Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 133

In Remembrance of bell hooks

'The Takeaway remembers bell hooks, the writer, feminist and educator who died on December 15. Her literary work and cultural critique elevated the perspectives of Black women interrogating feminism's white hegemony in the 1980s. In her prolific and varied career she not only expanded feminist thought in her foundational book Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism but also shared experiences of her Kentucky upbringing in works like Appalachian Elegy: Poetry and Place. Alondra Nelson, the Harold F. Linder Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study, shares stories of inspiration discussing bell hooks' impact on Black feminism and looks ahead to her lasting influence.'

“We’re Not Distinct From The People As Revolutionaries” – Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin on Anarchism and The Black Revolution

'In this episode of Millennials Are Killing Capitalism a conversation with Lorenzo Kom’boa Ervin,  a veteran of the Black Panther Party, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and co-founder of the Black Autonomy Federation. A former long-time political prisoner, we talk to Ervin about the recent release of the definitive edition of his book Anarchism and the Black Revolution on Pluto Press. Anarchism and the Black Revolution was written during Ervin’s political imprisonment, and is considered a foundational text for Black Anarchist traditions.'

Nile Rodgers Says Selling Off the Guitars Behind Iconic Hits Feels Like “orphaning off children”

'Nile Rodgers is a Grammy Award-winning guitarist, producer, composer, arranger and artist in the disco group, CHIC. He’s also produced and played on iconic records for artists like Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna and Lady Gaga. CBS Mornings' Anthony Mason caught up with the hit-maker at Christie’s New York.'

Food Insecurity in the Military

'For decades, military families in the United States have suffered from food insecurity. According to the Military Family Advisory Network, one in eight military families faces some form of military insecurity, one in five since the pandemic. To make matters worse, these families, largely lower enlisted personnel, are also not eligible for federal assistance programs. The Takeaway speaks with Shannon Razsadin, President and Executive Director of the Military Family Advisory Network about food insecurity in the military.'

Civil Rights Pioneer Claudette Colvin has Arrest Records Expunged

'Claudette Colvin was 15 in 1955 when she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. “My name was cleared,” she told CBS Mornings lead national correspondent David Begnaud.'

Ebony Williams's Beautiful Resistance: Dance is Queen

'Ebony Williams is one of the iconic “Single Ladies” backup dancers and the genius who helped choreograph Beyoncé's “My Power,” as well as moves for Doja Cat, Alicia Keys, and In the Heights. The Dorchester native is dance. It’s in her art, her acting, her creative directing. Even her fingers seem to stretch and play to a rhythm as she talks to The Boston Globe's Jeneé Osterheldt. The Boston Conservatory of Dance alumna regularly returns to the city to teach at her former school.'

For Prisoners, the Holidays are Extremely Painful

'After spending the past year and a half socially distancing, millions around the country will be coming together to celebrate the holidays this year with a renewed appreciation for seeing and being with loved ones. For those who are locked away in prisons and jails, however, the dehumanizing separation from family, friends, and community will continue. Having spent 44 years as a political prisoner, The Real News Network Executive Producer Eddie Conway has an intimate knowledge of just how painful the holidays are for incarcerated people and why suicides, violence, and depression spike for prisoners this time of year. In this episode of Rattling the Bars, Conway and TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez have an open and emotional discussion about what it’s like to be locked up during the holidays and about the importance of doing what we can to help prisoners maintain contact with the outside world.'

AWKWORD INTERVIEWS: Carlton Williams, Movement Lawyer & Cornell Law Professor

'We are in one of the periods of the fighting like hell and winning like hell... This is a Toussaint movement. This is a slave revolt moment. This is a Montgomery Bus Boycott moment. This is a founding of the Black Panthers moment. Right now. This is a Harriet Tubman, Underground Railroad, Mississippi Freedom Party moment. And we get to live in it, so, bring it!" - Carlton Williams, on the Movement for Black Lives and our current place in history. Williams joins AWKWORD in conversation about about Democrats, liberalism and criminal justice reform, and abolition, organizing and liberation.'

SWAN SONG – American Film Institute Conversation with Mahershala Ali and Benjamin Cleary

A conversation with Swan Song star and producer Mahershala Ali and writer/director Benjamin Cleary at the American Film Institute Fest 2021. 

America's First Freed Slaves Bought This Island – Now It’s A Luxury Resort

'Long before Hilton Head Island in South Carolina became a vacation destination, it was a refuge for formerly enslaved people. But have you ever heard of the Gullah Geechee? This community — with its own identity, language and culture — has been under relentless siege by threats of commercial development and land acquisition. Their story is a warning to tourists everywhere: Your dream vacation could be happening on someone else’s ancestral land.'