Black History and Afrofuture with Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter

The Takeaway

WNYC and PRX

Politics, Wnyc, Daily News, Radio, Takeaway, National, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 716 Ratings

🗓️ 17 May 2023

⏱️ 15 minutes

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Summary

Ruth E. Carter made history when she became the first Black costume designer to win an Oscar, and the first Black woman to win two Oscars, both for her work on Marvel’s Black Panther franchise. She’s been the premier designer for movies that portray iconic Black characters and cultures for three decades, having worked with the likes of Spike Lee, Denzel Washington and Ava DuVernay even before her Black Panther triumphs. Carter recounts pivotal moments and reflects on her career in a new book, "The Art of Ruth E. Carter: Costuming Black History and the Afrofuture, from Do the Right Thing to Black Panther," from out May 23rd. Carter sat down with The Takeaway to talk about her visions of Black history and for Afrofutures.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Lulu here, whether we are romping through science, music, politics, technology, or feelings,
0:05.9	we seek to leave you seeing the world anew.
0:09.0	Radio Lab adventures right on the edge of what we think we know, wherever you get podcasts.
0:15.0	Welcome back to The Takeaway. I'm Melissa Harris Perry.
0:18.4	Fashion tells stories. And one Oscar-winning artist has been designing clothes to tell
0:24.4	black stories for decades. From our lived history to our imagined futures. She brought us the street
0:32.7	fashion of Spike Lees, do the right thing.
0:44.4	Recreated civil rights history in Ava DuVernay's Selma.
0:45.7	We must march.
0:47.4	We must stand up.
0:51.3	We must make a massive demonstration of our moral certainty. And manifested the world of Wakanda in both Black Panther films.
0:57.0	I never yielded it.
0:59.0	And as you can see, I am not dead.
1:03.0	My name is Ruth E. Carter, R-U-T-H-E-C-A-R-T-E-R.
1:09.0	I'm a costume designer. Make that two-time Oscar award-winning costume designer.
1:14.9	And the Oscar goes to Black Panther Ruth Carter! In 2019, Carter won for her designs for the
1:22.2	Marvel movie Black Panther. And in 2023, she did it again for Black Panther, Wakanda forever, making her the first
1:31.0	black woman to win two Oscars in any category, ever. Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the
1:39.7	superhero that is a black woman. Now Carter is releasing a book, The Art of Ruth E. Carter,
1:47.8	costuming black history and the Afro Future.
1:51.3	It's out on May 23rd.
1:53.8	She stopped by the takeaway for a chat,
	...

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