Free Black Thought Newsletter #1: Introducing the Voices Behind Free Black Thought

Interviews, podcasts, or publications by or about black authors, thinkers, artists, and creators that we believe reflect valuable, little-heard perspectives

Welcome to the inaugural Free Black Thought Newsletter! Our goal for this newsletter is threefold. First, we’ll apprise you of upcoming and recent FBT and FBT-related events. Second, we’ll alert you to recent publications by or about FBT and FBT’s members and to new articles that have appeared in the Journal of Free Black Thought (JFBT). Third, in keeping with FBT’s overriding mission of promoting awareness of black viewpoint diversity, we’ll link to interviews, podcasts, or publications by or about black authors, thinkers, artists, and creators that we believe reflect valuable, little-heard perspectives. We’ll seek to represent the rich diversity of black thought beyond the relatively narrow spectrum of views promoted by mainstream outlets as defining "the black perspective."

Each FBT Newsletter will be organized around a a common theme. We’ll try to offer a variety of resources that represent multiple viewpoints on our theme or themes. The emphasis will be on offering a spectrum of voices that are rarely heard in mainstream venues. The arbiters of acceptable black speech in academia, the media, and other elite institutions have empowered themselves to police the boundaries of the “authentically” black perspective and to limit the broader public’s sense of what black people, in all their diversity, believe, value, and want. The FBT newsletter rejects this politics of authenticity and brings you a monthly shot of difference and diversity in the conviction that the future of our public discourse—and hence of our democracy—depends on it.

In this inaugural issue, we members of FBT take a moment to introduce ourselves: who we are, what we do both at FBT and in the world, what we believe, and where to find out more about us…

Erec Smith

I am an educator, a writer, an activist in the strict sense of the word, and a firm believer in the importance of communication… read more

Michael DC Bowen

I am a Stoic essayist and data engineer. I am married with three adult children. I grew up in SoCal and have worked all over the country… read more

Dave Gilbert

I’m a cyclist and technologist from rural Tennessee living in northern California with my photographer girlfriend and two cats. Nothing makes me happier than biking through Big Sur and camping in the Mojave Desert… read more

Dr. Tabia Lee

I am a lifelong educator that is committed to the continuous improvement of teaching and learning. For me, teaching is not just a job, it is my vocation. I don’t use many words to describe myself as I reject most labels, however, some accurate descriptive words for me are: scholar, teacher, learner, and humanist… read more

Jason Littlefield

I am the father of three adult children and one high schooler. I’m also a 5th generation Texan, Executive Director of EmpowerED Pathways, author/architect of Empowered Humanity Theory, Board member of The Institute For Liberal Values and a Cofounder of Free Black Thought and host of the Reformation Radio podcast… read more

Jake Mackey

I’m a native Texan who has ended up in the next best state, California. I’m a husband, father of two cool kids, and professional Classicist… read more

Connie Morgan

I am a Christian, wife and mother currently residing in rural Northern Idaho… read more

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Topical Articles

Recent Podcasts, Articles, and Videos from the FBT Team:

The Free Black Thought Podcast

Ep. 1 – The Anti-Anti-Racist Rhetorician An interview with FBT co-founder and president Erec Smith

The B.E.S.T. Microaggression Training You’ve Never Heard Of

Part One of a conversation between Kimi Katiti and FBT's Jake Mackey on Microaggressions and "Bias Education and Support Teams," or B.E.S.T.s.

Race Ideology-in-Practice

Racial equity in American learning environments. As we continue to ride the crest of third wave “anti-racist reckoning” in America, it becomes ever more important to raise conscious awareness about the various race ideologies…

Are Liberty-Based Societies Becoming A Thing Of The Past

Society is organizing itself in a way that’s impairing humankind’s social, emotional, and psychological well-being. It's cultivating the innate human capacities for prejudice…

The Kids Are Alright

Scratch beneath the surface and it’s clear Gen Z are often conscientious and tolerant.

What to Do When You’re the Wrong Kind of Black Academic

In this online forum, Tabia Lee and Erec Smith will discuss their experiences and theorizations about being black academics who embrace classical liberal values 

Black Suffering

The most difficult part about race to get around is that people tend to assume that their race owns a culture. This is complicated by the fact that anyone with a culture worth talking about should know that there are multiple ways of expressing that culture. 

Individualism Is a Social Justice Issue

In many social justice circles, especially ones dedicated to racial justice, individualism is considered a negative quality. Those who embrace this idea typically see it as a denial of group identity as well as our essential interdependence. But group identification devoid of true individualism...

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