Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 761

One with Farai: Anna Deavere Smith Takes on School-to-Prison Pipeline

On One with Farai, Award-winning theatrical pioneer Anna Deavere Smith discusses her next project on the school-to-prison pipeline. -- PRI

Langston Hughes Performs "The Weary Blues" (1958)

Archibald J. Motley Jr. Blues, 1929Poet and writer Langston Hughes recites "The Weary Blues" on CBUT's  The 7 O'Clock Show in 1958 (CBC Vancouver) .  Bob Quintrell introduces tHughes, who accompanied by the Doug Parker Band.

The Spin: Marissa Alexander's Release; Boko Haram & Charlie Hebdo: Whose Lives Matter?

THE SPIN: Marissa Alexander: Notions of Freedom The Price of That Ticket; SELMA: Black Movement Heroes, White Savior Addicts;  Boko Haram & Charlie Hebdo: Whose Lives Matter?
Host: Esther Armah
Contributors: Asha Bandele, Dr Christina Greer, Shani Jamila

The Remix: Feminista Jones and Brittney Cooper on Cosby & Hip-hop Misogyny

Feminista Jones and professor Brittney Cooper join The Remix with James Braxton Peterson for a smart, lively and insightful discussion on racism, sexism and why there are often different levels of outrage around violence against black women and black men.

Do We Still Need Black History Month? A Historian Responds

In this preview of the next Left of Black host Mark Anthony Neal is joined by Daryl Michael Scott to discuss the importance of Black History Month. Scott is a Professor of History at Howard University and the President of the Association of the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH).

#WhenTheWordsWereMine: January 13, 1986

#WhenTheWordsWereMine: January 13, 1986 by Mark Anthony Neal | NewBlackMan (in Exile)
It was a later return to school for me and She was no longer the girlfriend, though we made ample time to be in each other’s eyes, as we would be in each other’s ears for a few years to come.  Agreed to meet in BK, just to share the train ride up to The Bronx.  
Thought I’d surprise Dad before the meet-up at the train station.  Had been years since I had been on that Nostrand Avenue, in that Crown Heights, remembering childhood treks to Robert Paul with Mom to see Dad in his element.  
Dad was ambitious on this particular sunny day in January—in his own spot, a week before the very first King Holiday—and perhaps a little more unarmed than usual, professing his ire for anyone who would dare to work on this first Black national holiday.
The immediate years would not be particularly kind; that business becoming even more of a dream than it was before he owned it and the body that would be robbed of its natural  rhythms. I lament that the Daughters never saw that distinct gait.  
Yet that day in BK, the two of us looking out to a busy Nostrand Avenue remains as bright as the sunshine that day.  Saw my father as the man he was and I am still proud.  

Sports Matters: Leadership, Power and the Quest for Respect in Sports

Attorney, author and UPenn professor Kenneth Shropshire previews his new book Sport Matters : Leadership, Power, and the Quest for Respect in Sports in relation to the whirlwind of sports controversies this year. -- MSNBC

When Trench Coats were the Uniform of Protest: SELMA Talk

Ruth E. Carter, the costume designer for SELMA  explains the Trench Coat help transport viewers back to a watershed moment in the Civil Rights Movement. -- New York Times Video

Trailer: REVIVAL: The Experience -- feat. Mali Music as 'Jesus'

Mali Music stars as 'Jesus' and Harry Lennix as Pontius Pilate in this retelling of The Gospel According to John the Apostle. Directed by Obba Babatunde, REVIVAL: The Experience also features Chaka Khan, Wendy Raquel Robinson and T¹Keyah Crystal Keymáh. 

TimesTalks: Chris Rock

Award-winning comedian-actor-writer-director-producer Chris Rock in conversation with New York Times media columnist David Carr.