Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 324

ABWH TV: Scholars Discusss Lifetime's 'The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel'

'ABWH's panel of experts -- Treva Lindsey, Tammy L. Kernodle, Mark Anthony Neal, and Guthrie Ramsey -- discuss the Lifetime original movie The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel, moderated by Shennette Garrett-Scott.' -- Association of Black Women Historians
 

Braxton Cook: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

'Braxton Cook is a Juilliard-trained, genre-jumping artist whose music feels both contemporary and timeless. For his Tiny Desk (home) concert, Cook jumped around his discography, performing tracks from his 2017 album, Somewhere in Between, all the way up to his latest project, 2020's Fire Sign. Cook says he usually performs his original work with a full band, but obviously that isn't an option in the time of social distancing. So instead, the ambidextrous talent uses loops to support his vocals, saxophone and guitar throughout the laidback set.' -- NPR Music

Big Freedia Remembers the Time Patti LaBelle Made Her Fried Chicken

'A lot of the stories told on The FADER’s Remember That Time series recount the weird, wild, abject, and plain stupid — from the time the Spice Girls peed in Elton John’s pot plant to the night Omar Apollo nearly got robbed. But today’s Remember That Time is something special indeed, and a much-needed moment of lightness this week: #BigFreedia telling us about the time Ms. Patti LaBelle — Philly icon, musical god — came to one of her shows, and brought her a batch of homemade fried chicken. Legends, as they say, stan for legends.'

The Coronavirus Murals Trying to Keep Kenya’s Slums Safe

'A street artist called Msale has taken it upon himself to create giant murals bringing public health messages directly to the overcrowded Mathare slum in Nairobi. With half a million people living in such 'a squeezed area'  social distancing is quite impossible to achieve, says Msale, so he is providing information for people on how to keep safe from Covid-19 in the 'simplest, clearest' way he knows.' -- The Guardian

Black Rock Coalition: History of Our Future

'The Met presented an explosive and joyful celebration of rock's Black roots. The Black Rock Coalition and special guests created a sonic timeline honoring the Black pioneers who ushered rock and roll into the American collective consciousness. Founded in 1985 by guitarist Vernon Reid, journalist Greg Tate, and producer Konda Mason, the Black Rock Coalition is a collective assembled to provide maximum exposure for Black artists who defy convention and is dedicated to the complete creative freedom of Black artists.'

More than Enough: Poverty Can Be Solved. Just Trust Poor People.

'The truth is that self-determination—our ability and desire to make choices about what our lives look like—is restricted when it comes to poor people—and this is to our collective detriment. Whether a person might become a powerful agent for social change or seek out their dreams as an artist, it does no one any good when we hold people back by not providing more equitable access to resources. Thankfully, there’s a better way, and it begins with trusting poor people to make the best decisions about how to shape their own lives.' -- Mia Birdsong for More Than Enough

Art Work Talk: George Lewis

'George Lewis is the Edwin H. Case Professor of American Music at Columbia University. A member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) since 1971, Lewis's work in electronic and computer music, computer-based multimedia installations, and notated and improvisative forms is documented on more than 150 recordings, as presented by ensembles worldwide. He is the author of A Power Stronger Than Itself:  The AACM and American Experimental Music (University of Chicago Press 2008), and co-editor of the two-volume Oxford Handbook of Critical Improvisation Studies (2016).' -- The New School

Helga: A Conversation with Bethann Hardison

'Activist, entrepreneur, and former model Bethann Hardison recounts moments from her unconventional life. She shares personal stories from the streets of Bed Stuy to the runways of Paris and how she sought to hold the “powers that be” in fashion accountable for their actions.' -- Helga
 

Dr. Camara Jones Saw the Tsunami

'For decades, epidemiologist Dr. Camara Jones has been studying how race and racism impacts the health of people of color. When she read the early reports about COVID-19, she knew what was coming next for Black communities, as well as for older folks. Jones tells Rebecca Carroll what we can do to keep each other safe. She says the fate of the community is in young peoples’ hands, in more ways than they may realize.' -- WNYC

Coronavirus Crisis And Afrofuturism: A Way To Envision What's Possible Despite Injustice And Hardship

'The coronavirus has disproportionately impacted Black Americans, who are getting sick and dying at higher rates than other populations. Scholars have been thinking about how survival elements — like the creation of new music and art — can serve as a form of comfort and healing. This concept is often called Afrofuturism, which centers Black life squarely within the possibility of the arts, science and technology — both real and imagined. In the 1990s, cultural critic Mark Dery coined this term after listening to conversations led by writer Alondra Nelson and others. Over the years, it’s been used to describe a way of being where Black people can take back the trauma of the past by reimagining it, while also imagining the future.' -- Hear & Now