“Our democracy flourishes when we see and value one another—and we only do that when we share our stories and take time to listen.”
Kevin Lindsey, CEO MHC
The Givens Foundation views literature as a pathway to liberation. In this episode Lissa and her guest, Kevin Lindsay, kick off a new season of Black Market Reads, exploring how reading Black authors can expand civic imagination, strengthen identity, and inspire action.
In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson introduced Negro History Week to build a durable, year-round engagement with Black history and cultural memory. One hundred years later, we are honoring that vision by activating a public humanities initiative proving that Black history lives all year long, not just in February.
In this series of Black Market Reads, The Givens Foundation for African American Literature, partners with the Minnesota Humanities Center to explore the intersection where African American literature and the public humanities meet. Join us as we launch this centennial initiative, diving into the core of what the humanities mean for our collective future.
GO DEEPER
Watch
Learn more about Dr. Carter G. Woodson and the origins of Black History Month
Kevin talks about the movie Birth of a Nation and it’s impact
Read
Kevin and Lissa talk about the Clayton Jackson McGie memorial, comemorating the mob murder of three circus workers. The Duluth lynchings took place during an era of white supremacy, legal discrimination, and extreme violence against people of color. Learn more…
Listen
Kevin refers to the contributions of Josie R. Johnson, a Black woman from Texas who became one of the most well-known civil rights activists in Minnesota. Her book Hope in the Struggle, co-authored with Carolyn Holbrook and Arleta Little, details seven remarkable decades of fighting for fairness in voting, housing, education, and employment.
Check out Lissa’s Black Market Reads conversation with the authors.
Discuss
Go Deeper #1: Humanities as Democracy Infrastructure
Kevin argues that democracy depends on more than voting—it depends on trust, relationships, and understanding. How do storytelling, literature, and shared history help create the social fabric necessary for self-government?
Go Deeper #2: Who Controls the Narrative?
The conversation explores Carter G. Woodson’s response to harmful portrayals of Black Americans and the importance of communities telling their own stories. What happens when people lose control of their narrative? What changes when they reclaim it?
Go Deeper #3: Learning from Difficult History
The discussion of the Duluth lynchings and Max Mason’s posthumous pardon demonstrates how historical truth-telling can support healing and reconciliation. What role should education play in confronting painful chapters of history?
Go Deeper #4: Art as a Public Humanities Practice
Kevin references photography, music, filmmaking, visual art, and writing as tools—or “weapons”—for social change. Which artistic medium speaks most powerfully to you, and how can it be used to build understanding in your community?
Go Deeper #5: The Next Generation
Kevin emphasizes passing stories to young people, believing that today’s learners will become tomorrow’s changemakers. What stories from your community need to be shared with the next generation right now?
Enjoy!
Black Market Reads is a product of The Givens Foundation for African American Literature produced in partnership with iDream.tv. Funding for this series, focusing on literature and the humanities, is provided by the Minnesota Humanities Center.
Our production team for this episode includes co-producers Lissa Jones and Edie French, technical director Paul Auguston, the voice Yo Derek, and our artist of inspiration Ta-coumba T. Aiken.