Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 355

Marcus Bullock: An App That Helps Incarcerated People Stay Connected to Family

'Over his eight-year prison sentence, Marcus Bullock was sustained by his mother's love -- and by the daily letters and photos she sent of life on the outside. Years later, as an entrepreneur, Bullock asked himself: How can I make it easier for all families to stay connected during incarceration? Enter FlikShop : an app he developed that lets families send quick postcards to loved ones in prison and help keep open a critical line of support.' -- TED

MoMA EXHIBITION: Betye Saar — The Legends of Black Girl’s Window

'After nearly a decade of focused work in printmaking, artist Betye Saar created her autobiographical assemblage Black Girl’s Window in 1969. This exhibition explores the relation between her experimental print practice and the new artistic language debuted in that famous work, tracing themes of family, history, and mysticism, which have been at the core of Saar’s work from its earliest days. Celebrating the recent acquisition of 42 rare, early works on paper, this is the first dedicated examination of Saar’s work as printmaker.' -- The Museum of Modern Art
 

How Cops Avoid Mandatory Minimum Sentences That Would Put Anyone Else In Jail

'In an exclusive an interview with the victim of a nearly deadly encounter with a cop, Kevon Miller describes how the officer avoided jail time despite committing a crime that required a mandatory minimum sentence.' -- The Real News Network

BJ The Chicago Kid: Tiny Desk Concert

'BJ the Chicago Kid, the 34-year old R&B mainstay, used his moment at the Tiny Desk to fit in as many of his most cherished songs as possible — Nine songs in 17 minutes to be exact.'

Year of Return: The African Americans moving to Ghana

'1619 marks the year of the first documented arrival of enslaved Africans in what’s today the United States of America. The West African country of Ghana – which was a major hub during the transatlantic slave trade - declared 2019 the year of return and is encouraging the African diaspora to visit the country. According to the country’s tourism board from January to June this year, there was a 20 per cent increase in the number of Americans visiting the country and an 11 per cent increase in visitors from the UK. But some young African Americans have decided to return for good.' -- BBC News Africa

Remembering the 1968 Orangeburg Massacre When Police Shot Dead Three Unarmed Black Students

'The 1968 Orangeburg massacre is one of the most violent and least remembered events of the Civil Rights Movement. A crowd of students gathered on the campus of South Carolina State University to protest segregation at Orangeburg’s only bowling alley. After days of escalating tensions, students started a bonfire and held a vigil on the campus to protest. Dozens of police arrived on the scene, and state troopers fired live ammunition into the crowd. When the shooting stopped, three students were dead and 28 wounded. Although the tragedy predated the Kent State shootings and Jackson State killings and it was the first of its kind on any American college campus, it received little national media coverage. The nine officers who opened fire that day were all acquitted. The only person convicted of wrongdoing was Cleveland Sellers, a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, known as SNCC. Sellers was one of the organizers of the protest. He was convicted of a riot charge and spent seven months behind bars. He was pardoned in 1993. From Orangeburg, South Carolina, we speak with Civil Rights photographer Cecil Williams, who photographed the scene in the aftermath of the Orangeburg massacre.' --
Democracy Now!

Nicholas Payton Reimagines Musical Tradition With 'Black American Symphony'

'Trumpeter and composer Nicholas Payton had the U.S. premiere of his Black American Symphony with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. Payton, who's 46, is a trumpet virtuoso who grew up in a New Orleans jazz family. He first laid the groundwork for his symphony in a controversial 2011 blog post, titled "Why Jazz Isn't Cool Anymore." He suggested that the label "jazz" should be replaced with "Black American Music," and the idea hit a nerve. "I was talking about my disdain for the word jazz and that really created a firestorm of events that was far-reaching well outside of the jazz world," he says.' -- All Things Considered

Shaquille O'Neal Discusses Investing, Franchising, and Donuts

'Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal explains how he leveraged his basketball success to move beyond endorsement deals into entrepreneurial ventures with Carnival Cruise Line, Krispy Kreme and other companies.' — Wall Street Journal

The Soul Rebels — "Blow the Horns" feat. Passport P, Julian Gosin & Sean Carey [Official Video]

Official Video for “Blow The Horns" feat. Passport P, Julian Gosin & Sean Carey,  the third single off The Soul Rebels' album POETRY IN MOTION.

What are the Police Enforcing, Five Years after Ferguson?

'Sociologist Andrea S. Boyles examines the dynamics between police and Black and Brown communities in the five years since the Ferguson uprising, and explains why justice and peace is impossible in a society where the use of force is monopolized to enforce an unjust, violent proposition - White supremacy. Boyles is author of You Can't Stop the Revolution: Community Disorder and Social Ties in Post-Ferguson from University of California Press.' -- This is Hell!