Speaking Culturally

Public historian and historical interpreter Lacey Wilson concludes the series on how do we interpret slavery in America going forward. Wilson says she doesn’t shy away from discussing slavery and incorporates the daily chores enslaved people would have performed on the plantation and inside the plantation home. Introducing the daily activities of enslaved people humanizes them and adds an element to the discussion of slavery, Wilson says.

In our pilot episode of Speaking Culturally, we speak with Queen Quet, chieftess of the Gullah Geechee Nation. Queen Quet explores the importance of preserving the Gullah Geechee cultural heritage and how they are dealing with climate change, sea level rise and displacement. Some of the biggest challenges for the Gullah Geechee people, the largest enslavement descendant populations in the country, is adaptation and displacement. (Recorded on Saint Helena Island, South Carolina)

North Carolina A&T is leaving the MEAC and headed to the Big South in 2021. With the move, what elements of cultural heritage is A&T leaving behind and how will the pageantry of an HBCU translate in a predominantly white conference? Jeff Mills of the Greensboro News & Record joins Speaking Culturally to answer some of these questions.

Food historian, educator, and award-winning author Michael Twitty explains how we can examine elements of slavery through the foods that land on our tables. He also dives into slavery overall and the impacts it has had on the African American community.

Richard Josey, founder and president of Collective Journeys, LLC, kicks off Speaking Culturally’s series, “What’s Next in Interpreting Slavery.” The series will look at new ways to interpret enslavement in America and discuss the gaps that need to be filled in the narrative. Josey brings decades of experience to this discussion and focuses on inclusion of dark history in the narrative of enslavement.