Kali Gross: Vengeance Feminism

Kali Gross discusses her book, Vengeance Feminism: The Power of Black Women's Fury in Lawless Times. Prof. Gross looks at the stories of Black women who hit back—not always figuratively, and not always legally either. Reckoning with women who lied, robbed, and cheated a racist, misogynistic world, these women's stories illustrate how they grappled with the daily violence of their lives. Kali Gross is the National Endowment for the Humanities Professor of African American Studies at…

Anne Quaranto: Dog Whistles and Coded Speech

Anne Quaranto discusses her article, "Dog Whistles, Covertly Coded Speech, and the Practices that Enable Them." Dog whistles are words or phrases that seem ordinary but send hidden, often derogatory messages. These forms of coded speech are often used by pundits, politicians, and public figures. Why do they use them and what do they mean? On the one hand, it seems possible to dog whistle unintentionally, merely by uttering certain expressions. On the other hand, the intention of the…