In this episode, we hear from guest David Walton, history professor and founding director of the Global Black Studies program at Western Carolina University. Walton takes the listener back to his childhood, when he developed an interest in rea

S4, Episode 1: A Conversation with Historian of the Working People Naomi R Williams

Oct 26th, 2023 51m 28s

“Centering the voice of working people is so important to the work that I do.” -Dr. WilliamsIn this episode, host Augustus Wood talks to Labor Studies professor—and self-described “historian of the working people”—Naomi R Williams (Rutgers Univ

S3, Episode 2: Bill Fletcher Jr. on Strategies for Successful Organizing

Nov 1st, 2022 1h 3m

In the this episode, host Augustus Wood talks to legendary writer, scholar, and trade unionist Bill Fletcher Jr. They cover Fletcher’s storied life from his early years as a teen activist and then college, labor organizing, and leadership in th

S3, Episode 1: Joe William Trotter Jr. on the Story of Black Labor in Building Industrial America

Sep 7th, 2022 58m 28s

In this season opener, host Augustus Wood and guest Joe William Trotter Jr. (history and social justice, Carnegie Mellon University) engage in a deep discussion of Black working class history, grounded in Trotter's pathbreaking research and pub

S2, Episode 5: Alonzo Ward on the Hidden History of Black Labor in Illinois

Apr 26th, 2022 44m 16s

In Episode 5, guest Alonzo Ward (history, Eastern Illinois University) and host Augustus Wood explore the less well known threads of American labor history, specifically Black labor in Illinois. Beyond any easy, simplified reading of the past—

S2, Episode 4: Ruby Mendenhall on Trauma, Wellness, and Community-Centered Solutions

Mar 30th, 2022 41m 54s

Episode 4’s featured guest recently received the Pearl Birnbaum Hurwitz Award for Humanism in Healthcare, which honors a woman who exemplifies humanism and has advanced the well-being of underserved or vulnerable populations in the healthcare a

S2, Episode 3: Charisse Burden-Stelly

Mar 2nd, 2022 1h

“You're responsible for one whole bookshelf of mine,” Augustus Wood declares at one point in his interview of Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly, who takes listeners through a rich list of works and thinkers that have informed her scholarship. Walter R

S2, Episode 2: Edward Onaci, Author of Free the Land

Oct 26th, 2021 45m

Season Two of "Off the Shelf" continues with historian and Illinois alumnus Dr. Edward Onaci (Ursinus College), author of Free the Land: The Republic of New Afrika and the Pursuit of a Black Nation-State. Through his work, Onaci looks deeply i

S2, Episode 1: Ashley Howard on the Black Midwest

Oct 19th, 2021 49m 40s

Season Two of "Off the Shelf" opens with the fascinating and timely research of Professor Ashley Howard (University of Iowa), a historian whose analysis of 1960s urban rebellions in the Midwest sheds light on contemporary resistance movements t

S1, Episode 6: Stacey Robinson on Art, Hip-Hop, and Black Liberation

Jul 6th, 2021 53m 6s

"I have a lot more questions than answers, but I turn my questions into an art practice." In this episode, host Augustus Wood and Professor Stacey Robinson explore numerous threads—from James Baldwin and Frances Cress Welsing to hip-hop histori

S1, Episode 5: Ken E. Salo on Grounding Truth and Developing Consciousness

May 11th, 2021 59m 44s

What does it mean to be human at this moment in time, with rising resource inequality, the unaccountability of big tech, and a global pandemic exacerbating already-existing poverty? Professor Ken Salo and host Augustus Wood draw from a panoply

S1, Episode 4: Sundiata Cha-Jua on the "New Nadir"

Apr 20th, 2021 1h 15m

In Episode 4, Professor Sundiata Cha-Jua and host Augustus Wood explore Cha-Jua's concept of the "New Nadir," examining the impact of global capitalism on Black socioeconomics and community building. The discussion ranges from Cha-Jua's articl

S1, Episode 3: Helen Neville on Black Liberation through the Lens of Black Psychology

Apr 19th, 2021 44m 29s

Professor Helen Neville and host Augustus Wood explore Black liberation through the lens of Black psychology, discussing key research and ideas by Bill Cross (including Neville's work with him), Janet Helms, Frantz Fanon, Paulo Freire, and Del

S1, Episode 2: Teresa Barnes on Apartheid and Higher Education

Apr 19th, 2021 45m 56s

Professor Teresa Barnes and host Augustus Wood discuss Barnes' 2018 book Uprooting University Apartheid in South Africa: From Liberalism to Decolonization, while also exploring parallels between South Africa’s apartheid and the current politic

S1, Episode 1: Lou Turner on the Hal Baron Project

Apr 19th, 2021 1h

Professor Lou Turner and host Augustus Wood take a deep dive on the life and work of Harold "Hal" Baron (1930-2017). Baron was a Director of Research for the Chicago Urban League (1962-1968) and, later, public policy architect of the historic m

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