Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 27

The Black Studies Podcast: Blackness and Belonging: In Conversation with Debra Thompson and Tari Ajadi

'In this episode of the Black Studies Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Debra Thompson and Tari Ajadi to discuss creative and collaborative work on Blackness, belonging and the search for promising and fantastic futures. Dr. Debra Thompson is the Canada Research Chair in Racial Inequality in Democratic Societies at McGill University and a leading scholar of the comparative politics of race. Tari Ajadi is a PhD candidate in Political Science at Dalhousie University and a Black Studies Pre-doctoral fellow at Queen’s University. A British-Nigerian immigrant to Canada, Tari aims to produce research that supports and engages with Black communities across the country.'

This College Dropout Raised Millions To Make Credit Access More Equitable | Forbes

'Low-cost subscriptions to services like Netflix, Spotify and Xbox Live can help boost credit scores for folks with little or poor credit history. Altro issues a no-fee payment card to fund them. When customers pay their Altro bill, the company alerts top credit bureaus including TransUnion, Equifax and Experian to beef up their scores. Altro makes its money by charging the services a small transaction fee. “We serve people who have never been exposed to the credit system before,” Michael Broughton says. In 2020, he and cofounder Ayush Jain, who met as undergrads at USC, raised $250,000 from Jay-Z’s Marcy Ventures, dropped out of school and joined Y Combinator. They have since raised $18 million.'

'The Black Family's Guide to College Admissions' Traces the Path to Higher Education

'Timothy Fields and Shereem Herndon-Brown are college admissions experts, so they know how confusing and overwhelming the higher education system can be. That's especially true for Black students, which is why their new book offers a guide for how to think about application timelines, exposure to schools, and financial aid opportunities. In this episode, they explain to Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd why there are specific challenges pertaining to Black students, and why it's important for everyone – parents, guidance counselors, high schoolers – to be better informed about the process.'

Helga: Painter Glenn Ligon on the Value of Difference

"Usually the things that are the farthest out — that look the least like art to me — are the things that become the most important." -- Glenn Ligon

'American painter Glenn Ligon is one of the most recognizable figures in the contemporary art scene. His distinctive, political work uses repetition and transformation to abstract the texts of 20th-century writers. In this episode, Ligon talks about childhood and what it means to have a parent who fiercely and playfully supports you. He also discusses the essential lesson that there’s value in the things you do differently, and why he won’t take an afternoon nap in his own studio.'

It's Been a Minute: What We Lose if Black Twitter Disappears

'#BlackLivesMatter. #OscarsSoWhite. #Zola. These huge cultural moments come from one of the most chaotic, beloved, and influential communities online: Black Twitter. But with Elon Musk at the helm, the future of the community is in question. What's next for the digital public square and by extension Black Twitter? Host Brittany Luse sits down with Jason Parham, senior writer at WIRED, to discuss why he believes, "There Is No Replacement for Black Twitter"; and why his three-part oral history, "A People's History of Black Twitter" is needed now more than ever.'

The Takeaway: How Trains Built America's Labor Movement

'The Takeaway looks at the current labor dispute and the epic battles on the rail that shaped the labor movement, with Jeff Schuhrke, assistant professor at the Harry Van Arsdale Jr. School of Labor Studies at SUNY Empire State. Then, we learn about the workers who were left out of that early labor movement, with Manu Karuka, assistant professor of American studies at Barnard College, and author of "Empire's Tracks: Indigenous Nations, Chinese Workers, and the Transcontinental Railroad." And we hear about how some of these rail workers later built their own engines of power and became vital drivers of the movement for civil rights, from Bob Lettenberger, associate editor of Trains Magazine.'

Tiny Desk Concert: Westside Boogie

'Westside Boogie's obscure declaration before the final song of his set indicated his detailed knowledge of Tiny Desk concerts. "I gotta be the first person to bring kids to NPR, right? No, I'm not," he exclaims. "I gotta be the first one with kids in costumes, though." He's correct. American Football brought a children's choir to the Desk in 2019, so Boogie added flair to that idea for the climactic end to his show. The "superheroes" accompanying him for "Silent Ride" are local Washington, D.C., children representing the future. The vulnerable and solemn nature of this Compton poet's music required minimal adjustment to fit into our space. The title of his latest project, More Black Superheroes, is in part dedicated to two recurring themes in his music: his neighborhood and his son. For his Tiny Desk, he played songs from that album, including "NONCHALANT," featuring former Tiny Desk Contest contestant Mamii and other highlights from his catalog.'

All Of It: A Children's Book About Hope After A Hurricane in Puerto Rico

'All Of It with Alison Stewart speaks with Karina Nicole González, who's debut picture book, The Coquíes Still Sing, tells the story of a young Puerto Rican girl named Elena who rallies her family and community in the face of a hurricane destroying her home and the habitat of her favorite animal, the coquí.'

The New Yorker Radio Hour: An Audiobook Master on the Secrets of Her Craft

'You’ve probably never heard of Robin Miles, but you may well have heard her—possibly at some length. Miles is an actor who’s cultivated a particular specialty in recording audiobooks, a booming segment of the publishing industry. She has lent her voice to more than 400 titles in all sorts of genres—from the classic Charlotte’s Web to Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste, a deep analysis of race in America. “Telling a story, fully, all of it—from all the aspects of it—and creating the kind of intimacy between you and your listener is so satisfying,” she tells the New Yorker editor Daniel Gross. “Being in a great play means you have to have the money and the other actors and a script and a director. This is just me and my book, and I love that”.'

Here & Now: Louis Armstrong Comes to Life in a New Way

'One of the greatest artists of the last century is having a little revival. Louis Armstrong — the gravely voiced singer and maestro of the trumpet — has a new album topping the charts now, more than 50 years after his death. It's a holiday record called Louis Wishes You A Cool Yule. Also, a new documentary called Louis Armstrong's Black and Blues depicts the artist as never before — using his own words, from his own archive of hundreds of hours of recording. Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes talks with Ricky Riccardi, the director of research collections for the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens. Ricardi won a Grammy Award this year for the liner notes he wrote for an Armstrong box set. He has written two books about Armstrong.'