Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan on X)
@markanthonyneal.bsky.social
Aggregator of Black Culture. James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African & African American Studies at Duke University. Host of the Webby-nominated Left of Black. Author of several books, including forthcoming SAVE A SEAT FOR ME (on Black Fatherhood).
No food, no fuel, no tourists: Under US pressure, life in Cuba grinds to a halt
www.cnn.com/2026/02/18/a...
www.cnn.com/2026/02/18/a...
No food, no fuel, no tourists: Under US pressure, life in Cuba grinds to a halt | CNN
Cuba may be experiencing the most profound moment of economic uncertainty that the island’s residents have endured in decades if not over their entire lives.
www.cnn.com
February 18, 2026 at 11:16 PM
No food, no fuel, no tourists: Under US pressure, life in Cuba grinds to a halt
www.cnn.com/2026/02/18/a...
www.cnn.com/2026/02/18/a...
Billy Preston’s Music Was ‘Pure Joy.’ But His Life Ended in Tragedy.
The Beatles’ beloved collaborator died at 59 in 2006. A new documentary, “That’s the Way God Planned It,” explores what he long kept hidden.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/a...
#BlackHistoryMonth
The Beatles’ beloved collaborator died at 59 in 2006. A new documentary, “That’s the Way God Planned It,” explores what he long kept hidden.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/a...
#BlackHistoryMonth
Billy Preston’s Music Was ‘Pure Joy.’ But His Life Ended in Tragedy.
www.nytimes.com
February 18, 2026 at 11:10 PM
Billy Preston’s Music Was ‘Pure Joy.’ But His Life Ended in Tragedy.
The Beatles’ beloved collaborator died at 59 in 2006. A new documentary, “That’s the Way God Planned It,” explores what he long kept hidden.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/a...
#BlackHistoryMonth
The Beatles’ beloved collaborator died at 59 in 2006. A new documentary, “That’s the Way God Planned It,” explores what he long kept hidden.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/a...
#BlackHistoryMonth
Reposted by Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan on X)
Happy #PublicationDay, Caroline E. Light!
STAND YOUR GROUND, her convincing treatise on how violent self-defense has been legalized for the most privileged and weaponized against the most vulnerable, is “timely and sharp and a potent antidote to historical amnesia.” — @markanthonyneal.bsky.social
STAND YOUR GROUND, her convincing treatise on how violent self-defense has been legalized for the most privileged and weaponized against the most vulnerable, is “timely and sharp and a potent antidote to historical amnesia.” — @markanthonyneal.bsky.social
February 17, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Happy #PublicationDay, Caroline E. Light!
STAND YOUR GROUND, her convincing treatise on how violent self-defense has been legalized for the most privileged and weaponized against the most vulnerable, is “timely and sharp and a potent antidote to historical amnesia.” — @markanthonyneal.bsky.social
STAND YOUR GROUND, her convincing treatise on how violent self-defense has been legalized for the most privileged and weaponized against the most vulnerable, is “timely and sharp and a potent antidote to historical amnesia.” — @markanthonyneal.bsky.social
Toni Morrison, Literary Saint? This Book Shows You What Really Makes Her Great.
A new study by the novelist and scholar Namwali Serpell subjects the Nobel laureate’s work to rigorous inspection — with thrilling results.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/b...
A new study by the novelist and scholar Namwali Serpell subjects the Nobel laureate’s work to rigorous inspection — with thrilling results.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/b...
Toni Morrison, Literary Saint? This Book Shows You What Really Makes Her Great.
www.nytimes.com
February 16, 2026 at 8:38 PM
Toni Morrison, Literary Saint? This Book Shows You What Really Makes Her Great.
A new study by the novelist and scholar Namwali Serpell subjects the Nobel laureate’s work to rigorous inspection — with thrilling results.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/b...
A new study by the novelist and scholar Namwali Serpell subjects the Nobel laureate’s work to rigorous inspection — with thrilling results.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/b...
Reposted by Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan on X)
Excellent piece! I had not previously seen cool uses as a lens to analyze Black cultural figures like Cole. Reminds me of Collins and her work on Black women in public at the turn of the century. Thank you for sharing!
February 16, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Excellent piece! I had not previously seen cool uses as a lens to analyze Black cultural figures like Cole. Reminds me of Collins and her work on Black women in public at the turn of the century. Thank you for sharing!
Reposted by Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan on X)
Thanks for this. I'm exploring a similar fate that befell Audre Lorde's father, who died of a series of strokes in his 50s. Lorde described it in a poem as "overwork and silence exploding in your brain." This was a major impetus toward her vision about the need to express and metabolize feelings...
February 16, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Thanks for this. I'm exploring a similar fate that befell Audre Lorde's father, who died of a series of strokes in his 50s. Lorde described it in a poem as "overwork and silence exploding in your brain." This was a major impetus toward her vision about the need to express and metabolize feelings...
