A Celebration of Langston Hughes

Sunday, February 4, 2024 at 1pm on WUOT

This special program, hosted by stage and film actor Teagle F. Bougere, celebrates the protean literary master and social activist Langston Hughes (1901-1967). It features two of his most striking works. In “Passing” Hughes reflects on a difficult aspect of the Black experience—the need some felt to “pass” as white. We also hear the performance of one of Hughes most celebrated works, “The Blues I’m Playing,” which charts the long and complex relationship between a brilliant young Black pianist and her white patron. Both stories reflect Hughes’ explorations of questions of race, identity, and personal destiny. And, the show will include a much-anthologized favorite, “Thank You, Ma’am,” in which a feisty older woman sets a young boy on the right path.