E53a. Frank B. Wilderson III: On Afropessimism I.

Today’s episode is with award-winning writer, scholar and activist Frank B. Wilderson III. Frank is known as the Godfather of Afropessimism: a critical theory that anti-blackness is “necessary for world-making at every level of abstraction.” Did that sound heady? Well, get ready. Frank’s curiosity, appetite for knowledge and nuance, along with his fearlessness to explore what is, in the absence of what isn’t, reminds us of the importance of inquiry and the power of examining the world around us. In part one of today’s episode, Frank reminds us to be fearless in the pursuit of knowledge, even if that knowledge reveals unhealthy truths. Strap in, as Frank takes us on a ride exploring Afropessimism and themes of reconciliation, activism, and what it means to be a young Black man living in a state of social consciousness and racial reckoning. Please share some of your thoughts on today's episode with us over on twitter and instagram at @blackimagination. To watch this episode go, visit, and subscribe to our youtube channel The Institute of Black Imagination. You can find this and more content over on IBI Digital at, blackimagination.com. And without further ado, the profound Frank B. Wilderson III.People and ideas mentionedMore information on what is AfropessimismJared Sexton - Professor, African American StudiesMarxism thought of Karl MarxProfessor David Marriott History of ConsciousnessHistorical and cultural sociologist Orlando PattersonWhat to ReadAfropessimism by Frank B. WildersonIncognegro: A Memoir of Exile and Apartheid by Frank B. Wilderson IIIThe Future Is Black: Afropessimism, Fugitivity, and Radical Hope in Education by Michael J. Dumas, Carl A. Grant, Ashley N. WoodsonWhither Fanon?: Studies in the Blackness of Being by David Marriott Slavery and Social Death: A Comparative Study, with a New Preface by Orlando PattersonThe Autobiography of Medgar Evers: A Hero's Life and Legacy Revealed Through His Writings, Letters, and Speeches by Manning Marable, Myrlie Evers-Williams What to listen toFight the Power – Public Enemy