Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 69

Gen-Z and the "New" College Hookup Culture

'Social media and dating apps have fundamentally changed the culture of sex, and this impacts how young adults are shaping their personal relationships today. In her new book, The Current Collegiate Hookup Culture, online dating researcher Aditi Paul talks about the “new” culture of sex on college campuses.'

Tennessee to Address why Black Males Lag Behind Their Peers in Graduating from Public Universities

'The graduation rates for Black male college students are significantly lower than their peers. In Tennessee's public institutions, only a third of Black male students graduate within six years. The state has launched a statewide task force to address this disparity. Damon Mitchell of WPLN reports.'

A&E To Premiere 'Right To Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution' Executive Produced By Kevin Hart's Hartbeat And Time Studios

  

New York, NY – May 24, 2022 – A&E Network will premiere the new two-part documentary event “Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution” exploring the progression of Black comedy and the comedians who have used pointed humor to expose, challenge and ridicule society’s injustices and to articulate the Black experience in America. Executive produced by Kevin Hart’s HARTBEAT and TIME Studios, the documentary explores Black comedy through a unique lens, tracing the evolution and social awakening of the courageous comedians who dared to push against the constraints of their time and spoke truth to power. “Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution” is co-directed by Mario Diaz and Jessica Sherif and premieres Wednesday, June 29 at 9pm ET/PT and Thursday, June 30 at 9pm ET/PT on A&E. “Right to Offend” will also be available on demand and to stream on the A&E app and the official site at aetv.com/shows/right-to-offend.

The documentary traces the history of Black comedy and its under-appreciated legacy of driving social change across the 20th and 21st centuries. From Redd Foxx, Moms Mabley and Dick Gregory during the civil rights movement, Richard Pryor in the 70s, Eddie Murphy and Whoopi Goldberg in the 80s, to the power of In Living Color and Def Comedy Jamin the 90s, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle in the 2000s and groundbreaking modern-day comedians and creators like Key & Peele, Issa Rae, Amber Ruffin and Tiffany Haddish. Across four hours, “Right to Offend” explores the rare position these artists and many more hold in our society as both entertainers and truth tellers that speak to audiences in ways no other performers can.

Featuring interviews with some of the greatest comedy minds of all time as well as a rich collection of archival material, the two-part event reveals the personal stories and tribulations faced by many Black performers in attaining greater acceptance and opening the doors for a true representation of the Black experience. The documentary also traces how each generation of comedians built upon the foundations created by their predecessors to help evolve and push the boundaries of comedy as a means for social change and fought for a greater definition and understanding of what it means to be Black in America.

Full list of interviewees:

W. Kamau Bell, Comedian
Alonzo Bodden, Comedian
Dr. Todd Boyd, Author and Academic 
Wayne Brady, Comedian
Kevin “Dot Com” Brown, Comedian, Co-Founder “Uptown Comedy Club”
Michael Che, Comedian
Louis Chude-Sokei, Author and Academic
Tommy Davidson, Comedian
Michael Eric Dyson, Author and Academic; Author, “Is Bill Cosby Right?”
Wayne Federman, Comedy Historian; Author, “The History of Stand-Up”
Andre Gaines, Filmmaker, “The One and Only Dick Gregory”
Nelson George, Filmmaker and Cultural Critic
Christian Gregory, Dick Gregory’s Son
David Alan Grier, Comedian
Tiffany Haddish, Comedian
Michael Harriot, Journalist and TV Writer; Author, “Black AF History”
Kevin Hart, Comedian, Actor, Producer & Entrepreneur 
Steve Harvey, Comedian
Bambi Higgins, Academic, Author, “Laughing Mad”
Lil Rel Howery, Comedian
DL Hughley, Comedian
Norman Lear, Television Producer
Darryl Littleton, Comedian and Writer
Daryl Mooney, Paul Mooney’s Son
Dwayne Mooney, Paul Mooney’s Son
Garrett Morris, Comedian
Mark Anthony Neal, Author and Academic
Kliph Nesteroff, Comedy Historian; Author, “Comedians”
David Peisner, Entertainment Journalist; Author, “Homey Don’t Play That: The Story of In Living Color”
Russell Peters, Comedian
Elizabeth Pryor, Richard Pryor’s Daughter
Rain Pryor, Richard Pryor’s Daughter
Donnell Rawlings, Comedian
Tony Rock, Comedian
Amber Ruffin, Comedian
Allison Samuels, Entertainment Journalist
Scott Saul, Author, “Becoming Richard Pryor”
Amanda Seales, Comedian
Sherri Shepherd, Comedian
Bob Sumner, Co-Creator, “Def Comedy Jam”
Eddie Tafoya, Comedy Historian; Author, “Icons of African American Comedy”
Robin Thede, Comedian; Creator, “A Black Lady Sketch Show”
Kenan Thompson, Comedian
Joe Torry, Comedian
Aisha Tyler, Comedian
Jimmie Walker, Comedian; Cast Member, “Good Times”
George Wallace, Comedian
Marsha Warfield, Comedian; Cast Member, “The Richard Pryor Show”
Katt Williams, Comedian
Tony Woods, Comedian

