Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 279

Sociologist William I. Robinson: Global Capitalism, Global Police State

'Sociologist William I. Robinson examines the rise of the global police state - as transnational capitalist power dominates the planet and concentrates wealth into the hands of a shrinking number of elite hands, the surveillance, control and repression of surplus populations becomes another frontier of wealth accumulation and brutality. Robinson is author of The Global Police State from Pluto Press.' -- This is Hell!

This is Hell! · Global capitalism, global police state.

Danielle Purifoy: Greenwashing Environmental Racism

'Lawyer and geographer Danielle Purifoy on her reports "Knock on Wood: How Europe's wood pellet appetite fuels environmental racism in the South" and "As the wood pellet industry grows across the South, Enviva targets Alabama and Mississippi for future expansion" for Scalawag.' -- This is Hell! 

This is Hell! · 1249: Greenwashing environmental racism / Danielle Purifoy

Left of Black S11 · E1 | Keith Knight on Hulu's New Series: 'WOKE'

Does being a Black artist necessitate being 'woke' and thus influencing the work that they produce? Cartoonist Keith Knight has attained newfound success with the new Hulu original series, Woke, starring rising star Lamorne Morris as Keef, an artist whose confrontation with the police causes him to question the comic strips he's been creating. Somewhat autobiographical, the series adds humor while still tackling the systemic racism that is inherent in African-American life. Mr. Knight joined Left of Black host Mark Anthony Neal to discuss the show and how life has changed for him as an artist.

Devon Gilfillian Re-Records Marvin Gaye's 1971 album 'What's Going On'

'Nashville-based artist Devon Gilfillian has released a brand new track-by-track cover of Marvin Gaye's 1971 album What's Going On. Featuring a number of guests, the album was made during quarantine in Nashville. Devon joins me in this session to talk about why he wanted to re-record this album from start to finish, why this music is still so relevant, plus he tells the story of how Chaka Khan first inspired him to learn the title track.' -- World Cafe Words and Music from WXPN

Ben Harper's New Instrumental Album

'Three-time Grammy winner Ben Harper joins us to discuss his life and career, and previews his first entirely instrumental album, Winter Is for Lovers.' -- All Of It

Friending Thanatos: Richard Seymour's The Twittering Machine

'Richard Seymour, author of The Twittering Machine,  joins Eric and Kate to discuss the “social industry" — online platforms that monetize and manipulate our need to share our lives online. Seymour moves beyond the negative effects social media has on us as individuals and as a community, bringing into view a bigger picture: the social, economic, and political perils that are now at our fingertips.' -- LA Review of Books

LA Review of Books · Friending Thanatos: Richard Seymour's The Twittering Machine

A New Picture Book Reminds Black Sons: You Are 'Every Good Thing'

'When Derrick Barnes began writing children's books 15 years ago, he didn't see Black kids — boys in particular — depicted in positive, affirming ways. His latest book is called I Am Every Good Thing.' -- Weekend Edition Saturday

Alicia Garza on the Origin of Black Lives Matter

'Oakland-based activist Alicia Garza coined the phrase "Black Lives Matter" in 2013, the day George Zimmerman was found not guilty of murdering 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Soon a hashtag was created, and a movement was born. Garza talks with journalist Mark Whitaker about her new book, The Purpose of Power, and her education in activism; the inequities of America's criminal justice system; and why social change is built not on social media hashtags but on people.' -- CBS Sunday Morning

Inside The Most Segregated City In America, As A Black Voter

'Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is – by most measures – one of the worst places to be Black in America. It has some of the largest racial disparities in the country when it comes to income, health, education and incarceration. It’s also the most segregated city in America; a fact that comes with daily reminders for Black residents that the system is against you. And yet this place – where Black Americans experience an ongoing struggle just to exist – has its own kind of superpower. This state could help determine who becomes the next president. But first, these residents will have to fight for their right to vote in the middle of a pandemic.' -- AJ+

Official Trailer · 'Nation Time' – 1972 Documentary of the National Black Political Convention directed by William Greaves

'Best known for his avant-garde meta-documentary Symbiopsychotaxiplasm, William Greaves (1926–2014) was also the director of over 100 documentary films, the majority focused on African American history, politics, and culture. Nationtime is a report on the National Black Political Convention held in Gary, Indiana, in 1972, a historic event that gathered Black voices from across the political spectrum, among them Jesse Jackson, Dick Gregory, Coretta Scott King, Richard Hatcher, Amiri Baraka, Charles Diggs, and H. Carl McCall. Narrated by Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte, the film was considered too militant for television broadcast at the time and has since circulated only in an edited 60-minute version. This new 4K restoration from IndieCollect, with funding from Jane Fonda and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, returns the film to its original 80-minute length and visual quality.'