In this intimate and wide‑ranging conversation, host Esi Lewis, executive director of the
Dr. Margaret Wade Lewis Center for Black History and Culture, sits down with her beloved “Ciesta,” Professor Ciesta Little-Quinn — educator, musician, choir director, and longtime pillar of Black cultural life in the Hudson Valley.
Professor Quinn reflects on her journey from Detroit to New England to Poughkeepsie, tracing the experiences that shaped her as a teacher, performer, and advocate for Black music and Black history. From integrating a New Hampshire school district to teaching generations of students in Poughkeepsie and SUNY New Paltz, she shares stories filled with humor, resilience, and deep purpose.
Together, Esi and Professor Little-Quinn explore the legacy of Dr. Margaret Wade Lewis, the evolution of the Black Studies Department at SUNY New Paltz, and the power of music — spirituals, Motown, gospel, and the sounds of the 1960s — as a vessel of memory, identity, and liberation.
What is We Be Griots?
A "griot" is a West African storyteller who preserves the genealogies, historical narratives, and oral traditions of their people. Host Esi Lewis created the Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis Center for Black History and Culture, in New Paltz, NY, to share local Black history. Dr. Wade-Lewis loved people, education, and language. Join us to hear personal narratives of the Black community.
We Be Griots is made in collaboration with Episcopal Campus Ministries, and the SUNY New Paltz Department of Digital Media and Journalism. Audio Producer: Brett Barry; Consulting Producer: Allison Moore