577: Michael Jeffries – Reimagining Queer Black Life

Times are insane. It can make you want to hide, stop watching the news, and pretend you are something that you're not. But it's not easy to do that when you are black and queer. Your skin color literally gives you away, and then when it's revealed that your queer...lawd help ya. Breaking the mold and having candid conversations about being Black and Queer on Campus, is Dr. Michael P. Jeffries, Dean of Academic Affairs Wellesley College - ally and advocate for black and queer rights - because it is just morally the place to be. Catch this inspiring conversation about doing what's right for equality in America.

About Michael

Dr. Michael P. Jeffries is Dean of Academic Affairs, Class of 1949 Professor in Ethics, and Professor of American Studies at Wellesley College. He holds a PhD from Harvard University and works at the intersection of race, culture, and politics. Dr. Jeffries is the author of four books. Black and Queer on Campus (NYU Press, 2023) provides an inside look at Black LGBTQ college students and their experiences. Behind the Laughs: Community and Inequality in Comedy (Stanford University Press, 2017) explores the world of professional comedy, where social and professional demands force artists to build strong communities in an industry divided along lines of race, class, and gender. Paint the White House Black: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Race in America (Stanford University Press, 2013) uses Obama's presidency to demonstrate how race relies on other social forces, like gender and class, for its meaning and impact. Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop (University of Chicago Press, 2011) puts the spotlight on hip-hop fans and describes how everyday listeners define hip-hop and use it in their lives. Dr. Jeffries has published dozens of essays and works of criticism in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian, and The Boston Globe, and has been interviewed by The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR, and other outlets. He is a regular contributor on television and radio at Boston's public broadcasting station, WGBH.

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