How should an artist respond when bombarded by daily reminders of the gross in justices that tear at our fragile social fabric? Renowned and celebrated artist Carrie Mae Weems joins host and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal for the season 11 finale of Left of Black as they discuss her latest work,“RESIST COVID / […]
In this very special episode of Left of Black. Host and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal discusses Black fatherhood, HBCU basketball in the midst of COVID-19, and R&B legends New Edition with four-time MEAC Championships winner, NCCU Head Basketball Coach Levelle Moton, who also talks about his memoir, The Worst Times Are the Best […]
When you think of hip-hop or R&B, how often do you hear the strings of a sitar being strummed in the background? In this episode of Left of Black, host and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal discusses the influence of South Asian collaborations in contemporary Black music with Elliott Powell, the Beverly and Richard […]
How have black women had to move within the institution of the black church, maneuvering through the sometimes-toxic patriarchy and sexism that has contributed to their silence, while also living full lives outside of the church walls? Celebrated author Deesha Philyaw joins Left of Black host and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal to discuss […]
We perceive universities as serving the greater good of providing education to our young people as they prepare to enter the workforce and contribute to society. But according to Professor Davarian Baldwin, the Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of American Studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, there is a whole insidious network of finances […]
Who were the greats of post-Civil Rights era Gospel music and have they gotten their due for the major contributions they have made to Black music? Who were the greats of post-Civil Rights era Gospel music and have they gotten their due for the major contributions they have made to Black music? What was the […]
Funk, in both dance and in music, conveys a deep sincerity and honesty in communicating the emotional depth of the Black artist, from James Brown to Chaka Khan to Sly Stone and even today’s Jazmine Sullivan. But is there another way to think about these performers as organic intellectuals who are able to feel what […]
$156 billion. Think about that number. That is the gap of value between homes owned within pre-dominantly Black neighborhoods versus areas that are less than 1% Black. Breaking that number down even further, this equates to the average Black home being undervalued at $48,000 less than the average white home. In this episode of Left […]
Picture this: an angry mob of white citizens roaming the streets of their city to execute “justice” by seeking, not criminals who have harmed others, but Black families who achieved some level of financial success in their pursuit of the “American dream.” From the Reconstruction era all the way to the Obamas in the White […]
What does it mean to write in the literary traditions of such giants as Chester Himes and Walter Mosley who wrote iconic stories about Black detectives in crime fiction? In this very special episode of Left of Black, host and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal is joined by long-time colleague and Duke Emerita Professor […]