Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 540

Racism as a Spectrum

'Mamoudou N'Diaye argues that Racism isn't as clear cut as it's made out to be. It actually lives on a spectrum and we all have some racial bias.' -- Mic 

Culture as Weapon -- How Art Is Used for Corporate Control

'Nato Thompson, artistic director at Creative Time and author of  Culture as Weapon: The Art of Influence in Everyday Life  (Melville House, 2017), discusses how institutions use art and culture to gain profit and constrain dissent.' -- +Brian Lehrer Show 

Composer Nicholas Britell Deconstructs his Oscar Nominated Score for 'Moonlight'

'The film Moonlight tells the story of its main character, Chiron, in three chapters: when Chiron is a young boy, nicknamed Little, when he's a teenager, and when he's an adult, nicknamed Black. For each chapter of the film, composer Nicholas Britell created a theme, and in this episode, Nicholas takes those themes apart. The score for Moonlight was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, and the film itself won the Golden Globe for Best Drama.' -- +WNYC  

Author Paul Beatty's America Comes into Focus

'Americans are by and large unwilling to address the racial divides that exist in this country, but that's never stopped author Paul Beatty from speaking his mind. As someone who never felt very at home in the United States to begin with, Beatty was hardly surprised when Donald Trump was elected president despite alienating large numbers of minority voters. His latest book The Sellout was published in 2015 and last year became the first novel by an American author to win the U.K.'s Man Booker Prize. It centers around a narrator from Los Angeles who attempts to reintroduce segregation into his hometown - a decision that eventually lands him in front of the Supreme Court. With real world events becoming more heightened by the minute, Beatty joins The Takeaway to give his perspective on how we got here.' -- +WNYC  

Candice Hoyes Unearths Ellington With ‘On A Turquoise Cloud’

'A couple years ago, jazz vocalist Candice Hoyes was looking for a new direction and started digging into the repertoire of her personal hero Duke Ellington. She started to unearth manuscripts from the National Archives of Ellington compositions that he had written for jazz and classical artists. In her latest album On a Turquoise Cloud, Hoyes showcases new recordings of the Ellington manuscripts as she blends her musical origins of jazz and classical training. State of Things host Frank Stasio talks with Hoyes about her research process and the relevancy of Ellington today.'

Chicago Won't Reform the Police; Chicago is the Police

'Civil rights attorney Flint Taylor explains what a recent Department of Justice report on Chicago's police crimes reveals (and misses) about corruption and violence within the city, and outlines the choice between continuing ineffective liberal reforms, and a radical re-imagining of the relationships between policing, money and political power in minority neighborhoods. Flint's latest writing is "Chicago's Brutal Example" for Jacobin .
 

Art & Activism with Faith Ringgold

'Artist, Author and Activist, Faith Ringgold joins Carol Jenkins to explore pieces of her work, movement and inspirations. Faith Ringgold is the recipient of over 75 awards, including 22 honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Degrees and a Lifetime Achievement honor from the College Art Association. She is also known for many of her children's books such as Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad In The Sky, The Invisible Princess and If a Bus Could Talk; The Story of Ms. Rosa Parks (which won the NAACP's Image Award in 2000).'-- +cunytv75 

Left of Black S7:E13: The Bilal Conversation

Left of Black S7:E13: The Bilal Conversation
On this episode of Left of Black Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter, musician and producer Bilal (@Bilal) joins host Mark Anthony Neal in a wide ranging conversation about his career, his many collaborations and the legacy of Black music.
Left of Black is a weekly Webcast hosted by Mark Anthony Neal and produced in collaboration with the John Hope Franklin Center at Duke University and in conjunction with the Center for Arts + Digital Culture + Entrepreneurship (CADCE) and the Duke Council on Race + Ethnicity
***
Follow Left of Black on Twitter: @LeftofBlack

Historian Timothy Tyson Talks The Blood of Emmett Till

'There have been many unknowns in the death of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Chicago boy who was brutally beaten, bludgeoned and executed after allegedly flirting with a white woman while visiting relatives in Mississippi in the summer of 1955. What we do know now, is that Carolyn Bryant Donham, the woman who accused Till of wrongdoing, lied in the courtroom about what happened that day.In his new book The Blood of Emmett Till, author Timothy Tyson says Donham admitted that she did not tell the truth when she testified that Till had grabbed and verbally threatened her. The book examines how the culture of white supremacy in Mississippi at the time perpetuated similar acts throughout the state where falsehoods imperiled democracy.  It also highlights the courage of Till's family to take a stand and help expose the truth behind the lies.' +WNYC 

West African Musical Icon Angelique Kidjo at the US Women's March

'The swearing-in ceremony of US President Donald Trump was surrounded by protests after protests across the United States. The Women's March is considered to be among the biggest ever protest movement against Donald Trump. The event gathered hundreds of thousands of women who marched to show their support for women's rights in the face of changes that a Trump presidency might bring, including Grammy Award winner Angelique Kidjo.' -- +africanews