Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 427

What Does It Mean To Be From A U.S. Territory?

'Four million Americans live in the U.S. territories, but they don't have the right to vote for president. We break down what second-class citizen life is like in the five territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa.' -- AJ+

Left of Black S9:E4: A Chance for Change – Historian Crystal Sanders on Head Start and Mississippi's Black Freedom Struggle

Left of Black host Mark Anthony Neal is joined in the Left of Black studio by historian, Crystal Sanders (@profcsanders), an Associate Professor of African American Studies and History at Pennsylvania State University. She is also the Director of the Africana Research Center. She is the author of A Chance for Change: Head Start and Mississippi's Black Freedom Struggle (University of North Carolina Press, 2016). 

In the Midterms, White Supremacy Is Running for Office

'While the big story going into the midterm elections has been the possibility of a “blue wave”—an upsurge of Democratic progressives, including a high number of women and minority candidates—the divisive political climate has also given us the very opposite: candidates on the far right openly espousing white-supremacist and white-nationalist views.  Andrew Marantz, who covers political extremism, among other topics, says that these views have always been on the fringes of political life, but, in the era of Trump, they have moved closer to the center.  Candidates who used to “dog-whistle”—use coded language to appeal to racist voters—now openly make white-supremacist statements that Republican Party leadership won’t disavow.' -- The New Yorker Radio Hour

'Surviving R. Kelly' -- Series Trailer | Lifetime

'Lifetime debuts the documentary series, Surviving R. Kelly, in a special three-night-event, beginning Thursday, January 3 at 9pm ET/PT. Two additional hours will premiere on Friday, January 4, at 9pm ET/PT and the final installment of the six-part documentary series will debut on Saturday, January 5, at 9pm ET/PT. Surviving R. Kelly is executive produced by cultural critic, filmmaker and activist dream hampton, Tamara Simmons, Joel Karlsberg and Jesse Daniels for Kreativ Inc. which has a production deal with Bunim/Murray Productions (BMP), and Brie Miranda Bryant from Lifetime.' 

Annual Rothschild Lecture at the Nasher Museum of Art with Artist Amy Sherald

'Amy Sherald, who painted the official portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama for the National Portrait Gallery, delivered the Annual Rothschild Lecture at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University on October 20. This is the audio portion, paired with images she presented in her talk about her exceptional portraits of African American subjects. Posted with permission from Amy Sherald.'

Hub-Tones: Jenn Nkiru and Kamasi Washington In Conversation

'A conversation between filmmaker Jenn Nkiru and musician Kamasi Washington about their film collaboration for Hub-Tones, a song from Kamasi Washington's sophomore album Heaven and Earth.' 

Thoughts on Economic Anxiety, from a Black City Abandoned by the Democratic Party

'Writer Malaika Jabali explores life and politics in Black Milwaukee - as deindustrialization, joblessness and mass incarceration gutted the city's black neighborhoods over generations, the Democratic establishment is finding little enthusiasm from the people trying their hardest to survive the party's capitalist agenda. Jabali wrote the article "The Color of Economic Anxiety" for Current Affairs.' -- This Is Hell! Radio

'The Hate U Give' Star Amandla Stenberg Says The Novel Was Like 'Reading My Own Diary'

'Like Starr Carter,  the protagonist from the film  The Hate You Give, Amandla Stenberg grew up in a Black neighborhood, but attended an overwhelmingly White school. Stenberg stars in the adaptation of the Angie Thomas novel about a fatal police shooting.' -- All Things Considered

Sonics & Visuals: José James – “Lovely Day” ft. Lalah Hathaway

Directed by Maddie Deutch, the visuals for José James's “Lovely Day” ft. Lalah Hathaway, from his collection of covers of Bill Withers, Lean on Me (Bluenote).

BAM!: Chicago's Black Arts Movement (Preview) -- a Film from Thabiti Lewis & Pavithra Narayaran

"Three Queens," 1971, Wadsworth Jarrell, acrylic on canvas. A preview of BAM!: Chicago's Black Arts Movement, a new film by Thabiti Lewis & Pavithra Narayaran.
BAM Film Preview from Pavithra Narayanan on Vimeo.