S3 Ep. 19: Black Stories Matter: Terrion Williamson and Jabari Asim on Narrative During the George Floyd Protests

The police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis has sparked nationwide protests and a reckoning with racism and police brutality. In this episode, University of Minnesota professor and author Terrion Williamson talks with Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell about her recent Belt Magazine essay, in which she writes about the parallels between George Floyd’s killing and the 2010 death of David Cornelius Smith, a Black man who moved from her hometown to the Twin Cities. Then, poet and writer Jabari Asim breaks down the dangerous fallout of the criminalization of Black communities and favorable portrayals of police in literature and the media, which he tackles in his newest collection, “Stop and Frisk.” To hear the full episode, subscribe to the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. And check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub’s Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction’s YouTube Channel. This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope.  Guests: Jabari Asim Terrion Williamson Selected readings for the episode: Jabari Asim Stop and Frisk A Child’s Introduction to African American History We Can’t Breathe: On Black Lives, White Lies, and the Art of Survival Only the Strong What Obama Means … for Our Culture, Our Politics, Our Future Not Guilty Sing It Like a God The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn’t, and Why  A Taste of Honey: Stories Terrion Williamson The Black Midwest Initiative Remembering David Cornelius Smith Black in the Middle: An Anthology of the Black Midwest Scandalize My Name: Black Feminist Practice and the Making of Black Social Life Others:  Minneapolis Had This Coming by Justin Ellis Why Minneapolis Was the Breaking Point by Wesley Lowery Revealing the Divisive History of Minneapolis by Sarah Holder Century after Minnesota lynchings, black man convicted of rape ‘because of his race’ up for pardon by Meagan Flynn Their Minneapolis Restaurant Burned, but They Back the Protest by Amelia Nierenberg Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police by Mariame Kaba The tiny media collective that is delivering some of the most vital reporting from Minneapolis by Troy Patterson Amy Cooper Is Fired After Calling Police on Black Birder in Central Park All Fiction is Crime Fiction: Mat Johnson on the Origins of Modern Mystery The Crisis Magazine - NAACP’s Magazine Chester Himes Barbara Neely Grace Edwards Attica Locke Nichelle Tramble Walter Mosley Watchmen (television series) BlackKklansman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices