Spoiler Alert: We spoil all of Amazon Prime’s Master, starring Regina Hall, not to be confused with Regina King, which Constance does the entire episode. In addition to spoilers, Jo Hsu (https://www.vjohsu.com) and Constance Bailey (linktr.ee/constancerbailey) chat with special guests Niketa Reed, Executive Director of Arkansas Soul (argotsoul.com) and Professor JL Adolph of Georgia State University’s Perimeter College and host of YouTube’s Dad Cypher (social media links at the end of the show notes). Constance and JL are friends from their grad school days at Mizzou so about half the show is them going back and forth like Skip and Shannon (sports show reference). In addition, each scholar gives their big takeaways. JL references Amiri Baraka’s “The Changing Same,” sleepwalking, and transformation-among other things. Niketa talks mammy symbolism and the restriction on knowledge through an uncomfortable library scene, which Constance then connects to historic barriers to literacy for Black Americans. Jo explores the intersection between their research on coalition building and Niketa’s question about Asian American characters being white-aligned. Jo argues that this proximity to whiteness has strategically been created through anti-Black rhetoric. Constance goes on about fifteen tangents, but she ultimately believes the film asks Black women scholars, what are the choices that they can live with. Other topics touched on in the episode were the tenure process, AP publishing standards, Rachel Dolezal and performing racial identity, microaggressions, the obligatory Black people head nod, in group behavior, Dr. Roxanne Gay and Nikole-Hannah Jones’ comments at Virginia Tech’s Faculty Women of Color in the Academy conference (FWCA)-which is for faculty, students, and administrators and it’s amazing so Constance says everyone needs to go, and MUCH MUCH more. You can follow the podcast on social media at https://twitter.com/The_UnpackThis or email us at theunpackthispodcast@gmail.com Follow JL Adolph on any of his social media:
Professor Adolph’s social media links:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJkzs7oxbzbr3_w3aHiR1Vg
https://www.facebook.com/groups/332921840929745
https://www.instagram.com/dad_cypher/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jladolph1906/
https://www.tiktok.com/@dadcypher