Libsyn Directory

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

Release Date: 02/28/2019

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

Creative Tension

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.

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

Creative Tension

Defending Black Bodies - A Conversation with Attorney Xavier Donaldson. We discuss the flaws in the legal system & how the inherent biases adversely impact the African-American community. We examine defunding the police, overcharging defendants, excessive bail, plea bargaining, the myth of innocent until proven guilty & how they all drive mass incarceration.

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

Creative Tension

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.

21. Does the Church Promote “Grind Culture?”

Creative Tension

Through slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow and even today, the Church has stood in the gap, where society failed African-Americans. Churches are expected to respond to every community trauma, police shooting, neighborhood disinvestment, racism, gentrification, failing schools, food deserts, etc. etc. However, the Church can also require and expect a great deal from its leaders and members. The work feels never ending and church work can become a grind.

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

Creative Tension

Elliott Robinson discusses reimagining rest with “The Nap Bishop,” Tricia Hersey - Founder, The Nap Ministry. How rest has changed during the COVID pandemic & 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.

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

Creative Tension

We talk to Tricia Hersey aka "The Nap Bishop" about The Nap Ministry and their movement to reclaim rest as a form of resistance.

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

Creative Tension

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.

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

Creative Tension

We discuss the Coon caricature from slavery to Stepin Fetchit to JJ from Good Times to modern urban radio. How the Coon caricature continues to shape the way AA men are viewed in the workplace, school and society.

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

Creative Tension

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.

15. Remembering the Dead: A Conversation with EJI Fulton County Remberance's Allison Bantimba

Creative Tension

Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative has undertaken a massive soil collection process to honor the lives of victims of racial violence. We talk to Allison Bantimba, who heads their Fulton County (GA) Remembrance Coalition, & explore the importance & impact of remembering on individuals & communities.

More Episodes

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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