Black Man in the Cosmos
Lavelle Porter on race, sexuality, and the “politics of respectability.”
Lavelle Porter is a professor and writer with a fascinating set of interests, ranging from poetry and science fiction to racial politics, sexual identity, and the structures of higher education itself. He talked with me about navigating race, sexuality, and the “politics of respectability” during his years at Morehouse College in Atlanta, how he became interested in artists and writers like Sun Ra and Samuel Delany, and what the future holds for American education.