified Life. An excerpt from Jason Littlefield’s forthcoming book titled Empowered Humanity Theory: A Framework for an Empowering and Dignified Life available November 2023.
2. WHAT WE LIKE that others have done:
Straight Ahead - The Omni-American Podcast
Greg Thomas, Aryeh Tepper
Race, Heresy, Jazz and Hip Hop with Coleman Hughes – Ep 1. Our very first guest is writer, podcaster, and musician Coleman Hughes, winner of the 2022 Omni-American Young Leaders Award. We delve into Coleman’s upbringing and education, and how music and ideas inspire his work and thought.
Perspective | Ibram X. Kendi’s fall is a cautionary tale — so was his rise
Tyler Austin Harper
WAPO Books: White American elites are always ready to turn a Black intellectual into a mouthpiece for their political agenda.
GEOG-BSOS Seminar: Dr. Sheena Michele Mason, "Human Migration & DNA Analysis from The Raceless Antiracist"
Join us for a GEOG-BSOS seminar special edition on Nov. 6 from 10 a.m. to noon at STAMP and on Zoom. Assistant Professor Sheena Michele Mason from SUNY Oneonta will explore the intersection of human migration and DNA research, drawing from her upcoming book, "The Raceless Antiracist: Why Ending Race Is the Future of Antracism."
48 Ways Racial Life Is Better (Compared to 1959)
W.F. Twyman
As I woke up this morning, the disconnect between performance of Blackness and reality grabbed my attention. I do not believe Blackness = Oppression today. It occurred to me a review of life in 1959 might be instructive.
My Problem With The Term "Black Experience"
Ada Akpala
The insistence on attaching racial prefixes to universally applicable concepts is not only illogical but also serves to alienate us as black individuals. It implies that our existence, our experiences, and our humanity are so foreign and unrelatable that those "outside of our group" can simply never comprehend what it means to be black.
On Populism, Labor and Partisan Politics
Musa al-Gharbi
Mainstream politicians on both sides of the aisle are wary of populism, however many American voters remain hungry for it.
3. WHAT WE’RE ABOUT TO DO:
Erec Smith:
October 21st: Giving a Talk titled “Anti-racist Education is Neither Anti-racist nor Educational”
October 23: Participating in a panel discussion on Critical Social Justice in Higher Education for the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.
October 30th: Keynote conversation at the SHRM Inclusion conference
November 2nd: Debate on Systemic Racism in STEMM for M.I.T.’s Free Speech Alliance
November 9th: Speaking with Lee at the National Summit for Civic Education on Critical Social Justice in K-12 Education
Jason Littlefield:
Jason Littlefield’s forthcoming book titled Empowered Humanity Theory: A Framework for an Empowering and Dignified Life will be available November 2023. (excerpt)
Tabia Lee:
November 9th: Panel Presentation with Erec Smith at the National Summit for Civic Education on Critical Social Justice in K-12 Education
December 1: Empower.Ed School Board Governance Symposium Keynote Speaker: Hi-jacked Education: DEI Defined and Unpacked