Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 335

People's Party: Talib Kweli & Rapsody Talk Rap Influences, Being Pro Black, Kendrick, Jay Z & Eve

'In this episode of People's Party, Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with rapper and writer Rapsody. This introspective interview highlights the huge contribution this talented lyricist has made in bringing the B-Girl back to the forefront of the culture. They discuss her growing up in the tiny town of Snowhill, NC; she speaks on being largely inspired to rap from growing up listening to MC Lyte and Lauryn Hill; and she shares the profound life advice she received from Ms. Hill. Rapsody also defines why being pro-black doesn't translate to being anti-white.' -- UPROXX Video

InMyTwenties: Kim Wayans Trusted Her Brothers And The Industry More Than Her Own Voice In Her 20s

'Kim Wayans was carefree with a teenage spirit in her 20s. She shares what she learned from the industry, from her brothers and so much more.' -- BETNetworks
 

Left of Black S10:E11 – Courtney R. Baker on Images of African American Suffering and Death

Left of Black host Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan) is joined in the studio by Dr. Courtney R. Baker (@DrProfBlackLady), an associate professor in the Department of English at the University of California, Riverside. She is the author of Humane Insight: Looking at Images of African American Suffering and Death (University of Illinois Press, 2015), which “questions the relationship between the spectator and victim and urges viewers to move beyond the safety of the "gaze" to cultivate a capacity for humane insight toward representations of human suffering. Utilizing the visual studies concept termed the "look," Baker interrogates how the notion of humanity was articulated and recognized in oft-referenced moments within the African American experience: the graphic brutality of the 1834 Lalaurie affair; the photographic exhibition of lynching, Without Sanctuary; Emmett Till's murder and funeral; and the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.”

Way More is Possible: On Depoliticization, Resurgent Radicalism and the Revolutionary Horizon

'Writer Asad Haider examines the problems of depoliticization in modern politics -- as the dominant ideological frame blinds us to the limits of our present politics and the possibilities of future alignments, the left must confront the failures of past revolutions and realize that another world is not just possible, it's necessary. Haider wrote the essay On Depoliticization for Viewpoint.' -- This is Hell! 

Cite Black Women S2:E1 -- A Conversation with Carole Boyce Davies, Yomaira Figueroa and Bedour Alagraa

'This episode of Cite Black Women features a conversation Professors Carole Boyce Davies, Yomaira Figueroa and Bedour Alagraa on Sylvia Wynter, Caribbean philosophy and the intellectual contributions of Black women to the Americas. It was recorded during the Black Women’s Intellectual Contributions to the Americas: Perspectives from the Global South (Lozano Long) Conference at The University of Texas at Austin in February 2020.'

Malcolm X and the Sudanese

'Ahmed Osman, a Sudanese development economist who met Malcolm X in July 1963, would go on to play a critical role in Malcolm X’s life and death — drawing him to Sunni Islam, organizing his hajj to Mecca, and even speaking at his funeral. The new documentary Malcolm X and the Sudanese tells the story of their friendship and provides a fascinating window into Malcolm X’s connection to the Sudan. Directed by Sophie Schrago; Written & produced by Hisham Aidi (Columbia University)'.

Malcolm X and the Sudanese from VisuaLive Productions on Vimeo.

James McBride's Advice For New Writers: 'A Simple Story Is The Best Story

"In the real world, villains too often succeed and heroes, too often die," says writer James McBride — and that's one of the great things about being novelist. "In novels you can move matters around ... you get to show the best side of people. You get to show redemption, and forgiveness, and you get to show the parts of people that most of us never get to see." McBride's new novel, Deacon King Kong, opens with a shooting, then soon moves — improbably, memorably — into laughs, love, quirky and compelling characters, and the connective tissue of human experience in multiracial Brooklyn in the summer of 1969.' -- Weekend Edition Saturday

Baltimore Rebirth: A New Bloom Of Jazz In Charm City

"Growing up where I grew up — it's everything." If there's a touch of defiant pride in Kris Funn's voice as he says these words, maybe that's only natural: Funn, a highly regarded bassist, is talking about Baltimore. The city has recently seen a resurgence, and jazz is one notable part of that story. That's what we'll focus on this episode of Jazz Night In America,featuring music from the Baltimore Jazz Collective — founded by trumpeter Sean Jones, who now leads the jazz program at The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University. We'll hear the band at Keystone Korner Baltimore, which opened last spring and became the city's first major jazz club in ages.'

Afro-Feminist Resistance in Brazil's Carnival

'In Southern Brazil, the all women's carnival block Cores de Aide is marching for political resistance and in defense of women, who have been particularly under attack during the far-right presidency of Jair Bolsonaro.' --  The Real News Network

Poor People's Campaign: How Rev. William J. Barber Uses His Faith To Fight

'Rev. William J. Barber's newsmaking actions were founded on the idea that being a person of faith means fighting for justice.' --  TIME