' Historians estimate that one in four cowboys were African American, though you’d never guess because the conventional Hollywood image of a cowboy is a white man. Black cowboys have been written out of history, along with the original cattle-raising Native Americans and Mexican vaqueros who taught them. So what are the real origins of cowboy culture in the US? And is there more to modern Black c
' Mickey Guyton recorded her three-song Tiny Desk (home) concert in a warm-hued corner of a friend's studio near her Los Angeles home. Her makeshift desk holds the book that inspired its title, alongside a pair of blue baby booties: Guyton will soon give birth to her first child. Albums by Whitney Houston and Patsy Cline — Guyton's guardian angels — rest on the window ledge. The hands of keyboard
'This episode of Jazz Night in America , which kicks off a new series called Crate Digging , is a jubilant celebration of this Latin bass legacy. We'll hear highlights of a 2006 concert by the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, spotlighting four virtuoso bassists: Rubén Rodríguez , Charnett Moffett , the late Andy González , and yes, the mighty Cachao , two years before his death at 89. Jazz Night's host
' Uncle Bobbie 's own Dr. Marc Lamont Hill is in conversation with Eddie Glaude for the launch of his insightful, radical and timely book We Still Here: Pandemic, Policing, Protest and Possibility .'
'In recent years, Africans on the continent and in the diaspora have become leading voices in black culture – in music, film, fashion, social media, comedy and even our memes. When Grace Shutti was growing up, black culture usually referred to African Americans. But from Beyoncé's visual album, Black is King , to Marvel's Black Panther and musician Diddy executive producing the Nigerian pop star
| @BenJealous | special to NewBlackMan (in Exile) Vice President-elect Kamala Harris made a brilliant choice in opening her remarks at the Democratic presidential ticket’s victory celebration with a quote from civil rights icon and former Georgia congressman John Lewis, who wrote before he died, “Democracy is not a state. It is an act.” Lewis, who was nearly killed by racist police on the Edmund
' The Strand Book Store is a New York institution, with four floors of books, and 93 years of tradition. But while it survived a Great Depression, World War II, 9/11 and Amazon, it has struggled during the era of COVID-19. New Yorker contributor Kelefa Sanneh talks with the Strand's owners, and with the owners of EyeSeeMe , an African-American children's bookstore in St. Louis, about how independ
"The Baptism" -- A Tribute to John Lewis and C.T. Vivian . Written and Performed by Carl Hancock Rux . Directed by Carrie Mae Weems. Commissioned by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
' HarvardBookStore 's virtual event series welcomes acclaimed poet Dr. Joshua Bennett—the Mellon Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Dartmouth College and author of The Sobbing School: Poems —for a discussion of his latest books, Being Property Once Myself: Blackness and the End of Man and the poetry collection Owed . He's joined in conversation by writer and scholar Dr. Imani
' Frank Wilderson 's insistence that there is an unresolvable antagonism between the world (as we know it) and Blackness has generated important discussions within and outside of the academy. In this webinar, hosted by African and African American Studies and the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke University, Wilderson offer reflections from his new book, Afropessimism , followed by
Art: Rae Hsu 'Professor William “Sandy” Darity , Jr. argues the current racial wealth gap – in which African Americans, who make up 13 percent of the national population but hold only three percent of national wealth – can be traced to a series of government policies that denied economic opportunity to African Americans and provided opportunities to many white Americans. Darity has created a Repa
'In her talk "The Algorithm of Anti-Racism”, Professor Joy James focuses on hegemony, anti-racism, feminism, and references the NY pandemic, police riots, and political prisoners. James is the Ebenezer Fitch Professor of Humanities at Williams College.' -- FUC
What should a man sound like when singing Gospel music in the Black church? What octave is just "too high" for a man to incorporate into his performance? The cultural expectations that come with Black worship sometimes fail to validate the liberty of expression of many male vocalists due to what congregants think is acceptable gender performativity. In this provocative episode, Left of Black host
'Described by Vibe magazine as “one helluva rock’n’roller-coaster ride” and by PopMatters as “a treasure waiting to be found,” Toshi Reagon is a one-woman celebration of all that’s dynamic, progressive and uplifting in American music. Since first taking to the stage at age 17, this versatile singer-songwriter-guitarist has moved audiences of all kinds with her big-hearted, hold-nothing-back appro
'Every journalist faces the same challenge. How do we bring our backgrounds and perspectives to the stories we tell while also remaining fair in our coverage of the events? As part of our Listening Tour, we look at bias in the media. To discuss, Soledad O’Brien speaks with three prominent journalists: Maria Hinajosa , anchor and executive producer of Latino USA; Luis Rios , director of photograph
'Professor, author, and creator of #HipHopEd , Dr. Christopher Emdin opens the inaugural Activate convening with a keynote lecture entitled, "Teaching through Pandemics: On Art and Inequality in Education." -- Lincoln Center
During the time of Jim Crow segregation, HBCU's have nurtured some of the brightest talent to be seen on the football field. From producing intensely competitive student athletes to employing some of the greatest coaches in the game, like the legendary Jake Gaither of Florida A&M University (FAMU), Black colleges have a tradition of putting forth the best of the best. But did integration bring an
'Daphne A. Brooks is William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of African American Studies, Theater Studies, American Studies, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Yale University. She is the author of two books: Bodies in Dissent: Spectacular Performances of Race and Freedom, 1850-1910 (Durham, NC: Duke UP), winner of The Errol Hill Award for Outstanding Scholarship on African American Performanc
'There are a few things Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr. can't live without when he hits the road. From his Bose Resolve speaker and Apogee Hypemic microphone to his Ralph Lauren cardigan and LGR sunglasses, these are Leslie Odom Jr.'s travel essentials. On “The Christmas Album” Leslie Odom, Jr. reimagines holiday favorites like “Little Drummer Boy” and “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas”
'Comedian Tiffany Haddish reunites with her old friend Jesus Trejo to talk about her biggest food pet peeves, the sage advice she got from Richard Pryor , and how she bucked Hollywood norms with her famous white dress. Over a plate of tacos from South L.A.'s legendary Taco Mell, Tiffany digs deep into her comedy career, explaining her rise from homelessness into superstardom.'
'This conversation in the Reimagining the World Together series brings together two sisters who also consider each other friends. Bree Newsome Bass is an artist, activist and public speaker. She is an organizer in the modern civil rights movement and has helped develop several non-profit and grassroots organizations. In 2015, she attracted national attention when she scaled a flagpole at South Ca
' Anthony Mason talks to Alabama Shakes frontwoman Brittany Howard about going solo, making deeply personal music about family, love and racism, and how you're most likely to find her in the river these days, fly fishing.'
' Romare Bearden is just one of the many dynamic men profiled in "Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth." Mary Schmidt Campbell , President of Spelman College and author of An American Odyssey: The Life and Work of Romare Bearden , and Robert G. O'Meally, Zora Neale Hurston Professor of English and Comparative Literature and the Director of the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University, discu
' Ruby Bridges was the little girl depicted in that famous Norman Rockwell painting — the first Black student at her New Orleans elementary school. Now, she's written a book to tell kids her story.'
