The Black Woman

The Black Woman (Stan Lathan, 1970, 52 min., 16mm courtesy of Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive), a 1970 episode of the public television series Black Journal (later known as Tony Brown’s Journal), focuses on the relationship of Black women to Black men, white society, and the struggle for Black liberation. Nikki Giovanni is joined by poet/activists Bibi Amina Baraka and Sonia Sanchez, anthropologist Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor, singer Lena Horne, and other Black women who discuss their role in contemporary society and the problems they confront. The episode includes performances by Giovanni, Roberta Flack, and dancer Loretta Abbott.

Emily Hooper Lansana is an arts administrator, educator and performing artist. Currently she serves as the Director of Community Arts for the Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago. As a performing artist, she is most known for her work with Performance Duo: In the Spirit. She enjoys passing on traditions to young people as a coach and mentor with nationally recognized Ase Youth Group and Rebirth Poetry Ensemble.