Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 659

"Is It Because I'm Black"? -- Syl Johnson + Jean-Michel Basquiat (for Sandra + Tamir)

Basquiat Is It Because I'm Black (1970) Syl Johnson
The dark brown shades of my skin, only add colour to my tears
That splash against my hollow bones, that rocks my soul
Looking back over my false dreams, that I once knew
Wondering why my dreams never came true... 

Mapping Police Violence: New Study Shows Cops Have Killed At Least 1,152 in 2015

[image error] 'Amid grief and outrage over the killings of two unarmed African Americans in Chicago, a year-end report from the Mapping Police Violence research project says police nationwide killed at least 1,152 people in 2015. In 14 cities, every single police victim was African-American. And across the country, police killings had little correlation with crime rates and population size.  Sam Sinyangwe, a statistician who worked on the Mapping Police Violence project joins +Democracy Now!  to examine the data.' 

Childhood Asthma Rates Level Off, But Racial Disparities Remain

'For the first time in decades, the number of children with asthma isn't increasing, federal scientists report. But cases continue to rise among African-American children and poor children.' -- +NPR   

NPR's Eric Deggans on The Best Television Of 2015

'NPR TV critic Eric Deggans spoke to Carrie Kahn on +NPR 'Weekend Edition Sunday about the plethora of television available on broadcast, cable and streaming outlets.. Deggans picks 12 shows that rose above the rest for this year-end wrap.'  

"I can feel this for sure...I've been here before" -- Teena Marie

"Déjà Vu (I've Been Here Before)"Teena Marie (Wild and Peaceful, 1979) 
The soul feels like the universe; it's vast and never ends
Stars to me are The children, babies are my friends
God is like a galaxy,within my spirit Flies
Felt this way a million times, please don't ask me why

The Blueprint for Protecting Black Genius by William P. Jackson

The Blueprint for Protecting Black Geniusby William P. Jackson | @PPeriod | HuffPost Black Voices
Protecting Black Genius, a treasure that lies within every child—that must be our VOW.
This is not an appeal to save The Talented Tenth. Nor is it a plea to find those Black youth who will be responsible for the next STEM breakthrough. This is a demand for us to recognize the gifts that lie within each and every one of our children. Gifts that if nourished and allowed to thrive will usher us into a more just and equitable future.
The potential of Black Genius lies within the interest, and inevitably the talents, we all have within us. The potential and capacity to achieve Black Genius grows when that interest is cultivated into skills. Black Genius is realized and achieved in those spectacular moments when we collectively utilize our talents and skills to disrupt and dismantle institutional systems of oppression. Black Genius is realized when we collectively imagine and construct new systems based on the values of equity and justice for all. Black Genius is within us all, but can only be realized when we recognize it in each other. Even more, Black Genius is ours to deepen, to understand, and to leverage to create a better tomorrow.
But there is a war going on that is threatening the talent and ingenuity of Black children being born across the globe. From the classrooms of South Carolina to the groves of the Dominican Republic and from Chicago to Congo, Black children are being violently attacked, deported, and even enslaved in the name of maximizing profits and maintaining a lower class to exploit.
Dr. Bettina Love, professor of Educational Theory & Practice, often uses the term spirit murdering when she reflects on the cultural devaluation many children of color experience in school. After seeing slain Black body after slain Black body as I scroll through my social media timelines, I am forced to consider that this world is attempting to murder the souls of Black folk. So I can't, we can't, sit idly by any longer as our children's souls and physical bodies are murdered. The proposition we lay out today is to see the genius inside of ourselves and protect those who will use their interests to create a better world: our children, those who will amplify Black Genius.
Black Genius createsWe must work with Black youth to develop the element of genius that allows them the selective vulnerability to discern whom they can and cannot trust. They must understand that not everyone is their advocate and simultaneously know that the entire world isn't against them. Through selective vulnerability they will realize the power of collective strength and recognize without trust they'll be unable to create, love, and embrace these and other benefits of community.
Albert Sykes, the executive director of the Institute for Democratic Education in America, often talks about a child's ability share through a favorite proverb: children are born with their hands closed because that's where their gifts are. As children grow old they are supposed to learn to unfold their hands and share their gifts with the world. If we want our children to share their Black Genius, then we must put them in positions where they don't have to close their hands to fight.
If you are ready to protect Black Genius, together we must do a few things.
First, we must make the assertion that every Black child has genius with in them. We have to promise to use the great majority of our energy and efforts to make them understand they are valuable beyond measure despite the propaganda of our world. And we must see this genius potential in ourselves—for if we cannot see for ourselves, we will not be able to recognize it in our youth.
Secondly, we must prepare youth to create new knowledge—new knowledge based on the strengths of the Black community, knowledge that provides the structure, conceptual framework, and measures to build new systems that will strip the sting of implicit and explicit biases of the power to reinforce the oppression of racism.
Third, we must commit to keeping those who possess Black Genius alive—mentally and physically. If anyone should dare to threaten our children's mental or physical health then they must face a system of real justice. And we must create that system of justice, a system that ensures peace and human rights for Black children worldwide.
To really accomplish this plan of protection, it's critical that we leverage the collective power of the diaspora, here in the United States and globally. We must use the weight of our collective wealth to establish a structure that provides racial justice assurance and familial support while also funding a knowledge generation machine. We must create a Village of Wisdom.
There is a shift happening in our country and across the world. The passion of non-respectable Negroes, the energy of unapologetically black youth, the power of melanin on fleek is rising. With their growing power the words of John F. Kennedy seem increasingly relevant: "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable."
Whether we are ready or not, a generation has been born with the potential to amplify Black Genius. The only question that remains is are we ready to work with them to build the system needed to make this world better?
See the Black Genius in yourself. See it in those around you. Let us work together to convert our interests into skills. Let's use our skills to deconstruct a system that has stood for too long and inspire the ideas that will be the fundamental knowledge for a society whose singular goal is true equity.
This article is part of a series that showcases emerging leaders' voices on a variety of issues related to social change. The opinions expressed in this article belong to the author(s). Echoing Green provides these leaders and social entrepreneurs with a two-year Fellowship, seed-stage funding, and strategic support. Learn more: echoinggreen.org.
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William P. Jackson is a 2014 Echoing Green Fellow and the founder and executive director of Village of Wisdom, an organization that works with families of black youth to "develop the resiliency and self-confidence necessary to overcome the academic opportunity gap."

Jezebel Quickies: 3 Minutes with Angie Stone

'Angie Stone chats with Jezebel about her new album Dream, the influence of Amy Winehouse and feeling unloved.' -- Jezebel

PERKULATOR™: Being a Black Woman Artist with Tamara Natalie Madden

Vanquisher, 2012--Tamara Natalie Madden'PERKULATOR™ Discussions presents Being a Black Woman Artist with Tamara Natalie Madden. Overcoming illness to being listed as one of MSNBC’s The Grio’s “Top 40 Artists to Watch in 2014". Tamara Natalie Madden​ has a story as Powerful as her Art to share.' -- +Black Art In America 

Monument Or Eyesore? Weighing The Legacy Of A Pittsburgh Playwright

'A decade after playwright August Wilson's death, his childhood home in Pittsburgh is in bad shape. As Erika Beras of WESA reports, community members have mixed feelings on what to do with what's left.' -- +NPR

Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Fight Over Prisoner Rights and Healthcare

'Veteran political prisoner rights activist Dr. Johanna Fernandez of Baruch College discusses the latest developments by political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal to attain adequate medical attention.' -- +TheRealNews