Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 7

Left of Black S13 · E18 | Dr. Miriam Thaggert on Black Women and the Railroad

The railroad has long held a place in American mythos as the very representation of "progress," such as with westward expansion. But in the years following Emancipation, Black women have long utilized the newfound technology to increase their mobility around the country. What were some of the inherent retaliations that Black women faced while riding and working the railroads during the Jim Crow era, and how do those same sentiments reverberate still today? Dr. Miriam Thaggert, Associate Professor of English at the University of Buffalo, joins Left Of Black host Prof. Mark Anthony Neal to discuss her  book, Riding Jane Crow: African American Women on the American Railroad (University of Illinois Press).

New Books Network: Gladys L. Mitchell-Walthour | 'The Politics of Survival Black Women Social Welfare Beneficiaries in Brazil and the United States'

 

'In The Politics of Survival: Black Women Social Welfare Beneficiaries in Brazil and the United States (Columbia University Press, 2023), Gladys L. Mitchell-Walthour offers a comparative analysis of how Black women social welfare beneficiaries in Brazil and the United States defy systems of domination. She argues that poor Black women act as political subjects in the struggle to survive, to provide food for their children and themselves, and challenge daily discrimination even in dire circumstances. Mitchell-Walthour examines the effects of social welfare programs, showing that mutual aid networks and informal labor play greater roles in beneficiaries' lives. Mitchell-Walthour is Dan T. Blue Endowed Chair of Political Science at North Carolina Central University. She is the author of The Politics of Blackness: Racial Identity and Political Behavior in Contemporary Brazil (2018). Mitchell-Walthour is in conversation with Reighan Gillam is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Southern California.'

NowThis News | Building Equity for Black Informal Workers in Chicago

"'We're tiny, but when you look at the movement for Black lives, we're many' — Richard Wallace, founder and executive director of Equity and Transformation, has dedicated himself to helping create economic equality for Black informal workers in Chicago."

Helga | Smithsonian Director Kevin Young on the Power of Unexpected Transformations

"I like to say we're living in a precedent time, not an unprecedented one. How do we understand that? Being at the museum or writing histories both in poetry and in non-fiction are ways of trying to understand that."  -- Kevin Young

“'Gatekeepers' hold an essential role in our culture as those in positions of power who determine what we see and hear — and therefore how we understand our world. The poet Kevin Young holds dual gatekeeping roles as both director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture as well as the poetry editor for The New Yorker magazine.  In this episode, Young talks about how he holds these responsibilities and likens reading a poem to entering into a museum. He also shares his belief in the power of unexpected transformations, which songs have brought him comfort, and how it’s always easiest to write about the place you’ve just left."

My Home, NC: NorthStar Church of the Arts

'NorthStar Church of the Arts in Durham is a nonprofit, interfaith spiritual community welcoming all people regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. Founded by famous architect Phil Freelon and six-time Grammy-nominated jazz singer Nnenna Freelon, NorthStar offers a sacred space for creative expression, spiritual exploration and cross-cultural collaboration.'

The Reinvented Life of Belle da Costa Greene | A Masterclass with Tracy Denean Sharpley-Whiting

'Passing as white was a common practice of many African Americans with mixed heritage and lighter complexions who were navigating a segregated social order that left Black communities with far fewer resources than their Caucasian counterparts in the early 20th century. Belle da Costa Greene was no exception to this phenomenon, which ultimately led her to holding the highest position in one of the most influential institutions to emerge from that era: the Morgan Library & Museum located in the heart of New York City. In this masterclass from the From Slavery to Freedom Lab at the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke University, Dr. Tracy Denean Sharpley-Whiting discusses the vibrant and undisclosed life of Belle da Costa Greene from the research she has done towards an upcoming book she is soon to publish.'

Boots Riley Unpacks His Series 'I'm a Virgo' and Parallels to the Writers' Strike

'NPR's Juana Summers talks with writer, director, activist and hip-hop artist Boots Riley about his career and his new Prime Video series, I'm A Virgo.'

Edge of Sports | 1968 Olympian Dr. John Carlos on the Legacy of the Black Athletic Revolt

'Amid the political and social tumult of 1968, two athletes, John Carlos, and Tommie Smith, captured the spirit of the times by raising their fists at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics after placing first and third in the 200-meter dash. 45 years later, Dr. John Carlos is still with us—but many of his contemporaries have passed on. Dr. John Carlos joins Edge of Sports for a look back on the lives of Jimmy Hines, Ralph Boston, Herb Douglas, Harry Belafonte, Tina Turner, and Jim Brown.'

Aaliyah Bilal's 'Temple Folk' Conveys the Experiences of Black Muslims Through Short Stories

'Aaliyah Bilal says she knows that a lot of people associate the Nation of Islam with hate. But in her new collection of short stories, Temple Folk, she reclaims narratives about Black Muslims and how they contemplate faith, identity and community in the U.S. She tells NPR's Scott Detrow why it was especially important for her to center women's stories and how her characters contend with some of the complexities of the movement.'

Hank Willis Thomas in 'Bodies of Knowledge' | Art21

'Art21 proudly presents an artist segment, featuring Hank Willis Thomas, from the Bodies of Knowledge episode in the eleventh season of the Art in the Twenty-First Century series.'