Rap Sessions: From Precious II For Colored Girls: The Digital Highlight Reel

For the 5th year the Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in The Arts and Media at Columbia College and Rap Sessions co-presented a Community Dialogue. The powerful 'townhall meeting,' created and moderated by award-winning journalist, activist, political analyst and Institute Fellow Bakari Kitwana explored contemporary moments in popular culture and political debates where race, image and identity were center stage. 

The program featured Elizabeth Méndez Berry (journalist and author, "The Obama Generation, Revisited," featured in The Nation), John Jennings (SUNY Buffalo; co-author, Black Comix: African American Independent Comix and Culture), Joan Morgan (journalist, culture critic, and author, When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost), Mark Anthony Neal (Duke University; author, New Black Man), and Vijay Prashad (Trinity College; author, The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World). 

This highlight reel presents some of the program's prominent moments.

From Precious II For Colored Girls: The Black Image in the American Mind

From Precious II For Colored Girls: The Black Image in the American Mind

For the past five years, the Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media has partnered with Rap Sessions: Community Dialogues to bring together a distinguished panel of scholars, journalists, and activists for a townhall-style meeting addressing important issues in our communities. Rap Sessions is led by critically acclaimed journalist, activist, political analyst, and Institute Fellow, Bakari Kitwana.

This year's panel explores contemporary moments in popular culture and political debates where race, image, and identity have taken center stage. Recent films like "Precious," "For Colored Girls," and TV shows like "The Wire" and "Treme," as well as current political issues such as immigration, are among the topics addressed by this panel.

Panelists include: Elizabeth Méndez Berry, journalist (The Nation, Washington Post) and author of The Obama Generation, Revisited; John Jennings, professor of visual studies, SUNY Buffalo, and co-author of Black Comix: African American Independent Comix and Culture; Joan Morgan, journalist, cultural critic, and author of When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost; Mark Anthony Neal, professor of Black popular culture at Duke University and author of New Black Man; Vijay Prashad, director of international studies at Trinity College and author of The Darker Nations: A People’s History of The Third World.

Listen @ WBEZ

Rap Sessions Community Dialogue From Precious II For Colored Girls @ Columbia College | April 26, 2011

Rap Sessions | 
Community Dialogue From Precious II For Colored Girls:

The Black Image in the American Mind

Columbia College

Tuesday, April 26th

6 p.m. Reception / 6:30 p.m. Program

Conaway Center | 1104 S. Wabash Ave., 1st floor

This event is free and open to the public.

For the fifth year, the Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women & Gender in the Arts & Media partners with Rap Sessions: Community Dialogues to bring a distinguished panel of scholars, journalists, and activists for a townhall-style meeting addressing important issues in our communities. Rap Sessions is led by critically-acclaimed journalist, activist, political analyst, and Institute Fellow, Bakari Kitwana. 

This year’s panel explores contemporary moments in popular culture and political debates where race, image and identity come center stage. Recent films like Precious and For Colored Girls, and TV shows like The Wire and Treme, as well as current political issues such as immigration and others, are among the hot button issues to be addressed in this context.

Featuring:

• Elizabeth Méndez Berry (journalist and author of The Obama Generation, Revisited, featured in The Nation)
• John Jennings (Professor of Visual Studies at SUNY Buffalo, and co-author of Black Comix: African American Independent Comix and Culture)
• Joan Morgan (journalist, cultural critic, and author of When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost)
• Mark Anthony Neal (Professor of Black Popular Culture at Duke University, and author of New Black Man)
• Vijay Prashad (Director of International Studies at Trinity College, and author of The Darker Nations: A People’s History of The Third World)

Moderated by Bakari Kitwana, journalist, activist, political analyst, and Institute Fellow.

This program is co-presented by the Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media, and Rap Sessions. It is sponsored in part by the Leadership Donors of the Institute; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; Office of Multicultural Affairs; and Critical Encounters: Image & Implication.

For more information, email institutewomengender@colum.edu or call 312.369.8829.

Will.I.Am & 'Blackface'

from NewsOne.com

Professor Condemns Will.I.Am’s Use Of Blackface At MTV VMA
by Bakari Kitwana

Recently, Newsone contributor Bakari Kitwana spoke with Associate Professor of Visual Studies at the State University of Buffalo, John Jennings, about recent visual images of Blacks on the American popular culture scene—from Will.i.am’s Blackface to the signage at the recent 9/12 Tea Party Rally in Washington, DC. Jennings offers a crash course in media literacy, and stereotypes that he says continue to reproduce themselves in American culture.

He likens the Tea Party signs to previous eras where American racists target Jews, Irish, etc and says of blackface: “Because of the deep history of minstrelsy throughout history, I don’t think you can take it out of the history of racialization.” Such stereotypes, he says, “are like logos.”

Curator, Illustrator, Cartoonist and Graphic Novelist, John Jennings is Associate Professor of Visual Studies at the State University of New York Buffalo and the author of the new book Black Comix: African-American Independent Comics, Art and Culture, which he co-wrote with Damian Duffy. He teaches graphic art and design and his research focuses on challenging African-American stereotypes in the media and popular culture.

Listen to the Conversation HERE