Left of Black | Seeing Ryan Coogler's "Sinners," A Duke Panel Discussion

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Vampires walking through the Depression-era Mississippi Delta is the premise of director Ryan Coogler's breakout hit of 2025, "Sinners," starring Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers Smoke and Stack. In this special panel discussion, co-sponsored by the Forum for Scholars and Publics at the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute, host Mark Anthony Neal welcomes noted jazz artist Lois Deloatch along with fellow professors Dr. Franklin Cason, Jr. and Dr. Joseph Winters for a lively talkback. The group delves into the blues music that Coogler infuses into the film along with the imagery of ancestors mixed with an Afrofuturistic aesthetic that makes this vampire horror film stand out from anything ever done before in the genre. Truly a masterpiece to watch!

• Dr. Franklin Cason, Jr. is an Assistant Professor of the Practice of Art, Art History & Visual Studies at Duke University. He recently published the article, “Symbiopsychotaxiplasticity: Some Takes on William Greaves,” co-authored with Dr. Tsitsi Jaji, in the journal Cultural Studies in a special issue on Theorizing Production. His research explores aesthetics and pragmatism in African-American cinema.

• Lois Deloatch is a Music Artist & Storyteller with over thirty years in music with "Love Always," her sixth recording as leader. She is recognized internationally for her soulful contralto voice, provocative compositions, and eclectic blend of jazz, folk, blues, and spirituals. Deloatch has shared the stage with luminaries such as Ellis Marsalis, Arturo Sandoval, Dr. Billy Taylor, and others.

• Dr. Joseph Richard Winters II is the Alexander F. Hehmeyer Associate Professor of Religious Studies and African and African American Studies at Duke University. He is the author of "Toni Morrison and political theory," a journal article published in Contemporary Political Theory. His interests lie at the intersection of black religious thought, African-American literature, and critical theory.

This event was co-sponsored by the Forum for Scholars and Publics at the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute. It is a place where scholars and various publics — local, national, and global — can interact and intersect to generate greater exchange between the university and the broader world. Founded in 2013, the Forum at Duke has hosted over 300 conversations, performances, workshops, and panel discussions and welcomed over 500 invited guest speakers from around the world.

"Left of Black," Duke University's intrepid web series on Black Studies and the Black Arts, begins its milestone fifteenth season! "Left of Black" is the 2024 Gold Davey Award-winning and 2023 & 2025 Webby Award-nominated series featuring interviews with Black Studies scholars, along with musicians and artists, created and hosted by the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African and African American Studies, Dr. Mark Anthony Neal.

Directed, produced & edited by Eric Barstow, M.F.A.

Camera Operators: Chris Vilorio & Jacob Whatley, both graduates of the Class of 2025 at Duke University.