Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 276

'Black Diamond Queens': A Conversation Between Maureen Mahon and Ann Powers

'In partnership with The National Museum of African American History and Culture, join NPR Music for an engaging conversation highlighting African American women who have played a pivotal part in the rock and roll genre. Although African American women have influenced rock and roll, their presence in the genre has been diminished in favor of narratives of rock being dominated by White men. Journalist, cofounder and driving force behind NPR Music's Turning The Tables series Ann Powers interviews Maureen Mahon, author of Black Diamond Queens, to discuss how African American women have laid the foundation for rock and roll—from chart-topping hits and stage personas. The conversation highlights recordings, albums, photographs, and other archival materials within the museum’s collections that document African American women’s history in rock and roll between the 1950s to the present.'

The Quarantine Tapes 109: Dwight Trible

'On episode 109 of The Quarantine Tapes, Paul Holdengräber is joined by musician Dwight Trible. Dwight tells Paul about how quarantine has allowed him to establish a routine. He talks about getting the chance to return to old practices of taking walks and meditation. Dwight also shares his excitement about the practice of making music and how he feels he is learning and growing as a musician in this time of isolation. Dwight has been a fixture in the Los Angeles music scene for decades. He and Paul discuss Dwight’s involvement with The World Stage, an LA-based educational and performance art space, and touch on what Dwight sees as a connective thread across generations in the LA jazz scene.'

Get Lit with All Of It: Raven Leilani

'Alison Stewart, host of WNYC’s All Of It in conversation with author Raven Leilani about her critically acclaimed debut novel, Luster, from our October Get Lit with All Of It book club event. The story follows a young Black woman living in Brooklyn who becomes enmeshed in the marriage of an older white couple living in New Jersey.'        

The Prison Music Project: Songs from Inside New Folsom Prison

'There are 2 million people in prison in the United States. Let that sink in for a moment. Another way to put that: the US has 5% of the global population, but makes up 25% of the global prison population. That is a lot of people. And every single one of those people has a story. The new album from The Prison Music Project called Long Time Gone highlights a few of those stories. It features songs by nine incarcerated or formerly incarcerated writers and was put together by musician Zoe Boekbinder. Zoe began volunteer teaching songwriting workshops at New Folsom Prison in California about a decade ago. After a while, it became apparent that the powerful songs being written needed to be heard outside of the prison walls, so Zoe reached out to musician Ani DiFranco to produce an album.' -- World Cafe Words and Music from WXPN

The Outbreak is a Mirror: On COVID-19 in a Failing State

'Evolutionary epidemiologist Rob Wallace examines the spread of COVID-19 across a United States in the grip of deathdrive capital and under the thumb of a political class with no goal but profit for the rich and elimination of everything that stands in the way. Wallace is author of the new book Dead Epidemiologists: On the Origins of COVID-19 from Monthly Review Press.' -- This is Hell!

This is Hell! · The outbreak is a mirror: On COVID-19 in a failing state.

Tracee Ellis Ross: Celebrating Blackness is Political

'Tracee Ellis Ross joins Tricia Rose and Cornel West on The Tight Rope for a deep dialogue about her experiences as a Black actress and the daughter of Diana Ross. Between a lot of laughter, Ms. Ross shares the sources of her inspirations as an entertainer and as the CEO and Founder of PATTERN, a haircare brand she created “for the curly, coily and tight-textured masses.” The three also discuss the importance and implications of joy and rest within marginalized groups, particularly Black communities.' 

 

The United States vs. Billie Holiday

'Billie Holiday helped shape American popular music with her voice and unique style. But, one song in particular has become her greatest legacy — "Strange Fruit." The song paints an unflinching picture of racial violence, and it was an unexpected hit. But singing it brought serious consequences.' -- Throughline

Into the Black Creeks Pushing for Tribal Citizenship

'Rhonda Grayson is the great-granddaughter of America Cohee Webster, a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation. Rhonda can say America’s roll number by heart: 4661. Grayson grew up aware and proud of her Creek ancestry, but has not been able to enroll as a member of the tribe herself. In 1979, the Creek Nation re-wrote its constitution to change the citizenship parameters so that only people who could trace their lineage by blood could be members. That meant Black people who were the descendants of the Creek’s enslaved population were removed from the rolls. These people were called Creek Freedmen, and until 1979, they were considered members of the tribe. Grayson is now a founding member of the Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band, a group of Black people working to preserve their families’ connection to the Creek Nation. On Into America, Grayson tells Trymaine Lee about her fight to be legally recognized as part of the Muscogee Creek Nation. And they talk about her family’s legacy: including her great-grandmother, America Cohee, whose picture you can find as the tile art for this episode.'

"A Luta Continua" (The Struggle Continues): Anne-Maria Makhulu on Anti-Racism in South Africa and the US

'The eighth event of the Wednesdays at the Center series featured Anne-Maria Makhulu, Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology and African and African American Studies at Duke University. She is the author of Making Freedom: Apartheid, Squatter Politics, and the Struggle for Home and co-editor of Hard Work, Hard Times. Charles Piot, Co-Director of DUCIGS' Africa Initiative and Professor of Cultural Anthropology and African and African American Studies at Duke moderated the discussion. Professor Makhulu's talk drew a comparison between a number of social movement struggles in South Africa and the U.S. linked by their common historical experience of settler colonialism, indigenous genocide, chattel slavery, and in the current call to decolonize the university, the system of policing and incarceration, and society as a whole.' -- John Hope Franklin Center at Duke University

Regina King and the Cast of 'One Night in Miami' on Recreating History at Variety's Virtual TIFF Studio

'Regina King and the cast of One Night in Miami join Variety's Virtual TIFF Studio presented by Canada Goose, where they discuss how they recreated the historic night that changed the course of the civil rights movement. Starring Aldis Hodge, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, and Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami tells the story of what happened on the night Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree) celebrated his heavy-weight championship win with Malcolm X (Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Hodge) and Sam Cooke (Odom Jr.) in Miami.'