The Black BodyMeri Nana-Ama Danquah What does it mean to have, or to love, a black body? Taking on the challenge of interpreting the black body's dramatic role in American culture are thirty black, white, and biracial contributors—award-winning actors, artists, writers, and comedians—including voices as varied as President Obama’s inaugural poet Elizabeth Alexander, actor and bestselling author Hill Harper, political strategist Kimball Stroud, television producer Joel Lipman, former Saturday Night Live writer Anne Beatts, and singer-songwriter Jason Luckett. Ranging from deeply serious to playful, sometimes hilarious, musings, these essays explore myriad issues with wisdom and a deep sense of history. Meri Nana-Ama Danquah’s unprecedented collection illuminates the diversity of identities and individual experiences that define the black body in our culture. |
Contents
Acknowledgments | 7 |
or Considering My Grandmothers Hair | 31 |
Playing the Verses Straight | 47 |
Even a Brick House Can Blow Down | 65 |
Nzingha Clarke | 91 |
Initiation of a Desire | 109 |
A Cinematic Montage of the Black Male Heart | 127 |
Peter J Harris | 141 |
My Daughter My Self | 175 |
What You See Is What You | 191 |
Soul Power | 211 |
Break Skin Break Spirit | 229 |
The Black Brain | 245 |
Fear and Loathing | 261 |
Sacred Rhythm | 279 |
Notes on Contributors | 296 |
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