Black Like Me

Dr. Alex Gee welcomes his friend and actress Angela Robinson to continue his exploration of the many sides of Black Joy. For Robinson, Black Joy means embracing your culture with a lack of pretense. Robinson also provides advice on having a strong career and the importance of life experience, as she share about her own career. This is an inspiring conversation that you don't want to miss.

A native of Jacksonville, FL, Angela Robinson is best-known as The Ice Queen Veronica Harrington of Tyler Perry's The Haves and The Have Nots. For her work as Veronica she is the 2015 recipient of the Gracie Award (Best Female Actress - One to Watch).

Angela has worked on Broadway, off Broadway and on stages throughout the US and abroad. Broadway productions include The Color Purple with Fantasia, Wonderful Town, Bells Are Ringing, and Play On! She has participated in National Tours of The Color Purple, Dreamgirls, and The Wizard of Oz with Eartha Kitt. Her television/film credits include Law & Order: SVU, Another Bed and several regional and national commercials.

She is the Winner of an Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) award for her work as Shug Avery in The Color Purple, Angela has been nominated twice for a Black Theatre Alliance Award (The Color Purple, Dreamgirls), and for an Audelco Award (Radiant Baby). She is also a member of the Tony Award winning Broadway Inspirational Voices.

In 2008 Angela and her husband Scott founded the WhiteRobin Group. WhiteRobin Group is a consulting firm for aspiring and seasoned artists; providing training, inspiration and direction via acting workshops, private acting coaching, blogs and mentorship programs.

Angela is a graduate of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (BA) and The William Esper Acting Studio where she studied with master teacher William Esper. She is a proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA. Angela currently resides in New Jersey with her husband, Scott Whitehurst, and son Robbie.

alexgee.com

Support the Show: patreon.com/blacklikeme

In light of the recent press conference announcing the design and fundraising campaign for The Center for Black Excellence and Culture, Dr. Gee reflects on what this moment means to him personally. The process of launching The Center has made every effort to include the local Black community in the development and partnerships. Don't miss Dr. Gee's perspective on reaching this point.

Learn more about The Center

Read about The Center in The Root

alexgee.com

patreon.com/blacklikeme

Dr. Gee continues to lead the conversation on the role of Black people in American history. On this episode, he talks with Kellie Carter Jackson about how she teaches Black history and the discourse around race in education happening in America right now. Carter Jackson breaks down Critical Race Theory (CRT) and how we actually view history, whether it is through facts or memory.

Kellie Carter Jackson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Africana Studies at Wellesley College. She was also the 2019-2020 Newhouse Faculty Fellow for the Center of the Humanities at Wellesley College. Carter Jackson's research focuses on slavery and the abolitionists, violence as a political discourse, historical film, and black women's history. She earned her B.A at her beloved Howard University and her Ph.D from Columbia University working with the esteemed historian Eric Foner. Her book, Force & Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence (University of Pennsylvania Press), examines the conditions that led some black abolitionists to believe slavery might only be abolished by violent force. Force and Freedom was a finalist for the Frederick Douglass Book Prize, winner of the James H. Broussard Best First Book Prize given by SHEAR (Society for Historians of the Early American Republic) and a finalist for the Museum of African American History (MAAH) Stone Book Prize Award for 2019. The Washington Post listed Force and Freedom as one of 13 books to read on the history of Black America for those who really want to learn. Her interview, "A History of Violent Protest" on Slate's What's Next podcast was listed as one of the best of 2020.

Carter Jackson is also co-editor of Reconsidering Roots: Race, Politics, & Memory (Athens: University of Georgia Press). With a forward written by Henry Louis Gates Jr., Reconsidering Roots is the first scholarly collection of essays devoted entirely to understanding the remarkable tenacity of Alex Haley's visual, cultural, and political influence on American history. Carter Jackson and Erica Ball have also edited a Special Issue on the 40th Anniversary of Roots for Transition Magazine (Issue 122}. Together, Ball and Carter Jackson have curated the largest collection essays dedicated to the history and impact of Roots. Carter Jackson was also featured in the History Channel's documentary, Roots: A History Revealed which was nominated for a NAACP Image Award in 2016.

Carter Jackson is a co-host on the podcast, "This Day in Political Esoteric History" with Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer. Her essays have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, NPR, The Guardian, The Conversation, Boston's NPR Blog Cognoscenti, Black Perspectives, and Quartz. She has also been interviewed for her expertise for MSNBC, SkyNews (UK) New York Times, PBS, Time, Vox, The Huff Post, the BBC, Boston Public Radio, Al Jazeera International, Slate, The Telegraph, Reader's Digest, CBC, and Radio One among other news outlets. She has been featured in a host of documentaries and podcasts on history and race in the United States. Carter Jackson is a commissioner for the Massachusetts Historical Commission. She sits on the scholarly advisory board for the Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History. Carter Jackson is also Historian-in-Residence for the Museum of African American History in Boston.

She is currently at work on two book manuscripts, one on Black response to white supremacy and Losing Laroche: The Story of the Only Black Passenger on the Titanic. She traces how Joseph Laroche allows us to better understand the possibilities and limitations of black travel in the Titanic moment and our global love affair with whiteness and wealth.

