Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 63

Songs to Believe In: A Juneteenth Playlist

For Juneteenth, pianist Lara Downes remembers the freedom that has been hard fought and hard won: "It's hard to reflect on freedom in this deafening swell of discord, this crescendo of threats to our most basic human and civil rights...But as we observe this holiday, I have to remember that freedom has always been hard fought and hard won."

In ‘The Movement Made Us,’ a Father and Son Trace the Lasting Impact of Civil Rights Activism

'For nearly 50 years, civil rights activist David Dennis Sr. rarely spoke about his work in the 1960s as a member of Congress of Racial Equality, or CORE. Dennis Sr. was instrumental in helping to desegregate parts of the South during the height of the movement. But it wasn’t until his son, journalist David Dennis Jr., started asking questions, that the extraordinary stories of resilience and brutality were revealed. Through the process of writing their new book, “The Movement Made Us,” Dennis Sr. also came to understand how the trauma he endured as an activist impacted his son. “I think the most painful thing is to begin to realize the kind of pain that I brought into my home, my family,” Dennis Sr. tells Here & Now, “[My son] writing this book and raising a lot of questions and things and beginning to help cause me to have to address things and see things that I had totally wiped out of my head”.'

Into America: The Revolution Will Be Digitized with Marc Lamont Hill

'Where does the video of George Floyd’s murder fit into the long history of the push for racial justice? Journalist and professor Marc Lamont Hill has released a book, co-authored with historian Todd Brewster. Titled Seen & Unseen, the work explores the ways in which technology and visual media have shaped our understanding of race in the past and how they are being used as tools in the fight for racial justice today.  The impetus for Hill and Brewster’s book was the murder of George Floyd and the uprising it sparked. Video of Floyd’s murder was captured by Darnella Frazier, using her cell phone’s camera. She posted the video to Facebook, where it quickly went viral, sparking the largest protest movement in U.S. history. On this episode of Into America, host Trymaine Lee speaks with Hill about his new book, George Floyd, and the uses of technology and social media in the fight for racial justice.'

Conversations in Atlantic Theory • Richard Price on Maroons in Guyane: Past, Present, Future

'This discussion is with Richard Price, an anthropologist and historian who has written extensively on the history and culture of African Americans throughout the hemisphere. He has taught at Yale, Johns Hopkins, and William & Mary, and in France, the Netherlands, and Brazil. His prize-winning books, translated into several languages, include First-Time, Alabi’s World, The Convict and the Colonel, Travels with Tooy, and Rainforest Warriors and most recently with Sally Price, Saamaka Dreaming and Maroons in Guyane. In this conversation, we discuss published by University of Georgia Press in 2022. His forthcoming memoir, Inside/Outside, will be published in October 2022. Our conversation here focuses on the history of Maroon peoples in Guyane, how these groups differ from one another, and their current situations.'

The Real Ballers Read Podcast: The Forrest Gump of Black Radical Politics with Zach Kirk

'Double-Agent. Chessmaster. Trickster. Genius. Snitch. Louis E. Tackwood was the "Forrest Gump of Black Radical Politics" and there's no record of his life after 1975. But a careful eye can still find Tackwood in the footnotes of history—as Zach Kirk, a Bay-Area activist, did last year. After frequently seeing Tackwood as a reference in books he was reading, Zach decided to investigate this mysterious figure and discovered one of the most bizarre, interesting, and unknown stories in California history. In this episode of The Real Ballers Read Podcast, Zach details the amoral activities of Louis Tackwood and explains how his understandings of history, politics, and organizing have changed since learning of this story. Listen to answer for yourself whether Tackwood was the lion of history he thought he was or just a strange pawn for the government.'

The Limits with Jay Williams Ghetto Gastro's Jon Gray On His Journey From Hustler To Food Mogul

'When New York multi-hyphenate Jon Gray set it upon himself to bring the Bronx to the world through food, he faced two battles: establish a successful business at the tail end of a recession, and overcome the high-end culinary world's historically white gaze. Now, Ghetto Gastro, the food collective he co-founded, is connecting the dots between fashion, design, hip-hop and the culinary arts. They've created unforgettable food experiences and products in collaboration with Nike, Microsoft, Airbnb, Beats By Dre and more. They're known to bill corporate giants well into the six figures for just a few dozen dinner guests. Jon was raised in a nurturing, education-forward household in the Bronx. As a teenager, he sold drugs to afford things his peers couldn't. In conversation with host Jay Williams, he talks about how he transitioned from that lifestyle--and applied some of those same skills--to a multidisciplinary career in the arts that he "reverse-engineered," in his words.'

Howard Bryant's 'Rickey' Documents the Life, Career and Controversies of Baseball's "Man of Steal"

'NPR's Scott Simon talks to sports journalist Howard Bryant about his new book Rickey. It's on the life and career of one of baseball's greats, outfielder Rickey Henderson. According to Bryant, "Rickey is part of the economic era where the players now have agency. And a lot of it had to do with the fact that Rickey really was not controllable. He was his own guy and understood his body and knew what he could do. And he was very much ahead of his time."

Left of Black S12 · E27 | A Conversation with the Legendary Spoken Word Poet Abiodun Oyewole

In this special episode of Left of Black, host and Duke University professor Mark Anthony Neal speaks with author, poet, teacher, and musician Abiodun Oyewole. Mr. Oyewole first came on the scene in 1968 as a member of The Last Poets who released numerous protest spoken word albums. Having laid down the groundwork for what would evolve into rap in the years to come, Abiodun  is considered to be one of the fathers of Hiphop who still creates new work today, with the release of his latest album Gratitude, produced by AFAR. 

How Race Played a Role in the Capitol insurrection

'The Jan. 6 committee held public hearings. And while the panel's focus is on former President Trump and his closest allies, future witnesses are expected to draw a link between the Trump White House and extremist groups. Hakeem Jefferson, a political scientist at Stanford University, joins John Yang to discuss.'

Love & Respect with Killer Mike: Aunjanue Ellis Shares The Struggles Of Being Underpaid As An Actress

'On this episode of #LoveAndRespect with host Killer Mike, Actress Aujanue Ellis joins the show for a conversation on her career, the struggles of the acting world, her latest short film & more.'