Miriam Petty is an assistant professor in the Department of Radio/Television/Film and African American
Studies at Northwestern University, and a Public Voices Fellow. She writes and teaches on issues of stardom,
reception, genre, race, and media, and is especially interested in the history of African American representation
in Hollywood film. Her forthcoming book, Stealing the Show: African American Performers and Audiences in 1930s Hollywood (University of California Press) explores the complex relationships between black audiences and black performers during the studio era. In her current project, she is examining the layered connections between the work of contemporary African American filmmaker Tyler Perry and key African American cultural movements and institutions.

Culture
Don’t Let Nina Be Misunderstood
The problem with Zoe Saldana playing Nina Simone.
Miriam Petty
Announcing In These Times’ New Agreement with the National Writers Union
Freelance contributors are essential to the quality and success of In These Times and independent media, and this agreement is one way to demonstrate their value to our publication and our commitment to transparency.
For more information about the National Writers Union, visit nwu.org.
Read the full agreement, which reaffirms a floor for the rates of our freelance editorial content, as well as our current rates (which are higher) and submissions guidelines below.