Welcome to a special episode of MythTake! Rather than bring you our usual format of myth analysis, we're doing something a little different. We're giving this episode over to talk about race in classics.

The Black Lives Matter movement has been gaining renewed momentum, and hashtags like #shutdownacademia and #blackintheivory are highlighting the experiences of Black people in academia. Classics itself is a predominately white whose area of research gets co-opted for white supremacist causes. To push back against this, and to help elevate Black voices in Classics, we put out a Twitter call for Black classicists to use our platform to share their stories. Today, we're pleased to bring you this interview with John Bracey.

John Bracey, aka @magisterbracey on Twitter, is a Latin teacher in Massachusetts teaching Latin using the Comprehensible Input technique.. He has an MA in Classics from Boston College and in 2016 he was named Latin Teacher of the Year by the Massachusetts Foreign Language Association. He leads workshops for teachers around the US on language teaching.

He has written in Eidolon about his experience trying to get hired as a Black Latin teacher and why students of color don’t take Latin.

Find John online at https://magisterbracey.com.

This episode is kindly sponsored by Our Voices in Classics, a not-for-profit organization that proactively seeks to amplify and uplift the voices of students and scholars at all levels whom the field of Classics has traditionally marginalized, ignored, or silenced.

Find our growing collection of links to resources on talking about race and on race and racism in academia on Wakelet.

We want to hear from you!

Join us on Twitter @InnesAlison and @darrinsunstrum or @MythtakePodcast.

Give us a like, let us know what you think, and follow along on Facebook at MythTake.

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This week’s theme music: “Super Hero” by King Louie’s Missing Monuments from the album “Live at WFMU” (2011). Used under Creative Commons license and available from Free Music Archive.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're baaack! We've been hearing a lot about heroes in the news lately and it's got us thinking. The word's being used to describe doctors, nurses, paramedics, delivery people, truck drivers, and grocery store workers-- all the people who are keeping our society going through the COVID-19 pandemic. But what do we really mean when we call someone a hero? Do our heroes today resemble the heroes of myth? Or are we using the label "hero" to escape societal responsibilities?

Join Darrin and Alison for this special pandemic issue of MythTake. Guest appearance by our new feline production manager!

Links:

Mattel Commemorates the Heroes of the Pandemic With New Line of Action Figures (Adweek)

America's Heroism Trap (Slate)

Healthcare Workers Deserve More than Hero Memes (Passage)

I’m An NHS Doctor. I Don’t Want To Be A Hero – I Want To Do My Job Without The Risks (Huffington Post)

Calling Healthcare Workers "Heroes" Sets Them Up to be Sacrificed (GQ)

'Hero' Rings Hollow (LA Times)

We want to hear from you!

Join us on Twitter @InnesAlison and @darrinsunstrum or @MythtakePodcast.

Give us a like, let us know what you think, and follow along on Facebook at MythTake.

Subscribe on iTunes or Google Play so you don’t miss an episode! Find our RSS on Podbean.

We're a part of the #HumanitiesPodcasts podcasting community. Check out the hashtag and follow @HumCommCasters to find many more engaging and knowledgeable podcasts.

This week’s theme music: “Super Hero” by King Louie’s Missing Monuments from the album “Live at WFMU” (2011). Used under Creative Commons license and available from Free Music Archive.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode we head to the movies and apply our mythological skills to the recent release Aquaman (starring Jason Momoa and Amber Heard and Directed by James Wan). Spoiler alerts! 

These people like our show so much, they decided to support us on Patreon! Thank you so much!

Aven McMaster & Mark Sundaram (Alliterative); Joelle Barfoot; Erika Dilworth; Stargate Pioneer (Better Podcasting); Dan Lizotte; and Greg Beu.

We want to hear from you!

Join us on Twitter @InnesAlison and @darrinsunstrum or @MythtakePodcast.

Give us a like, let us know what you think, and follow along on Facebook at MythTake.

Subscribe on iTunes or Google Play so you don’t miss an episode! Find our RSS on Podbean.

Like what you hear? Please support us on Patreon.

We're a part of the #HumanitiesPodcasts podcasting community. Check out the hashtag and follow @HumCommCasters to find many more engaging and knowledgeable podcasts.

This week’s theme music: “Super Hero” by King Louie’s Missing Monuments from the album “Live at WFMU” (2011). Used under Creative Commons license. Music used under Creative Commons license and available from Free Music Archive.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.