Jeff Olivet & Imani Perry: Race, Writing and the Stories That Shape Us
Update: 2025-10-03
Description
Currently, Senior Advisor to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Initiative on Health and Homelessness, Jeff Olivet, has worked in homelessness, behavioral health, and public health for more than three decades. On this episode, Olivet sits with Imani Perry, National Book Award–winning author of South to America and Professor of African American Studies and Gender Studies at Harvard University, to reflect on the meaning of home, history, and identity. They explore their shared southern roots, the grief and memory tied to place, and the moral power of writing to preserve culture and challenge stereotypes. Spanning music, storytelling, race, and resilience, their conversation chronicles their respective personal journeys while also offering broader context to our nation's on-going struggle between injustice and the pursuit of freedom.
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