Robyn Autry

Robyn Autry is a sociology professor and director of the Center for the Study of Public Life at Wesleyan University. She is the author of “Desegregating the Past: The Public Life of Memory in the U.S. and South Africa.”


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Robyn Autry

2mos ago
MS NOW Opinion

Why ‘No Kings’ protests didn’t appear to excite Black America

Within the Black community, one heard lots of comments suggesting that the “No Kings” protest was not something we should bother with.

3mos ago
MS NOW Opinion

Sean Combs made his sentencing hearing about himself instead of his victims

Sean Combs’ apology letter to the judge who sentenced him was all about Sean Combs. He wants to go on with his life in a way that his victims may never.

5mos ago
MS NOW Opinion

The Smithsonian’s impeachment exhibit no longer tells the truth about Trump

The museum said Saturday that information about Trump’s impeachment trials will be returned to the exhibit soon. For many reasons, I hope that’s true.

8mos ago
MS NOW Opinion

Beyoncé is redefining the narrative on Black motherhood

Beyoncé celebrates her motherhood without separating it from her status as a sex symbol — adding, not subtracting, to her all-powerful brand.

9mos ago
MS NOW Opinion

Trump’s attack on the Smithsonian is bad. His reason is even worse.

The threat to museums such as The National Museum of African-American History and Culture is real.

1year ago
MS NOW Opinion

In ‘Gladiator II,’ Denzel Washington again blurs the line between hero and villain

The Oscar winner always been at his best when he’s playing characters who wrestle with moral questions and personal shortcomings.

1year ago
MS NOW Opinion

Why Janet Jackson’s comments about Kamala Harris are especially disappointing

Nothing in the history of Janet Jackson’s political advocacy suggests any alignment with Donald Trump. That’s why it’s so frustrating that she’s repeating his lies.

1year ago
MS NOW Opinion

The significance behind Kamala Harris saying she is a ‘daughter of Oakland’

Presidential candidates spend a lot of time emphasizing where they’re from — or at least emphasizing the place they’ve chosen to say they’re from.

2years ago
MS NOW Opinion

Why Red Lobster’s downfall hits differently for Black communities

Restaurateur Bill Darden’s decision to treat all diners the same should not have been a radical proposition but it was, and it mattered greatly to Black people eating out.

2years ago
MS NOW Opinion

Hulu doc examines Black Twitter’s influence before Elon Musk’s wreckage

Director Prentice Penny partnered with Jason Parham, senior writer at Wired, to document the history of Black people shaping and dominating that social media space.