Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 370

William A. Darity Jr.: How do we span the racial wealth gap?

"Imagine a world where every young person can succeed no matter what their parent's financial situation is." --  In this talk, William Darity proposes a bold solution he has created to span the racial wealth gap. Darity is the Samuel DuBois Cook Professor of Public Policy, African and African American Studies, and Economics and the director of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University. -- TEDx Talks 

WATCH: Paule Marshall on Coming of Age

The late Paule Marshall, author of Triangular Road: A Memoir, tells her own coming-of-age story. -- WNYC

"David Makes Man": Tarell Alvin McCraney on the "Doubleness" of His Own Childhood

'Tarell Alvin McCraney is a playwright, professor and co-writer of the Oscar-winning screenplay for Moonlight. McCraney is turning to television for his new project, David Makes Man, about a 14-year-old prodigy handling the pressures of an elite education and the dangers of his Miami neighborhood. McCraney joins CBS This Morning to discuss how he drew on his own Florida childhood for David Makes Man.'  

Homecoming: The Story Behind Little Brother's Surprise Reunion at The 2018 Art of Cool Festival

'In 2018 Little Brother shocked the hip hop community with a surprise reunion at the Art of Cool music festival in Durham, N.C. Their unannounced reunion came together in a matter of hours, and marked the first time the group had performed together in over a decade. Through candid interviews with the founding members of Little Brother, this short film explores the story behind the band's estrangement and subsequent reunion show. It is the second of two short films about the group directed by Holland Randolph Gallagher, creator of the web series Hype, and produced in collaboration with Little Brother for Come Hear North Carolina.'-- N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

Anatomy of a Scene: How ‘Do the Right Thing’ Has Remained Relevant

'2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Spike Lee’s game-changing drama Do the Right Thing, about the rise of racial tensions during one very hot day on a block in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. For the Anatomy of a Scene series, we asked Lee to pick a sequence and discuss it. He chose the one leading to the killing of Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) by police officers, and during an interview at his Brooklyn production offices, he gave an impassioned explanation for it.' -- The New York Times

Wanda Sykes Loves Stand-Up: That's Where 'I Can Be Free,' She Says

'Before Wanda Sykes became a comic, she worked as a procurement officer for the National Security Agency and had top security clearance. But she always loved telling jokes, and when a local radio station sponsored a talent show that included a comedy category, she decided to audition. "They put me on the show ... [and] I fell in love with it," she says. "I love doing stand-up. ... That's where I feel like I can be free".' -- Fresh Air 

3 Afro Dominicana Writers Reflect On Their Truths

'The Dominican Republic has the historic distinction of being the landing spot of Christopher Columbus in 1492 after he sailed the ocean blue, but that European invasion set off a series of historical and social events that reverberate to this day. On this episode, we'll talk to three Afro Dominicana writers who are part of a recent wave of authors who use literature, poetry and even social media to reflect the contemporary Dominican experience. Danyeli Rodriguez del Orbe, Amanda Alcantara and Elizabeth Acevedo join us as does NPR Kroc Fellow and current Alt.Latino contributor Jessica Diaz-Hurtado.' -- alt.Latino

Darnell Moore on Self-Reflection and Social Evolution

'Darnell Moore says honest, uncomfortable conversations are a sign of love — and that self-reflection goes hand-in-hand with culture shift and social evolution. A writer and activist, he’s grown wise through his work on successful and less successful civic initiatives, including Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to remake the schools of Newark, New Jersey, and he is a key figure in the ongoing, under-publicized, creative story of The Movement for Black Lives. This conversation was recorded at the 2019 Skoll World Forum in Oxford, England.' -- On Being Studios  

How One Anthropologist Reshaped How Social Scientists Think About Race

'In the 1900's, Franz Boas revolutionized anthropology by breaking out of racist conventional wisdom. NPR's Michel Martin talks with Charles King about his book about Boas, Gods of the Upper Air: How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century.' -- All Things Considered

Black Chefs Changing American Cuisine

'Lauretta Charlton, editor on the National Desk and the editor of the Race/Related newsletter at The New York Times, and Emily Weinstein, deputy food editor at the Times, join us to discuss the recent feature, “16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America”.'-- All Of It