Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 465

Environmental Justice Activist Catherine Coleman Flowers Works with Duke University on Sanitation & Poverty in Lowndes County, AL

'Since 2015, Catherine Coleman Flowers, founder of the Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise (ACRE), has partnered with the Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute and the Nicholas School of the Environment to find solutions for the lack of wastewater infrastructure in Lowndes County, AL. Flowers is the Practitioner-in-Residence at the Franklin Humanities Institute (FHI), and works with teams of students, faculty and staff to address the legal, political, and technological issues associated with this problem.' -- Duke Franklin Humanities Institute

Black Families Increasingly Choose to Homeschool Kids

'In the last 15 years, the number of black children in homeschool has doubled from 103,000 to about 220,000. Black parents cite a number of reasons for homeschooling children, including concern over peer pressure and drugs at school -- but increasingly, they are also citing school-related racism as a reason to keep students at home. NewsHour Weekend's Ivette Feliciano' -- PBS NewsHour

Refugee Lives: Alsarah and the Nubatons Reflect on 'Home'

'Alsarah of Alsarah and the Nubatones shares her personal migration story with Duke students. What does home mean? Where do you feel most at home? Alsarah and the Nubatones were in residence with at Duke University with Duke Performances .' --
John Hope Franklin Center at Duke University

Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa: Black Life at the Intersection of Birth and Death

'"It is the artist's job to unearth stories that people try to bury with shovels of complacency and time," says poet and freedom fighter Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa. Performing her poem "The Joys of Motherhood," Katwiwa explores the experience of Black mothers in America and discusses the impact of the Movement for Black Lives -- because, she says, it's impossible to separate the two.' -- TED

Barbaric Production: The Rise of Slavery, White Supremacy and Capitalism

'Historian Gerald Horne explores the apocalyptic legacy of settler colonialism in North America - from the presence of slavery deep in the heart of global empire and Europe's nascent capitalism, to the creation and maintenance of Whiteness both as a tool for organizing society, and a weapon pointed at those outside its bounds. Horne is author of The Apocalypse of Settler Colonialism: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, and Capitalism in Seventeenth-Century North America and the Caribbean from Monthly Review Press.' -- This Is Hell! Radio

Zadie Smith Interview: On Shame, Rage and Writing

'“Writing is all shame.” Zadie Smith – often referred to as “the superstar of British literature” – here talks about how shame can be used to “propel you on to something,” and why one must try to understand where people’s rage is coming from.' -- Louisiana Channel

Left of Black S8:E18: Diasporic Blackness -- The Life and Times of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg

Left of Black S8:E18: Diasporic Blackness -- The Life and Times of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
Left of Black host Mark Anthony Neal is joined in the Left of Black studio by scholar and author Vanessa M. Valdes (@Valdes23), Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at the The City College of New York. Professor Valdes is the author of Diasporic Blackness: The Life and Times of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg (SUNY Press), as well as Oshun’s Daughters: The Search for Womanhood in the Americas (SUNY-Press). Professor Valdes was at Duke to deliver the lecture “Building an International Archive in the Jim Crow South: Arturo Schomburg at Fisk University”.

I Never Cried Until My Son Was Born (Because Patriarchy), But Now I Cry At Every Damn Thing by Lawrence Ware

MARK BRADFORD, “Moody Blues for Jack Whitten” (2018). I Never Cried Until My Son Was Born (Because Patriarchy), But Now I Cry At Every Damn Thing by Lawrence Ware | @Law_Writes | NewBlackMan (in Exile)
Before my son was born, I did not cry much. For instance, I was able to successfully navigate the untimely demise of both Rickey and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas without so much as shedding a tear.
This was partly because I was raised by single mother, so my uncles, afraid I might turn out to be a ‘momma’s boy,’ drilled into me their understanding of the emotional life of a Black man. That is, I was to be quiet, strong and angry about the inequality of Black life. This anger, however, could be channeled constructively with sports or drowned with alcohol, but it was to be never, ever be expressed with tears.
Therefore, for the first 25 years of my life, I seldom cried. When I graduated from undergrad and grad school, I barely smiled. When Bambi’s mom caught an L, I didn’t feel a thing. I even made through Will asking uncle Phil, “How come he don’t want me” without feeling much.
I was, for all intents and purposes, the opposite of a sensitive thug—then something strange happened. On April 17, 2008, my son was born…and the floodgates opened. Now, I rarely get through a day without something messing with my allergies.
To wit, these are the last 10 times I cried in the past year or two.
1. When Mufasa holds up Simba at the beginning of the Lion King. In fact, now any time I hear the some “Circle of Life” I have to hold back tears.
2. The moment I discovered that Moonlight won the award for Best Picture… …and now, having seen the film, anything that reminds me of Moonlight — including the moon — makes me cry.
3. Hearing the song “City of Lights” from La La Land. I know, I know. The movie is very, very white, but that score goes hard in the paint and, for some reason, makes any room I’m in very dusty.
4. Watching a Viagra commercial I legit shed tears over a commercial about a blue pill. These seasoned Black folks looked so in love.
5. Learning that a black person lived to be 93. When I hear of black folks who lived to see their 90s, I reflect upon the unmitigated levels of racism they must have endured. I am awed and humbled by their sacrifice. When I hear of a white person who lived that long, I automatically assume they are racist until they prove otherwise. So no tears.
6. Listening to “Lately” by Jodeci. I have no idea why, but that song wrecked me, and I lost it when K-Ci (the ultimate non-singing, singing-ass nigga of all time) starts to yell.
7. Watching the UnsungEpisode about Montell Jordan …and learning that he no longer owns the rights to the song “The Is How We Do It.” Prince was right when he said: “If you don’t own your masters, your masters own you.”
8. Listening Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” She was amazing in that song. Damn I miss her.
9. Witnessing Black Excellence I cried when one of my dearest friends (and frat brother) Elon Dancy became a full professor at the University of Oklahoma. I cried again when he was named Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Academic Inclusion. Also, when my other friend and frat brother, Eric Gill, finished his D.Min at Virginia Union University, I got mad misty eyed.
I’ve learned the importance of celebrating black brilliance. We are taught in this white supremacist world to be jealous of one another’s successes—that there are only so many crumbs that fall from the tables of whiteness and we must, therefore, fight over each one. I reject that notion. If we don’t celebrate us, then no one else will.
10. Experiencing Injustice When I saw the video of Terrence Crutcher being killed I cried. It happened again when Betty Shelby was found not guilty. Both were tears of anger. Not because I was surprised, but because I had allowed myself to feel hope that justice would be done. I should have known better.
+++
Lawrence Wareis co-director of the Africana Studies Program and Teaching Assistant Professor and Diversity Coordinator in the Department of Philosophy. He is a contributing writer to Slate Magazine, The New York Times and The Root.

The MusiQology Podcast -- Episode 2: J. Michael Harrison

'This week’s episode of The MusiQology Podcast with Guthrie Ramsey, Jr. is a musical history lesson with Philadelphia institution J. Michael Harrison, who is celebrating 20 years of his acclaimed WRTI radio show, The Bridge. Touching on important figures such as Gil Scott-Heron, Miles Davis, and Sonny Rollins, he shares his personal musical story, tracking the social and activist impact of music on this city and nation over time.'

Mark Anthony Neal Discusses the Cultural Significance of Kendrick Lamar's Pulitzer Prize Win

Mark Anthony Neal joins Sojourner Truth with Margaret Prescod to discuss the Cultural Significance of Kendrick Lamar's Pulitzer Prize Win.