Creative Tension

Elliott Robinson, JD, MDiv - Public Theologian

The Creative Tension podcast explores the history and legacy of Jim Crow segregation. Host, Elliott Robinson provides the missing chapters from American History class, through a mixture of interviews, archival audio and roundtable discussions. Creative Tension also uses open and frank discussions, to dissect how the legacy of Jim Crow is still impacting our world today. Creative Tension explores topics like: Confederate monuments; “The Talk;” Black caricatures (Mammy, Aunt Jemima and JJ Evans); the Great Migration; racialized food (watermelon, fried chicken); and, many others. We also discuss modern means of resisting the legacy of Jim Crow with guests like: The Nap Bishop, Tricia Hersey (The Nap Ministry); Carlton Mackey (Black Men Smile); and, Allison Bantimba (Equal Justice Initiative’s Fulton County Remembrance Project). For a visual companion to the podcast, visit www.creativetension.org. Subscribe. Listen. Share. Leave a Review.

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Top 10 Creative Tension Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Creative Tension episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Creative Tension for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Creative Tension episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

24. What to the Slave is the 4th of July?

Creative Tension

07/04/20 • 68 min

We explore the life of Frederick Douglass and his famous speech, “What to the Slave is the 4th of July?” with Public Historian and Founder of History Alive, John W McCaskill.

You can find out more about John and History Alive at their website.

Website: https://jwmhistoryalive.com
FB - https://www.facebook.com/johnwmccaskillhistoryalive
IG - https://www.instagram.com/johnw.mccaskill/
YouTube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFgWKywaolLneP4nZnUVpHQ

For a visual companion to this episode, visit http://creativetension.org. Follow us on Instagram, FB & Pinterest at: creativetensionpodcast (one word)

Our theme music is provided by Julian Reid and his ensemble group, The JuJu Exchange. We have a link to their music in the show notes.

23. Defending Black Bodies - A Conversation w/ Xaxier Donaldson, Esq. v. 2

Creative Tension

06/25/20 • 64 min

We discuss the inherent pitfalls and flaws in the legal system and how they adversely impact African-Americans. We examine the web created by overcharging defendants to higher bail to plea bargaining and its impact on mass incarceration, as well as the myth of innocent until proven guilty. Plus we look at the danger of how conspiracy charges can be used to ensnare our youth.

Donaldson & Chilliest, LLP: http://www.dcnylaw.com

For a visual companion to this episode and links to episode resources, visit http://creativetension.org. Follow us on Instagram, FB, Pinterest: @creativetensionpodcast and Twitter: @createtension. Until next time, #createtension.

Creative Tension can be found wherever you find your favorite podcasts:

Episode Music: Julian Reid & The JuJu Exchange: http://bit.ly/JRJuJuExch

22. Policing Black Bodies - A Conversation with Attorney Gilbert Parris.

Creative Tension

06/16/20 • 57 min

We discuss how certain law enforcement practices unfairly target, impact and traumatize the African-American community. Also, where and how should our mindset shift to achieve more equitable and flourishing communities.

Contact Attorney Gilbert Parris:

Law Office of Gilbert Parris: gilbertparrisattorney.com
Law Office FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/Law-Offices-of-Gilbert-C-Parris-229295070459738/
The Gilbert Parris Podcast: https://gilbertparrispodcast.buzzsprout.com

Creative Tension can be found wherever you find your favorite podcasts:

Episode Music: Julian Reid & The JuJu Exchange: http://bit.ly/JRJuJuExch

21. Does the Church Promote “Grind Culture?”

Creative Tension

05/29/20 • 52 min

Through slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow and even today, the Church has been a place where African-Americans can lead groups, hold elected office and fully participate in organizations. The Church has stood in the gap, where society failed African-Americans. However, the Church can also require and expect a great deal from its leaders and members. Churches are expected to respond to every community trauma, police shooting, neighborhood disinvestment, financial neglect, racism, classism, gentrification, pandemics, failing schools, food deserts, congregational care, etc. etc. Once you become active in a church, it can feel like your name keeps coming up, to do more and more. As if all of your free time is now church time. The work feels never ending and church work can become a grind.

