Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 383

Energizing Change: Charlene Carruthers and adrienne maree brown in Conversation

'It’s not a stretch to suggest that true revolutionary power lies in a group’s ability to come together, organize, learn, share and experiment with new ways to meet social challenges. Charlene Carruthers and adrienne maree brown both know well the work involved in creating change. Join Carruthers (author of the bestselling Unapologetic: A Black, Queer and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements) and brown (whose latest book is Pleasure Activism) as they explore questions such as “Who is responsible for creating change?” and “What can we learn from the legacy of previous change-makers?” brown and Carruthers will be in conversation with Emmanuel Garcia, a journalist and mentor known best for his role in organizing Chicago’s Latinx LGBTQ communities.' -- Chicago Humanities Festival

Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad on Charting Her Own Path

'Ibtihaj Muhammad Olympic Bronze Medalist, Fencing sits down with The Atlantic's Jemele Hill.'

The Poor Go To Jail And The Rich Make Bail In America

'Right now, 75% of the people sitting in local jails across America haven’t been found guilty of any crime. They are there because they can’t afford to get out. That’s almost half a million people, just waiting, because they can’t make cash bail. #jail #prison -- AJ+

"Disaster Capitalism" Continues: Puerto Rico is Now Even More Enticing for Investors

'Companies will receive tax breaks for investing in the island's opportunity zones. For more on what the types of investments may look like and who may benefit from this, The Takeaway is joined by Jonathan Levin , Bloomberg Miami bureau chief covering Florida and the Caribbean. He has been reporting on how opportunity zones will shape the development on the island.' 

'Fearing the Black Body'

'Sabrina Strings, associate professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine, joins All Of It to discuss her new book, Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia.'
         
       

Ava DuVernay on “When They See Us,” About the Boys Who Became the Central Park Five

'Ava DuVernay doesn’t like using the term Central Park Five—a moniker created by the press in the aftermath of the notorious and brutal assault of a twenty-eight-year-old woman, Trisha Meili. “They’re not the Central Park Five,” she tells the New Yorker staff writer Jelani Cobb. “They’re Korey, Yusef, Antron, Kevin, and Raymond.” They were five teens who were coerced into confessing to a terrible crime by police determined to find a culprit. It was a time when “the police, the district attorney, the prosecutors [wanted] to get a ‘win’ on the board,” DuVernay thinks, “because there were so many losses, so much going wrong".' -- The New Yorker Radio Hour

On the Lines Between Migrant Work, Labor and the Neoliberal Border

'Development scholar Suzy Lee explores the material politics of migration in the neoliberal era - beyond the stagnant nativist / humanitarian framework that misses the shifting dynamics of capitalism under globalization and austerity programs, and explains why labor and the left must recognize all workers as workers, and capitalism as the force to be confronted. Lee wrote the paper "The Case for Open Borders" for Catalyst.' -- This is Hell! 

#BackChannel: A Black Billionaire & Queen Latifah Pay It Forward, 'Of Mics and Men' & 'See You Yesterday'

'Can philanthropy be a substitute for public policy? Mark Anthony Neal and Natalie Bullock Brown take on that question with host Frank Stasio in the latest installment of #BackChannel, The State of Things’ recurring series connecting culture and context. They also discuss the new Netflix political documentary “Knock Down The House” which follows four progressive women who challenged incumbent Democrats in the 2018 election, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), review “See You Yesterday,” a Netflix time-travel flick from director Stefon Bristol and producer Spike Lee which features two Brooklyn teenagers hoping to prevent a police shooting, and share their critique of “Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics & Men,” a four-part Showtime docuseries from Sacha Jenkins about the iconic group. Finally Bullock Brown and Neal share their take on that and Rihanna’s new Fenty fashion line and  preview Queen Latifah’s new project “The Queen Collective” which aims to help women of color filmmakers get off the ground.' -- WUNC

TimesTalks: Wu-Tang Clan & Sacha Jenkins Discuss 'Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men'

'Hip-hop legends RZA, Inspectah Deck, GZA and Cappadonna from Wu-Tang Clan, and filmmaker, writer and musician Sacha Jenkins discuss Showtime’s  docuseries Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men, which features interviews with the group’s nine living members as well as never-before-seen archival footage and concert video. The series follows the founding Clan members — many of whom were childhood friends in the hardscrabble world of ’70s and ’80s Staten Island and Brooklyn.' -- TimesTalks

Stressed Out: How 'Mind Playing Tricks On Me' Gave Anxiety A Home In Hip-Hop

'Gangsta rap had been known as aggressive, rebellious and political, but the Geto Boys' 1991 hit made it something new: vulnerable. Hip-hop's relationship with mental health has never been the same.' -- Morning Edition