Talk It Up Tuesday

A featured event of PRIDE and Service Week 2023 will be Talk It Up Tuesday, an event inspired by CAARAC’s popular Black Tea Series, a program that, at its core, encourages everyone to read quality books written by Black authors. For the Series, the cultural focus helps not only to nurture public appreciation of the works of Black authors, but provides a platform where by Black people can feel validated as human beings in stories told by Black authors. Scheduled for Tuesday, June 13, 2023, Talk It Up Tuesday will introduce local audiences to author, Dr. Daniel Omotoshio Black, Ph.D., and topics derived from his latest collection of life-informed essays collectively titled Black on Black: On Our Resilience and Brilliance in America. The Talk It Up Tuesday event is made possible, in part, by the Onyx Coalition. Participation is FREE; however, advance reservations are required.

ABOUT THE TALK IT UP TUESDAY AUTHOR – DR. DANIEL OMOTOSHIO BLACK, PH.D.

Award-winning author and educator, Dr. Daniel Omotoshio Black, Ph.D. will take the mic on June 13, 2023 at The Kress Building, 39 Dexter Avenue in Montgomery, Alabama at 5 PM for Talk It Up Tuesday. Dr. Black is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, but spent the majority of his childhood years in Blackwell, Arkansas. His affinity for academic study, history, people, and language was recognized early resulting in a full scholarship to Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he majored in English. He was also awarded the Oxford Modern British Studies Scholarship affording him the opportunity to study at the renowned Oxford University in England. Upon graduation from Clark College (magna cum laude in 1988), he was granted a full graduate fellowship to Temple University in pursuit of a Ph.D. in African-American Studies. After completing his primary academic studies in 1993, Dr. Black returned to Clark College in order to help establish the tradition of top-notch scholars who publish and remain at historically Black institutions. Today, as a tenured associate professor at Clark Atlanta University, he aims to provide an example to young African Americans of the importance of self-knowledge and communal commitment.

In addition to his latest work, Black on Black: On Our Resilience and Brilliance in America, Black has penned other equally thought-provoking books, including, The Coming,Perfect Peace, They Tell Me of a Home, and The Sacred Place. The impact and popularity of his works have resulted in Dr. Black be honored with the Middle-Atlantic Writer's Association’s Distinguished Writer Award, and nominations for the Townsend Prize for Fiction, the Ernest J. Gaines Award, and the Georgia Author of the Year Award.

Outside his academic and literary careers, Daniel Omotosho Black, Ph.D. or Omotosho, as he prefers to be called, is the founder of the Nzinga-Ndugu rites of passage (or initiation) society—a group whose focus is instilling principle and character in the lives of African-American youth.

ABOUT DR. BLACK’S BLACK ON BLACK: ON OUR RESILIENCE AND BRILLIANCE IN AMERICA

As observed by columnist, Gabrino Iglesias, in his February 2, 2023 review for NPR, 'Black on Black' celebrates Black culture while exploring history and racial tension,’ Black's latest work, Black on Black: On Our Resilience and Brilliance in America, represents a new collection of essays that “dig deep into Blackness, history and racial tension in this country, while simultaneously serving as a powerful call to action and a celebration of Black culture.” “Black's voice is strong, informed, angry, and relentless — and that infuses his essays with the power to affect readers. Whether Black is discussing racism, the crooked justice system that leads to things like the Central Park Five case (also known as the Central Park jogger case), the public education system and its impact on HBCUS (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), or how different generations of gay Black men learned to navigate HIV and AIDS, Black's writing carries the kind of righteous anger — and more than enough facts — to elicit a response in most readers with a pulse…The emotional and psychological scars that came from Black's youth permeate the collection…From invitations to kiss God in the mouth to declarations about the need to ‘ignite conversation’ about difficult topics, Black on Black never waivers, never backs down, never pulls its hard punches full of painful truths….an important, relevant work of nonfiction that should be required reading in these troubled times.” Through this collection of essays, Black gives voice to the experiences of those who often find themselves on the margins. Tackling topics ranging from police brutality to the AIDS crisis to the role of HBCUs to queer representation in the Black church, Stated simply, Black on Black celebrates the resilience, fortitude, and survival of Black people in a land where their body is always on display. As part of the Talk It Up Tuesday event, Dr. Black will explore the messages, themes, and learned-wisdom captured in Black on Black.