I Am African by Verastic

EP 21: Why Africans Don't Have The Black Perspective ft. Dr. Uju Anya

• Vera Ezimora • Season 2 • Episode 21

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This is one of the first topics I wrote down when I was dreaming about starting my podcast: why Africans don't have the African American perspective. From the moment I finally began to understand my African privilege and the struggles of my African-American brothers and sisters that I previously did not know of, I have tried to use my platform to tell all my fellow Africans.

African privilege is a thing that a lot of us, Africans, don't even know that we have. For us, we think that coming from Africa automatically means that we have no advantage or privilege. What I can say for sure is that once you know the truth, you cannot unknow it or disregard it or ignore it. It will hunt you and assault you. And for those who think that African American problems are strictly the African American's problems (and that they don't affect us), may I briefly turn your attention to your African American children?

Today's guest is Dr. Uju Anya.  She is a linguist and university professor in the field of language learning and teaching. She was born in Nigeria to an Igbo father and a mother from Trinidad and has lived in the United States since age 10. She’s a polyglot who speaks six languages, a single mother of two brilliant children, an atheist, and a politically outspoken lesbian.

She authored the book, Racialized identities in second language learning: Speaking blackness in Brazil (Routledge 2017), has written multiple journal articles, and engages in debates on multilingualism, feminism, pop culture, racial equity, and LGBTQ rights as a public intellectual on Twitter. She speaks regularly at invited lectures, conference keynotes, and leads workshops on race, gender, sexuality, equity and inclusiveness in education, and intercultural communication.

She is intelligent, informed, and eloquent. I knew I'd love her before I even recorded with her, and she did not disappoint at all. She just gave off that vibe, and it is always a breath of fresh air to meet people like her. You can connect with her via Twitter (best place), Instagram, and email: ujuanya@gmail.com. 

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