AFRO-INDIGENOUS FOLKLORE
Myths, Legends, and the Wisdom of Ancestors
The African American Folklorist for the Month of June: Dr. Elisha Oliver
Each month, The African American Folklorist honors a Black scholar whose life’s work is immersed in the deep study and preservation of African American folkways, knowledge systems, and community truth-telling. For June, we recognize Dr. Elisha Oliver, a biocultural anthropologist, visual ethnographer, and Executive Director of Texas Folklife, as our African American Folklorist of the Month.
Blues Plus Column - Introduction
The blues is a living, vibrant, and contemporary art form, even if you couldn't tell from the limited coverage blues artists usually get in mainstream newspapers and magazines. Yes, there's a solid specialty press devoted to the music.
Honoring the Matriarchs: Black Spirituals, Field Hollers, and Slave Seculars on Mother's Day
Today, on Mother’s Day, we take a moment to honor the legacies of Black mothers, grandmothers, and aunties whose voices and influence continue to resonate through the traditions of spirituals, field hollers, and slave seculars. These women were not just caregivers—they were cultural bearers, spiritual leaders, and community builders who shaped musical traditions that echo through generations.
The African American Folklorist of the Month of May - Dr. Ebony Bailey
In this episode of The African American Folklorist, we honor Dr. Ebony Bailey as Folklorist of the month of May. Dr. Bailey is a dynamic scholar, writer, and cultural worker whose groundbreaking research intersects Black Literature and Folklore. Dr. Bailey explores how African Americans have historically been both represented as “the folk” and how they have powerfully redefined that term through literature, activism, and cultural intervention.
April 4 On My Heart
Thank you for making time to meditate on two prominent dates, April 4,1968, the day of Dr. Martin Luther King's Murder at the Lorraine Motel in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, and April 2, 2020, the evening our oldest sibling and sister "Cookie" died from Covid 19. Her vibrant 52-year-old Daughter, Melvenia, passed 8 hours later. We didn't know Mel was infected.
The African American Folklorist of The Month - April Edition: Featuring Dr. Constance Bailey
In this month’s episode of The African American Folklorist, we shine a spotlight on Dr. Constance Bailey—Assistant Professor of African American Literature and Folklore at Georgia State University, and an innovative scholar whose research explores Black women’s comedy, speculative fiction, and African American oral traditions.
African American Folklorist of the month - Dr. anika wilson
On this episode, speak with Dr. Anika Wilson, The African American Folklorist of the Month for March! Wilson discusses her book, methodology, scholarship, and positionality as a Black Academic.
African American Folklorist Of the Month - Dr. Raymond Summerville
Dr. Raymond Summerville joins me, as he is the African American Folklorist of February, to discuss the importance of having more Black Folklore scholars
African American Folklorist of the Month - Larry Handy
Larry Handy is a folklife poet who joins us to discuss his Journey to Folklore, Folk Consciousness, and his project "Tour of Duty," LA Protest Memoir.
Remembering Fred Shannon
One hundred years since Fred Shannon’s life was stolen by a mob of white men in a small town in Eastern Kentucky. As I stand here, in this place, I can’t help but feel the weight of that century—one hundred years of silence, unanswered questions, and untold pain.
I AM CALLEDAND YOU ARE NOT
The question of roles within a power couple cannot be asked in isolation. Who takes care of the kids? Is the woman only prominent as a byproduct of the man’s prominence? If the man’s role is critical to society, should the woman simply accept the position of support for the greater good? Is the woman’s calling just as important as her partners?
honoring jonesville: our people, our community, our legacy
carry in my body the story and knowledge of my great great grandmother Lizzie Taylor, known to our family as Mama Lizzie, believed to have been born just a year after the end of slavery, who laid the foundation for generational success, developing the knowledge and skills to acquire farm land that would eventually house, feed, employ and sustain not only her own family, but the larger community. Her example is one of resourcefulness and ingenuity.
Folklorist of The Month - shirley moody turner
Shirley Moody-Turner is an associate professor of English and African American Studies and founding co-director with Gabrielle Foreman of the Center for Black Digital Research/#DigBlk. She is an Author and award-winning educator that says, “As a young girl growing up in Buffalo, NY, I felt a deep longing to learn more about my family history. I would listen and ask questions as my family shared stories and talked, but I always felt there was much more to our history — stories laying beneath layers of silence… ”
