Tune in today at 12 EST for Jeffrey C. Stewart, Alice Randall, Edwidge Danticat and Tracy K. Smith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxQV_JeKAsQ

Monday December 7, 2020

Black Arts: We Tell Your Stories: Will You Preserve and Tell Ours?

12 noon EST/ 11 a.m. CST/ 10 a.m. MST/ 9 a.m. PST

African American writers have often given voice to those oppressed and/or marginalized. Many have done so while laboring in obscurity. However, over the years, the works of black authors have increasingly found a more receptive mainstream audience. We Tell Your Stories: Will You Preserve and Tell Ours? is a moderated discussion led by Jeffrey C. Stewart, author of The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke. Stewart is joined by a panel of critically acclaimed writers including Edwidge Danticat, author of Breath, Eyes, Memory; Alice Randall, author of the newly released Black Bottom Saints; and Tracy K. Smith, the 22nd poet laureate of the United States. The panel provides thought provoking insights around diasporic identity, coping in an unjust world, attempts at suppression and the ability to thrive and survive. The discussion ends with a call to action to preserve the personal collections of African American and African diasporic writers. Following is a Q&A session with questions from The HistoryMakers ArtMakers Advisory Committee. Don’t miss this meaningful conversation on the past, present, and future of black literature.

This 90-minute program is scheduled to stream on YouTube at 12:00 noon EST on Monday, December 7, 2020 as the seventh installment of The HistoryMakers 20@2020: 20 Days and 20 Nights Convening and Celebration.