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In this week’s episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we interview author Dr. Tara Green to discuss her book Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson .
In this first-ever biography about the life and work of Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Green reveals the remarkable story of the love one Black woman had for her race, of men and women, and, finally, of herself. Born in New Orleans in 1875 to a mother who was a former slave and a father of questionable identity, Alice Dunbar-Nelson was a pioneering woman who actively addressed racial and gender inequalities as a writer, suffragette, educator, and activist.
Green builds on Black feminist, sexuality, historical and cultural studies to create a literary biography that examines Dunbar-Nelson’s life and legacy as a respectable activist – a woman who navigated complex challenges associated with resisting racism and sexism, and who defined her sexual identity and sexual agency within the confines of respectability politics. It’s a book about the past, but it’s also a book about the present that nods to the future.
Host: Ryanne
Music by: Sammus
Edited by: Jamie Broadnax
As children, we often see our mothers as one-dimensional. It is sometimes hard to separate them being our parents from their realities as women. Fresh off the heels of Mother’s Day, DeVon Franklin’s new tribute to the Black women in his life may inspire you to look at yours with a fresh perspective.
BGN spoke with Franklin via video chat to discuss why he developed It Takes a Woman, Kingdom Business, and created content that uplifts the human spirit.
What is It Takes a Woman about?
This book is one of the most personal, open, honest, transparent books I’ve done. It’s all about how it takes a woman for us to be who we are as men — for us to be where we are as families and as a community. We would be nowhere if it was not for the women in our lives.
With this audiobook that I’m doing through Audible, I wanted to tell how the tragedy of my father was a catalyst for my mother to bring in help from my great aunts to really surround me and my brothers to make sure that we didn’t become a statistic.
We tell our family story. We tell how this tragedy brought everybody together. Then you get more insight on [each aunt’s] and my mom’s story. I really wanted to do this project to celebrate women, honor women, and preserve the voices and the impact women had in our culture and community.
What inspired you to share this story now?
It was from a series of events. Audible had approached me about doing this book, and when they mentioned it, I said, “Yeah, you know, I’d love to tell that story.” I went to my mom and my great aunts that are still alive and asked, “Would you be open to participating in this book?” They were like, “Yeah, well, if you pay us, we’ll do whatever you want.” [Laughs].
So I said, “All right. Let me close the deal with you; you know, put a little something in your pocket.” I did, and they were just so honored to be able to participate and tell their stories. I love it, and I’m just so grateful and excited for people to hear it and grateful for the opportunity to have been able to do it.
You call those ladies your “village of love.” What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from them?
There are so many lessons, which is why I did this book; so that everyone can hear the lessons for themselves. One of the lessons that always has stuck with me that Aunt Donna says is you have to live it to learn it.
So often, you can intellectually think about something or approach it theologically but ultimately there are certain things in this thing called life you’re not going to learn until you live it. I didn’t understand what she meant until I started living life, and I said, “Oh, now I understand you gotta live it to learn it.” That has stuck with me from the day that she mentioned that to this very day.
What new truths did you discover about yourself or your village through this process?
I’ve spent countless hours with [my mom and aunts], yet I don’t think I’ve ever stopped to ask them more about their story, their experience in life, and how they felt about it. Through producing this Audible book, It Takes A Woman, I could hear their stories, ask them questions I never asked before, and hear things that they experienced I didn’t know.
That was really powerful for me to be the recipient of not just the wisdom but the pain and the transparency and the experience they have had. That was really a new revelation for me that there was much more to that they had to offer that I may have never known had I not had the opportunity to do this.
You have a new scripted series coming to BET+. Tell us about Kingdom Business.
Kingdom Business is a new TV series that I am the executive producer of for BET and BET+, producing it alongside the great Kirk Franklin and Dr. Holly Carter. It comes out on BET+ on May 19, 2022. It’s like Empire but set in the world of gospel music, so y’all better watch out!
It leaves no stone unturned in terms of drama. Yolanda Adams stars in it, and let me tell you something; y’all think you know Yolanda. You don’t. The character she plays is Donita Jordan, and Cookie Lyons has nothing on Donita Jordan. We have Serayah in it who’s an amazing rising star.
