Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 354

Robert Randolph And The Family Band: Raucous Rock Meets The Gospel Tradition

'Hear a joyous and uplifting set from Robert Randolph And The Family Band recorded live at the 20th annual Americana Music Festival & Conference in Nashville. Led by Robert Randolph, the group brings raucous rock and roll energy to the gospel tradition of Sacred Steel. Brighter Days, the literal family band's 8th studio album, was released in August; the record sizzles with the group's signature fusion of blues, rock and gospel. Randolph's anointed pedal steel playing leads the charge in this joyous, uplifting set that brings the party to the dance floor.' -- Nashville Sessions

Madison McFerrin Pays Homage to Operatic Legend Sissieretta Jones

'Singer-songwriter Madison McFerrin , who is the daughter of celebrated vocalist Bobby McFerrin,  looks to Black women artists who came before her for strength and inspiration. McFerrin created the Sissieretta Series, which she is currently hosting as an artist-in-residence at The Jerome L. Greene Space. Named after Sissieretta Jones, the first African American woman opera singer to perform at Carnegie Hall, and later went on to create her own vaudeville show for other black artists, McFerrin's series similarly seeks to build community and create opportunities for other artists of color.' -- WNYC News
         
        

'Lionheart' Oscar Snub: A Consequence of Imperialism?

'The Academy Awards has come under fire after disqualifying the Nigerian film Lionheart from the Best International Feature Film category. According to the Academy’s rules, the movie contained too much English to make the Oscars cut. Nigeria is home to Nollywood, the world’s second-largest film industry. And while it produces local-language films, the majority of Nollywood’s movies are in English, the official language of the country.  Now, the choice to exclude Lionheart from Oscar competition has ignited a conversation about the history of colonialism, language, and race.  For more on this,  The Takeaway is joined by Antoinette Isama , a freelance writer, and from Lagos, Nigeria we have Ifeoma Fafunwa , a playwright, director and founder of IOpenEye productions.'

Lena Waithe on “Queen & Slim”

'The screenwriter Lena Waithe talks about Queen & Slim, her new feature film. It’s about a couple on a first date, during which they kill a police officer at a traffic stop that escalates. For many Black people, Waithe says, the police “represent Jim Crow, they represent injustice, they represent death to a lot of us”.'  -- The New Yorker Radio Hour

Janelle Monáe on Privilege and Survival

'In a new short film, Janelle Monáe discusses her identity and the responsibility that comes with celebrity.' 

Intersectionality Matters with Kimberlé Crenshaw and Dorothy Roberts: What Slavery Engendered – An Intersectional Look at 1619

'In this episode of Intersectionality Matters!, host Kimberlé Crenshaw chops it up with Dorothy Roberts, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a leading scholar in race, gender, bioethics, and the law. In a conversation that merges intersectional inquiry with The 1619 Project, which interrogates America’s history of slavery in order to understand racial disparities in 2019. Crenshaw and Roberts shed light on the lasting consequences of slavery, segregation, and white supremacy and their impact on Black women specifically. Their timely conversation highlights the relationship between the legacy of slavery and instances of modern oppression against Black women, such as the curbing of welfare, forced sterilization, and mass incarceration.'

Policy 360: Jamila Michener on The Connection Between Medicaid and Democracy

'Medicaid is one of the largest social welfare programs in the United States. With over 70 million people enrolled, it covers 20% of the US population. Though the program is federal, it's implemented by the state and some states offer generous benefits while others do not. Professor Jamila Michener argues these disparities are actually having an effect on democratic citizenship. Her research shows that when Medicaid expands, more people vote, and when it contracts (or there's a narrower scope of benefits) then people are less likely to vote. Michener is the author of Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism, and Unequal Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2018)' -- Sanford School @ Duke 

Nadia Ben Youssef: Spreading the Decolonial Spirit of Bandung from Tunisia to Turtle Island

'Léopold Lambert, editor-in-chief of The Funambulist met with Nadia Ben Youssef during the second Black and Palestinian Solidarity conference in Naarm (Melbourne) on Indigenous Wurundjeri land, organized by Gary Foley and Suzannah Henty in November 2019. In this conversation, Nadia recounts the history of the 1955 Bandung Conference through the perspective of her grand father, Tunisian revolutionary Salah Ben Youssef who was representing Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco in the fight against French colonialism. The discussion addresses the way the Bandung spirit was broken by France’s neocolonial strategies that manufactured new types of dependencies for former colonies in Africa. They conclude the conversation with considerations of what this Bandung spirit can develop in terms of solidarity in today’s struggles. Nadia Ben-Youssef is the Advocacy Director at the Center for Constitutional Rights. She directs all advocacy around issues related to the promotion of civil and human rights.' -- The Funambulist Podcast 

Athlete in Progress: Dina Asher-Smith

'Nike has joined forces with American designer and Off-White founder Virgil Abloh to release Athlete in Progress, a new women’s line inspired by the drama, adrenaline and tenacity of track and field players. To debut the collection, Abloh invited a host of international Olympians to the runway for Off-White’s SS19 show in Paris, which also featured record-breaking sprinter Dina Asher-Smith.'  -- NOWNESS

Attorney Ben Crump on Trayvon Martin, Racial Hypocrisy and Signs of Progress

'Since 2012, the families of several unarmed young American black men shot to death by police in high-profile incidents have turned to civil rights attorney Ben Crump in pursuit of justice. Crump has now written a book arguing these killings are the consequences of a flawed and racist criminal justice system. Yamiche Alcindor talks to Crump about Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People.' --  PBS NewsHour