Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 138

Strata-East at 50: How a Revolutionary Record Label Put Control in Artists' Hands

'About 50 years ago, pianist Stanley Cowell and trumpeter Charles Tolliver embarked on a bold venture together. In the face of a tough business climate, at a time of constriction in the record industry, they started their own label, Strata-East Records, breaking in its catalog with the self-titled debut by their own working band, Music Inc. More than just an indie record label, Strata-East was one of the first artist-driven collectives; ownership of the music remained with the composer or bandleader. It was a revolutionary model at the time (and still hardly the norm today), and appealed to a range of Black creative artists, from saxophonist Clifford Jordan to poet Gil Scott-Heron and keyboardist Brian Jackson, whose 1974 album Winter in America brought Strata-East a breakout hit.' -- Jazz Night in America

Imagining A World Without Prisons Or Police

'When Derecka Purnell was growing up, the police were a familiar presence in her life. Years later, the lawyer, activist, and author realized that her vision of a just society was radically different from the world in which she'd been socialized — and it didn't include police at all. In her new book, Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom, Derecka talks about the events that shaped her position — and how she went from a skeptic of the abolitionist movement to one of its most vocal champions. Purnell joins NPR's Code Switch'

'Black Girl Songbook' – Chapter 24: CeCe Winans’s Everlasting Love

'Danyel Smith takes us all to church with none other than thee legend CeCe Winans, who discusses the power of gospel and her friendship with Whitney Houston.'

One Hundred: The Ed Gordon Podcast with "The Black Eagle" Joe Madison - Activist & Broadcaster

'On this episode of One Hundred, host Ed Gordon talks with radio hall of fame broadcaster, Joe Madison. They talk about Madison’s recent hunger strike for voting rights, his radio career, the toxic nature of politics and the future for the Biden administration.'

Jericho Brown Takes on Tradition

'Poet Jericho Brown won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his collection “The Tradition.” The poems are vivid works of beauty and agony – each word delivered with a strong sense of urgency. On this episode of American Masters: Creative Spark, Brown breaks down the process behind writing the collection’s titular poem, “The Tradition,” and the many layers of his ever-changing consciousness that inspired its creation.'

Otherppl with Brad Listi: Jocelyn Nicole Johnson

'Jocelyn Nicole Johnson is the author of the debut story collection  My Monticello , available from Henry Holt & Co. Johnson’s writing has appeared in Guernica, The Guardian, Phoebe, Prime Number Magazine, and elsewhere. Her short story “Control Negro” was anthologized in Best American Short Stories 2018, guest edited by Roxane Gay, and read live by LeVar Burton as part of PRI’s Selected Shorts series. Johnson has been a fellow at Hedgebrook, Tin House Summer Workshops, and VCCA. A veteran public school art teacher, she lives and writes in Charlottesville, Virginia.'

Singer-Songwriter Eric Roberson Discusses Hit Track ‘Lessons’ with Marc Lamont Hill

'Multi-award-winning singer and songwriter Eric Roberson has worked with some of R&B’s favorite artists, including Musiq Soulchild, Jill Scott and many more. The brilliant singer has a silky-smooth voice and it’s proven on his hit track called “Lessons.” The “Lessons” remix was written by and features singers Anthony Hamilton, Raheem DeVaughn and Kevin Ross. Roberson joins Marc Lamont Hill on BNC News to discuss the song and more.'

9th Wonder on Hip-hop’s Influence, Impact on American Culture

'In celebration of Hip-Hop History Month, Grammy-nominated music producer 9th Wonder speaks with CBS Mornings co-host Nate Burleson about the impact of hip-hop on American culture and his own life, in conjunction with the new release of the Smithsonian’s Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap boxed set -- a co-production between NMAAHC & Smithsonain Folkways.'

So Much 'Africa' Photography, So Few African Photographers

'"Photography, Power, and the Ethics of Representation" is a three-part series of webinars conceptualised and convened by scholar and arts writer M. Neelika Jayawardane. The programme is a response to continuing inequalities in photography, especially the obstacles African and African diaspora photographers face. These dialogues between photography practitioners, photojournalists, artists, writers, and scholars aim to challenge and strategise against systemic practices of exclusion, build better educational tools, empower existing training programmes, and create stronger networks.' -- VIAD FADA

“The Viral Underclass”: COVID-19 and AIDS Show What Happens When Inequality and Disease Collide

'As December 1 marks World AIDS Day, we look at the pandemic that preceded COVID-19 and how recorded deaths of complications from the coronavirus this year have surpassed those of HIV/AIDS in the United States. The head of UNAIDS has warned the COVID-19 pandemic may result in an increase in infections and deaths from HIV and AIDS. Both viruses disproportionately impacted vulnerable minority communities. Although treatment rollout for HIV/AIDS was uniquely inhibited by homophobia, racism, and sexism, it was also plagued by corporate greed and U.S. exceptionalism. “We’re seeing very similar dynamics again now with COVID-19,” says Steven Thrasher, professor at Northwestern University in the Medill School of Journalism and the Institute of Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. “We have the vaccines, we have medications that are very effective, and they’re again being held from the Global South to protect the profits of pharmaceutical corporations".'