Join the conversation by following @AETV and using #RightToOffend

“Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution” is produced by TIME Studios for A&E Network. Mario Diaz and Jessica Sherif are co-directors and executive producers. Ian Orefice, Loren Hammonds and Alexa Conway serve as executive producers for TIME Studios. Kevin Hart, Bryan Smiley, Pookey Wigington and Mike Stein serve as executive producers for HARTBEAT. Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brad Abramson serve as executive producers for A&E. A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights for “Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution.”

Millennials Are Killing Capitalism: "We Need To Be Active In The Working Class Struggle For Socialism Globally" - Steven Osuna on Class Suicide

'In this conversation Steven Osuna to discusses his piece “Class Suicide: The Black Radical Tradition, Radical Scholarship, and the Neoliberal Turn” from the 2017 collection Futures of Black Radicalism. Osuna is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach. He is a scholar of racism and political economy; globalization, transnationalism, and immigration; and policing and criminalization. Steven was born and raised in Echo Park, Los Angeles and is a son of Mexican and Salvadoran working-class migrants. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Homies Unidos-Los Angeles and a member of the Philippines US Solidarity Organization (PUSO). In this episode Josh interviews Osuna, to discuss the role of the academic who sees their work as in solidarity with movements for the working class, anti-imperialist movements, and struggles for socialism and communism.'

Conversations in Atlantic Theory • Jacqueline Couti on Sex, Sea and Self: Sexuality and Nationalism in French Caribbean Discourses, 1924-1948

'This discussion is with Dr. Jacqueline Couti, the Laurence H. Favrot Professor of French Studies at Rice University. Her research and teaching interests delve into the transatlantic and transnational interconnections between cultural productions from continental France and its now former colonies. A central theme of her research is how local knowledge in the colonial and post-colonial eras has shaped the literatures, and the cultural awareness of the self, in former French colonies through specific representations of sexuality. She is the author of Dangerous Creole Liaisons (2016) and “Lumina Sophie, Nineteenth-Century Martinique,” in Women Claiming Freedom: Gender, Race, and Liberty in the Americas. In this conversation, we discuss Sex, Sea, and Self: Sexuality and Nationalism in French Caribbean Discourses 1924-1948 published by Liverpool University Press in 2021. Our conversation here focuses on key concepts and arguments in the book where she puts Metropolitan France and the French Caribbean in dialogue exploring constructions of gender, race, sexuality, identity politics, and nationalism.'

Left of Black S12 · E25 | David A. Varel on the Legacy of Black Scholar Lawrence Reddick

There are many Black scholars whose work in the academy is not well known yet provided the intellectual support and underpinning necessary for deep archival research. Lawrence Reddick was one such man, having been the second curator of the Schomburg Collection at the New York Public Library, among other accomplishments. Left of Black host and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal is joined by Dr. David A. Varel, author of The Scholar and the Struggle: Lawrence Reddick’s Crusade for Black History and Black Power, published by the University of North Carolina Press.

at home: Artists in Conversation | Veronica Ryan

'Veronica Ryan, artist, in conversation with Clarrie Wallis, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art (British), Tate. Born in 1956 in Plymouth, Montserrat and raised in England, Ryan creates meticulously handcrafted work using a wide range of materials, including bronze, plaster, marble, textile, and found objects. Her sculptures and installations examine environmental and sociopolitical concerns, personal narratives and memories, as well as the wider psychological implications of history, trauma and recovery.'

Vijay Iyer: Room for Ghosts (in Memory of Greg Tate)

'The premiere of Vijay Iyer's Room for Ghosts (in Memory of Greg Tate). Performed by Vijay Iyer and the Parker Quartet.'

Max Roach's 1960 Landmark 'We Insist!' Proves Timeless in a Reissue

'Max Roach's album was recently named to the National Recording Registry, a roster of works deemed culturally, historically or aesthetically significant; We Insist! scores in all three categories.'

Understanding China's Brutal Treatment of Uyghur Muslims Through Two Nonfiction Books

'It's estimated that more than 1 million Uyghur Muslims have been detained in camps in China, where they may be subjected to forced labor, sexual violence, torture, and religious restrictions. Today, we explore two nonfiction books that help understand the crisis. First, Geoffrey Cain speaks to Scott Tong on Here and Now about his book The Perfect Police State, an overview of the surveillance technology China is employing to monitor Uyghurs. Then, Nury Turkel speaks to Ayesha Roscoe on Weekend Edition Sunday about his book No Escape, an investigation into these torture camps and the life of Uyghur refugees.'