Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 431

Narrative Over 'Trump Country' Overlooks Rural Black Americans

'When national media talks about the rural populations in the United States, they usually talk about White people. But this overlooks a large population or Black people living in rural areas. The "Black Belt" overlaps with "Trump Country" and those voters will be playing a factor in the upcoming midterm elections across the South. Errin Haines Whack joins The Takeaway to discuss her latest reporting from rural counties in Georgia. She is the National Writer on Race and Ethnicity for The Associated Press.'

#BackChannel: Cosby Sentenced, The Intersectionality of Black Athletes and 50 Years of James Brown’s ‘Say It Loud’

In this installment of #BackChannel , contributors Natalie Bullock Brown and Mark Anthony Neal offer context to the sentencing of Bill Cosby on charges of sexual assault, address the lack of intersectionality in coverage of Serena Williams, examine the contradictions associated with Nike’s recent Colin Kaepernick campaign and reflect on the 50th anniversary of James Brown’s “Say It Loud -- I’m Black and I’m Proud.”   #BackChannel is hosted by Frank Stasio of WUNC’s The State of Things . 

‘The Hate U Give’ | Anatomy of a Scene

'The Hate U Give director George Tillman Jr.  discusses a scene in which a father teaches his children how to handle themselves in an encounter with police officers.' -- New York Times

Artist & Activist Dread Scott Aims to Propel History Forward

'Dread Scott is an artist not afraid to push the boundaries of activism. With his work primarily focused on the experience of African Americans in the contemporary United States, Scott has become known by the masses (even POTUS) for his controversial interactive art instillations.' -- Highsnobiety

"We are all trapped in the moral logic of neoliberalism": Adam Kotsko on the Political Theology of Late Capital

'Writer Adam Kotsko explains how neoliberalism swallowed the world -- selling a compromised version of freedom for the price of isolation and precarity, robbing politics of the promise of collective action or universal ideals, and imposing its own cruel moral logic deep in the brains of its subjects. Kotsko is author of Neoliberalism's Demons: On the Political Theology of Late Capital from Stanford University Press.'

How to Make College An 'Engine of Social Mobility': A conversation with Michael Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College

'Michael Sorrell is president of Paul Quinn College, and he has turned the historically black institution in Dallas into what he calls “an engine of social mobility.” He became president of Paul Quinn in 2007. At the time there were more than a dozen abandoned buildings on campus. Michael Sorrell has since been named HBCU President of the Year three times for his contributions to higher education, and this year he was named to Fortune’s List of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders.' -- Sanford School @ Duke 

Patriarchy: The Personal and The Political w/ Omisade Burney-Scott

'Black Future Manifest[o] sits down with Omisade Burney-Scott, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Advocacy at SisterSong, a national membership-based organization that works to improve institutional policies and systems that impact the reproductive lives of marginalized communities, to discuss how patriarchy shows up in our daily lives.'

Tiny Desk: Cécile McLorin Salvant

'Standing behind the Tiny Desk with only pianist Sullivan Fortner by her side, jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant remarked that she hadn't been this nervous in a while. But it was hard to tell: She embraced the discomfort with ease, taking command of the space with a calm demeanor and spiritual presence that felt both humble and persuasive. What can be heard in each song is a seasoned jazz singer with a vast vocal range, meticulous technical execution and a superb classical vocal foundation, which actually began when she was just 8.' -- NPR Music

Capitalism Devalues the Lives of Children and the Labor of Their Caregivers

'Writer Megan Erickson looks at the realities of childcare under capitalism in America - from the inconsistent patchwork of health and safety regulations over care facilities to the demands of profit that devalue both lives of children and the labor of the workers caring for them - and explains why only a universal childcare system can deliver a healthy, happy childhood for children, parents and society. Erickson wrote the article "A Blueprint for Universal Childhood" for Jacobin.' -- This is Hell! 

Why Are Black Moms Facing High Maternal Death Rates? A Conversation with Monifa Bandele

'Keyaira Kelly sat down with Monifa Bandele from MomsRising to further the conversation surrounding maternal morbidity.' -- MadameNoire