Roland Martin
@rolandsmartin·1.9M subscribers·31.6K videos
Our Minds Were Always Free. The Fight to Reclaim Black Creativity #TheBlackTable
Posted
May 15, 2026
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May 15, 2026
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56:53Now Playing5.15.2026 #TheBlackTable w/ Dr. Greg Carr: Our Minds Were Always Free. The Fight to Reclaim Black Creativity
Dr. Greg Carr sits down with attorney and entertainment lawyer Lisa E. Davis to discuss her new book Our Minds Were Always Free and the long history of Black creativity, intellectual property, exploitation, and ownership in America.
From enslaved African innovators and stolen inventions to gospel music, blues, film, publishing, and AI-generated art, the conversation traces how Black brilliance has repeatedly shaped American culture while others profited from the work. Davis breaks down the legal and economic systems that allowed Black labor and creativity to be extracted, copied, commodified, and often stripped of ownership.
The discussion moves through the stories of Onesimus, Thomas Jennings, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Bessie Smith, Oscar Micheaux, Sidney Poitier, Melvin Van Peebles, Spike Lee, Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, and others who fought to control not only what they created, but how Black people were represented to the world.
Dr. Carr and Davis also examine the growing threat AI poses to artists, musicians, and creators, warning that automation and corporate ownership could further disconnect Black creativity from Black economic power.
Throughout the conversation, one idea remains constant: Black creativity has always transformed the world. The fight has always been about who controls it and who benefits from it.
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