Get Lit Preview: Imani Perry on 'Black in Blues'

Summary

All Of It - Episode Summary: Get Lit Preview with Imani Perry on 'Black and How a Color Tells the Story of My People'

Hosted by Alison Stewart, WNYC's "All Of It" delves into the intricate tapestry of culture and its creators. In the February 3, 2025 episode, titled "Get Lit Preview: Imani Perry on 'Black in Blues'," Alison Stewart engages in a profound conversation with National Book Award-winning author Imani Perry. This episode offers listeners an insightful exploration into Perry's latest work, examining the multifaceted role of the color blue in Black American culture.

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Introduction to the Book Club Selection

Alison Stewart opens the episode by announcing the February "Get Lit" book club selection: Black and How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry. She provides an overview of the book, highlighting its exploration of the relationship between Black Americans and the color blue. Topics range from the historical significance of indigo dye in the slave trade to the influence of R&B music on contemporary culture. Stewart also mentions an upcoming in-person and virtual event with Perry scheduled for Wednesday, February 26th, encouraging listeners to obtain tickets and access an e-copy of the book through the New York Public Library partnership.

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Imani Perry on the Significance of Blue

Timestamp: [01:31]

Alison Stewart introduces Imani Perry, initiating a discussion about Perry's inspiration for focusing on the color blue in her book. Perry shares a personal anecdote, stating:

"My grandmother's bedroom, which was the first home that I lived in, was blue with blue drapes and blue prayers in the corners of the mirror. ...the blues and the kind of recurrence of blue and black folk culture... it was just present in a way that appeared to me."
— Imani Perry [01:31]

Perry elaborates on how blue serves as a portal to understanding Black culture, intertwining personal memories with broader cultural symbols like blue porches in South Carolina.

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The Dual Nature of Blue

Timestamp: [02:21]

Stewart probes deeper into the emotional associations of blue, questioning its status as a beloved yet sometimes melancholic color. Perry responds thoughtfully:

"I think because it’s contrapuntal. It can capture both sadness and joy. It's the color of the waters and the skies... It has this ability to resonate in multiple ways. I think of it as the world."
— Imani Perry [02:21]

She emphasizes blue’s versatility, highlighting its representation of both warmth and coldness, such as "blue flames" and "blue ice," which allows it to embody a wide spectrum of human emotions and experiences.

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Excerpt: "Writing in Color"

Timestamp: [02:55 - 05:47]

In a pivotal segment, Alison invites Imani Perry to read from her book, specifically the section titled "Writing in Color." Perry narrates:

"In the beginning, when I was just calling this my blue book, I read books and essays about colors... I didn’t want to write an exegesis on blue, I realized I wanted to write toward the mystery of blue and its alchemy in the lives of black folk... the blues are our sensibility... These concepts can’t fully capture important truths, like how at the heart of being black is a testimony about the universal power of existence."
— Imani Perry [02:55 - 05:47]

She articulates her intention to move beyond academic descriptions, aiming to weave a narrative that captures the essence and lived experiences of being Black through the lens of the color blue. Perry describes her writing process as akin to "quilting," where disparate stories and elements are harmoniously brought together to form a cohesive and resonant whole.

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Research Process Behind the Book

Timestamp: [06:05]

Alison Stewart inquires about Perry's research methodology for exploring a color. Perry details a multifaceted approach:

"I would come upon a story... led me to archival records and also to physical locations... personal narratives, stories, newspapers... Once I came upon something that I wanted to focus on, then I went to a lot of different types of material... like quilting, you pull these pieces together..."
— Imani Perry [06:05]

She illustrates her research as an engaging and delightful process, integrating various sources to uncover and piece together the cultural significance of blue within Black history and identity.

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Highlighting Cultural Threads: Congo's Influence

Timestamp: [07:41]

Stewart asks Perry if there's a particular aspect of her book she'd like readers to emphasize. Perry highlights the influence of Congo culture:

"I do hope people pay closer attention to perhaps is the way in which Congo culture is threaded through the Kingdom of Congo... the way in which Congo culture shaped African American culture in the South... these threads of connection are really important to me."
— Imani Perry [07:41]

She underscores the importance of understanding the historical and cultural connections between African origins and African American experiences, particularly how Congo's cultural heritage has permeated and influenced Black culture in the United States.

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Upcoming Event and Conclusion

Alison Stewart concludes the episode by reminding listeners of the upcoming "Get Lit" event featuring Imani Perry on February 26th at 6 PM. She encourages New Yorkers to secure their tickets and access an e-copy of the book through the New York Public Library. Stewart expresses gratitude to listeners and signs off, setting the stage for a community-focused exploration of culture and storytelling.

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Notable Quotes:

• "I think blue is contrapuntal. It can capture both sadness and joy."
  — Imani Perry [02:21]

• "I wanted to offer truth with a heartbeat."
  — Imani Perry [04:15] (Excerpted from "Writing in Color")

• "These threads of connection are really important to me."
  — Imani Perry [07:41]

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Final Thoughts

This episode of "All Of It" offers a nuanced examination of how a single color—blue—can encapsulate the complex narratives of Black American identity and history. Imani Perry's insights provide listeners with a deeper appreciation for the symbolic power of color in cultural storytelling, making this episode a must-listen for those interested in the intersections of art, history, and personal narrative.

Transcript

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[Imani Perry]

Listener supported WNYC Studios.

[Alison Stewart]

You are listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. We are thrilled to announce our February get lit with all of it book Club selection. We will be reading the latest book from National Book Award winning writer Imani Perry. It's titled Black and How a Color Tells the Story of My People. The book is an exploration of the relationship between black Americans and the color blue from the role of indigo dye in the slave trade to R and B. Imani will be joining us for an in person and virtual event on Wednesday, February 26th. You can get your tickets now and borrow an e copy of the book from our partners at the New York Public library. Head to wnyc.org getlit but first, I'm joined now by Imani herself for a quick get lit. Hi Imani.

