Slowly but surely, I’m on my way to sharing big! new! research! I made it to the Smithsonian to speak in the Contemporary History Seminar series. The good people at the National Air & Space Museum invited me to talk about my current work on science fiction radio drama. This was one of my first experiences sharing what I’ve learned about the World War II-era Black radio program New World A-Coming. My thinking on this subject matter benefits from the efforts of Delores Fisher & Barbara Savage.
Sharing my work with the professionals at the Smithsonian is a huge milestone; it’s an amazing public institution that’s been a profound intellectual influence throughout my life. Especially Air & Space!
Shouts out to Matthew Shindell and Margaret Weitekamp for welcoming people like me, along with curators and interested scholars, into a unique venue for sharing knowledge about culture, history, and science & technology. Definitely taking the constructive feedback I got from this to heart. Next stop: to follow up with research about the archival preservation of these sound resources (props to RPTF for doing this work!), primary sources about the reception of these broadcasts, and synthesizing the published histories that provide context for Black mobilization around the war as well as non-interventionist perspectives.