John McWhorter
About that “Negro dialect”…
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is in political hot water this week for past remarks he made about President Obama’s race. According to the new book Game Change, Reid encouraged Obama’s run for the White House, in part, because he was “light-skinned” and had “no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.’ Long […]
Sounding Black
Black is not just a skin color; it’s a quality of voice. Sarah Jones, the Tony Award-winning performer, talks with linguist John McWhorter about what it means to sound black today. They look at how Barack Obama has used his “blaccent” to drive audiences wild. Produced by Studio 360’s Derek John. (Originally aired: October 24, […]