The Black Future (Part 2)

In 2018, Pittsburgh artist Alisha Wormsley created and posted what many considered to be a “controversial” billboard in the East Liberty neighborhood of the city. The billboard contained a single sentence that read: “There are black people in the future.” The simple statement was a profound one; in the context of a gentrifying neighborhood where black residents were being rapidly displaced, the billboard critiqued community planning strategies that expunge and erase black communities. But more than a critique, the billboard was also indicative of a particular artistic practice, mode of study and social engagement that has come to be known as “Afrofuturism.” In this episode, Secunda continues her conversation with De'Anna Daniels, Jaison Oliver, and Dr. Jessica Davenport about afrofuturism and its creative and cultural possibilities for community-building.ADDITIONAL RESOURCESFor more on Wormsley, click here.DrexciyaAdrienne Maree Brown - Octavia's BroodRhiana Gunn Wright - New Consensus Green New DealThe Intercept - A message From the Future with Alexandria Ocasio-CortezHow It Feels to Be A Colored Me - Zora Neale HurstonAaron Douglas - PainterThe Comet - W. E. B. DuBoisZone 1, Underground Railroad, Nickel Boys - Colson WhiteheadWayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments - Saidiya HartmanJohn JenningsKenitra BrooksIncidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Harriet JacobsParable of the Talents - Octavia ButlerJessi Jumanji - ArtistAlondra Nelson - Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight Against Medical DiscriminationBlack Panther CREDITSProduced, edited, and mixed by Luke BrawnerCo-Produced by Dr. Jessica DavenportMusic licensed through PodcastMusic.comArtwork designed by Heather HaleBECOME A PATRONJoin the neighborhood we're building and receive bonus content from this and other Odd Parliament shows for as little as $1 a month on Patreon!VISIT US ONLINEwww.therelaypodcast.comwww.instagram.com/therelaypodcast©2016-2024 Odd Parliament, in association with Project Curate