We have Chaundre, who’s a new actor on the scene. We have Michael Beach and Michael Jai White. La’Myia Good. We have a phenomenal cast. Kirk also plays a role. We have so many people in this series, and I cannot wait for people to see this. It’s eight one-hour episodes all on BET+; you can binge to your heart’s content. I guarantee you will want a season two.
You have the book available on Audible, a television series on BET+, and your latest book, Live Free, was just released in paperback. What’s next?
Movies, TV appearances, and new books. I got a lot coming and as long as I have the opportunity to create and the outlets that allow me to get that creation to the world, I’m gonna keep creating. I’m gonna keep trying to do everything I can to uplift the human spirit. That’s what it’s all about. We are in some difficult times, and I’m crazy enough to believe that content can change lives. I feel the responsibility of being in this position and trying to do something positive with it.
It Takes a Woman is currently available on Audible and Kingdom Business will be available to stream from BET+ on, May 19, 2022.
Today it has been reported via Variety that the CW series Naomi has been canceled.
The CW upfronts are this week and this news came following the cancellations of other CW shows such as Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow.
This past week BGN recently spoke with actor Kaci Walfall, who plays the titular character Naomi about the season finale. You can hear the full episode of the podcast below:
Kaci Walfall is an actor, known for Person of Interest (2011), The Equalizer (2021) and Naomi (2022). Walfall made her Broadway debut at age 9 as Young Nala in The Lion King, and at age 11 she originated the role of Lavender in the First National Tour of ‘Matilda’.
Naomi started as a comic book series created by David F. Walker and Brian Michael Bendis with artwork created by Jamal Campbell. In the TV adaptation, Naomi is a cool, confident, comic book-loving teenager who pursues her hidden destiny. When a supernatural event shakes her small hometown of Port Oswego, Naomi sets out to uncover its origins, with a little help from her fiercely loyal best friend Annabelle.
Currently, fans are lobbying to have the recently canceled Batwoman be picked up by HBO Max using the hashtag #HBOMaxSaveBatwoman. Billboards are being posted in New York City to show their diligent determination to keep Ryan Wilder — the first Black female LGBTQ superhero in her own solo series on screen.
— ?ɐᗰ๓ (@sprnklzR4wnnrs) May 12, 2022
ANOTHER ONE@JaviciaLeslie @meagantandy @RachieSkarsten @CamrusJ @NicoleKang #SaveBatwoman #HBOMaxSaveBatwoman
40th St & 8th Ave NW Corner NY
booking: @thevaporz1
art: @italymystery
setup: @ByJadeHendrix: @sushita
thankful for all of you
pic.twitter.com/LqGXJfw2ST
— The Vaporz
It looks like Gotham in NYC today!! Thanks to everyone who’s made a contribution so far for the billboards. We’re just getting started! #SaveBatwoman #HBOMaxSaveBatwoman @hbomax @warnerbrostv @Caseybloys @BatwomanWriters @JaviciaLeslie pic.twitter.com/cm9PWILZOy
(@thevaporz1) May 6, 2022
No other details have been shared as of yet about the fate of either show at this time.
Summer travel is revving up, and Europe will be a popular destination for summer vacations. A trip to Europe can take you back in time. Admiring the timeless Rome Collsuseum or have you marveling at the richest collection of art in the world from the Louvre. Yet beyond the glamour of the Eiffel tower, Europe offers travelers a unique culinary experience.
Visiting places like London or Italy prompts you to indulge in staple foods such as fish and chips or pasta. But what if you could visit Europe and please your taste buds with the unique flavors of West African and Soul food? Yes, you might be skeptical, but over the years, there’s been an influx of Black restaurants across popular destinations.
If Europe is on your summer list, here are some Black/African restaurants you must try.
Paris, France
Paris has a thriving Black culture scene. From an array of Black tours to a nightlife filled with Afro-beats DJs, Black culture is alive and well in the city of romance. So, of course, food has become an integral part of the scene.
