They say urban legends aren’t real and are only cautionary tales to keep unruly children at bay, but there are elements underlying these stories that are far more terrifying than any monster or ghoul. The biggest horror? We, as Black people, have learned to fear ourselves.

In 2022, Jay sat down with Dr. Kinitra Brooks to guide this conversation. Beyond being a horror scholar, she is a horror fan. She’s authored two books: Searching for Sycorax: Black Women’s Hauntings of Contemporary Horror and Sycorax’s Daughters, and is working on her next work about Conjure Women. She is also the Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair in Literary Studies in the Department of English at Michigan State University.

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Black History Year (BHY) is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school and explore pathways to liberation with people leading the way. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people donate $10 a month, but every dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work.

Hosting BHY is Jay (2020-2023) and Darren Wallace (2024). Our producers are Cydney Smith and Len Webb. BHY’s executive producers are Julian Walker and Lilly Workneh.

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