Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 10

All Things Considered | Father-daughter memoir 'The Kneeling Man' highlights the complex life of a Black spy

'NPR's Adrian Florido speaks with author Leta McCollough Seletzky about the father-daughter memoir The Kneeling Man, highlighting the complex life of her father's role as a Black spy. Her father, Marrell McCullough, was a Memphis cop who'd been spying on the Civil Rights movement.'

The Takeaway | Poet Jenise Miller Talks Grief and Panama

 

'Two months after losing both of her parents Jenise Miller felt a sense of urgency to leave the country. She needed to feel like she was in a place that felt like her parents, so she left her home in Compton, CA, and traveled to what had been their home not so long ago. When Jenise arrived in Panama she recognized the familiar furnishing, a glass cabinet that held crystal glasses, china plates, and special teas and luxuries that could only be used when the time was right. Jenise Miller is a writer, poet, and urban planner. Her work explores art, archives, geographic mapping, and intersectional history.'

All Of It | Brandee Younger Performs from New Album

'Brandee Younger returns to All of It, this time in-studio, to perform songs live from her new album, Brand New Life. The album celebrates the work of trailblazing jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby and features contributions from Pete Rock, 9th Wonder, Meshell Ndegeocello and Makaya McCraven.'

Inside Erykah Badu's Spiritual Home Studio Filled With Wonderful Objects | Vogue

'“I’m an OK keyboard player, but when I play this one…Liberace.” In this edition of Objects of Affection, musical superstar Erykah Badu gives us a tour of her magical home studio, nicknamed "The Badudio." Erykah shows off everything from a vintage Rhodes keyboard to ankle bells and massive tuning forks.'

 

Louder Than A Riot | Megan's Rule: Being Exceptional Doesn't Make You the Exception

'It felt like the December 2022 trial of Tory Lanez sparked a divide in hip-hop, but it just stoked the flames of a 50-year-long battle for Black women to be heard. In the first episode of our new season, we take you into Megan Thee Stallion's testimony to unpack the impact of misogynoir on rap.'

The Emancipator | Health Equity Tour: Durham's Hayti Neighborhood

'Once one of the most vibrant Black business districts in America, Durham’s Hayti neighborhood was dismantled by urban renewal efforts. Despite challenges, its residents haven’t given up on the promise that Hayti represents. Aya Shabu, creator and conductor of Whistle Stop Tours guides us through the neighborhood, talking to community members about solutions to the poverty, food insecurity, and accessibility issues that contribute to health inequities.'

NPR | Sickle Cell Patient's Success with Gene Editing Raises Hopes and Questions

'A Mississippi woman's life has been transformed by a treatment for sickle cell disease with the gene-editing technique CRISPR. All of Victoria Gray's symptoms from a disease once thought incurable have disappeared.'

Capehart | Elizabeth Way and Elena Romero on How Hip-hop Transformed Fashion

In this conversation for Washington Post Live, Elizabeth Way and Elena Romero, co-curators of the “Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous” exhibition at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, discuss hip-hop’s enduring influence of fashion, the history of high-fashion brands appropriating streetwear and what it really means to wear your “Sunday best”.'

Jabari Hearn | The Blackprint with Detavio Samuels

 

'Host Detavio Samuels chats with Jabari Hearn (SVP of Marketing and Entertainment at Westbrook Media) for a convo about the role faith his played in his life and career, why he gave up on his acting career, what he learned working at Nike and Google, and more.'

New Books Network | Saida Grundy – ‘Respectable: Politics and Paradox in Making the Morehouse Man'

'How does it feel to be groomed as the "solution" to a national Black male "problem"? This is the guiding paradox of Respectable: Politics and Paradox in Making the Morehouse Man (U California Press, 2022), an in-depth examination of graduates of Morehouse College, the nation's only historically Black college for men. While Black male collegians are often culturally fetishized for "beating the odds," the image of Black male success that Morehouse assiduously promotes and celebrates is belied by many of the realities that challenge the students on this campus. Saida Grundy offers a unique insider perspective: a graduate of Spelman college and a former "Miss Morehouse," Grundy crafts an incisive feminist and sociological account informed by her personal insights and scholarly expertise.'