Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 1015
March 19, 2012
NCAA March Madness: Not All Fun and Games
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Dave Zirin (The Nation), Jemele Hill (ESPN) and Keith Boykin weigh in on the politics and business of March Madness on the Melissa Harris Perry Show (MSNBC).
March 18, 2012
March 17, 2012
White Scripts and Black Superheroes: James Braxton Peterson on the Myth of the Black Superman
Lehigh University Professor James Braxton Peterson talks with filmmaker Jonathan Gayles ( White Scripts and Black Superheroes: Masculinities in Comic Books ) about the myth of the "Black Superhero."
White Scripts and Black Superheroes: Dwayne McDuffie on Chester Himes, Luke Cage and 'Sweet Christmas'
Filmmaker Jonathan Gayles ( White Scripts andBlack Supermen: Black Masculinities in American Comic Books ) Interview with the late Dwayne McDuffie , founder of Milestone Comics.
Final Trailer: White Scripts and Black Supermen: Black Masculinities in American Comic Books (dir. Jonathan Gayles)
from California Newsreel :
Twenty years ago, Marlon Riggs produced an essential documentary critique of the images of African Americans in US television in his award-winning Color Adjustment . Now comes a documentary on representations of Black masculinity in comic books; a popular culture genre which existed before television and whose reach extends into other areas of cultural production such as movies and animated TV series. White Scripts and Black Supermen: Black Masculinities in Comic Books analyzes the subject for the first time and looks at it over a 40 year period.
In a serious, lively and humorous manner, the film examines the degree to which some of the first Black superheroes generally adhered to and were burdened by stereotypes about Black men. However we also witness how some images shifted – oftentimes clumsily - to reflect the changing times. In fact the documentary was formerly entitled Shaft or Sidney Poitier: Black Masculinity in Comic Books to signify two types of characters, one with hyper-masculine urban swagger (Shaft) and one with remarkably "dignified" behavior (Sidney Poitier). Ultimately, it became clear that there was much more "Shaft" than "Sidney Poitier" in these early Black superheroes.
It features commentary by scholars and cultural critics (Jelani Cobb, Mark Anthony Neal, Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua) producers, writers and artists (Reginald Hudlin, John Jennings, Tony Isabella and the late pioneer Dwayne McDuffie.) They provide tools for critiquing all media as they introduce and analyze the leading Black comic book superheroes of the late 60's to late 70's including Black Panther, the Falcon, John Stewart (the Green Lantern), Luke Cage and Black Lightning.
For more information on the subject of African Americans and comic books, please go to blacksuperherodoc.com
Black Masculinity in the Documentary Frame on the March 19th Left of Black
Black Masculinity in the Documentary Frame on the March 19thLeft of Black
Hostand Duke University Professor MarkAnthony Neal is joined via Skype© by filmmaker Ron Chepesiuk, who discusses his new film TheFrank Matthews Story: The Rise and Disappearance of America's Biggest Kingpin.The film will be screened March 23, 2012 at the HaytiHeritage Center in Durham, NC. Chepesiuk talks about the 1970s drugtrade, describes why Matthews is one of America's lesser known gangsters,despite his successful and brilliant operation, and shares some of the D.B.Cooper-like details of Matthews' disappearance in 1974.
Later,Neal is joined via Skype© by JonathanGayles, professor of African American Studiesat Georgia State University and writer, director, and producer of the film White Scripts andBlack Supermen: Black Masculinities in American Comic Books (California Newsreel). Gayles discusses reactions to his movie, which won best documentary feature atthe 2010 Urban Media Makers Film Festival and remembers the impact of thelate Dwayne McDuffie, founder of Milestone Media. Neal and Gayles also discussBlack Entertainment Television's ill-fated attempt to bring the animated series BlackPanther to television.
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Left of Black airs at 1:30 p.m. (EST) on Mondays on the Ustreamchannel: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/left-of-black. Viewers are invited to participate in a Twitterconversation with Neal and featured guests while the show airs using hash tags#LeftofBlack or #dukelive.
Left of Black is recorded and produced at the John Hope FranklinCenter of International and Interdisciplinary Studies at Duke University.
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Follow Left of Black on Twitter: @LeftofBlackFollow Mark Anthony Neal on Twitter: @NewBlackManFollow Jonathan Gayles: @JonathanGaylesFollow Ron Chepesuik: @RonChepesuik
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"Mass Misogyny" or "Political Posturing": Discussing Women's Health Issues with Esther Armah
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Esther Armah (WBAI), Brian Lehrer (WNYC) & Allison Kilkenny (Citizen Radio) discuss the "politics" of Women's Health on The Melissa Harris Perry Show (MSNBC).[image error]
March 16, 2012
Too Short: Misogyny, Teen Violence & the influence Rap Music [Oakland Town Hall]
from Davey D :
This was a great discussion that took place Wed March 14 2012 at Oakland City hall. It brought two generations together-Hip Hop and Civil Rights along with survivors of sexual assault and violence, artists and local activists. Among the organizations involved were 100 Black Men, Safe Passages and We Are the 44% Coalition.
Too Short who is considered a pioneering figure and the Godfather of Bay Area rap was part of this discussion.. He agreed to use the firestorm he caused when he gave 'fatherly advise' in a XXL online video to middle school boys on turning out girls to be the catalyst for much deeper discussion around teen violence and sexual assault. Short was pretty candid and said he takes full responsibility for his transgression... and that he was there to rectify and try to repair whatever damage he caused..He also noted that its important for those who do look up to him to see him in a more well rounded way...That he's more that just an artist but someone who cares for his community and the young people he works with.. He also talked about the struggle he has with balancing his adult themed material with good work and the lure of the entertainment industry.
We also had a round table with several sexual assault survivors and one brother who's mom was murdered and tossed in a suitcase, their stories and spirit were powerful.. This was the start of a dialogue and a first step to proposed solutions..Everyone came away feeling upbeat and inspired, until we saw the news coverage..It was a deliberate undermining of the event by KTVU and KPIX who packed up their bags and left before the discussion was over and didn't bother to talk to the scores of people in attendance. Hopefully this video gives folks a better understanding of what took place last night.. It was good and powerful event.[image error]
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