[Imani Perry]

Hi.

[Alison Stewart]

What first got you interested in writing about the color blue?

[Imani Perry]

Well, it was, it sort of seemed like it was this recurring theme in my life. My grandmother's bedroom, which was the first home that I lived in, was blue with blue drapes and blue prayers in the corners of the, of the mirror. And so I think maybe that was a portal. And then of course, you know, the blues and the kind of recurrence of blue and black folk culture and hate blue porches in South Carolina and so on and so forth. So it was, it just sort of was present in a way that appeared to me. And I just, you know, had a passion for telling the story. And here we are.

[Alison Stewart]

Why do you think blue is such a beloved color even though it's sometimes associated with emotion of sadness?

[Imani Perry]

Well, I think because it, it's contrapuntal. That is, it, it can capture both sadness and joy. It's the color of the waters and the skies. And so it has, and it's, it's both a color for cold and hot, you know, blue flames and, and the coldness of, of, of, of the blue ice. Blue ice. And, and so I think it, it, it has this ability to resonate in multiple ways. I think of it as the world.

[Alison Stewart]

Would you read a section called Writing in Color for us?

[Imani Perry]

All right. I'd like to. In the beginning, when I was just calling this my blue book, I read books and essays about colors. I loved how the writers ran through the signs, symbols, and feelings associated with various hues. Some of these works read more like ornamental lists than narratives, and as much as I enjoyed them, I knew my task was different from their authors. I didn't want to write an exegesis on blue, I realized I wanted to write toward the mystery of blue and its alchemy in the lives of black folk. As far back as I can remember, I was aware of belonging to a group for whom the word color was potent. The color of your skin, colored people, colorful people, and people of color are all phrases that are associated with us black Americans. And while black is our nominal color, even though our bodies range from alabaster to jet, the blues are our sensibility. Hence the designation made famous by the writer Amiri Baraka, Blues people. Like most of my skin folk, I would guess I have an intuitive sense of what it means to be black. But when I have tried to use my scholarly training to offer accounts of the how and why we are this, for lack of better word, thing, my descriptions feel distorting. Disquisitions about the political economy, about race as an ideology and or social construct of modernity. Something a little bit phenotypic, brown, coily haired, but not completely reducible to to that at all genealogical, but certainly not biological. An existence born of empire ships, captivity, colonies and trade, a living molded by bias and bigotry. All of it feels too clinical. These concepts can't fully capture important truths, like how it was that people held in the bottoms of slave ships survived so many figurative shipwrecks, and literal ones, too. Academic descriptions of blackness fail to explain how at the heart of being black is a testimony about the universal power of existence. I wanted to write you and me something more. I wanted to offer truth with a heartbeat. And so I steadily collected black stories of blue and the blues, both literal and figurative. As I plotted them out, I found that my collection of tales was already bound together in a tight weave. I wasn't constructing a story. I was revealing and witnessing, quilting something present. Along the way, I learned much more than I already knew about what it means to be a blues. People, events, artifacts, sound, color, breath, death and depth spoke to me and through me. And that is this book. In it, loose threads and frayed patches are as important as seamless compositions and straight stitched stories. Perhaps more so because life is neither tidy nor done, it is doing.

[Alison Stewart]

That was Imani Perry reading from her book Black and How a Color Tells the Story of My people. It's our February get lit with all of it book club selection. To find out more, head to wnyc.org getlit what was your research process like for this book? How do you research a color?

[Imani Perry]

Well, it had a variety of different approaches, you know, so I would, I would come upon a story, say for example, I was interested in once I learned about the patches of periwinkle flowers that tend to be in the upper south that are signs that the enslaved were buried underneath. So that led me to archival records and also to physical locations where I could see where these beds of periwinkle were and also archaeological research or when I was reading about haint blue porches that that in South Carolina that both studying the. The sort of meaning of blue in West African cultures, but also how indigo was cultivated, to what extent enslaved people used indigo on their own. Looking at personal narratives, stories, newspapers, you know, so all kinds of resources. Once I came upon something that I wanted to focus in on, then I went to a lot of different types of material. So my research self was fully engaged. And then you know, sort of like, like quilting, you pull these pieces together and you shape of the story you want to tell, knowing you can't write too much about each topic because it has this larger narrative. So it was. But the research was delightful. It was really, really interesting.

[Alison Stewart]

We ask all authors this. Is there something in the book that you would like our readers to pay particular attention to, something you worked very hard on or something you think is pivotal to the story you're telling through these essays?

[Imani Perry]

Well, it's actually, I mean I sort of want people to tend to what resonates with them. But the piece that I haven't been asked much about, that I do hope people pay closer attention to perhaps is the way in which Congo culture is thread through the Kingdom of Congo. And then of course the way in which Congo culture shaped African American culture in the South. It really is an important element and it's a thread that gets sort of retied in the 20th century as African American organizers and activists are paying attention to what's happening in Congo, the Congo, the nation in the 20th century. And so, you know, these threads of connection are really important to me. Both the history, history and other parts of, of the African and African American worlds.

[Alison Stewart]

We will ask you about it at our get lit event on February 26th at 6pm Imani Perry will be my guest. Thank you. Thank you so much for your time.

[Imani Perry]

Thank you for having me. Can't wait.

[Alison Stewart]

Tickets are available now. New Yorkers can check out an E copy thanks to our friends at the New York Public Library. You should head to wnyc.org getlit to find out all of that information. And that is all of it for today. I'm Alison Stewart. I appreciate you listening and I appreciate you. I will meet you back here next time.

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