With the 2024 summer Olympics in full swing, I recently sat down with Dr. Amira Rose Davis, assistant professor and Harrington Fellow of African and African diaspora studies at UT Austin, to talk about her new kids’ book, Go, Wilma, Go! Wilma Rudolph: From Athlete to Activist. Co-authored with Michael G. Long and with illustrations by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow, the book follows Wilma Rudolph, an Olympic gold-medal sprinter-turned-activist, as she makes waves in the ‘50s and ‘60s using her platform to make change toward racial justice.
Davis is no stranger to the world of podcasts — she co-hosted the feminist sports podcast Burn it All Down and hosts season 3 of American Prodigies. A scholar of gender, race, and sports, she has also provided sports commentary for NPR, ESPN, and the BBC and is finishing up her first book for adults, Can’t Eat a Medal: The Lives and Labors of Black Women Athletes in the Age of Jim Crow.
In this episode of the Extra Credit podcast, Davis talks about Rudolph, children’s books, her trip to attend the Olympics in Paris, and what the intersection of race and sports means for her scholarship. We also have a sneak peek at Go, Wilma, Go! to share — just click the video below!
Sprinting Towards Justice