Race and Gender in The Chair

This Week in Black History, Society, and Culture

In this episode, Dr. Hettie V. Williams is in conversation with Dr. Anwar Uhuru about the Netflix series The Chair. Dr. Uhuru is an Assistant Professor of African American literature in the Department of English at Monmouth University. His research and teaching interests focus on Afro-Diaspora literature and culture, gender, and critical race theory. The focus of this discussion is on race and gender in The Chair a limited comedy-drama series focused on academic life at the fictional Pembroke University that premiered August, 2021. Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim, a Korean American woman, is the main character in the show. She is the first woman to become Chair of her Department and faced with a series of challenges including issues related to race, age and gender.