Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 141

How the Cassette Tape Helped Create the Internet

'In 1983, Simon Goodwin had a strange thought. Would it be possible to broadcast computer software over the radio? If so, could listeners record it off the air and onto a cassette tape? This experiment, and dozens of others in the early 1980s, created a series of cassette fueled, analog internets.  Simon Adler at Radiolab reports for On the Media.'

In His New Book, Chef Bryant Terry Explores Black Foodways

'The Netflix series High on the Hog brought the stories of the Black people who have shaped U.S. food culture past and present to a mainstream audience. It turns out there’s a lot of appetite right now in recognizing and celebrating Black foodways and culinary traditions.  That’s something Bryant Terry knows very well. The chef, activist, and educator is the author of the new book Black Food and editor-in-chief of 4 Color Books. Featuring the work of more than 100 contributors, Black Food explores Black foodways across the U.S. and around the world through recipes, poetry, essays, art, and more. He joins  The Takeaway.'

Justice & Culture: Exploring the Impact of Entertainment on Criminal Justice: A Conversation with Rashad Robinson

'For the first installment of our event series Justice & Culture: Exploring the Impact of Entertainment on Criminal Justice The Aspen Institute are joined by Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of Color of Change. In the Justice & Culture series, we’re seeking to understand how pop culture can influence public perception of crime and justice – either for better or for worse. Through its Culture Change and Media Justice work, Color of Change is taking on ending inaccurate representations of the criminal justice system on TV. Rashad Robinson joins us to tell how Color of Change came to focus on this work, successes and challenges to date, and the road ahead.'

Kristin Henning | Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth

'Kristin Henning is the Blume Professor of Law and Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown Law, where she and her law students represent youth accused of delinquency in Washington, DC. Kris was previously the Lead Attorney for the Juvenile Unit of the D.C. Public Defender Service and is currently the Director of the Mid-Atlantic Juvenile Defender Center. She has been representing children accused of crime for more than 25 years. Henning is the author of The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth.' -- The Brainwaves Video Anthology

Aria Code Breakers: Terence Blanchard and Rhiannon Giddens Discuss Fire Shut Up in My Bones

'Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones became the first opera by a Black composer staged at the Metropolitan Opera. In this very special talk, Aria Code host Rhiannon Giddens will speak with Terence about this historic premiere, his writing process, and the unique challenges of staging an opera in the wake of a global pandemic.'

Death Threats and Deforestation: The Brazilian Grandma Battling Illegal Amazon Loggers

'Marli Yontep Krikati became the first woman in her Amazon village to lead the forest guardians after the men declared the job too dangerous. The forest guardians are groups of indigenous Brazilians who patrol their territories to guard against illegal logging, farming and mining in the face of lax enforcement of Brazil's environmental laws under Jair Bolsonaro's government. Forest guardian leaders regularly receive death threats from powerful interest groups who encourage these unlawful activities. Now, as Brazil declares an end to deforestation by 2030 as part of the Cop26 summit, we follow the forest guardians on patrol to witness the severity of the deforestation challenge.'

Met Exhibitions | Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room [Virtual Opening]

'"Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room," like any of The Met’s period rooms, is a fabrication of a domestic space that assembles furnishings and objects to create a fiction of authenticity. Rather than affirm a fixed moment in time, however, this structure reimagines the immersive experience of the period room by embracing the African diasporic belief that the past, present, and future are interconnected.'

Why Cases of Missing Black People Remain Unsolved For So Long

'Every year, tens of thousands of women and girls disappear in the U.S. Each disappearance is a tragedy, but for missing Black people, their cases remain unsolved four times longer than those of white people. Experts say that’s due to a lack of media attention, slower police responses, and communities that fail to push for answers. Matter of Fact's Soledad O’Brien serves as an executive producer of Black and Missing, a four part HBO documentary series focused on those unsolved cases. She speaks with Derrica and Natalie Wilson. They started the Black and Missing Foundation in 2008 to find answers for grieving families.'

Author interview: Michael Tubbs' 'The Deeper the Roots'

'NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Michael Tubbs about his memoir, The Deeper the Roots.'

Outside of Atlanta, Black Families Buy Land to Create a Safe Haven

'19 Black families have purchased land south of Atlanta for a future city called Freedom. They envision it as a safe haven built by them, for them, and for other Black families.' -- Weekend Edition Sunday