As a letter to her son. Here is a portion of that program. People here when you say i wonder if i can be irredeemable they hear all white people and they hear them as individuals as opposed to whiteness for the identity. And with the second paragraph so they dont have a different history or a body but a different relationship to identity. So potentially as a consequence a more humane relationship to each other. So what i got to saying a person or individual so certainly like a white man or someone who thinks of those figures i take for example john brown are some of the most precious people in the world. Its important to me not to have a formulation and this is a struggle i am engaged in. One more question before we move on to your other book books, mothering black boys in america is a special calling. Yes. My mother said to me and i think about it a number of different ways and one is of course all the risk as people talk incessantly that it is difficult and not necessarily helpful ab
Postponed new in depth programs. We are showing highlights from past programs. First from november of 2018, author imani perry, author of several books including a history of the black National Anthem and breeze which is written as a letter to her son. Heres a portion of that program. People here when you see i wonder if people are irredeemable they hear all white people and they hear white people as individuals as opposed to whiteness as an identity so that when i go into the second paragraph, what if we took this identity apart, those people would not have a different history or body, but it would be a different relationship to identity that i think would potentially have as a consequence a more humane relationship to each other. When i went into later in the first paragraph saying a person, an individual can be a heaven, certainly both as someone who was raised by a white man or as someone who thinks of so many figures like, take for example john brown or bob zellner, some of the mo
So that when i go into the second paragraph where im like what if we took this identity apart, those people would not sort of, have a different history or body. But it would be a different relationship to identity. I think as a consequence, we have a more humane relationship to each other. When i got leader into the first paragraph when im saying an individual can be a heaven. Certainly, both someone who was raised by a white man or as someone who thinks of so many figures like, take for example, john brown. Who i think are some of the most precious people in the world. Its important to me to not have a formulation that removes them. So thats what i was thinking. One more question before we move on to some of your other books. Mothering black boys in america is a special calling. Yeah. Its a sentence my mother said to me. I think about it in a number of different ways. People talk about, in some ways that are difficult and maybe not a really hopeful about the challenges that black boys
Professor, what is the structure of your newest book breathe. Fear, flight and fortune. It is a letter, a series of letters to my son but also a letter to the o larger world, bh about the reality of anxiety, the worry that comes along with being a parent of lack children in particular black boys at this moment in the United States. But also filled with my desire for them to lead a life of beauty and joy in excellence and self regard. Much of which i think has lessons for an extraordinary tradition we have. Where you come up with the idea to write your sent a lett letter. I actually have written him letters privately for years but my editor at the beacon press said is this something need be interested in doing because i talk about my children all the time. I write post about them on social media, initially, what we both had in mind was something that was a bit more lighthearted but then when i started to reflect on what it would mean to try to tell a story to them about my expectation a
Its an epistolary work. Its a letter, a series of letters to my sons of course its also a letter to the larger world. Both about the reality of the terror and anxiety and worry that comes along with being a parent of black children and particularly black boys in the United States at this moment but its also filled with my desire for them to lead a life of beauty and joy. And excellence and self regard. Much of which i think one defined the lessons for an extraordinary definition we have to draw from. Where did you come up with the idea to write your sons a letter . Actually have written them letters privately for years. But my editor gayatri at beacon press said is this something youd be interested in doing i think a large part because i talk about my children all the time direct post about them in social media. Initially what we both had in mind was something that was probably a bit more lighthearted. When i started to reflect on what it would mean to try to tell a story about both my