logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2021
26m 14s

A Word: Lights, Camera, Revolution

Slate Podcasts
About this episode

Decades before Moonlight, Black Panther, or anything from Spike Lee, Black film artists worked through and around the studio system to bring their visions to the big screen. Now the Black Film Archive has brought together classics from 1915 to 1979. Its creator Maya Cade joins Jason Johnson on A Word to talk about the importance of African Americans connecting with movies from the past.

Guest: Maya Cade, creator of Black Film Archive and audience development specialist for the Criterion Collection

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
What Next: TBD | The People Suing ICE
Though ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services denied their Freedom of Information Act requests, these journalists aren’t giving up without a fight—not until they get their hands on a document that outlines how much information ... Show More
25m 14s
Oct 9
Political Gabfest | Portland is Not Actually Burning
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the extremely consequential new Supreme Court term beginning this week, the facts on the ground and the legal questions at play behind Trump’s escalating deployments of troops to US cities, and the likely legal def ... Show More
1h 4m
Oct 9
What Next | The People Joining ICE
ICE needs more agents to meet Trump’s promised deportation numbers. But is loosening standards and shortening training time to get more agents on the street a good idea, when ICE’s work is becoming more controversial, confrontational, and dangerous? Guest: Robert Klemko, Washingt ... Show More
26m 48s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2021
Black Christmas Movie Bonanza
It’s the holiday season, which means it’s time to press play on your favorite Christmas movies. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by essayist and pop culture critic Rebecca Theodore-Vachon to talk about what really makes a Black Christmas movie, and which clas ... Show More
22m 22s
Apr 2022
Black Lives Matter: More Money, More Problems?
The Black Lives Matter movement has emerged as a major political force. Now, questionable spending by the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation has sparked questions about whether key movement leaders have lost their way. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is join ... Show More
35m 51s
Nov 2022
Elvis Mitchell on 'Is That Black Enough For You?!?'
Larry is joined by writer and filmmaker Elvis Mitchell to discuss his new documentary on Netflix, 'Is That Black Enough For You?!?', which focuses on the unsung heroes of African-American cinema during the 1960s and '70s. They begin their conversation by talking about the genesis ... Show More
1h 19m
May 2023
How the BlackBerry Got Squashed
This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen start by talking about the movie BlackBerry. Then they discuss the new Peacock series Bupkis. Finally, Slate’s Isaac Butler sits in to talk about the questions around Shakespeare’s identity that refuse to die. In Slate Plus, Steve's recent move ... Show More
58m 29s
Feb 2023
A Word: Surviving “Driving While Black”
For many Americans, the “Green Book” is an Oscar-winning film. But for generations of Black Americans, it served as a literal map for traveling through an often hostile and hateful country, finding safety and businesses that would serve us. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Joh ... Show More
29m 30s
Feb 2022
A Word: Homegrown Black History
Searching for truthful versions of Black history can be tough, especially as honest lessons about racism are caught up in the controversy over Critical Race Theory. In his new book Who Are Your People?, political commentator Bakari Sellers delivers Black history to a generation o ... Show More
26m 18s
May 2020
The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
The Last of the Mohicans was a big hit in the year it was released. It made over $70m in the box office. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe in an epic period romance action drama set in the west during the French and Indian War. What would audiences think of the film i ... Show More
43m 58s
May 2024
Zeinab Badawi on an African History of Africa, Part Two
This is the second instalment of a three-part conversation. Too often historians have told the history of Africa through the prism of colonialism. But what picture of the continent emerges when we do away with making the story of Africa so anchored in European colonialism? Award- ... Show More
39m 42s