Episode Guests

Tricia Hersey “The Nap Bishop” - Founder of The Nap Ministry

Rev. Dr. Toni Belin Ingram - Presiding Elder - Augusta North Conference - AME Church

Instagram: @Tlenayebi
Twitter: @Tlenayebi

Rev. Jennifer Carner - Executive Pastor, House of Hope - Atlanta

Website: http://www.jennifercarnerministries.com
Instagram: @thecarnerjlc

Rev. Dominique Lester - Chief of Staff, Greater Centennial AME Zion Church - Mount Vernon, NY

Instagram: Prophetic_Provocateur

For a visual companion to this episode and links to episode resources, visit creativetension.org. Follow us on Instagram, FB, Pinterest: @creativetensionpodcast and Twitter: @createtension. Until next time, #createtension.

Creative Tension can be found wherever you find your favorite podcasts:

Julian Reid & The JuJu Exchange: http://bit.ly/JRJuJuExch

Thanks to the Emory University Center for Digital Scholarship for their cooperation in the recording and production of the Creative Tension podcast

20. Reimagining Rest - A Conversation w/ Tricia Hersey, The Nap Bishop

Creative Tension

05/14/20 • 35 min

We discuss reimagining rest with “The Nap Bishop,” Tricia Hersey - Founder, The Nap Ministry. How rest has changed during the COVID pandemic and what it will look like in a post sheltering-in world. We also explore what it’s like to attend a nap ministry event as well as and how the concept of rest and napping as resistance to capitalism is being received in culture.

The Nap Ministry's Instagram Page: http://www.instagram.com/thenapministry
The Nap Ministry's Linktree: http://linktr.ee/thenapministry
The Nap Ministry's Blog Page: http://thenapministry.wordpress.com
Ruth Forman - https://www.ruthforman.com
Music Provided By: Julian Reid & The JuJu Exchange: http://bit.ly/JRJuJuExch
Voice Over: Patricia Robinson

Creative Tension can be found wherever you find your favorite podcasts:

19. Reclaiming Rest in a Grind Culture - A Conversation w/ The Nap Bishop, Tricia Hersey

Creative Tension

06/21/19 • 41 min

We sit down w/ Tricia Hersey (“The Nap Bishop”), Founder of The Nap Ministry, to discuss: the origins of The Nap Ministry; rest as a means of resistance to capitalism, white supremacy and the “grind culture;” and, resting as a form of reparations.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenapministry/
Linktr.ee: linktr.ee/thenapministry
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thenapministry

For a visual companion to this episode, visit CreativeTension.org. Follow us on Instagram, FB and Pinterest: @creativetensionpodcast and Twitter @createtension

Until next time: #CreateTension

Creative Tension can be found wherever you find your favorite podcasts:

The John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture at Duke University and their Behind the Veil Oral History Project. - https://repository.duke.edu/dc/behindtheveil

Julian Reid & The JuJu Exchange: http://bit.ly/JRJuJuExch

18. Watermelon - Why African-Americans Rarely Eat it in Public

Creative Tension

05/31/19 • 30 min

We examine the history and current day impact of the stereotype that African-Americans have an obsession with watermelon. We get insight from a roundtable discussion and learn a way to address the watermelon stereotype from the late DC media legend, Petey Greene.

For a visual companion to this episode, visit CreativeTension.org. Follow us on Instagram, FB and Pinterest: @creativetensionpodcast and Twitter @createtension

Until next time, #createtension.

Creative Tension can be found wherever you find your favorite podcasts:

Julian Reid & The JuJu Exchange: http://bit.ly/JRJuJuExch

Watermelons, Nooses and Straight Razors - Dr. David Pilgrim - https://www.amazon.com/Watermelons-Nooses-Straight-Razors-Stories/dp/1629634379

“Talk to Me” - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796368/

17. The Coon Caricature: From Stepin' Fetchit' to Modern Urban Radio

Creative Tension

05/17/19 • 39 min

We sit down with Dr. Pellom McDaniels to discuss the history of the “Coon” caricature, from slavery to Stepin Fetchit to JJ from Good Times to modern urban radio. We examine how the Coon continues to shape the way African American men are viewed in the workplace, school and in society.

