298: Author Dr. Tara Green of the Book Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson

Black Girl Nerds

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we interview author Dr. Tara Green to discuss her book Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson .
In this first-ever biography about the life and work of Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Green reveals the remarkable story of the love one Black woman had for her race, of men and women, and, finally, of herself. Born in New Orleans in 1875 to a mother who was a former slave and a father of questionable identity, Alice Dunbar-Nelson was a pioneering woman who actively addressed racial and gender inequalities as a writer, suffragette, educator, and activist.
Green builds on Black feminist, sexuality, historical and cultural studies to create a literary biography that examines Dunbar-Nelson’s life and legacy as a respectable activist – a woman who navigated complex challenges associated with resisting racism and sexism, and who defined her sexual identity and sexual agency within the confines of respectability politics. It’s a book about the past, but it’s also a book about the present that nods to the future.
Host: Ryanne
Music by: Sammus
Edited by: Jamie Broadnax