Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 266

Needle To The Groove: Chuck D From Public Enemy Talks About His Five Favorite Vinyl Records

'Needle to the Groove is Okayplayer's latest series where they speak with vinyl lovers and collectors across the world about some of their favorite records, and why they bring them comfort not just during times like this, but all the time. The first episode features host Elijah C. Watson with the legendary Chuck D as he takes us through his favorites in his collection from Richard Pryor to Funkadelic.'

How I Built This with Guy Raz: What Is The Future of Independent Bookstores?

'In 2020 independent bookstores are working harder than ever to stay afloat. Emily Powell is discussing what this year has meant for her business, and what the future of local bookstores might look like.'-- NPR

Demand that Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans Stop Blocking COVID-19 Relief by Ben Jealous

Demand that Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans Stop Blocking COVID-19 Relief  

by Ben Jealous | @BenJealous | special to NewBlackMan (in Exile) 

 

It is going to be a hard Christmas for many Americans. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is soaring. The virus is spreading faster than ever. Families and small business owners whose incomes have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic are being hurt by the U.S. Senate’s refusal to provide any relief since April.  

 

This suffering is not shared equally. Black and brown people have been hit harder than other Americans by the pandemic in many ways. We get sicker and die more often. We have been hit harder by the economic fallout, too. And Senate Republicans’ refusal to give Americans what is needed to protect our families and get the economy going again just extends the inequitable burden that we are bearing.  

 

There is no mystery about the source of the problem. It is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has refused to even consider a meaningful COVID relief bill, including the HEROES Act passed by the House of Representatives more than six months ago.   

 

Even the Trump administration was willing to negotiate with Democrats, but McConnell has acted in bad faith. McConnell held relief hostage because he has insisted that any legislation must exempt companies from legal accountability for outbreaks or deaths within workplaces. Before the election, he told Trump not to make a deal with Democrats. And since then, he has cut his already weak counteroffer in half.  

 

Does the wealthy McConnell not understand how many Americans are going hungry? Twenty-two percent of Black households reported going hungry in one recent week, which the Washington Post noted was more than double the rate for white Americans. 

 

As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and State Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a letter to McConnell before Thanksgiving, economists agree that the country needs a much bigger aid package than he has been willing to consider to keep people and the economy from sinking further. 

 

If the Senate doesn’t act now, more Americans will be hurt. Unemployment benefits run out the day after Christmas. A freeze on student loan payments, protections against evictions, and expanded paid family medical leave will all run out at the end of the month.   

 

The threat to families is devastating. Almost one-third of Black renters have fallen behind on their rent. Meanwhile, in spite of the moratorium on evictions during the pandemic, the real estate management company owned in part by Trump’s son-in-law and White House aide Jared Kushner is suing to evict hundreds of tenants who have fallen behind on their rent. 

 

The need for action is urgent. But McConnell has used the Senate’s time this fall to push right-wing Trump judges into lifetime positions on the federal courts. He adjourned the Senate for Thanksgiving without bringing up relief legislation. 

 

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have put the new administration’s coronavirus task force in place. Biden has called on Congress to pass legislation like the HEROES Act the House passed back in May. It is long past time for Senate Republicans to deal with their Democratic colleagues in good faith, and to give American families the relief they need and deserve.    

 

+++

 

Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and People For the American Way Foundation. Jealous has decades of experience as a leader, coalition builder, campaigner for social justice and seasoned nonprofit executive. In 2008, he was chosen as the youngest-ever president and CEO of the NAACP. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and he has taught at Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania.

Artist Titus Kaphar on Depicting Loss and Finding Purpose

'One of the country's hottest artists, Titus Kaphar has long tackled under-representation of minorities in Western art through his plays on classic paintings. He talks with correspondent Rita Braver about his artwork, and about NXTHVN, an arts program he co-founded that aids emerging artists, curators and students.' -- CBS Sunday Morning

Pointe Black: The Uncomfortable Truth of Being a Black Ballerina

'Marie-Astrid Mence has been a member of Ballet Black since 2014—a seminal dance company formed of Black and Asian performers who astound audiences with displays of balletic beauty and power. Mence’s journey to becoming their Senior Artist, however, had a turbulent beginning in her hometown of Paris. In this documentary profile directed by Rebecca Murray, Mence narrates the uncomfortable truths of her life as a ballerina and her struggles in an industry that fails to see past her skin color. “This film highlights racism, body shaming and bullying,” says the director, who uses the omnipresent 'nude' pointe shoes as a stark visual metaphor for the limited opportunities Black dancers are given. “It runs through a rollercoaster of emotions, but we discover a beautiful, strong and talented lady.” Using prose and pirouettes, Mence deftly illuminates her experience, from adolescence to adulthood, of perfecting her skills in a white-privileged art.' -- NOWNESS

Singing on the Land featuring Rissi Palmer at Bentonville Battlefield

'Singing on the Land is a virtual music project that celebrates the stories of historic sites across North Carolina through the voices of North Carolina musicians. Developed by North Carolina State Historic Sites and Properties in partnership with the North Carolina Arts Council and Come Hear NC, each installment of the series highlights one of North Carolina’s 27 state designated historic sites. Listen and watch as Rissi Palmer and James Gilmore perform the song ‘Barley’ standing on the land where a community witnessed tragedy and hope in the Battle of Bentonville over 150 years ago.' -- N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

 

'A Most Beautiful Thing': An Unlikely Bond Between Chicago Teens from Rival Neighborhoods

'In the late 1990s, a group of teens from rival neighborhoods on Chicago’s West Side formed an unlikely bond. They became the first all-Black high school rowing team. Now, their story is at the center of new documentary called A Most Beautiful Thing. It’s based on a memoir by the same name, written by rower turned motivational speaker Arshay Cooper. Matter of Fact's Soledad O’Brien spoke with Arshay, director Mary Mazzio and executive producer Grant Hill.'

In Conversation: Leslie Uggams

'Singer and actress Leslie Uggams has been in show business for seven decades, since she was six. From appearances on musical variety shows and hosting her own series, to her roles in Roots, Empire, and the Deadpool movies, she talked with CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Mo Rocca about the responsibility she felt as one of the few African Americans regularly performing on early television, where there was no room for failure.'

Man of Change: August Wilson’s "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom" with Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and Uri McMillian

'The new film adaptation of August Wilson’s play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom stars the late Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis. In it, tensions and temperatures rise at a Chicago music studio in 1927 when fiery, fearless “Mother of the Blues” singer Ma Rainey joins her band for a recording session. Cast members Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, and Michael Potts explore Wilson’s work, their roles, and this  release adapted for the screen by playwright, director, and actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson, who also joined the conversation. The program was moderated by Uri McMillan, Associate Professor in UCLA's Department of African American Studies and Department of English, and presented in conjunction with the exhibition "Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth.," which profiles Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Wilson." -- California African American Museum

Common: "A Beautiful Revolution" (Part 1) – A Short Film

“'Beautiful Revolution' Pt. 1. is affirmation. It's recognition. It's elevation. It's music to go with a movement. Because the truth is, there is still so much work to do." -- Common

Musicians: 

Common - vocals 

Robert Glasper - keys 

Karriem Riggins - drums 

Burniss Travis - bass 

PJ - vocals 

Isaiah Sharkey - guitar 

Alejandro Prawl - 

keys DJ Dummy - DJ