Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 699

Left of Black on The Root: Activist & Scholar Rosa Clemente Talks Bernie Sanders + Donald Trump

On the Season Premiere of Left of Black on The Root , activist and scholar Rosa Clemente discusses the presidential campaigns of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.  Of Sanders, Clemente says, "I'm not a Bernie Sanders fan, but I'm not a Democrat" and in response to the  Trump phenomenon, "White Supremacy needed a new face."  Clemente was 2008 Green Party Vice-Presidential Candidate and is a Doctoral Candidate in the W.E.B Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at UMASS-Amherst.

Race Matters? Retired Black Tennis Star James Blake Assaulted and Falsely Arrested By NYPD

'Retired black tennis pro James Blake was assaulted by NYPD officers in a case of mistaken identity. The NYPD has opened an investigation into the incident but how would this scene have played out if Blake was not a famous tennis player?  Ebony's Jamilah Lemieux , The Nation's Mychal Denzel Smith and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal join HuffPost Live's Marc Lamont Hill.'

'Slow Down And Be There': Lizz Wright On Singing To The Present

"There's a beautiful, kind of seductive trap in being autobiographical in our writing of songs: We just get stuck in our own syrup," says the Lizz Wright of her new recording Freedom and Surrender.

A Black Physician Asks: Is Being Black Bad For Your Health?

' Dr. Damon Tweedy discusses race and medicine in his new memoir Black Man in a White Coat. "There's been a long history of African-Americans being mistreated by the health care system," he says.'

Actor Wendell Pierce on Why Art is Essential to Every Recovery Process

'Wendell Pierce—known for his roles as Bunk on The Wire and Antoine on Treme—watched helplessly as his childhood neighbourhood was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The actor joins Shad to share how a powerful performance of Waiting For Godot became his call to action, and why he believes that art is essential to every recovery process. Pierce chronicles the full story in his new book, The Wind in the Reeds: A Storm, A Play, and the City That Would Not Be Broken .'

Black Children Need More than a High-Five from a Well-Dressed Black Man by Lawrence Ware

