Legacies of Black Pioneers: The Problem with Black Excellence with Ada Akpala

The Dissidents

In this series of the Dissidents Podcast, Legacies of Black Pioneers, we speak with Ada Akpala of the Equiano Project on her problem with the term “black excellence”. Co-hosts, Winkfield Twyman, Jr. & Jennifer Richmond speak often of black resilience and triumph in their book, Letters in Black and White. After reading Ada's piece, My Problem with the Term Black Excellence, Wink sent her a note saying, "Jen has used the phrase "black excellence" in a recent tweet. I have devoted a month to exploring Pioneer Black Lawyers. Maybe, Jen and I missed the mark..."

We talk with Ada about the limitations of a well-intended phrase, black excellence. Does the phrase frame blackness in a negative light? Are there circumstances where black excellence conveys a constructive and positive good? Our discussion takes us from London to Virginia and Nigeria. Does black excellence make sense in a world containing over 1 billion people of Sub-Saharan descent? The question deserves more than a yes or a no answer. Enjoy a thoughtful conversation about a word many take for granted, black excellence.

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Resources:

My Problem with the Term Black Excellence, Ada Akpala

Letters in Black and White, Winkfield Twyman, Jr & Jennifer Richmond

The Problem with 'Black Community', Ada Akpala on the Patience Xina podcast

The Equiano Project