For a visual companion to this episode, visit CreativeTension.org. Follow us on Instagram, FB and Pinterest: @creativetensionpodcast and Twitter @createtension

Until next time: #CreateTension

Donald Bogle - “Toms, Coon, Mulattos, Mammies and Bucks” - https://www.amazon.com/Toms-Coons-Mulattoes-Mammies-Bucks/dp/082642953X
Steamboat Round the Bend (Lincoln Perry - Stepin Fetchit) — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027042
Thank You Jeeves (Willie Best - Sleep n/ Eat) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028353
You’re Out of Luck (Mantan Moreland) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034410

Creative Tension can be found wherever you find your favorite podcasts:

Julian Reid & The JuJu Exchange: http://bit.ly/JRJuJuExch

Thanks to the Emory University Center for Digital Scholarship for their cooperation in the recording and production of the Creative Tension podcast

16. How Can Black Men Reclaim Their Smile? - A Conversation w/ Carlton Mackey

Creative Tension

05/03/19 • 36 min

We have an in-depth conversation with Carlton Mackey, Founder of the “Black Men Smile” movement. What started as a counter-narrative to the tropes surrounding images of Black men, has turned into a platform of both liberation and resistance with over 30k followers on Instagram and multiple components including: apparel, workshops, international travel retreats, a mentorship program, art production and more.

To learn more, visit Black Men Smile at: blackmensmile.com and all social media at: @blackmensmile.

LifeSpeaksLife - https://www.instagram.com/lifespeakslife/

For a visual companion to this episode, visit CreativeTension.org. Follow us on Instagram, FB and Pinterest: @creativetensionpodcast and Twitter @createtension

Until next time, #createtension.

Creative Tension can be found wherever you find your favorite podcasts:

Julian Reid & The JuJu Exchange: http://bit.ly/JRJuJuExch

Thanks to the Emory University Center for Digital Scholarship for their cooperation in the recording and production of the Creative Tension podcast.

12. Mammy, Movies and Madea - The Mammy Caricature in Film

Creative Tension

02/28/19 • 37 min

We are joined by Dr. Kimberly Wallace Sanders form Emory University as we explore the mammy caricature in film. We examine Hattie McDaniels’ role as “Mammy,” as well as the movie “The Imitation of Life” and contemporary views regarding the mammy caricature in movies like “The Help” and the Madea franchise.

For a visual companion to this episode, visit CreativeTension.org. Follow us on Instagram, FB and Pinterest: @creativetensionpodcast and Twitter @createtensio

Until next time, #createtension.

Creative Tension can be found wherever you find your favorite podcasts:

Julian Reid & The JuJu Exchange: http://bit.ly/JRJuJuExch

Thanks to the Emory University Center for Digital Scholarship for their cooperation in the recording and production of the Creative Tension podcast

Dr. Kimberly Wallace-Sanders -

Mammy: A Century of Race, Gender, and Southern Memory:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0472034014

Dr. Kimberly Wallace Sanders’ Exhibit - http://web.library.emory.edu/news-events/news/archives/2019/framing-shadows-nannies-exhibit.html

Donald Bogle: Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films, Updated and Expanded 5th Edition: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/082642953X

Additional Resources:

David Pilgrim: Understanding Jim Crow: Using Racist Memorabilia to Teach Tolerance and Promote Social Justice:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1629631140

Jim Crow Museum - Ferris State University: https://ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/

Mammy Caricature: https://ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/mammies/homepage.htm

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FAQ

How many episodes does Creative Tension have?

Creative Tension currently has 27 episodes available.

What topics does Creative Tension cover?

The podcast is about Culture, Racism, Society & Culture, History, Podcasts and Mlk.

What is the most popular episode on Creative Tension?

The episode title '23. Defending Black Bodies - A Conversation w/ Xaxier Donaldson, Esq. v. 2' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Creative Tension?

The average episode length on Creative Tension is 36 minutes.

How often are episodes of Creative Tension released?

Episodes of Creative Tension are typically released every 16 days, 2 hours.

When was the first episode of Creative Tension?

The first episode of Creative Tension was released on Aug 10, 2017.

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Creative Tension

Elliott Robinson, JD, MDiv - Public Theologian

Top 10 Creative Tension Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Creative Tension have?

What topics does Creative Tension cover?

What is the most popular episode on Creative Tension?

What is the average episode length on Creative Tension?

How often are episodes of Creative Tension released?

When was the first episode of Creative Tension?

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