The Tara Lake Show

Thank you so much for joining me for this season conclusion of the Tara Lake Show.

I appreciate your taking the time to join me on this journey – a special, 8 episode season. As the project closes, I’m thinking about dreams: The ones we have for ourselves, for our families, for our nations and for this planet we call home. 

During the season, I shared stories that inspired my interest, my admiration, and my concern.  And looking ahead I’ve been thinking about our pathway toward solutions.  How do we envision our world evolving, and what part do we want to play? I’m thinking about this in terms of the stories I plan to bring my friends and listeners, people like you who care about where we are headed and what we can do at this very critical juncture in our history. When we dare to dream, we can face the most difficult of circumstances without losing hope.  We can face down social inequity, political injustice, and economic uncertainty with dignity and strength.  We can find solutions within our families, our social structures and our religious communities, and we can build a new and more just reality.

This episode highlights the dreams of our neighbors, and celebrates the lives of activists who did not let the most dire of circumstances put an end to their dreams. As a result, they changed the lives of thousands.

I’d love to know — What are you dreaming of, Listener? What kind of world would you like to build?

Thanks so much, again, for taking the time to listen this season. Please stay well, healthy & happy – And Keep Dreaming!

Dr. Matilda Evans

Mrs. Fannie B. Peck

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Thank you for joining me this week for the conclusion of this special series on poet, author, activist, and educator Frances E.W. Harper. Just last week, we marked the 196th anniversary of Frances E. W. Harper, on September 24. As we continue to celebrate her impact as a visionary leader and thinker during this season of gratitude and remembrance, it’s an honor to bring you this special interview with Dr. Utz McKnight. Dr. McKnight is Associate Professor in Political Science and Chair of the Department of Gender and Race Studies at the University of Alabama. His book Frances E. W. Harper: A Call To Conscience, was published in December of 2020 on Polity Press.

Dr. McKnight discussed the enormity of Harper’s legacy as a a thriving activist, literary artist, author, orator, community leader, and educator. He highlighted the role of race and gender in her reception by the general public and by leaders in Nineteenth Century African American protest movements, and he also discussed Harper’s most popular fictional work, revealing more about what it offers for readers today.

More About This Podcast At: www.TaraLakeShow.com

Link: Dr. McKnight’s Web Page

Dr. McKnight’s Book: Frances E. W. Harper: A Call To Conscience

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Welcome back to the Tara Lake show!

This is the third installment of my series on Frances E.W. Harper, which celebrates the oratory of the Nineteenth Century Philadelphian and African American poet, author, abolitionist and suffragist. It has been an honor to share this series in recognition of Harper’s amazing work, which spanned decades, crossed two centuries, and continues to impact us so meaningfully today. This series ran from the spring through the fall of 2020, and this third and final installment coincided with the occasion of America’s Election Day weekend in November, 2020. I created this series — serving as writer, editor, producer and voice performer — to illuminate the power of Harper’s language in her extraordinary, decades-long crusade for justice. Harper’s speeches provide a unique perspective into the political, social, and cultural landscape of the Nineteenth Century. Frances E.W. Harper’s steadfast commitment to truth allowed her to call out injustice and racism in ways that are rarely heard even today.

Please visit www.TaraLakeShow.com for more information.

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Thanks so much for joining me for this week’s episode of the Tara Lake show.
Today, as part of this special eight-episode season, I’m excited to share the second installment in my three part series on poet, author, and activist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Last week, we learned a bit more about this inspiring pioneer and her role in history, and we explored some of her poetry. Harper began publishing in poetry in 1845, at the age of 20, and later became known for her fiction as well. She utilized her fiction to inspire, uplift, and educate audiences — and to dramatize the social issues that motivated her work and activism. Frances E.W. Harper lived and worked in Philadelphia for decades in the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century, and I produced this project for Philadelphia radio audiences. As producer, writer, editor, voice performer, I added elements of audio theatre to this production. We are truly fortunate to have Frances E. W. Harper’s work with us today. More than 130 years on, Harper’s serialized novels speak powerfully to the present.

Please visit www.TaraLakeShow.com for more information.

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