Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 88

America's Black Upper Class: Rich, Successful and Empowered

'In the United States, African-Americans are more likely to live in poverty than any other ethnic group. But despite the country’s institutional racism, a Black elite has found success, thanks to a combination of entrepreneurial thinking and intensive networking within the Black community.'

‘Abbott Elementary’ Addresses Education Equity Through a Comedic Lens

'Abbott Elementary is a hit new series on ABC, tackling the issue of public education and equity using humor. It's a workplace comedy focused on a group of dedicated teachers at an underfunded elementary school in Philadelphia. Veteran actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, who plays Barbara Howard, an elementary school teacher who has seen it all, joins Geoff Bennett to discuss for our series, CANVAS.'

The Chef Bryant Terry on How To “Blackify” Fennel

'Bryant Terry is a chef, educator, food-justice activist, and cookbook author. He joined Helen Rosner virtually to cook a dish from his book Vegetable Kingdom: citrus and garlic-herb braised fennel. The dish calls for marinating the bulb in mojo, a citrus-juice-based Cuban condiment more typically applied to meat. Terry says that he wants to “blackify” vegetables, as part of his project to “uplift” Black culinary traditions from the global African diaspora. In culinary school, he was disappointed by the emphasis on classical European techniques. “One of the things I feel like I’ve been fighting since starting this work,” Terry told Rosner, “is pushing against reductive ways people imagine, think about, [and] talk about Black food.”

Haiti is Facing a Hunger Catastrophe

'According to the United Nations, in Haiti, a country of over 11 million people, a rising food crisis is threatening nearly half the population with acute food insecurity and severe hunger.  Political instability, inflation, recurring disasters exacerbated by climate change, and challenges in Haiti’s agricultural capacity are all catalysts for the food crisis.  To make matters worse, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is also expected to drive food shortages around the world in a time where global food prices are at an all time high.  Because Haiti is a major importer of food and fertilizer, the disruption in the global market caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine is expected to exacerbate food insecurity in Haiti. To learn more about the food crisis in Haiti, The Takeaway spoke with Roseval Supreme, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Haiti.'

A brush with... Alberta Whittle

'In this episode of A brush with..., Alberta Whittle talks to Ben Luke about her influences in art, books, music and other media and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work. Over the last few years, Whittle has emerged as one of the most striking new voices in contemporary British art, especially with her collaborative film installations focusing on battling anti-blackness. Born in 1980 in Bridgetown on the Caribbean island of Barbados, Whittle moved to Birmingham in the UK as a teenager before studying at the Glasgow School of Art—she still lives in Glasgow today but spends some of her time in Barbados. This relationship between her native Caribbean and her Scottish hometown have informed her work from the start, in terms of exploring her own identity and its connection with the histories of colonialism, slavery and systemic racism.'

Reckoning and Resilience – Artist Steven M. Cozart and Duke University Professor Trina Jones

"The goal of the work is to have people within the African-American community talk to each other and understand their perspectives and hopefully to break down some of these myths and fallacies that we've accepted. So what I'm hoping is that people will see those works and start to have a conversation with each other." —Artist Steven M. Cozart

'This episode of the Nasher Museum Podcast features artist Steven M. Cozart, who lives in Greensboro, N.C., and whose works on paper are part of Reckoning and Resilience: North Carolina Art Now. He is in conversation with Trina Jones, the Jerome N. Culp Distinguished Professor of Law at Duke Law School.'

Afropop Worldwide – From Nashville to Nairobi: The History of Country Music in Kenya

'In this episode of Afropop Worldwide, an examination of the history of country music in Kenya, dating back to the 1920s and 30s when local populations first heard Jimmie Rodgers on early country western 78 records, to the current day, where the clubs of Nairobi are filled with rising stars bringing their own unique sounds to country music. Hear their takes on the hits of Don Williams, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and more. Tune in for an interview and performance from Kenyan country singer Steve Rogers, radio and tv presenters Catherine Ndonye and David Kimitho, music historian Elijah Wald, and Olvido Records founder Gordon Ashworth.'

Afropop Worldwide · From Nashville to Nairobi: The History of Country Music in Kenya

Why House Music Reigns Supreme in South Africa

'In much of the world, house music has already had its day — but in South Africa, it is pop music. Here's why this musical genre has remained king.'

Solving Systemic Racism and Buying Sensible Cardigans with Comic Phoebe Robinson

'Comic Phoebe Robinson told NPR's Rachel Martin that she doesn't wake up every day thinking "time to dismantle systemic racism!" But since she has a platform, she might as well use it to bring about some positive change. She also told Martin that her dream life involves buying sensible cardigans, getting day drunk with Kathy Lee and Hoda, and a loving marriage with Robert DeNiro. Robinson's book You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain goes into the racism she experiences and why she would like to date either Michael Fassbender or Michael B. Jordan (sorry Mr. DeNiro).'

Conversations in Atlantic Theory • Julius Fleming, Jr. on Black Patience: Performance, Civil Rights, and the Unfinished Project of Emancipation

'A discussion with Julius Fleming, Jr., who teaches in the Department of English at University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. He has published widely on African American literature and culture, with particular emphasis on how cultural production functions at the very heart of political movement, mobilization, and demands. In this conversation, we discuss his new book Black Patience: Performance, Civil Rights, and the Unfinished Project of Emancipation, which was published in late-March 2022 by New York University Press. Our conversation focuses here on its key arguments about the place of theater in the Civil Rights Movement and the long project of Black freedom struggle.'