Imani Perry's New Book 'Black in Blues' (A Get Lit Preview)

Summary

ALL OF IT Podcast Summary

Episode: Imani Perry's New Book 'Black in Blues' (A Get Lit Preview)
Host: Alison Stewart
Release Date: February 19, 2025
Host Station: WNYC
Duration: Approx. 10 minutes

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Introduction

In this episode of ALL OF IT, hosted by Alison Stewart, the spotlight is on Imani Perry’s latest work, "Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People." The discussion serves as a preview for the upcoming Get Lit with All Of It book club event, delving into the themes, inspirations, and research behind Perry’s exploration of the color blue and its profound significance in Black American culture.

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Guest Introduction and Book Overview

Alison Stewart introduces the event and Perry’s book:

“This month we're reading the latest book from National Book Award winner Imani Perry. It is titled Black in Blues: 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 rhythm and blues.”
[00:47]

Perry is also noted to be joining both in-person and virtually for an event on February 26th, alongside special musical performances by Grammy-winning artists Esperanza Spalding and Bilal.

---

Inspiration Behind "Black in Blues"

Alison Stewart begins the conversation by inquiring about Perry’s inspiration to focus on the color blue.

Imani Perry responds:

“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 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.”
[01:52]

Perry highlights the personal significance of blue in her life and its broader cultural implications within Black communities.

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The Duality of Blue: Sadness and Joy

Alison Stewart probes further into why blue is cherished despite its association with sadness.

Imani Perry elaborates:

“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... blue ice.”
[02:41]

She reflects on blue’s versatility and its capacity to embody a spectrum of emotions and elements, calling it:

“I think of it as the world's favorite color.”
[03:12]

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Excerpts from "Black in Blues": Writing in Color

Alison Stewart invites Perry to read a section titled "Writing in Color."

Imani Perry reads and summarizes:

“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... 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... 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 offer truth with a heartbeat.”

She emphasizes her desire to transcend academic analysis and capture the lived experiences and emotional resonance of blue within Black culture.

“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 that.”
[05:45]

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Research Process for "Black in Blues"

Alison Stewart inquires about Perry’s research methodology for writing about a color.

Imani Perry explains:

“It had a variety of different approaches, you know, so I would, I would come upon a story... archival records and also to physical locations... archaeological research or when I was reading about haunt blue porches in South Carolina... personal narratives, stories, newspapers... It's like quilting. You pull these pieces together and you shape the story you want to tell...”
[06:26]

Perry likens her research to quilting, assembling diverse threads of history, culture, and personal narratives to weave a cohesive and multifaceted narrative.

“But the research was delightful. It was really, really interesting.”
[07:00]

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Pivotal Elements in the Book

Alison Stewart asks if there's a particular aspect of the book she wants readers to focus on.

Imani Perry highlights:

“I really hope people pay closer attention to perhaps the way in which Congo culture is threaded through the Kingdom of Congo and then... how 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...”
[08:02]

She underscores the historical and cultural connections between African and African American communities, emphasizing the enduring influence of Congo’s culture.

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Upcoming Events and Conclusion

Alison Stewart wraps up by reminding listeners of the upcoming Get Lit event featuring Imani Perry and encouraging participation.

“It's our February Get Lit with All Of It book club selection. To find out more, head to wnyc.org.”
[06:08]

She also teases future episodes, including discussions on a documentary about Art Spiegelman and live performances from War and Treaty.

“I'm Alison Stewart. I appreciate you listening and I appreciate you. I will meet you back here tomorrow.”
[09:03]

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Key Takeaways

• Imani Perry’s book, "Black in Blues," explores the multifaceted significance of the color blue in Black American history and culture.
• The color blue serves as a symbol encompassing both sorrow and joy, the natural elements, and cultural expressions such as music and architecture.
• Perry employs a rich, quilt-like research methodology, integrating historical records, personal narratives, and cultural studies to present a deeply resonant narrative.
• A pivotal focus of the book is the influence of Congo’s culture on African American traditions, highlighting historical connections and their lasting impact.
• The Get Lit with All Of It event offers an interactive platform for community engagement, featuring live musical performances and discussions with the author.

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Notable Quotes

• Imani Perry on Blue’s Duality:
  “It’s contrapuntal, that is, it can capture both sadness and joy. It’s the color of the waters and the skies... I think of it as the world’s favorite color.”
  [02:41 – 03:12]

• Imani Perry on Her Writing Approach:
  “I wanted to offer truth with a heartbeat... Perhaps more so because life is neither tidy nor done, it is doing that.”
  [05:45 – 06:08]

• Imani Perry on Congo’s Influence:
  “These threads of connection are really important to me, both the history and other parts of the African and African American worlds.”
  [08:02 – 08:52]

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Conclusion

This episode of ALL OF IT provides an insightful preview into Imani Perry's "Black in Blues," offering listeners a compelling look at how a single color can encapsulate complex cultural narratives and historical connections. Perry's nuanced exploration invites audiences to engage deeply with the subtleties of color symbolism within the Black American experience, making it a standout selection for the Get Lit with All Of It book club.

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. In case you haven't heard, our get lit with all of it book club event is coming up next week, but there's still time to pick up and finish our selection. This month we're reading the latest book from National Book Award winner Imani Perry. It is titled Black in 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 rhythm and blues. Imani will be joining us for an in person and virtual event on Wednesday, February 26th. And we're also thrilled to announce that this month we have two very special Grammy winning musical guests. Esperanza, Spalding and Bilal will be with us for a unique collaborative performance. You won't want to miss it. You can get your tickets now. And New Yorkers can borrow an e copy of the book from the New York Public Library by heading to wnyc.org getlit and now let's hear a bit of my preview conversation with Imani Perry. I began by asking what inspired her to write 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 the 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's favorite color.

[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, round, coily haired, but not completely reducible 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 that.

[Alison Stewart]

Was Imani Perry reading from her book Black and Blues 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. What was your research process like for this book? How do you research a color?

[Imani Perry]

Well, it was. 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 kinds of 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 was 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, 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 materials so my research self was fully engaged. And then, you know, sort of like a. It's 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 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.

[Alison Stewart]

That was my conversation with Imani Perry about her new book, Black in How a Color Tells the Story of My People. It's our February Get Lit with all of it book club selection. On tomorrow's show, we'll talk about a new documentary exploring the life and the work of Art Spiegelman. He will be my guest. Plus we'll hear some live performances from War and Treaty and talk about the husband and wife duo about their album plus one. I'm Alison Stewart. I appreciate you listening and I appreciate you. I will meet you back here tomorrow.

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