Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 37

Chuck Berry's Early Years

'All Of It with Alison Stewart discusses the life of music legend Chuck Berry, who some consider to be one of the architects of Rock n' Roll, with RJ Smith, author of the new biography Chuck Berry: An American Life.  They discuss Chuck Berry's early years, his Missouri background, and how he first came to pick up a guitar.'

Left of Black S13 · E4 | Afro-Optimism and Black Chicago with Ayana Contreras

Black Chicago has been an incubator for some of the most talented and successful artists and entrepreneurs who have really made the city what it is today. Author and podcast host Ayana Contreras joins Left of Black host Dr. Mark Anthony Neal to discuss her latest book, Energy Never Dies: Afro-Optimism and Creativity in Chicago, published by University of Illinois Press, which delves into the legacies of some of the powerhouses of cultural production in The Windy City.

On the Media: Libraries Under Attack

'Emily Drabinski, president of the American Library Association (ALA), found herself in the crosshairs of a right-wing media storm after she excitedly tweeted, “I’m a Marxist Lesbian and I won!” after her election to the post. The resulting slew of articles portrayed libraries as dangerous places where children are "groomed" by radical liberals. The accusations reflect a time where much of the county is seeing a larger push to ban books that deal with the experiences of Black and LGBT+ people. According to ALA statistics, 2022 could be a record-breaking year in challenges to library book since the organization started tracking this data in 2000. Amid this intensifying effort to remove books from schools and public libraries, Drabinski argues that librarians need to change the narrative – focusing on the ways that they remain important anchor institutions in their communities. Brooke Gladstone speaks with Drabinski about how libraries across the country are providing communities with far more than books: with public spaces and vital services, like diaper banks, COVID vaccine sites, internet hotspots, and workshops to apply for rental assistance.'

Louis Armstrong's Daughter Opens Up about Her Complicated Relationship with the Jazz Icon

'Only decades after the death of Louis Armstrong would the world come to know that he had a daughter. Sharon Preston-Folta opens up about their complicated relationship in the documentary film Little Satchmo, released earlier this year. Stephanie Colombini of WUSF reports.'

Millennials Are Killing Capitalism: "To Share Equally The Benefits of Living" – Dionne Brand on Nomenclature, Sanctioning All Revolts, and Registering Black Duration

'Dionne Brand joins Millennials Are Killing Capitalism to discuss her new book Nomenclature: New and Collected Poems. The conversation includes questions about time, epistemology, nature, the category of the human, Black thought, spectacle, narrative, capital, imperialism, socialism and liberation. Brand is a renowned poet, novelist, and essayist. Her writing is notable for the beauty of its language, and for its intense engagement with issues of international social justice. Her work includes ten volumes of poetry, five books of fiction and three non-fiction works. She was the Poet Laureate of the City of Toronto 2009-2012. From 2017-2021 Brand was Poetry Editor at McClelland & Stewart- Penguin Random House Canada.'

tgiFHI | Dr. Mark Anthony Neal | "The Love Languages of Black Fatherhood"

"Thirty years ago, Gary Chapman posited the idea of the “Five Love Languages” – “Words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, gifts, and physical touch.” When we think of Black men – Black fathers – we rarely think in terms of “love languages”, but rather that of established stereotypes, absence, and shame. In this talk Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal documents how the shifting presentation of men in a patriarchal society has forced Black men to play catch up each time the goal post of cultural expectations moves. Using historical context, personal reflection and data, Neal argues that American culture does not have enough language to adequately understand or describe Black fatherhood. This project aims to both highlight the language that already exists and to add language to the cultural conversation that helps people recognize and acknowledge the presence of the Black father."

Conversations in Atlantic Theory • Emily Marker on 'Black France, White Europe: Youth, Race, and Belonging in the Postwar Era'

'Dr. Emily Marker is an assistant professor of history at Rutgers University-Camden and her research and teaching interests are in imperial and postcolonial Europe, francophone Africa, race, religion, youth, and global history.  In this episode of Conversations in Atlantic Theory, we discuss the entangled history of European integration and African decolonization and the inclusion of the postwar empire in the construction of Europe during the postwar era through the lens of youth and education initiatives.'

New Books Network: Disability Studies – Sami Schalk, 'Black Disability Politics' (Duke UP, 2022)

'In Black Disability Politics (Duke UP, 2022) Sami Schalk explores how issues of disability have been and continue to be central to Black activism from the 1970s to the present. Dr. Schalk shows how Black people have long engaged with disability as a political issue deeply tied to race and racism. She points out that this work has not been recognized as part of the legacy of disability justice and liberation because Black disability politics differ in language and approach from the mainstream white-dominant disability rights movement. Drawing on the archives of the Black Panther Party and the National Black Women’s Health Project alongside interviews with contemporary Black disabled cultural workers, Dr. Schalk identifies common qualities of Black disability politics, including the need to ground public health initiatives in the experience and expertise of marginalized disabled people so that they can work in antiracist, feminist, and anti-ableist ways. Prioritizing an understanding of disability within the context of white supremacy, Dr. Schalk demonstrates that the work of Black disability politics not only exists but is essential to the future of Black liberation movements.'

Remember Them with Steve Adubato & Jacqui Tricarico: Lorry Doby and Monte Irvin Remembered by Mark Anthony Neal and Bob Kendrick

'Steve Adubato and his Co-Host and Remember Them Executive Producer, Jacqui Tricarico, welcome Mark Anthony Neal, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African & African American Studies, Duke University, and Bob Kendrick, President, Negro Baseball League Museum, to remember the life and legacy of professional baseball players, Larry Doby and Monte Irvin.'

Elvis Mitchell's 'Is That Black Enough for You?!?'

'A new documentary film from radio host and cultural critic Elvis Mitchell looks at the history of Black cinema, especially the explosion of films in the 1970's. He joins All Of It discuss, "Is that Black Enough For You?!?"'