Carter Jackson represented by the indefatigable Tanya McKinnon and her team at McKinnon Literary. She currently resides outside of Boston with her husband and three children.

alexgee.com

patreon.com/blacklikeme

Dr. Gee has a can't miss conversation with four women who now live outside of the United States by choice. Hear why these ex-pats have sought a better life outside of America and what factors give them Black Joy.

- Diara Parker (Vice President of Operations and EQT By Design Consultant) https://www.eqtbydesign.com - Sharolyn "Shar" Wynter (Social Entrepreneur, Startup Founder, and Creative) https://www.xpatinc.com/about - Hiwote Getaneh (Podcast Producer and Creative) http://www.depthandcandor.com/about ⁃ Margo Gabriel (Food & Travel Freelance Writer, Author, and Creative) https://margoscreativelife.com/about-me

alexgee.com

Support the Show: patreon.com/blacklikeme

Dr. Gee digs right into this season's theme of Black Joy by bringing back Dr. Christopher Bass for another illuminating conversation. From the perspective of a psychologist, Dr. Bass gets at the mindset of what it means to have Black joy. They discuss the difference between pursuing happiness in America and knowing joy, and the effect of both.

Dr. Bass refers to the book, Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Dr. Joy Degruy, in their conversation. Check it out to learn more!

alexgee.com

Support the show with exclusive perks: patreon.com/blacklikeme

In the first episode of Season 6, Dr. Gee breaks down the theme of Embracing Black Joy, gives a historical context, and sets the stage for the new season. As always, Dr. Gee is inspiring while providing his unique perspective.

alexgee.com

patreon.com/blacklikeme

On the final episode of Season 5, Dr. Gee has an invigorating conversation with Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings that starts with demystifying Critical Race Theory (CRT) and continues through explaining systemic racism. Dr. Ladson-Billings brings caree-long expertise to the topic of considering how to teach history equitably and how to look at our current cultural landscape as well.

Gloria Ladson-Billings is the former Kellner Family Distinguished Professor of Urban Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and faculty affiliate in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She was the 2005-2006 president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Ladson-Billings' research examines the pedagogical practices of teachers who are successful with African American students. She also investigates Critical Race Theory applications to education. She is the author of the critically acclaimed books The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children and Crossing Over to Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse Classrooms, and numerous journal articles and book chapters. She is the former editor of the American Educational Research Journal and a member of several editorial boards. Her work has won numerous scholarly awards including the H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellowship, the NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship, and the Palmer O. Johnson outstanding research award. During the 2003-2004 academic year, she was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. In fall of 2004, she received the George and Louise Spindler Award from the Council on Anthropology and Education for significant and ongoing contributions to the field of educational anthropology. She holds honorary degrees from Umeå University (Umeå Sweden), University of Massachusetts-Lowell, the University of Alicante (Alicante, Spain), the Erickson Institute (Chicago), and Morgan State University (Baltimore). She is a 2018 recipient of the AERA Distinguished Research Award, and she was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2018.

Read more about Dr. Ladson-Billings here.

alexgee.com

patreon.com/blacklikeme

Because of recent events that are bringing greater attention to issues that impact African Americans, Black Like Me is highlighting past episodes that are relevant to the current national conversation. Currently, the debate around Black American history and Critical Race Theory is heating up, so we are returning to an episode that discusses teaching Black history.

Dr. Alex Gee talks with Professor Steve Kantrowitz and Professor Alexander Shashko about their experience teaching Black History. Professor Kantrowitz co-created Justified Anger's Black History for a New Day course with Dr. Gee, and Professor Shashko lecturers for the course.

Learn more about how you can be part of Justified Anger's Virtual Black History for A New Day Course.

Alexander's Tedx Talk

Professor Steve Kantrowitz's Books:

All Men Free and Brethren: Essays on the History of African American Freemasonry

More Than Freedom: Fighting for Black Citizenship in a White Republic.

Ben Tillman and the Reconstruction of White Supremacy.

Professor Alexander Shashko's book suggestions:

https://www.press.umich.edu/179458/change_is_gonna_come

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780312425791

http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/ows/seminars/tcentury/movinglr/longcivilrights.pdf

Dr. Alex Gee has a conversation about pushing back against the legacy of white supremacy still holding on in our institutions with Mya Berry, a college student advocating for racial justice in Wisconsin. Mya Berry has called for changing the name of her former high school because of the memorializing of a slaveholder. Their conversation covers navigating white educational space, refusing to address racist history, and the perpetuation of racial disparities by educators. We must acknowledge how history manifests itself in our present institutions and the impact on new generations of people of color.

Mya Berry Go Fund Me: Support Mya Berry in her Harvard education

High School Name Change Article Read more about Mya Berry's efforts

alexgee.com

patreon.com/blacklikeme

The week of this episode, Juneteenth was federally recognized as a national holiday. Dr. Alex Gee takes this opportunity to reflect on the progress that Black people have made in America and what meaning this holiday holds. There are many disparities and injustices facing African Americans today that need to be understood alongside a holiday celebrating Black culture.

alexgee.com

patreon.com/blacklikeme