The "N-word" probably gets you thinking about the racial epithet that's been used for centuries like a club against black people. Renowned painter Peter Williams has turned that version upside-down and inside-out.
He's created an African-American superhero: N-Word.
N-Word redirects the power of that charged word toward those who take part in systematic acts of hate and oppression. N-Word was born as Williams created a series of paintings in response to police-related killings of black people. They'll be the centerpiece of an upcoming book published by Detroit's Rotland Press.
Listen to the full interview above with Williams and Ryan Standfest, the publisher and editor-in-chief of Rotland Press. They talk about the origin of N-Word, the role this superhero can play in the national dialogue about race and the effort to get the book published.
GUESTS Peter Williams is an artist and creator of the superhero N-Word. Ryan Standfest is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Rotland Press.
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