James Baldwin, Black Vernacular, and Why America Can't 'Just Move On' -- with Prof. Maurice Wallace
In this episode, Stan speaks with Prof. Maurice Wallace of Rutgers University about the enduring impact of James Baldwin, the evolution of Black American vernacular, and the complex relationship America has with its history of slavery and race. Prof. Wallace explores Baldwin’s profound influence on his own academic journey, how language and sound shape Black cultural identity, and why America continues to struggle with the legacy of emancipation, mass incarceration, and systemic inequality.
Through insights into literature, photography, and the “Black modernist soundscape,” this conversation reveals deeper truths about America’s culture, values, and identity.
Recommended reading from Prof. Wallace:
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
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From the conversation:
"It is convenient and easy to urge us all to move on. Every effort to move on will nevertheless remain haunted by the memory of a certain crime against humanity we'd love to pretend to be innocent in relationship to." -- James Baldwin, Black Vernacular, and Why America Can’t ‘Just Move On
"Slavery is an extreme manifestation of a very American way of mismanaging power. If we don't learn other ways of managing power, we're doomed to keep repeating it." -- James Baldwin, Black Vernacular, and Why America Can’t ‘Just Move On
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