In the premiere episode of Why I Love Black Women, Michael Eric Dyson speaks with legendary Oscar nominated actress, artist and activist Aunjanue Ellis. Ms. Ellis’s career is the very embodiment of Black genius and excellence, as she has played icons Oracene Price (mother to Serena and Venus) and Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, Black gospel innovator and visionary matriarch of the Clark Sisters. Ellis reflects on her Mississippi roots, coming to terms with her queer identity, and “The Slap,” which she ingeniously places in the context of the politics of white patriarchy. Brilliant, courageous, daring and impossibly literate, Ellis offers a glimpse into why we should all love Black women.