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What's Ray Saying?

Ray Christian

Storyteller Ray Christian shares personal stories as a sixty-something combat veteran, historian, and goat-wrangling father of six living in the rural mountains of Appalachia, all told through the fabric of centuries of Black history.

Storyteller Ray Christian shares personal stories as a sixty-something combat veteran, historian, and goat-wrangling father of six living in the rural mountains of Appalachia, all told through the fabric of centuries of Black history.

18hr 36min
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Black Hair Issues".
Ray explores the cultural and historical significance of Afro textured hair.
Thumbnail for "Voluntary and Chance Encounters: Black Fraternal and Sororal organizations".
Did Ray miss a meeting?
Thumbnail for "Bonus: Ray on Volume Knob".
Story, memory and song
Thumbnail for "Ray's Ruminations: Empty Nesters".
Adult children
Thumbnail for "Bonus: Ray Steps Into The Confessional".
with Nadia Bolz-Weber
Thumbnail for "Ray's Ruminations: Healthcare and caring for the sick and elderly".
Disappearing into the back room
Thumbnail for "Ray's Ruminations: Military Misinformation".
Thumbnail for "Bonus: Spooked - Creepy Crawly".
A Ray story from Spooked
Thumbnail for "Ray's Ruminations: Gender Perspectives".
Boys vs Girls
Thumbnail for "Bonus - Snap Judgment: Fight Club".
A Ray story from Snap Judgment
Thumbnail for "Ray's Ruminations: Staying Flexible".
Getting through a crack in the door
Thumbnail for "Bonus: Snap Judgment - Acid Jump".
An unexpected trip
Thumbnail for "Ray's Ruminations: Stay in your lane".
"Can I talk about this?"
Thumbnail for "Bonus - RISK!: Black Lives #5".
stories from the stage
Thumbnail for "Ray's Ruminations: What's a Story?".
"He looked just like me."
Thumbnail for "A River Runs Through It ".
Ray goes home.
Thumbnail for "What Do I Tell My Son About Being a Man?".
Ray revisits the crossroads of becoming a man.
Thumbnail for "Letters Home".
Ray gets a response from a 30-year-old letter.
Thumbnail for "Know Your Place".
Ray talks about performing in public. And not the fun kind.
Thumbnail for "This is the Sound of My Voice ".
Reintroducing the voice of Ray Christian.
Thumbnail for "Black in the Military ".
Ray joins the military and his life changes in ways he never expected.
Thumbnail for "Ruffling Through Our Closet ".
Ray interrogates his wardrobe.
Thumbnail for "Black Medicine".
Ray gets a shot. It wasn’t always this easy.
Thumbnail for " What's Ray Saying is Back!".
A new season of stories and history from Ray Christian.
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Childs Play".
In this episode, Ray explores the legacy of Black Children taken as slaves from Africa, growing up on Plantations and their social worth and  development in America
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Blacks and Indians".
Ray explores the complex history and relationship between Black Americans and the Native people of America.
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Black Leadership Part 3—Challenging Authority".
Ray explores Black leadership from the 40s to now to reflect on it challenges and its legacies.
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Black Leadership Part 2—The Elite Class".
Ray explores Black leadership from the emergence of an elite class, with varying perspectives and experiences.
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Black American Leadership Part 1—Sources and Origins".
In this episode part 1 of a 3 part series on Black leadership, Ray explores the origins of Black influence and authority in America.
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Black Americans and the Police".
Ray explores the history and complicated relationship with Black Americans and the police
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Black in the City".
Ray explores Black American association with the South and why Black are concentrated in urban areas of the country.
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Black American Naming Practices".
Ray talks about Black American naming practice, history, traditions and conventions from slavery to the 20th century
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: The Storyteller's Journey Part 3".
Ray completes the long journey of getting his stories heard, tells his life story and puts storytelling in context
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: The Storytellers Journey Part 2".
Ray continues to explore his storytelling journey after the Risk show. He talks about his appearance on the Moth Radio hour, a story in Readers Digest and  his performance on Snap Judgment, the impact of this story and his...
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: The Storytellers Journey Part 1".
This episode traces storytelling in African American culture, from its roots in Africa, through the Middle Passage and slavery, and continuing through time until today.  Ray touches on interesting topics like which stories White people hear and...
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: An Imaginary Past".
Ray looks at the origins of a false narrative of Black American  History, its racist origins, the founder of revisionist history regarding the Civil War and Reconstruction, along with its influence on American society today
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Changes and Adaptation".
Ray examines the nature of Black American assimilation into White culture.
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Education—in Black and White".
Miseducation of the American Negro Revisited
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Dying While Black".
What happens after death? Not in the metaphysical, existential sense. But quite literally, what happens after death?  The history of the handling of bodies of Black decedents has been filled with interesting twists and turns, from blatant...
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Line of Departure".
This special episode marks a dividing line between the old and new, where you were and where you're going, what was and what will be.  Follow the journey from "seasoning" of slaves, to the life of a domestic worker in the 60's to current...
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Brothers in Arms".
From the birth of this nation until today, Ray explores the complexities of life as a soldier of color in the US.
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Hunger".
This episode is about food stamps and gov'ment cheese, what it meant, how it helped, how we felt about it then, and what we think about it now.
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Complexion".
From the paper bag test and one drop rule to Rachel Dolezal, who is Black and why?
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Life After Slavery".
Ray details the hardships that Blacks experienced after slavery and explores the themes and patterns of struggle that continued through the generations and into his own life.
Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Welcome to "What's Ray Saying?"".
An introduction to Ray Christian.

WRS Classic: Black Hair Issues

Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Black Hair Issues".
February 26, 201828min 8sec

Ray explores the cultural and historical significance of Afro textured hair.

Thumbnail for "WRS Classic: Black Hair Issues".
WRS Classic: Black Hair Issues
00:00
28:08