Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 422

Clip: Say Her Name -- The Life and Death of Sandra Bland | HBO

'HBO Documentary Film SAY HER NAME: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF SANDRA BLAND explores the death of Sandra Bland, a politically active 28-year-old African American who, after being arrested for a traffic violation in a small Texas town, was found hanging in her jail cell three days later. Dashcam footage revealing her arrest went viral, leading to national protests. The film team followed the two-year case beginning shortly after Bland's death, exploring the questions of what really happened to her, and what we may learn from her tragedy.'

Left of Black S9:E6: New Directions in Black Transnational and Diaspora Studies -- a Conversation with Randi Gill-Sadler

Left of Black co-host Sasha Panaram (@SashaPanaram) is joined in the studio by literary scholar, Randi Gill-Sadler (@TheRandiSavage). Gill-Sadler is an Assistant Professor of English at Lafayette College. She received her Ph.D. in English from the University of Florida. Her research focuses on representations of U.S. imperialism and black women in twentieth century United States and Caribbean literature. 

Through a Glass Darkly: Georgetown, Jesuits and Beyond the Legacy of Slavery

Dr. Onita Estes-Hicks is a retired CUNY English prof and New Orleans-reared black Catholic who has been involved in and monitoring progress toward the harm Jesuits have admitted causing by using 272 slaved blacks as the capital to fund the building and development of Georgetown University. Dr. Estes-Hicks is a descendant of the original 272 and offers steps the priesthood can take to model their stated values as she believes more progress toward repair is possible.
Through a Glass Darkly: Georgetown, Jesuits and Beyond the Legacy of Slavery by Onita Estes-Hicks | special to NewBlackMan (in Exile)
In a deeply moving ceremony held on the Georgetown campus in 2017, over 100 descendants of the 272 enslaved persons the Jesuits sold to Louisiana in 1838 joined Georgetown University administrators, students and Jesuit priesthood members, also known as the Society, as the university sought forgiveness for engaging in the slave trade, now recognized as “America’s original sin.”  In this historic “Liturgy of Remembrance, Contrition, and Hope,” Jesuits asked forgiveness “for the participation of our predecessors in the national tragedy of slavery, for the failure of moral imagination and conviction to call into question the perpetuated evil, and for the privilege and benefit accrued from their complicity.” A ripe example of “privilege and benefit” from the Jesuits complicity in slavery, Georgetown, speaking through its president, John J. DeGioia, acknowledged it owed its continued existence to  proceeds from the sale, and promised to continue the groundbreaking work it had instituted in 2015 following discovery that the infamous sale had rescued Georgetown University from bankruptcy.   Executing recommendations from a student-faculty task force, Georgetown has renamed two buildings, formerly dedicated to the two Jesuits who had negotiated the sale; instituted an African-American Studies Program; conferred “legacy” status on descendants giving them preferential admissions to the university. Indeed, four descendants are enrolled there this semester.  Both the Provincial of the Maryland Province, from which the enslaved had been taken in a surprise raid, and the president of the Jesuit Conference in the United States and Canada, rendered heartfelt and moving speeches. Yet as the consolation of the liturgy fades into the background, descendants still await concrete action from the Society of Jesus to match the grand strides made at Georgetown. What then can be done?    For this descendant, a cradle Catholic from New Orleans, America’s most Catholic City, the “Liturgy of Remembrance, Contrition and Hope,” helped ease the pain and disappointment that came with the shocking revelation the Catholic Church that helped African-American sustain dignity in the old apartheid South was also involved in the slavery that sent her ancestors to Louisiana.  If the Jesuits wish to move forward in its stated quest for reconciliation, they can play a leading role in the racial crisis we face today as toxic forces strive to return to the oppressive racial conditions of the past.  What can be done involves the church, the schools, and the community —all areas of Jesuit expertise. The Society of Jesus can expand its confessed need for atonement, acknowledging the society’s role in slavery in Jesuit parishes by asking congregants to join in penitential prayer. This dissemination of a penitential prayer can follow the example set by the archdiocese of New Orleans. In recognition of the power of prayer and its obligation to alleviate racism, the archdiocese of New Orleans created a Family Prayer, with focus on violence and racism. The prayer is said at weekly Mass throughout the diocese.  A designated Jesuit prayer against racism could join the company of exalted prayers already in the Jesuit prayer book. World-famous educators, Jesuits operate schools that rank among the <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Helvetica; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1342208091 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} </style> -->

Jazz Deconstructed: John Coltrane's "Giant Steps"

'John Coltrane, one of jazz history’s most revered saxophonists, released Giant Steps in 1959. It’s known across the jazz world as one of the most challenging compositions to improvise over for two reasons - it’s fast and it’s in three keys. Braxton Cook and Adam Neely give  a crash course in music theory to help us  understand this notoriously difficult song.' -- EARWORM  S1 • E11

GQ: 10 Things Anderson .Paak Can't Live Without

'Anderson .Paak runs through his 10 Essentials,  from his gold chain that was gifted to him by Thundercat to his bright pink Gucci wallet.' --GQ

Bevel Classics: Black Thought

'Black Thought, hip-hop legend and member of the legendary Roots Crew, talks about the origin of the beard and its impact on the community.' -- Bevel Shave & Trimmer

'Authenticity Is My Rebellion': Viola Davis On 'Widows,' Steve McQueen And Legacy

'The only Black actor to have won an Emmy, a Tony and an Oscar, Viola Davis stars as a grieving wife turned professional criminal in a new heist thriller. "I approached her like a real woman," she says.  In the interview, Davis tells NPR's Audie Cornish, "My definition of success is legacy, is significance. And also, might I add, my authenticity is my rebellion".' --
All Things Considered

The Green Book: Celebrating 'The Bible of Black Travel'

'A family vacation was like planning a military campaign. In the Jim Crow era, The Negro Motorist Green Book was essential for traveling safely. Listed in the slim little book were motels, diners, even gas stations that were black-owned or black-friendly. Postal worker Victor H. Green wrote and published the guide. He initially focused on his town— Harlem — but eventually the books expanded to cover almost every state.' -- Code Switch

NASIR - The Film

A short film in support of Nas's Nasir (2018), directed Rohan Blair-Mangat.

The Gap Between What You Think and What Congress Thinks You Think is Filled with Corporate Money

'Political scientist Leah Stokes examines the wide ideological gap between Congress and US citizens - as elected representatives and their staffers substitute corporate lobbying and their own beliefs for the values of their constituencies across a wide range of issues, policies are pushed rightward and away from popular solutions to pressing issues. Stokes is co-author of the paper "Legislative Staff and Representation in Congress" in the American Political Science Review.' -- This is Hell!