Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 162

'Me Too' Founder Tarana Burke Says Black Girls' Trauma Shouldn't Be Ignored

'As Tarana Burke read the #MeToo stories women were sharing, she was blown away. Burke shifted her perspective to the "30,000 foot view," and saw something much bigger than she had ever imagined unfolding. She also realized that in order to fully help women heal, she needed to tell her own "Me Too" story. She does that in the new memoir, Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement.'

Anita Hill Started A Conversation About Sexual Harassment. She's Not Done Yet

'Anita Hill's new book, Believing, draws on her own experiences, as well as the stories shared with her by victims of sexual harassments and assault. She writes about laws related to gender-based violence and suggests how the Supreme Court confirmation process might be changed so that when women like her and Ford come forward, their allegations are fully investigated. "Thirty years later, I'm here to say that even though Clarence Thomas was confirmed, I do believe that what I did was effective because it opened the conversation publicly in a way that had never been done before," she tells Fresh Air. "I've heard from people whose lives have been changed because that conversation was open."

Mickey Guyton Is A Country Artist With A Big Voice An An Even Bigger Message

'Mickey Guyton is power personified. Equipped with a big voice and an even bigger message, Guyton represents a new generation of women making music in Nashville. Regardless of whether or not her music gets airplay on mainstream country radio, she makes country music to share her truth. Guyton's debut album — released this month — is called Remember Her Name. In this episode of Nashville Sessions, Mickey Guyton talks about Spotify's role in making her music more visible, women in country music getting "chicked," cohosting last year's Academy of Country Music Awards with Keith Urban and more.'

The Current State Of Surveillance

 

'Think of how you spend your day. Maybe when you first wake up in the morning you check the weather or your email. Maybe you take your dog for a walk around the neighborhood and place a coffee order on your phone before you head into work or go back to the home office. Now think of how many cameras you pass in those first few hours. CCTVs around the coffee shop. Ring cameras on your neighbors' doorsteps. The apps on your phone – from food delivery to COVID contact tracing – know where you are at all times. It's been nearly 20 years since the Patriot Act was passed. How has surveillance changed over the years? And why, exactly, are we so watched now? Albert Fox Cahn, Caroline Haskins, Freddy Martinez, and Mizue Aizeki join 1A for the conversation.'

Colson Whitehead Finally Gets To Flex His Comedy Muscle

'After writing his Pulitzer Prize-winning books The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, author Colson Whitehead needed a change of pace. So for his next novel, Harlem Shuffle, he decided to tackle topics near and dear to his heart: heists and New York real estate. In this episode of NPR's Book of the Day, Morning Edition host Noel King talks to Whitehead about his book's protagonist, a furniture retailer named Ray Carney, and what draws him to a double life of crime.'

There Was Nothing Like 'Soul Train' On TV. There's Never Been Anything Like It Since

'When Soul Train was first nationally syndicated in October 1971, there was nothing else like it on TV. It was the iconic Black music and dance show, a party every weekend that anyone could join from their living room. We break down the lasting influence of Soul Train on the culture with Hanif Abdurraqib, author of A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance, as well as scholars, fans and even a few featured dancers, and ask why there's never been a show like it since. This is the first episode in a three-part It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders series examining the concept of crossover in pop music across three decades.'

Alison Gopnik: Cognition, Care and Spirituality

'In this Aeon Original animation, Alison Gopnik, a writer and a professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of California at Berkeley, examines how these unparalleled vulnerable periods are likely to be at least somewhat responsible for our smarts. Exploring how different brain states accompany different life stages, Gopnik also makes a case that caring for the vulnerable, rather than ivory-tower philosophising, puts us in touch with our deepest humanity.'

Anita Hill on 'Believing

'Teacher, legal scholar and advocate Anita Hill joins us to discuss her new book, Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence.'

Brandon Taylor Wrote 'Real Life' And 'Filthy Animals' For His Queer, Black Friends

 

'Author Brandon Taylor used to spend most of his hours studying nematodes under a microscope as a grad student in biochemistry. He wrote his first novel over a period of five weeks, mostly while in a lab. That book, Real Life, was released in 2020 to much critical acclaim. He published his second book this year, a short story collection called Filthy Animals. Taylor talks with It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders about his focus on the tensions of everyday relationships, writing from a Black and queer perspective and his intended audience of just a couple close friends.'

On Debut Album, Mickey Guyton Remembers Her Name

'Over the last decade, singer-songwriter Mickey Guyton has been trying to convince the country music industry that she is country. Morning Edition's Noel King talks to her about the highs and lows she's experienced.'