Ethelene Whitmire
Historian and professor in African American Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison; author of The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram and researcher of overlooked Black historical figures.
Top 3 podcasts with Ethelene Whitmire
Ranked by the Snipd community
Mar 15, 2026 • 29min
Ethelene Whitmire, "The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram" (Viking, 2026)
Ethelene Whitmire, historian and professor of African American Studies, brings to life Reed Peggram, a queer Black scholar who escaped segregation for wartime Europe. She explores his letters, Hollywood-adjacent social world, romance with a Danish partner, capture and daring escape from the Nazis, and the archival detective work that rebuilt his story.
Mar 15, 2026 • 29min
Ethelene Whitmire, "The Remarkable Life of Reed Peggram" (Viking, 2026)
Ethelene Whitmire, historian and professor of African American Studies, unveils the life of Reed Peggram, a queer Black scholar who built a daring life in Europe before and during WWII. She discusses archival discovery, Reed’s vibrant letters and relationships, his wartime capture and escape, and the challenges of reconstructing hidden Black lives. The conversation highlights visuals, adaptation potential, and future research on African Americans in Denmark.
Feb 12, 2026 • 9min
A new book focuses on a queer, Black, WWII-era translator who risked safety for love
Ethelene Whitmire, historian and professor of African American Studies, uncovers the life of Reed Peggram through family letters. She recounts his Cambridge education, his unrequited love for Leonard Bernstein, his choice to stay in Europe amid rising danger, relationships in Denmark and Italy, and the wartime and postwar struggles that shaped his fate.