Black Children Need More than a High-Five from a Well-Dressed Black Manby Lawrence Ware | @Law_Ware | NewBlackMan (in Exile)
Recently, black men lined up in suits to give high-fives and greet kids on the first day of school. These men were asked to wear business attire so that they could combat the stereotype of black men as unprofessional and thugs. Pictures and videos traveled around social media celebrating the greetings. The men were praised for their commitment to the success of black children.
I, too, applaud the men for taking time out of their day to put a smile on the face of a black child. I also acknowledge that there is value in black kids from working class backgrounds seeing people who look like them achieving success. However, I also see this as potentially problematic for two reasons.
Good Black Men
Du Bois articulated a flawed notion of racial uplift over a century ago. He called it the Talented Tenth. The thought was that if the top 10% of black people in America could get an education and become successful, then they would go back into their impoverished communities and help lift those left behind up to their level of success. This was a good idea in theory. The only problem was he underestimated the seductive power of capitalistic gains and access to white spaces.
The talented and prosperous moved out of the communities they were supposed to help. That alone is, arguably, not inherently problematic. The problem comes in when they began to see the ones left behind with a condescending eye. Meritocratic notions of success as earned was internalized, and the radicalized barriers to achievement faced by black people were overlooked.
Charitable outreach and moments of benevolence replaced commitments to invest in and support black communities. This allowed those who feel a deep, often unvoiced, sense of shame concerning the communities they left behind to have moments of respite from black middle class guilt without relinquishing the privilege they feel they’ve earned. The problem is that charity is never a substitute for justice.
These kids don’t need a high-five from men in suits. They need advocates for policy that will improve the schools they attend. The students need someone to show up at the school board and city council pushing for changes that will combat economic inequality and educational inequity ravishing that community. I hope these men are those advocates.  Otherwise, this will be little more than a highly publicized ‘attaboy.’
Further, there is something distasteful about the emphasis on the men being “impeccably” or “elegantly” dressed. Were the men unable to afford upper middle class attire not welcomed?  Were working class men not invited? This plays into notions of respectability championed by middle class black folk as a remedy to police violence against black bodies.
Also, the discussion around this event uncovers an unhelpful dichotomy in the thinking of aspirational middle class black Americans. There are the “good” black men who dress in ways that adhere to white norms of professionalism, and there are  “bad” black men who deviate from these norms. This is unhelpful at best and classism at worst. Either way, it is problematic.  
PatriarchyThe title of the announcement was ”Calling all Brothers.” A call for men to come greet the students of Prestige Academy, an all-male school school in Delaware, makes sense, but why specify men in Hartford, Atlanta and Boston? A call went out for men and women in Philadelphia, but that was probably because female clergy helped organize the greeting. The reason expressed by an organizer in Hartford was, “In an urban community, people say that black men [aren't] valued or there aren't enough black men doing something…I wanted to prove everyone wrong." The efficacy of this action remains to be seen. There is value in putting a smile on a child’s face, but our goals must extend beyond that. Additionally, I want to push back against the notion that black men are not valued in the black community. It seems like all I hear is the need for black men to be in the lives of black children, and how, if these men were more active, the neighborhoods would benefit. I’m not denying this is true, but it speaks to the value placed upon men in these communities. Further, in the same way that there is a need for male students to see successful black men, there is also a need for female students to see successful black women. Black men are not the only victims of misrepresentation in the media. More troubling, a few women reported that they were discouraged from attending the greeting in Boston. This participates in the history of black men marginalizing black women that goes back to the civil rights era and beyond. The intention behind these greetings is commendable, but the kids need more than a feel-good moment. I hope the black men that attended will also show up for the kids when policy is discussed at the next school board meeting…and that time the suits can be optional, but inviting black women should be mandatory. +++
Lawrence Ware is a professor of philosophy and diversity coordinator for Oklahoma State University’s Ethics Center. A frequent contributor to the publication The Democratic Left and contributing editor of the progressive publication RS: The Religious Left, he has also been a commentator on race for the HuffPost Live, CNN, and NPR.

Black Lives, Atticus Finch & the Ethics of Legal Fictions @ Duke Law School -- September 16th

Why Does Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig Want to Run for President?

 'Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig wants to run for president, but for one reason only: campaign finance reform. Once that’s achieved, he says, he’ll happily step down and hand off the presidency to his VP.' -- +Fusion 

