Cultural Obituaries: The Death of Black Nationalist Culture? Ta-Nehisi Coates, Baz Dreisinger, Peniel E. Joseph & Victor Lavalle

April 9, 2009

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Making Sense of Black Nationalism in the Obama Era

With an African-American president in the White House and the first black chairman voted to head the Republican National Committee has black nationalism become irrelevant? Novelist Victor LaValle explores the personal and political valences of the nationalist idea, and makes a case for embracing a more ecumenical view of black experience?including the freedom to move beyond traditional conceptions of blackness. Baz Dreisinger, author of Near Black: White to Black Passing in American Culture; Peniel E. Joseph, author of Waiting 'Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America; and Atlantic Monthly contributing editor Ta-Nehisi Coates respond.

This event is co-presented by:

 

 

  

About Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates is a contributing editor for The Atlantic. He lives in Harlem with his partner and his son.

 

 

 

 

   

About Baz Dreisinger

Baz Dreisinger is the author of Near Black: White to Black Passing in American Culture. She teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Together with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Peter Spirer, she produced and wrote the documentary Black & Blue: Legends of the Hip-Hop Cop, which investigates the New York Police Department?s monitoring of the hip-hop industry.

 

  

  

About Peniel E. Joseph

Peniel E. Joseph is associate professor of Afro-American Studies and history at Brandeis University. He is author of Waiting 'Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America. His book Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama will be published in 2010.

 

 

 

    

About Victor LaValle

Victor LaValle is the author of Slapboxing with Jesus and The Ecstatic. His novel, Big Machine, will be published in 2009.