AFRO-INDIGENOUS FOLKLORE
Myths, Legends, and the Wisdom of Ancestors
Dr. Shari L. Williams: Along the Ridge: Black Belt Memory, Rural Landscapes, and the Public History Work
For June’s African American Folklorist of the Month, we honor Dr. Shari L. Williams, a public historian, independent scholar, preservationist, and cultural steward whose work centers the historical and cultural landscapes of Alabama’s Black Belt. As the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in History from Auburn University, Dr. Williams brings a powerful scholarly and community-rooted perspective to the study of rural historic landscapes, Black social history, genealogy, cemeteries, archaeology, and cultural traditions.
A Reclaiming the Banjo — Joe Zavaan Johnson and the Work of Black Musical Recovery
The African American Folklorist is honored to spotlight Joe Zavaan Johnson in April. Dr. Johnson is a multi-instrumentalist, arts educator, and Black music researcher whose work is helping return the banjo to its rightful place inside Black history, Black memory, and Black cultural practice.
Mama Jeannine Osayande: Dancing the Archive, Embodying Folklore, & Community Advocacy
This month, The African American Folklorist is honored to recognize Mama Jeannine Osayande as our African American Folklorist of the Month for March (Women’s History month), a cultural steward whose life’s work proves that folklore is not simply remembered. It is performed, protected, practiced, and passed on.
The African American Folklorist for November. Dr. Patricia A. Turner
Dr. Patricia A. Turner stands as one of the most significant voices in contemporary African American folklore studies. Her scholarship reveals how Black communities use stories, whether whispered rumors, circulating legends, family sayings, stitched quilts, or everyday objects, to interpret their circumstances, navigate systems of power, and preserve their cultural memory.
~Cutting Ties~ Poem
Sometimes...
you gotta let go of hands that once held you,
just to hold on to yourself.
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.
Kodak’s Hidden History: Frankie Taylor Jones and the Black Appalachian Coal Camp Experience
We looked forward to sailing paper-made boats down the creek, swinging across the creek on an old tire suspended from a rope tied to a branch far up in a tree, playing on the coal train cars, even when we knew better! It was always a treat to visit Uncle Ralph, Aunt Frankie and our cousins there in the coal camp.
Blues, Folklore, and Black Identity: A Legacy of Resistance and Revival
On this day, March 6, we recognize significant moments in both blues history and the broader landscape of Black American folklore. From the birth of blues legend Furry Lewis to the infamous Dred Scott decision and the enduring legacy of folkloric themes in his lyrics…