Sitting with the renowned Chicago-based scholar, Timuel D. Black Jr. (1918-2021)
About the Author
Sonja D. Williams is a professor in the Howard University Department of Media, Journalism and Film in Washington, DC. She has worked as a broadcast journalist and media trainer in the Caribbean, Africa and throughout the United States, receiving numerous
Word Warrior
Called “marvelously written and completely captivating,” this 2016 Phillis Wheatley Book Awards finalist documents the life of gifted broadcast dramatist, journalist and activist, Richard Durham. Artists like Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, Oscar Brown, Jr. and Studs Terkel – along with boxing champion
My Work
Several of Sonja D. Williams’ broadcast productions have been award winning, including a 2009 Gracie Award for her work as a Co-Executive Producer of Uncrowned Queens: Voices of African American Women, a 13-part radio series about extraordinary black women community
Jazz and April
Despite the anxiety-provoking month that April has been thus far – politically, economically and environmentally – April also is a time to celebrate.
It’s Jazz Appreciation Month, as established by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Musuem of American History (NMAH) in 2001. For 25 years, the museum and other entities around the country have celebrated the treasures that the music known as jazz offers to all who would listen.
So why not check out the remaining events the Smithsonian has scheduled honoring jazz creators and performers? To see what the NMAH has cooked up, click here.
And if you’d like to hear a few of the shows from NPR’s Peabody Award-winning Jazz Profiles series, please click here. Nancy Wilson, the late, gifted singer and artist, lovingly hosted the series that focused on the musical lives and innovations of jazz giants.
Please also note that Thursday, April 30, 2026 is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO’s) International Jazz Day. This year’s host city is Chicago, Illinois, and guidng the day’s activities are UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany and legendary composer/pianist Herbie Hancock.
Oh, and FYI, my profile of singer, composer and bandleader Betty Carter is included in the Jazz Profiles link above.
Enjoy!
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Celebrating Black History: On Earth and Among the Stars
Happy Black History Month!
You might recognize the faces of the many African American actors pictured here who brought the fictional stories of Space (and Deep Space) travel to life in the long standing Star Trek franchise.
May you boldly explore the mulitlayered universe of the often groundbreaking accomplishments and history of Black Americans this month.
And may you, in the words of Lt. Spock, “live long and prosper!”