Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 85

Robin Thede is Making Room for More Black Women in Comedy

'Since 2019, A Black Lady Sketch Show has served as a testament to just how wonderfully weird and insightful things get when some of the best Black women comedians gather.  Its success is due in large part to the vision of creator and star Robin Thede, who The Takeaway to discuss the third season of A Black Lady Sketch Show, which just kicked off on HBO.'

The Pandemic Profiteers

'ProPublica reporter David McSwane tells the story of people and businesses that profited from the COVID-19 pandemic. He found the government awarded lucrative contracts to many people with a history of fraudulent business practices documented in public records, if anyone had bothered to check. His new book is Pandemic, Inc.'

Chef Adrienne Cheatham on Sunday Best Cooking

'"Top Chef" finalist and chef Adrienne Cheatham's debut cookbook, Sunday Best: Cooking Up the Weekend Everyday, is inspired by her southern heritage alongside technique she's learned while working in professional kitchens, like Red Rooster Harlem. The book's title is a nod to the Sunday family meal, as well as the custom of, especially in black communities, wearing one's "Sunday best" outfit for church, or going into town.'

Truth Be Told with Tonya Mosley: Victory with Tricia Hersey

'We’ve heard of burnout and “zoom fatigue,” but what are practices we can take to let ourselves pause and not be made to feel guilty about it? Truth Be Told with Tonya Mosley talks to the founder of the Nap Ministry, Tricia Hersey about how to treat our bodies, not as hustle machines, but as living, divine beings that need rest. And what does that even look like?'

Conversations in Atlantic Theory • Mark Anthony Neal on Black Ephemera: The Crisis and Challenge of the Musical Archive

'A conversation with Mark Anthony Neal, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor in the Department of African American Studies at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. He writes and publishes widely in cultural criticism, with particular focus on the cultural production and African American musical history of soul and rhythm and blues music. He is the author and editor of a number of books, including most recently Looking for Leroy: Illegible Black Masculinities, published in 2013 by New York University Press, and the 2015 publication of the tenth anniversary edition of his classic text New Black Man with Routledge. In this conversation, we discuss the relationship between African American music, mourning, cultural politics, and mobilization in the digital age after our analogue moment. His book Black Ephemera: The Crisis and Challenge of the Musical Archive, the occasion for our conversation today, was published by New York University Press in early-March 2022.'

School Librarians Speak Out Against Book Bannings and Censorship

'School librarians have tough jobs. And in 2021, an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books made it even tougher, according to the American Library Association. Most of these targeted books were by or about Black or LGBTQ people. Host Anthony Brooks speaks with Jennisen Lucas, the district librarian for public schools in Cody, Wyoming, and president of the American Association of School Librarians.'

The Limits with Jay Williams: Michele Roberts on Black Women's Leadership In The Courts And The NBA

'When Michele Roberts grew up watching the NBA on her TV, she never imagined she would one day be a trailblazing executive for the league. After Michele was named executive director of the NBA Players' Association (NBPA), she became the first woman to hold this position, and the first woman to lead a major sports union in North America. The recently-retired Roberts has been a beacon for the league's star workers, guiding them through a near-lockdown, a global pandemic and a full-blown strike in response to racial injustice. All the while, she's broken down barriers for Black women in sports. In this week's episode, she and Jay Williams discuss her journey from the Bronx to the big leagues, the stereotypes she's faced long the way, and her admiration for other Black women trailblazers like Kentaji Brown Jackson.'

Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Talks Police Funding and Open Carry Laws

'Jessica Gomez sits down with Jackson mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba to talk about efforts to curb violent crime in Mississippi’s capital. Where does he stand on community efforts, more police funding and abolishing open carry laws?'

Jean-Michel Basquiat's Water-Worshipper: Powerful Juxtaposition of Cultural Sampling

'Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Water Worshipper has a stronger narrative than is typical for Basquiat’s paintings, with multi-referential juxtaposition of stories, rich intercultural sampling, ideas “cut up” from their contexts, assimilated together in a powerful and enigmatic masterwork. Basquiat represents the fierce individualism of an artist who stood apart from any single particular school of thought, and who created his own polyvocal identity to become of the most significant artists of the 20th century.'

The Critical Role of Black Mothers -- and How to Support All Moms | Anna Malaika Tubbs | TED

'Throughout US history, the stories of influential Black mothers have been purposefully obscured -- at a high cost to us all. Sociologist Anna Malaika Tubbs unmasks the lies and designs behind this strategic erasure and highlights the scientific, cultural and historical contributions of Black mothers. Listen in as she details how we can change the narrative to move forward.'