Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 666

Shonda Rhimes on Raising the Next Generation of Showrunners

'When asked how we might continue to build a television landscape that more closely reflects the diversity of the real world, Shonda Rhimes’ answer is simple. “It’s who is telling the stories,” she says, “because the people telling the stories are the people deciding who you see onscreen, they’re the people who are deciding who are in the writers rooms, they’re the people deciding on the crew.” The onus, she says, is on her and her colleagues to raise a generation of showrunners to fill those screens, those writers rooms and those crews with storytellers who reflect the full range of human experience.'

Can Stress Trigger Asthma in Children?

'In a study done exclusively for The Detroit News and PBS NewsHour, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found about 2 of every 3 Motor City children face “adverse childhood experiences,” including exposure to violence and extreme economic hardship that can trigger asthma. Indira Lakshmanan reports for the NewsHour.' 

Junot Diaz on The Politics of Racist Immigration Policy

'The politics of immigration continue to "mobilize racist, xenophobic, and nativist tropes," says author Junot Diaz, who credits his own artistic triumphs to being an immigrant himself.' -- +Big Think  

Tracy Chapman's Greatest Hits Celebrate Quietly Powerful Legacy

'On the occasion of her greatest hits album, Singer-Songwriter Tracy Chapman joins q's Shad for a wide-ranging conversation about her life's work and her quietly powerful persona.' 

BK Stories: Kamasi Washington Performs and Talks at BRIC JazzFest

'At the BRIC JazzFest Jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington talks about his relationship with his band members, including his father who is touring with the band, his perspective on music, and enhancing the visibility of artists who would normally not get the acclaim they deserve.' -- +BRIC TV  

Left of Black S6:E13: Florynce “Flo” Kennedy--The Life of a Black Feminist Radical

Left of Black S6:E13:  Florynce “Flo” Kennedy--The Life of a Black Feminist Radical
Left of Black host and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan) is joined in studio by Sherie M. Randolph, Associate Professor of History and Afroamerican +African Studies at the University of Michigan. Randolph is the author of Florynce “Flo” Kennedy: The Life of a Black Feminist Radical (University of North Carolina Press, 2015).  Randolph and Neal discuss Kennedy’s use of the Law, independent media and grassroots organizing to address issues of social justice in the Black Power, Civil Rights and Feminist Movements.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).
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Episodes of Left of Black are also available for free download in @ iTunes U
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Follow Left of Black on Twitter: @LeftofBlack

Kevin Powell on Redefining Manhood and Unlearning Misogyny

'Writer, activist and former hip hop journalist Kevin Powell chronicles his personal journey in his new memoir, The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy's Journey into Manhood . In the book Powell tells the story of growing up amid crime, racism and poverty and the damaging context in which most men shape their attitudes toward women.' -- +q on cbc 

Nalo Hopkinson on Racial and Gender Diversity in Science Fiction Literature

'Nalo Hopkinson, one of Canada's foremost science fiction writers, is out to expand the way we imagine alternative worlds, and the people in them.  Her books, reflect the places she's lived, including Jamaica, Guyana and Toronto. Her latest work is a short story collection titled Falling in Love with Hominids .' 

Art Historian Richard J. Powell Talks Archibald Motley on the Charlie Rose Show

'Art historian Richard J. Powell gives insight into the life and work of Archibald Motley - a "Jazz Age modernist.' -- +Charlie Rose 

Darrick Hamilton: "Rhetoric, Reality and Remedies to Address the Racial Wealth Gap"

'Darrick Hamilton, Associate Professor of Economics and Urban Policy at the Milano School for International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy at The New School lectures on ""Rhetoric, Reality and Remedies to Address the Racial Wealth Gap." Professor Hamilton is a stratification economist whose work focuses on the causes and consequences of racial and ethnic inequality in wealth and health outcomes. He outlines how this wealth gap threatens our economic future and suggests some remedies for this historic national problem.' -- +The New School