Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 382

A Resistance Movement Against the Racist Danish ‘Ghetto’ Laws

'Following our recent debate Politics of Spatial Segregation that shed light on racist Danish housing policies and the notion of structural discrimination co-hosted with CAMP – Center for Arts on Migration Politics in Copenhagen on 22 March, Margarida Waco from The Funambulist met with the two co-founders of the association Almen Modstand [Common Resistance], Fatma Tounsi and Marie Northroup, for a conversation about current legislation and the founding pillars of the association. The starting point of the conversation was a new strategy to rid Denmark of a parallel society by 2030 presented by the Danish Government in March 2018. To counteract years of systemic discrimination and recent policy, Fatma Tounsi and Marie Northroup came together with a handful of activists from various housing associations to join forces and create a resistance movement against the racist ‘Ghetto’ laws.' -- The Funambulist Podcast

The Crack Epidemic's Impact on Black Communities

'Crack cocaine, swept throughout the US in the 1980’s as an inexpensive and easily accessible drug.  Neighborhoods and families were severely impacted by this epidemic.   Aaron Dixon, the former Seattle Chapter Captain for the Black Panther Party, is writing a book on the impact of crack cocaine on black communities. Dixon describes how large amounts of cocaine began streaming through the US in the 60’s and 70’s due to U.S. government actions. He also recounts his personal experiences in trying to keep gang-involved youth alive and afloat at this tumultuous time.' -- 91.3KBCS 

Jim DeRogatis: Abuse Was In 'Full View Of The World'

'Jim DeRogatis recounts his 19-year investigation into the singer in a new book, Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly. "It all happened as everybody watched and nobody did anything," he says.' -- Fresh Air

"Young, Gifted & Black" -- Nina Simone on Sesame Street

Nina Simone on Sesame Street from 1972.

Segregated by Design

'The majority African-American enclaves found in every major US city are no accident of history. And, although societal racism certainly played its part, de facto segregation isn’t the prime culprit for the urban divide. In this animation, adapted from his book The Color of Law (2017), the US historian Richard Rothstein explains with devastating precision how decades of brazenly intentional racist local, state and federal government housing policies led to the current status quo.'
Segregated By Design from Silkworm on Vimeo.

Dr. Billy Taylor Meets Les McCann: "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free"

A major anthem of the Civil Rights era, the song's composer Dr. Billy Taylor is joined on piano by Les McCann in this rendition of "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free."

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ star Gbenga Akinnagbe Talks about Broadway Smash

'To Kill a Mockingbird is officially the highest-grossing American play on Broadway right now. The play is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, which eventually lead to an Academy Award-winning movie. Now that the book is a play on Broadway, many are revisiting the story about a white attorney representing a black man accused of raping a white woman. Actor Gbenga Akinnagbe, who stars a “Tom Robinson,” talks about why the message is still relevant today.' -- Matter of Fact

Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men -- Hidden Chambers with Nas

“Project kids. We felt it, we smelled it off each other.” -- Nas reflects on Wu-Tang Clan: of Mics and Men

Ending the Adultification of Black Girls

'This video explains 'adultification bias' and highlights some of the stories discussed by Black women and girls during focus-group research conducted by the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty's Initiative on Gender Justice and Opportunity.' -- GeorgetownLawChannel 

Jonathan Butler Used Music to Cross Color Lines in Apartheid South Africa

'Jonathan Butler was the first Black artist to be prominently featured on White radio during apartheid in South Africa. In a new interview with EBONY, the musician details his life at the time of the achievement, saying that while it was a proud moment that brought about notoriety, he still lived in a “shack” and faced discrimination on a regular basis. “Every establishment I played in was ‘Whites Only,’ ‘Blacks Only,’ Colored Only,’ ‘Indian Only.’ When I won the Grammy in South Africa, it was blacked out from the radio, it was blacked out from the media, it was blacked out from television.” “Being famous and having gold records and a Grammy, but you still have to go live in your shack in your segregated townships…it started to affect me in ways I didn’t even realize”.' -- EBONY Magazine