W. E. B. Du Bois with Derrick Alridge | Black Intellectuals Series #6

Explore more Black voices from across U.S. History with our primary source based curriculum: The Plainest Demands of Justice: Documents for Dialogue on the African American Experience. Learn more at https://billofrightsinstitute.org/mkt-the-plainest-demands-of-justice. How did Ralph Ellison, prominent African-American novelist and intellectual, contribute to understanding the Black experience in America? In the first episode of our new Scholar Talk series "Black Intellectuals and the African-American Experience," BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams is joined by Lucas Morel, Professor of Politics at Washington & Lee University and editor of several significant books on Ellison. Together, they'll reveal the unique ways Ellison wrote about the Black identity and experience during segregation and contributed to American culture broadly. What Founding values did Ellison emphasize to fellow African Americans during a time of racial discrimination? In our new Scholar Talk series "Black Intellectuals and the African-American Experience," BRI's Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams will be joined by a new scholar every week to discuss the unique ways Black intellectuals like Ralph Ellison, Anna Julia Cooper, and Frederick Douglass have contributed to understanding the African-American experience in America. How did they advance the struggle for civil rights and Founding ideals of equality, justice, and liberty?

Explore more Black voices from across U.S. History with our primary source based curriculum: The Plainest Demands of Justice: Documents for Dialogue on the African American Experience. Learn more at https://billofrightsinstitute.org/mkt-the-plainest-demands-of-justice. How did Frederick Douglass contribute to our understanding of the Black experience in America? In the second episode of our series, “Black Intellectuals and the African-American Experience,” BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams sits down with Peter C. Myers, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, to explore the life and legacy of abolitionist Frederick Douglass. How did Douglass view American Founding documents? What were the most important challenges in the struggle for Black equality and justice according to Douglass?

How did Booker T. Washington, prominent African American educator and intellectual, contribute to understanding the Black experience in America? In this episode of our Scholar Talk series "Black Intellectuals and the African American Experience," BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams is joined by Robert J. Norrell, Professor of History & Bernadotte Schmitt Chair of Excellence, the University of Tennessee and author of "Up from History: The Life of Booker T. Washington." Together, they explore the educational ideas of Washington and the ways he challenged racial discrimination and contributed to American culture broadly. What educational ideas and civic virtues did Washington promote for Black advancement?

How did Zora Neale Hurston, noted African-American writer during the Harlem Renaissance, contribute to understanding the Black experience in America? In this episode of our Scholar Talk series "Black Intellectuals and the African American Experience," BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams is joined by Patricia Brown, professor of English at Azusa Pacific University, to discuss Hurston's unique examination and celebration of Black expression, creativity, and resiliency. How did Hurston's book "Their Eyes Were Watching God" convey a message of Black women's freedom and self-discovery?

What contribution did Anna Julia Cooper, prominent African-American author and educator, make to understanding the Black experience in America? In this episode of our Scholar Talk series "Black Intellectuals and the African American Experience," BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams is joined by Anika Prather, Professor of English at Howard University, to discuss the unique ways Cooper advocated for equal educational and economic opportunities of Black Americans. As a high school teacher and college professor at Black institutions, how did Cooper use Founding principles of equality and dignity to empower others?