Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 283

A Place to Belong—Queer Desire in the Black Church with Ashon T. Crawley and Shikeith

 'Artists Ashon T. Crawley and Shikeith discusse how their works in the exhibition "Enunciated Life" investigate elements of desire, longing, and loneliness through the lens of queer embodiment within Black spiritual spaces. Introduction by exhibition curator Taylor Aldridge.' -- California African American Museum 

Afrotopia: A Conversation with Felwine Sarr and Maboula Soumahoro

'French scholar of the Atlantic Maboula Soumahoro joins philosopher, economist, and musician Felwine Sarr in a public discussion moderated by Laurent Dubois about Sarr's book, AFROTOPIA.' -- Scholars and Publics

“Elect Public Officials Who are Committed to Stop Police Killings” by Ben Jealous

“Elect Public Officials Who are Committed to Stop Police Killings”

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

Millions of Americans have turned out in big cities and small towns to protest the killings of unarmed civilians—often Black people—at the hands of law enforcement. If we want our demands for justice and accountability to lead to real policy change, we need to build on that activism by electing public officials with the commitment to reform law enforcement and the courage to act when police abuse the power of their badge. 

In presidential election years, most of the energy and focus goes to the top of the ticket. And that’s essential this year. But we can’t ignore the fact that we have been through a spring and summer of traumatizing televised murders of Black people. We are still learning the truth about the deeply disappointing decisions not to indict police officers involved in shooting and killing Breonna Taylor in her own home. We need to make change at the local level, where those decisions are made.

People For the American Way has endorsed more than 100 young progressive candidates who have demonstrated dedication to creating public safety solutions that reflect the values of fairness, justice, and equal treatment under the law. The “Stop Police Killings” slate is designed to bring attention and support to candidates for local and state office who understand the impact of police killings on communities of color and who are passionate about pursuing justice. 

Hundreds of applicants answered questions about personal experiences that motivated them to stop police violence and their positions on policies and practices that limit unnecessary police contact, psychological screenings for police officers, removing problematic officers, recruiting good officers, reallocating police budgets, cultural competency and de-escalation training, and other issues. 

We have identified great candidates in key metro areas across 25 states. They’re running to become mayors, district attorneys, city councilmembers, county commissioners, and state legislators. 

We’re proud of the candidates who made it onto our slate. It includes people like Stephanie Morales, Commonwealth’s Attorney for Portsmouth, Virginia, who successfully prosecuted a police officer who killed an unarmed Black teenager. “Public servants have a responsibility to protect their communities,” she said at a recent event announcing the slate. “The charge to imagine what public safety looks like in our country is long overdue, and I’m pleased to join this roster of incredible candidates to hold violent police officers who violate the law criminally accountable for terrorizing Black and brown communities.” 

 

Christian Menefee, a candidate for Harris County Attorney in Texas, calls this “a pivotal moment in our country,” adding that “we cannot and should not sit on our hands waiting for the federal government to act. It’s time for local leaders to step up and protect Black and Brown communities.” 

Brandon Scott, who is running to become mayor of Baltimore, says, “We can end police killings of unarmed civilians and begin to rebuild trust so that law enforcement is focused on doing the things necessary to keep all communities safe.” 

Nakita Hemingway is running for the Georgia legislature to represent an area near to the spot where Ahmaud Arbery was killed. Her desire to make change has been influenced by her own interactions with the criminal justice system as a Black woman. 

People For the American Way’s Next Up Victory Fund will support candidates in competitive races through donations, earned media support, social media, and engaging our members and activists. 

I want to encourage everyone who wants to help bring an end to unjust police killings to take a look at our slate and find ways to support these candidates and others in their local communities who are committed to reimagining public safety.

We have changed the public conversation about policing and justice by taking to the streets. Now let’s change the laws and policies that are standing in the way of justice by taking the fight to the halls of power. That’s what elections are for. 

 

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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.

