Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 330

Cite Black Women – Experiences Embodied in Language and Flesh: Dr. Dora Santana

'In celebration of International Transgender Day of Visibility 2020, CBW Collective member Michaela Machicote talks with trans woman warrior, scholar, activist, artist, and story-teller, Dr. Dora Santana, about experiences embodied in language and flesh. Dr. Santana is an assistant professor of Gender Studies at John Jay College CUNY and holds a PhD in African and African Diaspora Studies by the University of Texas at Austin. he is currently working on her book, Trans Stellar Knot-works: Afro Diasporic Technologies, Transtopias, and Accessible Futures, where she centers the knowledge production by and on Black trans women in the Black Diaspora through a range of digital and embodied media, especially in Brazil, the U.S., and African countries such as Angola.' -- Cite Black Women

Social Distancing as The New Culture Wars

'McKay Coppins, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of The Wilderness: Deep Inside the Republican Party's Combative, Contentious, Chaotic Quest to Take Back the White House (Little Brown, 2015), talks about how some Conservatives and Republicans are defying social distancing measures as a political act.' -- The Brian Lehrer Show
         

Thundercat On 'It Is What It Is,' Losing Mac Miller And Learning To Do Nothing

'The collaboration-loving bassist Thundercat said "It's hard to see clearly through the pain of losing him," when asked about the death of close friend Mac Miller. That loss permeates his fourth studio album, It Is What It Is.' -- All Things Considered

Cab Calloway: The Original Frontman

A profile of the "Original Frontman", the great bandleader Cab Calloway. -- Polyphonic

Joel Leon: The Beautiful, Hard Work of Co-Parenting

'"Co-parenting" isn't a buzzword -- it's a way of showing up for your family openly, consistently and lovingly, says storyteller and father Joel Leon. In this moving talk, he challenges all parents to play an equal, active role in their children's daily lives, even in a world that often places the weight of sacrifice on mothers alone. Leon encourages nuanced conversations about parenting and reminds us that being a parent isn't a responsibility -- it's an opportunity.' -- TED
 

Get Lit With All of It: Kiley Reid

'Join Alison Stewart, host of WNYC’s All of It, for this installment in her monthly book club series with debut author Kiley Reid for a discussion of her book, SUCH A FUN AGE. The book dives headfirst into matters of race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both. With empathy and piercing social commentary, Kiley Reid explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone “family,” the complicated reality of being a grown up, and the consequences of doing the right thing for the wrong reason.' -- The Greene Space at WNYC & WQXR
 

Dave Chappelle: Back to School

'The day after winning The Kennedy Center's prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Dave Chappelle paid a visit to his old high school, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, in Washington, D.C., with a few of his friends. Check out behind the scenes footage of Dave Chappelle’s Mega Masterclass, with celebrity guest facilitators Bradley Cooper, Chris Tucker, Common, Erykah Badu, Thundercat, Frédéric Yonnet and more.' -- The Kennedy Center

Under the Influences: Thundercat Breaks Down His Favorite Bass Lines

'Songwriter and bass connoisseur Thundercat takes an in-depth look at some of his favorite bass lines of all time. From Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" to The Brothers Johnson's "Strawberry Letter 23," Thundercat breaks down just what makes them so spectacular.' -- Pitchfork

Stefon Harris — Vibraphonist, Educator, Thinker — Teaches Empathy From The Bandstand

'Stefon Harris has been attracting the attention of jazz fans since he released his 1998 debut, but he's less interested in praise than helping his listeners empathize with the world around them.' -- Morning Edition

The Common Wind Symposium at Duke University Honoring Julius S. Scott

'On Saturday, February 29, 2020, a group of Duke History Ph.D. alumni returned to campus with Julius S. Scott (Ph.D.'86 History) to celebrate the influence and legacy of his teaching and writing on the field of Atlantic history. As a doctoral student in the History Department at Duke University in the 1980s, Scott wrote a dissertation called The Common Wind: Afro-American Currents in the Age of Revolution, which reshaped the field through its study of the circulation of ideas and information in the Greater Caribbean and beyond during the era of the Haitian Revolution. As a faculty member in the department from 1988 to 1994, he worked with a remarkable cohort of graduate students who have in turn expanded and transformed the field of Atlantic history. A handful of those students — Herman Bennett, Vincent Brown, Alexander Byrd, Kathryn Dungy, Jennifer Morgan, Celia Naylor, and Claudio Saunt — spoke at the symposium about their collective work, their influences on one another, and the future of the field.'