A Conversation About Race with E. Dolores Johnson, Author of ‘Say I’m Dead’
The author as a young girl with her mother, father and paternal grandmother.
This is part one of an interview with E. Dolores Johnson, author of Say I’m dead, A Family Memoir of Race, Secrets and Love, published June 2 by Chicago Review Press. Dolores has additionally published essays on mixed race, racism and identity. This interview was first published on actsofrevision.com. The audio version is on embarkthepodcast.com.
LS: Hey Dolores, thanks for talking with us today. Congratulations on the book.
EDJ: Thank you very much. Yes, the book has been out in the world six weeks, and I’m very excited. It’s getting some good coverage in the media and lots of appearances have happened. So, I hope this audience will enjoy our discussion about it and the issues that are embedded in the story.
LS: Your memoir is a family odyssey of race, love and courage. It traces the story of your black father and white mother, who fled Indiana in the 1940’s because interracial marriage in that state was illegal. You follow four generations of females. But one figure that looms large in your book is your dad. I’d love you to read a passage from the book that talks about your dad and the challenges of being a black man in the United States.
Hear the excerpt from ‘Say I’m Dead’ on the Embark Podcast (more…)
For years, as a Boston broadcaster, I shared stories from NBA coaches to politicians to authors, in weekly radio interviews. When I later became a full-time voice-actor, I also pursued my first passion, writing. As a presentation coach,I help professionals tell better stories about themselves and what they do.
When I was in college, I approached projects as any self-respecting student would: I waited until the last possible moment to start my research, then craft a lengthy essay on the lesser-known works of Chaucer, or argue the merits of Kant’s moral theories.