BMK-Paris is a well-known Afro-chic restaurant in Paris. As well as Jah-Jah an Afro vegan restaurant that caters to your taste buds with spices and seasonings from different parts of Africa. But if you’re looking for some good ol’ American Southern flavor, you can find it at Gumbo Yaya.
Gumbo Yaya was founded in 2015 by Lionel Chauvel-Maga. He got his inspiration for the restaurant during his various trips visiting his aunts in Georgia. Growing up with a mixture of French culture from his dad and American culture from his mom, his menu options reflect the blending of two cultures. Soul food mixed with French cuisine.
Dublin, Ireland
“A thing or person that can not be shut out by darkness” is what is represented by the restaurant “Irawo” meaning star in the Yoruba language. This Afro-fusion restaurant blends flavors and spices from both Irish and African cultures. Sending your taste buds on a journey of African bean dishes and signature Irish meat and vegetables.
Edinburgh, Scotland
This French-Caribbean restaurant, owned by Buumba Mweetw, brings you mouth-watering salt and fresh water meals. The menu has a variety of Caribbean favorites such as Jerk chicken, almond and coconut fish, and, of course, fried plantains. French decadents such as Traditional French cassoulet with Toulouse sausage and a Blue Cheese Salad are also on the menu.
For a different dining experience with appetizing Kenyan food, Knight’s Kitchen has a lot to offer. Their mainly plant-based menu offers home-cooked soul food derived from traditional Kenyan meals. This family-run business operates as a pick-up-only restaurant. You can order the food in advance and pick it up during your stroll in Edinburgh.
Italy
The pizza and the pasta are two very good stand-alone reasons to visit Italy. Amongst the carbonara and the pizza, Black culture influences Italy’s unmatched culinary scene.
One way is through IBRIS, a Black-owned pizzeria. The owner, an Italian immigrant Ibrahim Songne came from Burkina Faso and went through a drastic cultural shift. This included overcoming cultural shock, a speech impediment, and the objections of a Black man owning a pizza restaurant. Despite it all, Songne has achieved culinary success. He created pizzas by using locally sourced products with bold flavors such as potato cream, saffron, and chickpeas.
Once you get your pizza fix, you can check out Corey’s Soul Chicken. This well-known restaurant is currently between locations but was previously a popular place. Corey, from Kentucky, keeps the tradition of southern fried chicken alive with a family recipe of all-American ingredients. If you’re wondering if they’ll re-open by your next trip, you can follow their Facebook page where Corey stays active with restaurant updates.
Madrid, Spain
The capital of Spain has two Ethiopian restaurants. Restaurante Etíope Gonder and Restaurante Etíope Nuria. These restaurants offer authentic Ethiopian cuisine with injera (Ethiopian flatbread) and an array of colorful vegan and vegetarian dishes.
Barcelona, Spain
Spice BCN blends cultures using local produce from Spain and herbs and spices from Africa and the Caribbean. It opened its doors in November of 2016 and has fulfilled its mission of making customers feel at home. They aim to help South Africans living or traveling abroad feel at home and make non-South Africans want to visit.
Lisbon, Portugal
Djairsound is a restaurant with a taste of Cape-Verdean paired with Lusophone music. With a 4.5 star rating on Tripadvisor, guests from across Europe have appreciated their authentic African food and its welcoming atmosphere.
Gingolé Restaurant has the motto: “it’s the flavor that unites us.” It’s the flavors of Angola and Portuguese that have made this restaurant a must-try when in Lisbon. A signature dish to try is the calulu de peixe, an Angolan fish and vegetable stew.
Amsterdam, Holland
African kitchen is a restaurant that offers a house specialty of Nigerian entrees. Along with offering a mixture of West African and international cuisine. This restaurant serves more than food but offers a genuine hospitable African experience. Some of the specialties include rice and fish dishes, along with fufu. A stable West African food comprised of dough made from boiled and pounded starchy foods such as pounded plantains, cassava, or malanga.
In addition to preserving Black culture, these restaurants help break the barriers between cultures. Inviting natives, travelers, and tourists to experience and taste aspects of Black and African culture.