The Remix with Dr. James Peterson

From WHYY. A weekly podcast that takes a fresh look at how race, culture and politics intersect. We talk to people who are not necessarily in the mainstream news cycle, but who are driving opinions, news and movements.

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The Blacker the Ink

Constructions of Black Identity in Comics and Sequential Art

“The Blacker the Ink is the first book to explore not only the diverse range of black characters in comics, but also the multitude of ways that black artists, writers, and publishers have made a mark on the industry. Organized thematically into “panels” in tribute to sequential art published in the funny pages of newspapers, the fifteen original essays take us on a journey that reaches from the African American newspaper comics of the 1930s to the Francophone graphic novels of the 2000s. 

Even as it demonstrates the wide spectrum of images of African Americans in comics and sequential art, the collection also identifies common character types and themes running through everything from the strip The Boondocks to the graphic novel Nat Turner.

Though it does not shy away from examining the legacy of racial stereotypes in comics and racial biases in the industry, The Blacker the Ink also offers inspiring stories of trailblazing African American artists and writers. Whether you are a diehard comic book fan or a casual reader of the funny pages, these essays will give you a new appreciation for how black characters and creators have brought a vibrant splash of color to the world of comics. “ 

By Frances Gateward (Editor), John Jennings (Editor)

Available at Amazon / Rutgers University Press

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What would the founding fathers think of a Black president, a woman president or the candidacy of Donald Trump? Veteran journalist Juan Williams discusses his latest book We The People: The Modern-Day Figures Who Have Reshaped and Affirmed the Founding Fathers' Vision of America.

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Feminism, infidelity, alt rock, country music, and the gliteratti rumor mill all peek from the corners of Beyoncé's new visual album, "Lemonade." Host  Dr. James Peterson discusses the music and imagery with film critic Miriam Bale. Bale wrote about the album for the Hollywood Reporter.

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Host Dr. James Peterson talks to Symone Sanders, national press secretary for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. Although Sanders managed to beat out Hilary Clinton only in Rhode Island on Tuesday, the message is clear that they are taking the campaign all the way to the convention.

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Bernie Sanders is racking up endorsements from iconic African-Americans such as filmmaker Spike Lee. Bill Clinton is getting heckled by Black Lives Matter activists and taken to task for his 1990s crime bills that incarcerated a generation of young black men. Camp Hillary may need to work a lot harder for the black vote.

If Hillary gets the nomination — which is likely — how will the campaign win over Sanders supporters?

This week we talk with LaDavia Drane, national director of African-American outreach for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

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Has Donald Trump forever crushed the Republican party's hopes of wooing the Black electorate? This week on the Remix host Dr. James Peterson speaks with Republican analyst Joe Watkins about the GOP strategy to reach out to black voters.

Joe Watkins is the Pastor of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Philadelphia. He was a White House aide under President George W. Bush, and ran as the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania in 2009. He has appeared as a political commentator on MSNBC, CNBC, and Al Jazeera, and is the Senior Vice President of External Affairs for the social media platform ElectedFace.com.

You can hear James Peterson and Joe Watkins discuss the Wisconsin primaries on WHYY's Radio Times with host Marty Moss-Coane.

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Host James Peterson and author Michael Eric Dyson discuss Dyson's new book, The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America.  Their conversation took place in front of a live audience as part of The Free Library of Philadelphia Author Events series.  Podcasts of past author discussions are available atwww.freelibrary.org/authorevents.

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Ever wonder what else the Remix team is working on? Check out the crowd at the Every Zip Philly public storytelling event held last night! 

Every Zip Philly is co-produced by Jeanette Woods and Alex Lewis, and is a collaborative project that involves artists and storytellers from all over the Philly area. They’re finding and sharing never-before-heard stories from every zip code in in the city. Have a listen and find out more here. 

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It's hard not to love the multitalented Tichina Arnold. She's had iconic roles in "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Martin," and now she stars in a new show, "Survivor's Remorse." She's  funny, outspoken, honest, and even if she whacked you with a length of Hot Wheels track, you'd forgive her. We think she's kind of awesome.

On this episode of "The Remix" Arnold talks about life in Hollywood, acting with Mike Epps, and dealing with haters on Twitter.

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What do Bruce Lee, Bobby Fisher and The RZA, legendary rapper and producer from Wu-Tang Clan, have in common? Chess.

