S2, Episode 2: Edward Onaci, Author of Free the Land Artwork

Off the Shelf: Revolutionary Readings in Times of Crisis

"Off the Shelf: Revolutionary Readings in Times of Crisis" is a podcast series featuring in-depth conversations with Black scholars on the University of Illinois campus and beyond. Each episode explores books and scholars they recommend we take “off the shelf” to help us understand these revolutionary times and creative agendas for the here and now. Hosted by Dr. Augustus Wood, a scholar of political economy and gentrification, labor, and social movements in late 20th and early 21st century African American urban history.

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Off the Shelf: Revolutionary Readings in Times of Crisis

S2, Episode 2: Edward Onaci, Author of Free the Land

October 26, 2021 • Humanities Research Institute • Season 2 • Episode 2

Season Two of "Off the Shelf" continues with historian and Illinois alumnus Dr. Edward Onaci (Ursinus College), author of Free the Land: The Republic of New Afrika and the Pursuit of a Black Nation-State. Through his work, Onaci looks deeply into the history of the New Afrikan Independence Movement—not just in documents and news sources, but through the personal stories of the people who lived it—and the implications for today's Black liberation movement. Host Augustus Wood takes listeners through Onaci's book and more, including a survey of the texts that shaped Onaci's academic and personal path: from rappers Poor Righteous Teachers and Talib Kweli, to The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Imari Obadele’s Foundations of the Black Nation, and Saidiya Hartman’s Lose Your Mother.