S E1258: In Class with Carr, Ep. 258: Blackest History Month III: Playing the American 'Great Game'

This Is Karen Hunter

Knarrative

Empowerment, Africana Studies, Greg Carr, Karen Hunter, History, Education, Society & Culture

4.5 • 888 Ratings

🗓️ 27 June 2025

⏱️ 118 minutes

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Summary

As we enter the second half of Blackest History Month 2025, we reflect on themes of power, influence, culture, and resistance, particularly within the context of Black thought, history, and contemporary developments in the US and global social structures. The contrast between figures like Kendrick Lamar (highlighted during the Super Bowl) and Donald Trump illustrates how power often intersects with whiteness, capitalism, and entertainment to shape public consciousness. This is especially evident in major advertising events like the Super Bowl, where creating a cultural moment and capturing attention become paramount. Meanwhile, the increasing channeling of public resources into promoting visions of white supremacy and hypercapitalism has intensified to the point of impunity, daring the rest of us to resist it.

Martin Kilson’s observation about shifts in African American intellectual and creative circles from pursuing power to emphasizing and commoditizing culture provides a lens through which we can examine intersections of cultural meaning-making and struggle. What happens when contemporary power dynamics—particularly regarding white nationalism and the redirection of both public and private resources—reduce Black Power to mere cultural posturing? Absent the deliberate connection of Movement and Memory to strengthening Africana Governance formations, can cultural influence contribute meaningfully to organizing, resisting, and building for the long term? Or is “playing the great American game” a never-ending cycle of diminishing returns?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	this is karen hunter and welcome to in class with car this is a space where during the pandemic
0:07.7	we imagined what it would look like to teach a class online that would be for the world and it
0:14.4	started with a simple question can i press record it was a question that i asked of the people's professor
0:19.9	dr gray car At the time,
0:22.0	he was the head of Africana Studies at Howard University. He's still teaching the world. And in this
0:26.8	space, we have been going strong since 2020. And it has been amazing. So tune in to In Class
0:33.8	with Carr. And thank you for joining us. You can follow us by the way at
0:37.9	Narrative with a K. Join us Narrative with a K. The K is silent like knowledge. K
0:43.0	N-A-R-R-A-T-I-V-E narrative.com. If you want to have a deeper relationship with us,
0:49.5	join us there. Stay tuned.
0:52.0	Okay. Good everything, everybody.
0:56.7	Happy black history.
0:59.1	Hi, Dr. Carr.
1:00.7	Hey, Professor Hunter.
1:02.2	I love this.
1:03.3	This is the latest,
1:04.8	love it,
1:06.1	the blackest black history world.
1:08.1	24-7, 365.
1:10.8	Nubia.
1:11.7	There we are.
1:12.5	Yes.
	...

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