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Black History Year

THE WIZ, a Tale of Liberation, with Julian Walker

Black History Year

PushBlack

History, Society & Culture

4.32.1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 September 2023

⏱️ 61 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Previously, on Black History Year, we discovered in real-time that Jay of PushBlack had never seen The Wiz. While the rest of the PushBlack podcast team had some fun at Jay’s expense, little did we realize the fun would follow him all the way home, as revealed in this bonus episode of Black History Year. Podcast producer Len Webb and our audio engineer, Ronald Young Jr., sat down with Jay, aka Julian Walker of PushBlack, to discover why he stayed away from the 1978 film adaptation of the classic stage musical these many years, especially considering that he is a filmmaking and movie history scholar. We also discuss Julian's thoughts on the film as he equates The Wiz with PushBlack’s mission of centering and activating Black liberation in our people. The allegory he draws from his analysis is very intriguing. ____________________ Black History Year (BHY) is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company - hit us up at BlackHistoryYear.com and share this with your people! PushBlack exists because we saw we had to take this into our own hands. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com. Most people do 5 or 10 bucks a month, but everything makes a difference. Thanks for supporting the work. The BHY production team includes Tareq Alani, Brooke Brown, Tasha Taylor, Somalia Ra-min, Gabby Roberts, and Darren Wallace. Our producers are Cydney Smith and Len Webb for PushBlack. Black History Year’s executive producers are Lilly Workneh and Julian Walker for PushBlack. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

If you love Push Black's Black History Year, you'll love our newest podcast called Two Minute Black History.

0:09.0

In only two minutes, you'll hear little known stories about our people and reclaim the knowledge we need

0:16.0

to take action and advance our community.

0:20.0

To move towards the future, you've got to look to the past.

0:24.0

Learn the history you didn't get in school.

0:26.0

Tune in to Two Minute Black History, every Tuesday through Friday, right on the Black History Year feed,

0:32.0

and wherever you listen to podcasts.

0:36.0

Previously on Black History Year, mythologists Lee Sumpter sat down with Jay of Push Black to discuss how to survive and apocalypse.

1:01.0

When the subject of the whiz came up,

1:04.0

then I think that sort of limits what we're able to both do now and imagine in the future.

1:10.0

So I'm going to believe that we have a certain origin story, which for us in America I think is a,

1:15.0

our origins are in slavery for many of us, that's where it starts.

1:19.0

But I believe even going to history, getting in touch with a new origin story, a new mythology of how things came to be.

1:25.0

In addition to those that have existed across time, is a powerful way.

1:31.0

It could be a powerful way of really transforming our now in the future.

1:36.0

Yeah, you know, it's funny as you were talking.

1:41.0

I have to admit that one of the images that popped into my head was the image of Michael Jackson as the scarecrow on the pole and whiz.

1:53.0

I don't know if you've seen the film. Have you seen the film?

1:56.0

I've seen the image of not seeing the film. Don't tell anybody.

2:00.0

You know, I'm not going to take anybody's black card today.

2:04.0

Not on your podcast. I won't do that.

2:07.0

I will say next time, but I will say that it's a very important image.

...

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