The RZA talks with host James Peterson about his work engaging young people in chess with the Hip-Hop Chess Federation, among many other things. They discuss the controversial remarks he made in a Bloomberg interview about the Black Lives Matter movement, and the single-copy album "The Wu — Once Upon A Time In Shaolin" that sold to pharmaceutical mogul Martin Shkreli. Shkreli, who paid a reported $2 million for the album, was called to Capitol Hill to testify in a Congressional hearing after raising the price tag of the life-saving drug Daraprim by 5,000%.

You can find this story and other Remix pieces here. 

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Guess who's running for mayor of Baltimore?! Well known Black Lives Matter activist and twitter trendsetter DeRay Mckesson takes a moment to explain his candidacy here: https://medium.com/@deray/i-am-running-for-mayor-of-baltimore-34b4e214d582

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Sorry to break the news to The Beyhivé, but not everyone loved Beyoncé's "Formation." Host James Peterson spoke with Philadelphia journalist Ernest Owens, who lays out his critique of the popular song and video in the Huffington Post. Owens gave his frank opinions on everything from slut shaming to the lack of diversity in Hollywood to why there should be a Bayard Rustin biopic — with him in the title role. 

Ernest Owens is an award-winning multimedia journalist for the Huffington Post and other publications. He is an editor at Philadelphia Magazine, and his column, "The Ernest Opinion," is nationally syndicated. 

Check out our Newsworks link to this interview here.

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In 2008 Abigail Fisher applied to attend the University of Texas at Austin. She was rejected, and she sued, claiming the university's policy of considering race in admissions violated her rights under the equal protection laws. Fisher is white. Her case has gone to the Supreme Court and may result in the striking down of affirmative action as a policy nationwide.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia reportedly stated during court proceedings: "There are those who contend that it does not benefit African-Americans to get them into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less-advanced school, a less — a slower-track school where they do well.”

In December, advocates of Affirmative Action coined a new Twitter hashtag: #StayMadAbby. In response to Justice Scalia's words, black college graduates and elites across the country posted pictures of themselves graduating from top-tier schools and working at top-tier institutions, and sent letters of support to the Supreme Court for the University of Texas at Austin position.

Abigail Fisher is a young white woman suing the University of Texas at Austin for what she claims was wrongful and discriminatory denial of her admission due to Affirmative Action. Her case, "Fisher vs. Texas", has gone all the way to the Supreme Court, and may strike down Affirmative Action as a policy nationwide. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia reportedly stated during court proceedings: "There are those who contend that it does not benefit African-Americans to get them into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less-advanced school, a less — a slower-track school where they do well.”

In December, advocates of Affirmative Action coined a new Twitter hashtag: #StayMadAbby. In response to Justice Scalia's words, black college graduates and elites across the country posted pictures of themselves graduating from top-tier schools and working at top-tier institutions, and sent letters of support to the Supreme Court for the University of Texas at Austin position.

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On this episode of the Remix, journalist Sofiya Ballin of The Philadelphia Inquirer and host James Peterson talk about Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly”, which is up for 11 Grammys. They also revisit ‘90s hip hop with VH1's original movie "The Breaks" and own up to the guilty pleasure of watching Love & Hip Hop NY's Cardi B.

Sofiya Ballin is a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and a columnist with Huffington Post. Her year-end arts and entertainment roundup appeared on Philly.com. Check out more on her chat with Dr. Peterson here. 

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Journalists Sameer Rao and Keaton Nichols join host James Peterson for a look back at the year that was. Listen on our site here. 

Keaton Nichols is the host of WURD 900AM's "WURD Up", a program that gives young people a voice on the issues that affect them. He also produces the daily 'Wake Up With WURD" morning show. Sameer Rao is the culture reporter and blogger for Colorlines. 

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This week we welcome multi-platform journalist and producer Nida Khan to discuss recent incidents of violence against Muslims as backlash over the San Bernardino shootings and Paris attacks.

Khan's work can be found in the Huffington Post, the New York Daily News, Essence Magazine and many other print and online publications. Find other links to her work here.

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When Ursula Rucker speaks, or sings, or raps — we listen. Whether she is breaking our hearts with her one-woman show "My Father's Daughter," shocking us with the powerful and disturbing rape narrative of "The Unlocking" or pulling us under the rhythm of "Supernatural" or calling for social justice, it's impossible to resist the spell of her perfectly pitched voice.

On this episode of The Remix Rucker talks about her poetry, the role of the storyteller in hip hop and about her upcoming album — her first since 2011.