This Saturday, in honor of Black History Month, KETR presents A Celebration of Langston Hughes. This special program celebrates the life and works of this literary master and social activist.
Hosted by stage and film actor Teagle F. Bougere, it features two of Hughes’ most striking works. “Passing” reflects on difficult experiences that African-Americans have faced, particularly the need some felt to “pass” as white. “The Blues I’m Playing” charts the long and complex relationship between a young Black pianist and her white patron. Both stories reflect Hughes’ explorations of questions of race, identity, and personal destiny. Also, the show will include a much-anthologized favorite, “Thank You, Ma’am,” which features a feisty older woman setting a young boy on the right path.
Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, and playwright. Born in Joplin, Missouri, he rose to prominence as one of the earliest innovators of jazz poetry. Hughes was well-known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. During the Civil Rights Movement, he wrote a weekly column in a leading Black newspaper, The Chicago Defender. His works are widely influential and lauded by critics. Hughes’ ground-breaking style of poetry made waves within the early Civil Rights Movement and is still analyzed today in many English classrooms.
The host of this special program, Teagle F. Bougere, has starred in many different movies and theater productions. Bougere recently portrayed James Baldwin in The American Vicarious production of Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley, in New York City and London. Bougere’s Broadway credits include A Raisin in the Sun and The Tempest, while his film and television credits in The Mist, A Night at the Museum, Law & Order, and much more.
A Celebration of Langston Hughes will air at 6 p.m., immediately after Lions basketball, Saturday, Feb. 10, on 88.9 FM and streaming at KETR.org.