Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 95

Soledad O'Brien on What it Means to be Black and Missing in America

'Why are the cases of missing Black women and girls not covered as extensively as other missing people? The Takeaway talk with Soledad O’Brian, creator of the four-part HBO documentary series Black and Missing, about why this disparity exists and what one organization is doing to fix that.'

Left of Black S12 · E16 | Boyz n the Void: a mixtape to my brother with G'Ra Asim

What does it mean to be Black and punk? How does this intersection impact how African American youth express themselves while confronted with the expectations of society and community? G'Ra Asim, assistant professor of creative writing at Washington University in St. Louis and a punk rocker, joins Left of Black host and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal to discuss his book, Boyz n the Void: a mixtape to my brother, tackling traditional notions of Blackness, masculinity, and young adulthood. Published by Beacon Press.

Samuel L. Jackson: "Movie sets are my playground"

'Actor Samuel L. Jackson, nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction," will receive an honorary Oscar for a stellar career that includes more than 150 films. He talks with Sunday Morning contributor Kelefa Sanneh about his love of popcorn movies, the business of Hollywood, and his new TV miniseries, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, based on the book by Walter Mosley.'

Faith Evans Shares Stories From The Infamous 1995 Source Awards

'In this clip from People's Party with Talib Kweli, Kweli and co-host Jasmin Leigh talk with singer and songwriter Faith Evans about the 1995 Source Awards.'

Tank And The Bangas - Black Folk ft. Alex Isley, Masego (Official Video)

"Black Folk", the video from from Tank and the Bangas' "Red Balloon" featuring Alex Isley.

Amina Gautier in The Black Writer's Studio

'Amina Gautier is the author of three short story collections: At-Risk, Now We Will Be Happy, and The Loss of All Lost Things. More than one hundred and thirty of her stories have been published, appearing in Agni, American Short Fiction, Boston Review, Callaloo, Cincinnati Review, Glimmer Train, Greensboro Review, Gulf Coast, Joyland, Kenyon Review, Kweli, Latino Book Review, Los Angeles Review, Mississippi Review, New Flash Fiction Review, Quarterly West, Southern Review, and Triquarterly among other places. She is the recipient of the Eric Hoffer Legacy Fiction Award, the Phillis Wheatley Book Award in Fiction, and the International Latino Book Award. For her body of work she has received the Blackwell Prize, the Chicago Public Library Foundation’s 21st Century Award, the Letras Boricuas Fellowship, and the PEN/MALAMUD Award for Excellence in the Short Story.'

Truth Be Told with Tonya Mosley: Sex with Ev’Yan Whitney

'What does sexual freedom really look like? This week we interrogate the messages we’ve internalized about sex and we ask ourselves: Can we decolonize our sex lives to aid in the larger quest towards liberation for us all? To help unpack some of the layers Truth Be Told with Tonya Mosley called on Ev’Yan Whitney – a sexuality doula, author, and sensualist – who helps people better understand their core desires, needs, and how to put into action what they feel. The hosts of the Inner Hoe Uprising podcast also help us explore this topic by providing a few burning questions they’ve been sitting with. Author, essayist, and digital activist Sherronda J. Brown rounds out our convo by bringing deep clarity to the identity of asexuality and pushes back on the idea that the act of sex is what makes us human.'

Conversations in Atlantic Theory • Deva Woodly on Reckoning: Black Lives Matter and the Democratic Necessity of Social Movements

'A discussion with Deva Woodly, who teaches in the Department of Politics at the New School for Social Research in New York City, where she also directs the Mellon Initiative for Inclusive Faculty Excellence. Deva has published widely on democratic theory and practice, focusing on the function of public meaning formation and its effect on self- and collective-understanding of the polity, employing multiple methods to understand the power of discourse in shaping democratic life. She is the author of The Politics of Common Sense: How Social Movements Use Public Discourse to Change Politics and Win Acceptance, published in 2015 by Oxford University Press, as well as Reckoning: Black Lives Matter and the Democratic Necessity of Social Movements, also published by Oxford University Press in late-2021 and is the occasion for our conversation today. This podcast explores the origins of the project, the role of social movements in democratic life, the location of knowledge production in conversation and discussion, the future of Black liberation struggle, and the critical function of radical Black feminist pragmatism in thinking through our moment. Cover art by Kei Williams, which gets some discussion in this conversation.'

Deep Dive: The First National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana

'In March 1972 Gary, Indiana hosted the very first National Black Political Convention. Attendees included Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale and US Presidential Candidate Shirley Chisholm. Artists and athletes like Muhammad Ali and Harry Belafonte also attended.  The convention produced a foundational document titled The Black Agenda. The Takeaway's Melissa Harris-Perry and co-host Dorian Warren take a Deep Dive into the political gathering that changed Black politics, asking how it affected the women leading locally today. Melissa and Dorian talk about Gary with former Gary, Indiana mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson about the anniversary, her current work as the President and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, and the importance of Women Leading Locally.'

Strings and Soul of Haitian Songstress Emeline Michel

'The New York-based Haitian singer and songwriter Emeline Michel combines traditional Haitian kompa, rasyn, and twoubadou music with jazz, R & B, and her gospel choir roots. She is a Red Cross Ambassador, and some of her lyrics deal with social issues, especially those affecting women and children. Emeline Michel and her band play moving and joyful tunes, both old and new, for the Soundcheck Podcast.'