AFRO-INDIGENOUS FOLKLORE

Myths, Legends, and the Wisdom of Ancestors

The African American Folklorist of the Month of May - Dr. Ebony Bailey
Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

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.

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Remembering Fred Shannon
Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

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.

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You Have A Home!
Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

You Have A Home!

We no longer need to rely on any other platform to share, publish, or even interrogate our narratives.

After a long-time supporter contacted me and shared how we are significant in disseminating and distributing the Blues People story, I felt it necessary to put the call out!

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I AM CALLEDAND YOU ARE NOT 
Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

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?

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honoring jonesville: our people, our community, our legacy 
Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

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.

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Folklorist of The Month - shirley moody turner
Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

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… ”

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Notable Folklorists of Color - The AFS African American Folklore Section
Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

Notable Folklorists of Color - The AFS African American Folklore Section

In this episode, Todd Lawrence, Maria Lewis, and Lamont Pearley will host a live stream event offered by the AFS African American Folklore Section, the African American Folklorist and Jack Dappa Blues featuring Notable Folklorists of Color creators and curators, Phyllis May-Machunda, Sojin Kim, and Olivia Cadaval.

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New Years Resolution Blues
Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

New Years Resolution Blues

I think, in an essence, this means going beyond the superficial tendencies we have during this time of year. I refer to Lil Son Jackson, who sings

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Can’t Classify This
Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

Can’t Classify This

A little boy had read numerous stories in his children's books about different life and death struggles between a Man and a Lion. But no matter how ferociously the lion fought, the Man emerged victoriously every time. Puzzled, the boy asked his father: "Why is it, Daddy, that the Man always beats the Lion, when everybody knows that a lion is the toughest cat in all the jungle?" The father answered, "Son, those stories will always end that way…until lions learn how to

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Blues Narrative - Phoenix Moon
Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

Blues Narrative - Phoenix Moon

In this episode, I speak with Phoenix Moon, a Colonial America historian, Forensic genealogist, Civil Rights Activist. Grassroots Political Legist.

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Langston Hughes Family Roots
Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

Langston Hughes Family Roots

In the late 1890s, John Sanford Perry Hughes struck oil on land he owned in Oklahoma. After leasing the land, he moved to Los Angeles, where he became a successful real estate speculator. In addition to being a prominent businessman, Hughes was also the favorite uncle of Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes.

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