1996-03-03: Words to the Wise: African-American Oral Traditions

Synopsis:

Southern laws once prohibited blacks from learning to read and write, but many African-Americans passed the wisdom of their legends and stories from generation to generation through oral histories. The oral tradition has continued to flourish into this century. Longwood College sociologist Rodina Ellerbee joins Virginia State University archivist Lucious Edwards to discuss oral traditions in Africian-American history and how it influences black writers and performers.