We Who Are Dark

The Art of Augusta Savage (Part 1)

Tue, 05 May 2026 10:20:35 GMT

In this episode, Professor Tomengo and Dr. Vaz discuss the life and art of American sculptor Augusta Savage. The conversation centers on Savage's approach to creating sculptures of Black people and her life in the art world of the early 20th Century. Considerable attention is given to her activism, including her discontent with Mary Brady of The Harmon Foundation.

The British Contribution to the American Concept of Race

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 08:19:00 GMT

In this episode, Dr. Vaz and Professor Tomengo engage in a conversation about the British role in the founding of the United States of America. Key to this discussion are the differences between the British approach to mercantalism and slave-owning and that of the Spanish and the Portuguese. These differences, ultimately, will determine why and how the concept of "race" developed and was enforced in the nascent American psyche.

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 08:19:00 GMT

This episode features a detailed discussion of why the Transatlantic Slave Trade developed and how its development slowly decimated local West African economies. Dr. Vaz revisits the topic of European mercantilism, underscoring how initial trade agreements with West Africa led to the eventual fall of some West African kingdoms and the rise of others. Key to the discussion is how these newer kingdoms were founded specifically for the implementation and propagation of the Transatlantic Slave Trade itself.

A War of Images: Aaron Douglas's Painting, "Aspirations"

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:19:00 GMT

In this episode, Dr. Neil Vaz and Professor Trent Tomengo discuss Aaron Douglas's painting Aspirations from 1936. They analyze Douglas's painting, giving special attention to the war of images that was waged against the proliferation of harmful stereotypes aimed at the Black population. The conversation includes a discussion on the origins of the NAACP and the efficacy of its work, primarily through its Legal Defense Fund.

Aaron Douglas - Aspects of Negro Life (Part 4 - Song of the Towers)

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:19:00 GMT

Dr. Vaz and Professor Tomengo conclude their conversation on Aaron Douglas's seminal series Aspects of Negro Life, addressing the final painting in the series, Song of the Towers. They cover issues related to the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, and the labor movment of the United States at time, giving special attention to the presidential administrations of Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They discuss, among other topics, how those administrations shaped race relations in our country.

Aaron Douglas - Aspects of Negro Life (Part 3 - From Slavery to Reconstruction)

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 08:19:00 GMT

This episode continues Dr. Vaz and Professor Tomengo's conversation on Aaron Douglas's Aspects of Negro Life, this time focusing on the third painting in the series, From Slavery to Reconstruction. The conversation includes a discussion of the era of Reconstruction along with the Great Migration and the challenges and opportunities Black people faced at the turn of the 20th century.

Aaron Douglas - Aspects of Negro Life (Part 2 - Idyll of the Deep South)

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:19:00 GMT

Dr. Neil Vaz and Professor Trent Tomengo continue their discussion of Aaron Douglas's "Aspects of Negro Life", this time taking a deep dive into "Idyll of the Deep South". They discuss the ideas inherent in its imagery and asthetics and how these ideas are reflected in the writings of scholars like Robert Farris Thompson and Eric Williams.

Aaron Douglas - Aspects of Negro Life (Part 1)

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 08:19:00 GMT

In this episode, Dr. Neil Vaz and Professor Trent Tomengo discuss the artist Aaron Douglas and his series of paintings called "Aspects of Negro Life", particularly "The Negro in an African Setting". The conversation includes general information about the Harlem Renaissance, the historical/cultural importance of Douglas's art, and its relevance for the time period and for today.

Blacks Freed Themselves

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 08:19:00 GMT

Dr. Neil Vaz and Professor Trent Tomengo discuss the self-emancipation of Africans throughout the African Diaspora focusing on self-emancipation during the Civil War, the creation of independent Maroon nations throughout the Americas, as well as the Haitian Revolution. They delve into the importance of agency in bringing about change in the historical narrative, challenging the recent push to hide that history.

Spirituality and The Ancestors

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 09:19:00 GMT

Dr. Neil Vaz and Trent Tomengo discuss West African spirituality and its influence on the development of African diasporal cultures that resulted from the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The co-hosts address the power of the drum and why it was banned along with certain African-based spiritual traditions. Nevertheless, these ancestral expressions ultimately survived and continue to thrive in Black cultures all over the world.

Religion and Rebellion

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 09:19:00 GMT

In this episode Dr. Neil Vaz and Trent Tomengo discuss the role that religion played in the rebellions of the Translatlantic Slave Trade and slavery in the Americas.

Dividing the Atlantic

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 09:19:00 GMT

Dr. Neil Vaz and Trent Tomengo discuss how the Portuguese and Spanish claims to lands on either side of the Atlantic Ocean influenced the kinds of Black diasporal cultures found all over the world, including Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States.

The Psychology of Being. Black (Part 2)

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 09:19:00 GMT

Dr. Neil Vaz and Trent Tomengo continue their discussion of how various forms of European slavery and colonialism produced a fluid, global "Black" identity.

The Psychology of Being Black

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 09:19:00 GMT

In this episode Dr. Neil Vaz and Trent Tomengo discuss how slavery, colonialism, and racist propaganda contributed to the collective psychology of Black people.

Race is an "idea".

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 09:19:00 GMT

Dr. Neil Vaz and Trent Tomengo discuss the complexities of "race" as a concept rooted in Europen colonialism and cultual hegemony.

Introduction

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 18:58:16 GMT

This is an introductory episode to We Who Are Dark, a Conversation in History and Humanities. In this episode Dr. Neil Vaz and Trent Tomengo discuss the origin of the podcast, it's format, its content, and its importance.

BONUS EPISODE: Mercantilsim and the Rise of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 16:37:26 GMT

In this conversation about the functionality of the concept of "race", Dr. Neil Vaz discusses mercantilism, the initial Western European attraction to Africa, and the rise of the Translatlantic Slave Trade.