Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 417

Kerry Washington Desperately Searches for Her 'American Son' on Broadway

'In a sparse room at a Miami police station, parents learn that there has been a confrontation between their son and the police -- and something very bad may have happened. Actress Kerry Washington stars in American Son, a new play on Broadway, as a mother who has long lived with the fear of dangers facing young black men today. Washington and others talk with Jeffrey Brown.' -- PBS NewsHour 

Between Grassroots Economic Ventures and Black Wealth

'Writer Zenobia Jeffries Warfield explains why grassroots economics don't necessarily generate wealth in impoverished Black and Brown communities - while cooperatives and community farms deliver jobs, goods and income to the poor, overthrowing the financial and legal structures of racism requires policy changes beyond the local level. Zenobia wrote the article "Why Co-ops and Community Farms Can’t Close the Racial Wealth Gap" for Yes!' -- This is Hell!

Frederick Douglass—and Us: Eric Foner

'Frederick Douglass, the Black abolitionist, was the most famous Black American of the 19th century.  Historian Eric Foner says Douglass’s political ideas can help us in our struggles today'. -- Start Making Sense 

Haki R. Madhubuti Reads "Don't Cry...SCREAM!"

 
'Haki Madhubuti is a major contributor to the Black literary tradition, in particular through his early association with the Black Arts Movement beginning in the mid-60s, and which has had a lasting and major influence, even today. A proponent of independent Black institutions, Madhubuti is the founder, publisher, and chairman of the board of Third World Press (established in 1967), which today is the largest independent black-owned press in the United States. Here Madhubuti reads "Don't Cry...SCREAM!" backed by the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Video shot by Tony Smith' 

Haki R. Madhubuti Read "Don't Cry...SCREAM!"

'Haki Madhubuti is a major contributor to the Black literary tradition, in particular through his early association with the Black Arts Movement beginning in the mid-60s, and which has had a lasting and major influence, even today. A proponent of independent Black institutions, Madhubuti is the founder, publisher, and chairman of the board of Third World Press (established in 1967), which today is the largest independent black-owned press in the United States. Here Madhubuti reads "Don't Cry...SCREAM!" backed by the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). Video shot by Tony Smith' 

Left of Black S9:E8: Decolonizing Diasporas – a Conversation with Yomaira Figueroa

Left of Black co-host Sasha Panaram (@SashaPanaram) is joined in the studio by literary scholar, Yomaira Figueroa (@DrYoFiggy). Figueroa is an Assistant Professor of Afro Diaspora Studies in the department of English and African American & African Studies program at Michigan State University. She received her PhD in the department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on 20th century U.S. Latinx, Caribbean, Afro-Latinx and Afro-Hispanic literature & culture.

Centering the Margins: A Conversation with Patrisse Cullors

'In conversation at the finale of the Lambda LitFest in October, Patrisse Cullors, author of When They Call You a Terrorist: a Black Lives Matter Memoir, speaks to host Eric Newman about her activism, the philosophy that undergirds #BlackLivesMatter and how queer writers and activists from the 1960s and 1970s continue to shape her political vision and practice. While Cullors celebrates recent victories against police brutality and the prison system in Los Angeles, she also gives the audience inspiration for fighting back on the eve of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.' -- LA Review of Books

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Celebrates its 60th Anniversary with a Rebirth

'Modern dance is waning in popularity, and young people don't seem to feel as connected with the work anymore. So what's a 60-year-old ballet company like Alvin Ailey to do to seem limber again? The Nae Nae, for one. The truly modern dance is part of a two-act ballet called "Lazarus," which the company hopes will break through to a new generation of fans. Choreographed by Rennie Harris, "Lazarus," is peppered with references to some of the most popular dances of the last decade, including the Nae Nae, Dougie, Milly Rock and, of course, the Dab.' -- Vice News

On Learning, and Living, Black History in the American Present

'Historian Pero Dagbovie surveys the contested, shifting grounds of Black history in modern American society - from struggles over the voices presenting the African American past in both academia and popular culture, to the ways history itself is taught and presented by institutions - and lived and understood by people in the 21st century. Dagbovie is author of Reclaiming the Black Past: The Use and Misuse of African American History in the Twenty-First Century from Verso.' -- This is Hell! 

Sacramento Reduces Black Infant Deaths Through Education

'For decades, black infants were dying at twice the rate of other racial groups in Sacramento. But black infant deaths have decreased significantly in recent years. A new report from the commission First 5 Sacramento says there’s been a 45 percent decrease in black infant deaths between 2013 and 2016. Chet Hewitt is president and CEO of the Sierra Health Foundation, and co-chair of the Black Child Legacy Campaign which has been on the front lines of this work. He tells The Takeaway how the community has made this progress, and what's still left to do.' -- The Takeaway