For this episode I am joined by Jemma DeCristo to discuss her excellent new text The Aesthetic Character of Blackness: Sounds like Us. Its a powerful intervention into conversations around Blackness, Black art, and aesthetics which “critiques the exaltation of black culture and art’s saving power by analyzing the violence underneath aesthetic production”. Its a truly necessary work and our conversation while rich only scratches the surface of her wonderful text, so I encourage you all to get a copy!

There is also a digital copy for folks if they want to check it out, but I highly encourage folks pick up the text

Hope you all enjoy!

Jemma DeCristo is a writer, scholar…and reluctant artist. She studies how sound, race-gender, and embodiment are realized in and as forms of mediation. Her recently published book now available on Duke University Press, The Aesthetic Character of Blackness, theorizes the means by which black art liberates the free world but does not and cannot liberate black people. She is also working on a co-written second book-length project focused on the language and structures of crisis management that encircle black trans/disabled women and the depths of internalization of those structures perpetuated by the non-profit industrial complex. Jemma is also a practicing filmmaker and artist working in video, sound, text, poetry, image, and movement.

To get a jump on the shows a few days early, bonus video episodes every month, deeper dives into text and works with revolutionary content and political art study groups check out Mtume’s Patreon and become a subscriber!

Additionally, check out my new colaboration The Imperial 80’s, a series I co-hosted with Jared Ware of Millenials are Killing Capitalism. We take a dive into the wild world of 80’s Hollywood and uncover what it has to say about this imperial project called The United States. You can find us on Patreon and make sure to follow the channel if you want to catch the livestreams

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