James E. Hinton’s Unseen Films Reframe the Black Power Movement

'As a photographer, James E. Hinton made pictures of some of the most prominent figures of the civil-rights era. Yet the majority of his images—more than forty thousand, many of which are being digitized by Emory University—capture the specifics of more ordinary Black life in mid-century America, that of small-business owners, activists, and, often, children. Hinton’s work as a cinematographer and filmmaker achieved a similar balance between taking in the grander sweep of history and considering the nature, appearance, manner, and presence of the individual people making it. We see that eye, with its deft movement from wide to narrow focus,  in The New-Ark and May Be the Last Time, two documentaries that Hinton filmed in the late sixties, about the poet Amiri Baraka and the Black Arts Movement, respectively. Both films were recently digitized by the Harvard Film Archive, which holds a collection of Hinton’s work.'

Why Are Police the Wrong Response to Mental Health Crises?

'Studies show that nearly 50% of police victims are living with a disability, predominantly a mental health disability. In many ways, 911 has become the only option for people looking for mental health crisis intervention. And police often arrive at the scene armed with deadly weapons and a lack of mental health training. The results are devastating. But there is hope. There are new alternatives to policing that can provide real care if we invest in them. Joining us on this episode to break down the issue is Gregg Bloche, a professor of law at Georgetown University and a mental health care policy expert, and Ellie Virrueta, an organizer with Youth Justice Coalition.' -- At Liberty

At Liberty · Why Are Police the Wrong Response to Mental Health Crises?

Does a New Wave of Anti-Asian American Racism Require New Ways of Fighting Back?

'Many Americans of Chinese, Japanese, and other Asian heritage have thrived in the U.S. through perseverance, resilience, education, and upward mobility, despite waves of discrimination both overt and hidden. Now, COVID-19 has escalated xenophobia and anti-Asian prejudices—from references to “Kung Flu” or the “Chinese virus” to acts of violence across the country. What strategies and tools can help combat this new wave of racism and help prepare the nation for the next wave, which will also likely be triggered by a moment of fear or panic? Can we find inspiration for preventing anti-Asian violence and building a more inclusive culture from diverse communities within the U.S. and around the world? United States Senator Mazie Hirono, Chinese for Affirmative Action Executive Director Cynthia Choi, USC historian and Two Faces of Exclusion: The Untold History of Anti-Asian Racism author Lon Kurashige, and Karthick Ramakrishnan, political scientist and director of the UC Riverside Center for Social Innovation, visited Zócalo Public Square to contextualize pandemic-inspired racism and share new ways of fighting back against it. This event was moderated by Sewell Chan, editor of the editorial pages at the Los Angeles Times, and was presented in partnership with the Daniel K. Inouye Institute.'

Zócalo Public Square · Does a New Wave of Anti-Asian American Racism Require New Ways of Fighting Back?

On 'Celia,' Tiwa Savage Celebrates Powerful Women

'Tiwa Savage was already turning heads with her music — a deft fusion of Afrobeat with pop, R&B and hip-hop sounds — for years when she was handpicked by Beyoncé to appear on The Gift, the soundtrack album for the 2019 remake of The Lion King. Now, the Nigerian artist has returned with her third studio album and American debut, Celia.' -- All Things Considered

Jessica Marie Johnson | Wicked Flesh: Black Women, Intimacy, and Freedom in the Atlantic World

'Dr. Jessica Marie Johnson, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the Johns Hopkins University, presented her new book, Wicked Flesh: Black Women, Intimacy, and Freedom in the Atlantic World (University of Pennsylvania Press, August 2020) to Dr. Jasmine Cobb's "Black Women, Black Freedom" Fall 2020 seminar. This presentation was hosted by the From Slavery to Freedom Lab at the Duke Franklin Humanities Institute.'

The Conspiracy Against Hip-Hop

'In this first episode of Louder Than A Riot, a mysterious conspiracy letter sends us on a journey to find out just how entangled hip-hop and mass incarceration have become over the last 40 years. We travel back in time to 1980s Atlanta with Killer Mike, 1990s Oakland with Too Short and beyond. From Reagan's war on drugs to a secret NYPD dossier of the world's biggest rappers, it's all connected — and, as Killer Mike says, "The proof's in the pudding"."

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong'o Says Prison Formed Him As A Writer

'Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is a perennial favorite for the Literature Nobel. He hasn't won yet — but he does have a new book out. Thiong'o was forced to spend much of his life in exile, and today, he teaches at the University of California, Irvine and is the founding director of their International Center for Writing and Translation. His latest book, a novel in verse called The Perfect Nine, has just been published in the U.S..' -- Weekend Edition Saturday