Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Dive Into the Archive: leftofblack.org
What can the leadership of Booker T. Washington and the legacy of the Tuskegee Institute teach us about Black liberation, modernity, and most dynamic, Black worldmaking? In "Afterlives of the Plantation: Plotting Agrarian Futures in the Global Black South," Dr. Jarvis C. McInnis traces how Black artists, thinkers, and political leaders—like George Washington Carver, Jean Price-Mars, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, and Marcus Garvey—took what was happening at Tuskegee and adapted it into practical, creative strategies for freedom across the Black diaspora. Joined by Duke Associate Professor of English Christopher Ouma, McInnis explains what drove his research, the care work that was being done by Washington despite his problematic reputation, and his own relationship with the archive. "Afterlives of the Plantation," is published by Columbia University Press.
Learn more about Dr. McInnis here: jarvismcinnis.com
Find his book here: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/afterlives-of-the-plantation/9780231215756/
"Left of Black" is the 2025 Silver Telly Award Winner for "Interview & Talk Show," the 2025 Bronze Telly Award Winner for "Education & Discovery," and the 2024 Gold Winner in the "Online Film & Video" category of the 20th Annual Davey Awards. Now in its sixteenth season!
Directed and produced by Eric Barstow, M.F.A.
Camera: Anna Lee, Duke MFAEDA, Class of 2027
Editor: Eric Kim, Duke University, Class of 2029
Dive Into the Archive: leftofblack.org
What can the leadership of Booker T. Washington and the legacy of the Tuskegee Institute teach us about Black liberation, modernity, and most dynamic, Black worldmaking? In "Afterlives of the Plantation: Plotting Agrarian Futures in the Global Black South," Dr. Jarvis C. McInnis traces how Black artists, thinkers, and political leaders—like George Washington Carver, Jean Price-Mars, Zora Neale Hurston, Claude McKay, and Marcus Garvey—took what was happening at Tuskegee and adapted it into practical, creative strategies for freedom across the Black diaspora. Joined by Duke Associate Professor of English Christopher Ouma, McInnis explains what drove his research, the care work that was being done by Washington despite his problematic reputation, and his own relationship with the archive. "Afterlives of the Plantation," is published by Columbia University Press.
Learn more about Dr. McInnis here: jarvismcinnis.com
Find his book here: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/afterlives-of-the-plantation/9780231215756/
"Left of Black" is the 2025 Silver Telly Award Winner for "Interview & Talk Show," the 2025 Bronze Telly Award Winner for "Education & Discovery," and the 2024 Gold Winner in the "Online Film & Video" category of the 20th Annual Davey Awards. Now in its sixteenth season!
Directed and produced by Eric Barstow, M.F.A.
Camera: Anna Lee, Duke MFAEDA, Class of 2027
Editor: Eric Kim, Duke University, Class of 2029
