Solange’s ‘A Seat at the Table’ album inspires new WFU syllabus
The syllabus will focus on multiple themes from her album
A group of Wake Forest Elle.com scholars, along with Wake Forest Professor Sherri Williams, writer and educator Candice Benbow, and writer and TV host Melissa Harris-Perry, have teamed up to create a syllabus around Solange’s album “A Seat at the Table.”
“I believe the syllabus is a collection of various works meant to heal, to teach, and to learn about ourselves – as young women, some as young women of color,” said Ann Nguyen, an Elle.com scholar helping to create the syllabus.
“Solange Knowles’ ‘A Seat at the Table’ has been one of the most reflective and popular albums produced by a young black woman that speaks to issues of race, womanhood, and equality,” a statement on the syllabus curation website reads.
“At the beginning of this new year, and as we witness the inauguration of a new president we invite young women of color, ages 16-30, to have a seat at the table by helping us collect the texts, music, and visual art that speak to our experiences. If we are to have a democracy in which all of us have a seat at the table, we know that these experiences should be central to the development of America’s practices and policies.”
The syllabus will focus around the various themes of her album, including resisting racism, understanding gender and sexuality, relationships, nurturing ourselves and “A Seat at the Lunch Table” which involves uplifting elementary and middle school aged girls.