Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 83

Race at Work with Porter Braswell | NY Times' Jacqueline Welch: The Power of Storytelling in Bringing People Together

 

'Race at Work with Porter Braswell chats with Jacqueline Welch, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at the New York Times about why representation matters at all levels of an organization. Jaqueline is the second Black woman to be on the New York Times masthead. They also discuss the 1619 project –– a long-form journalism initiative by the Times paper and magazine that reframes the history of slavery and contributions made by Black Americans. They get into the project's impact and how it's leveraged internally to build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture.'

At Liberty Podcast: Kimberlé Crenshaw on Teaching the Truth about Race in America

'Kimberlé Crenshaw was among the scholars who developed the Critical Race Theory. She also coined the term “intersectionality,” a framework that takes into account how a person’s identities combine to create unique forms of discrimination or privilege. She is a Distinguished Professor of law at Columbia University and at UCLA, co-founder of the African American Policy Forum at Columbia, and host of the podcast “Intersectionality Matters.” At Liberty Podcast joins us to help us understand the true meaning of Critical Race Theory and how it became a political flashpoint in schools and beyond.'

Conversations in Atlantic Theory • Cajetan Iheka on African Ecomedia: Network Forms, Planetary Politics

'A conversation with Cajetan Iheka, Associate Professor in the English Department at Yale University, where his research and teaching focus on African and Caribbean literatures, ecocriticism, ecomedia, and world literature. He is the editor of the Modern Language Association Options for Teaching volume, Teaching Postcolonial Environmental Literature and Media, and co-editor of African Migration Narratives: Politics, Race, and Space. He also serves as the deputy editor of African Studies Review, the multidisciplinary journal of the African Studies Association. In this conversation, we discuss the key concepts and arguments in the book about centering Africa in discourses on media ecologies, materiality, and infrastructure in the media studies and the environmental humanities. His book, African Ecomedia: Network Forms, Planetary Politics, the occasion for our conversation today, was published by Duke University Press in late-August 2021.' 

A brush with... Isaac Julien

'Isaac Julien talks to A Brush With...'s Ben Luke about his influences, from art to literature, music and film, and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work. Julien's films and video installations are often swooningly beautiful, and always deeply engaged in diverse cultural histories, reflecting on, among other things, diaspora and Blackness, queer identity and the movement of people. His work actively involves other art forms, and is often produced from collaborations with choreographers and actors. He responds repeatedly to the art, literature and cinema of the past, but is also pushing video installation into new territory, using multiple screens—sometimes as many as ten—to create fractured narratives which envelop the viewer, encouraging distinctive readings of the complex stories he tells, and constantly expanding the frames through which we see his subject matter.'

Former South Bronx Gang Member is Profiled in "La Madrina"

'La Madrina: The [Savage] Life of Lorine Padilla profiles a member of the South Bronx gang the Savage Skulls who became a community activist. Filmmaker Raquel Cepeda uncovers a hidden history of Latinas who overcame multiple adversities.'

Why We Should Have Seen 'Long COVID' Coming

'Since the pandemic began two years ago, tens of millions of people have experienced 'Long COVID', with symptoms like loss of mobility, lung abnormalities, fatigue and cognitive challenges. There is a lot we don't know about the condition right now, but the growing group of so-called long haulers clearly require support beyond a vaccine. According to journalist Laura Spinney, policy-makers should have seen Long COVID coming — and they're still not heeding the lessons of prior epidemics.  On the Media talks to Spinney about Long influenza, post-polio syndrome, and why long term illnesses escape a neat pandemic narrative.'

Michael R. Jackson on 'A Strange Loop', His Black, Queer Coming-of-Age Musical

'Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange Loop features a Black queer writer named Usher, who works as an usher, struggling to write a musical about a Black queer writer. Jackson’s work tackles the terror of the blank page alongside the terrors of the dating scene, and it speaks in frank and heartbreaking terms about Usher’s attempt to navigate gay life among Black and white partners. Hilton Als talked with Jackson about how he found inspiration in his own experience seeking identity and community. “I started writing the original monologue—building a sort of life raft for myself—to understand myself,” Jackson said. “It wasn’t until I got to a place of understanding that in my life I was caught up in a loop of self-hatred, that I could see what Usher’s problem was, and therefore what the structure of the piece was that would lead him out of that and into a better place”.'

Afropop Worldwide – Ring the Alarm: A History of Sound System Culture

'In Jamaica, sound systems are more than just a stack of speakers blasting the latest tunes to an eager crowd. Over the last 70 years, they have touched all levels of society in Jamaica, determining the island’s popular taste and profoundly influencing the daily lives of its citizenry. This program explores the evolution of sound system culture, from the Jamaican genesis of the 1940s to its gradual impact on diaspora communities, and ultimately, its undeniable influence on the popular culture of nations overseas. Produced by David Katz and Saxon Baird.'

Afropop Worldwide · Ring the Alarm: A History of Sound System Culture

Creative Control with KC Ifeanyi: Burnout is Getting Worse—but Recovery Won't Take as Long as You Think

'Before the World Health Organization officially recognized burnout as a syndrome in 2019, there was already a mounting wave of high-profile creators speaking out against what they felt as pressure from platforms to consistently churn out content or their channels would suffer. And, unsurprisingly, the past two years have only made burnout worse. But therapist and content creator Kati Morton explains the small (and unconventional) changes you can make to put out the fire.'

Open Form with Mychal Denzel Smith: Farah Jasmine Griffin on If Beale Street Could Talk

'In this episode of Open Form, host Mychal Denzel Smith talks to Farah Jasmine Griffin (Read Until You Understand) about the 2018 film If Beale Street Could Talk, directed by Barry Jenkins, adapted from the novel by James Baldwin, and starring Regina King, KiKi Layne, Stephan James, and Colman Domingo.'