“Days of Grace” Sets Unified Pace for Southern Resistance by Lamont Lillly

“Days of Grace” Sets Unified Pace for Southern Resistanceby Lamont Lilly | @LamontLilly | NewBlackMan (in Exile)
Over 800 gathered in the city of Charleston, S.C., Sept. 5-6 for the Days of Grace Mass March and Strategy Conference against racism and for economic justice. Activists, organizers and attendees traveled from all over the United States. Guest speaker, Clarence Thomas, of the International Longshore Workers Union Local 10, came in from Oakland, Calif. Several of their Bay Area leading organizers all journeyed together from West to East, including dock workers all the way from Seattle.
National activist, DeRay McKesson came in from St. Louis, MO. Organizers with the Fight for $15 pressed their way from as far as Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. The Boston-based Mass Action Against Police Brutality came down from Massachusetts. Workers World Party sent a delegation representing Durham, N.C., Virginia, Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York; while the Southern Workers Assembly proved to be one of the most energetic contingents in the march. Such solidarity was an affirmation of our collective sense of urgency.
As old and young, Black and white, women and men stood together, we remembered the fallen nine of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in strength and solidarity, innocent victims of the racist shooting spree on June 17. We lifted the name of Walter Scott fatally shot in the back by a cop in North Charleston, in the name of justice, truth and liberation. We honored the countless victims of police terror and continued state violence, nationwide. As nearly a thousand marched through downtown Charleston, our display of unity, resistance and sheer determination could not be ignored. Our will to fight could not help but be heard as tourists and onlookers took note. National media sources kept pace and stayed close.
As you looked over the crowd, there were placards and banners commemorating the work and sacrifices of Denmark Vesey, Robert Smalls and Harriet Tubman — all anti-slavery fighters.  Slogans such “Finish the revolution,” “Stop the war on Black America,” and “Black Women Matter” were all fan favorites. Along the march, local ministers sang “We Shall Overcome,” while more militant-minded youth chanted “Black Power!” and “No justice, no peace!” As the morning sun began to rise, we concluded with an enthusiastic and thunderous rally on Marion Square.
Key issues included police terror and discriminatory enforcement; the minimum wage and the exploitation of low-wage workers; health care, public education, collective bargaining and new strategies toward achieving Black liberation. It was quite refreshing to see such a wide range of local and national organizations actually working together, very intentionally setting their differences aside for the sake of poor, working-class and oppressed communities.
Keynote speaker, the Rev. William Barber, president of the North Carolina NAACP, took attendees to the mountaintop of truth and grace. “We’re in the embryonic stages of the third reconstruction,” Barber said, noting that many of the same issues from 100 years ago are still with us today. “The first consciousness we have to change is the consciousness of the people,” he said, noting that it will take a mass movement to move state legislatures to win progressive concessions for the oppressed. Immediately following, Clarence Thomas gave a stirring speech calling for workers to shut down the economy, mentioning the recent May Day shutdown of the docks on the West Coast.
Though supporters of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders were in attendance, guest speakers and conference organizers reminded the people that neither Republicans nor Democrats will grant the poor and working class genuine people power — a valid point that was carefully articulated later in the day.
In a beautiful show of internationalism, a solidarity message from the National Network on Cuba was read from the stage.  
Working-class unity not usually seen in the U.S. South

Following the march was a mass convening at the International Longshoremen Association Hall on Morrison Drive that hosted workshops, vendors and teach-ins. Angaza Laughinghouse, Vice-President of the United Electrical Workers Local 150 and Black Workers for Justice, led a session discussing the economic plight of Southern workers who are mostly un-unionized and without collective bargaining.


Local Black Lives Matter organizer Muhiyyidin d’Baha conducted a teach-in on “Strategizing Against Police Terror.” T-shirts bearing the images of Denmark Vesey and the 1739 Stono Rebellion, the largest rebellion in the colonies led by slaves outside Charleston, were quite inspiring.
During the Sept. 6 final plenary, Ajamu Dillahunt, long-time organizer with Black Workers for Justice reminded us, “This march was very unique. We had the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, Black Lives Matter and the Fight for $15.” Dillahunt was absolutely correct. This brand of working-class unity is something the U.S. South hasn’t seen for decades.
Though the number of attendees was a little lighter than expected (held on Labor Day Weekend), it is very important to note that most of the organizers and participants were actually based in the Southeast (historically referred to as the Southern Black Belt). Such developments will only aid in the process of organizing the same region where Fannie Lou Hamer and Ella Baker once fought. Connections were made and meaningful relationships were able to be established. The “Days of Grace” was only the start. Revolution is our next step forward. Indeed, from Ferguson to Charleston, a new surge of resistance is running full speed ahead. ■
+++
NC-based activist, Lamont Lilly is a contributing editor with the Triangle Free Press and organizer with Workers World Party. He has recently served as field staff in Baltimore, Ferguson, Oakland, Boston and Philadelphia. In February 2015, he traveled to both Syria and Lebanon with Ramsey Clark and Cynthia McKinney. Follow him on Twitter @LamontLilly.

Privilege And Pressure: Margo Jefferson's Memoir Of Growing Up Black And Elite In 'Negroland'

"In her memoir, Negroland, veteran writer and critic Margo Jefferson describes growing up black and affluent in 1950s Chicago. Jefferson tells Fresh Air it was a world of sophistication — and snobbery."-- +NPR Fresh Air