Black Men Endured Sexual Exploitation Under Slavery. Their Story Is Rarely Told.
Historian Thomas A. Foster discusses his new book Rethinking Rufus: Sexual Violations of Enslaved Men.
truthout.org/articles/bla... | @truthout.org
Historian Thomas A. Foster discusses his new book Rethinking Rufus: Sexual Violations of Enslaved Men.
truthout.org/articles/bla... | @truthout.org
Black Men Endured Sexual Exploitation Under Slavery. Their Story Is Rarely Told.
Historian Thomas A. Foster discusses his new book Rethinking Rufus: Sexual Violations of Enslaved Men.
truthout.org
February 16, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Black Men Endured Sexual Exploitation Under Slavery. Their Story Is Rarely Told.
Historian Thomas A. Foster discusses his new book Rethinking Rufus: Sexual Violations of Enslaved Men.
truthout.org/articles/bla... | @truthout.org
Historian Thomas A. Foster discusses his new book Rethinking Rufus: Sexual Violations of Enslaved Men.
truthout.org/articles/bla... | @truthout.org
Reposted by Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan on X)
His albums were part of my childhood.
This piece is going to sit with me for a long time. I watched a documentary on Nat King Cole years ago, it looks as if they've made another:
www.pbs.org/video/nat-ki...
#JazzSky #JazzMusic
This piece is going to sit with me for a long time. I watched a documentary on Nat King Cole years ago, it looks as if they've made another:
www.pbs.org/video/nat-ki...
#JazzSky #JazzMusic
"There is, perhaps, no better example of the stakes of “keeping cool” than the case of Nat King Cole, who...was a most visible avatar of “Black” Cool and respectability. Cole’s death at age 45 in 1965, is biggest cautionary tale for the cost of his public unflappability."
Nat King Cole and the Cost of the “Cool Pose” by Mark Anthony Neal
In his classic study, psychologist Richard Majors (with Janet Mancini Billson) writes, “Cool Pose is a distinctive coping mechanism that…
medium.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:39 PM
His albums were part of my childhood.
This piece is going to sit with me for a long time. I watched a documentary on Nat King Cole years ago, it looks as if they've made another:
www.pbs.org/video/nat-ki...
#JazzSky #JazzMusic
This piece is going to sit with me for a long time. I watched a documentary on Nat King Cole years ago, it looks as if they've made another:
www.pbs.org/video/nat-ki...
#JazzSky #JazzMusic
"There is, perhaps, no better example of the stakes of “keeping cool” than the case of Nat King Cole, who...was a most visible avatar of “Black” Cool and respectability. Cole’s death at age 45 in 1965, is biggest cautionary tale for the cost of his public unflappability."
Nat King Cole and the Cost of the “Cool Pose” by Mark Anthony Neal
In his classic study, psychologist Richard Majors (with Janet Mancini Billson) writes, “Cool Pose is a distinctive coping mechanism that…
medium.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:06 PM
"There is, perhaps, no better example of the stakes of “keeping cool” than the case of Nat King Cole, who...was a most visible avatar of “Black” Cool and respectability. Cole’s death at age 45 in 1965, is biggest cautionary tale for the cost of his public unflappability."
UT-Austin to consolidate race, ethnic and gender study programs
More than 800 students are pursuing degrees in the affected departments, which include African, Latino and gender studies.
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/12/t...
More than 800 students are pursuing degrees in the affected departments, which include African, Latino and gender studies.
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/12/t...
UT-Austin to merge race, ethnic and gender study programs
More than 800 students are pursuing degrees in the affected departments, which include African, Latino and gender studies.
www.texastribune.org
February 15, 2026 at 10:11 PM
UT-Austin to consolidate race, ethnic and gender study programs
More than 800 students are pursuing degrees in the affected departments, which include African, Latino and gender studies.
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/12/t...
More than 800 students are pursuing degrees in the affected departments, which include African, Latino and gender studies.
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/12/t...
Reposted by Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan on X)
Celebrating Presidents in 2026? Fraught as hell, but what’s not is celebrating all the great public scholarship in my 263rd #ScholarSunday thread of writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books. Add more below, share as widely as possible, & enjoy, all! 🗃️ +
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
#ScholarSunday Thread 263 (2/15/26) – Black and White and Read All Over
Celebrating Presidents in 2026? Fraught as hell, but what’s not is celebrating all the great public scholarship in my 263rd #ScholarSunday thread of writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books. Add mor...
blackwhiteandread.com
February 15, 2026 at 12:56 PM
Celebrating Presidents in 2026? Fraught as hell, but what’s not is celebrating all the great public scholarship in my 263rd #ScholarSunday thread of writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books. Add more below, share as widely as possible, & enjoy, all! 🗃️ +
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
UNC Administrators Can Now Secretly Record Faculty
The new policy prohibits students from recording class without permission but explicitly allows administrators to surveil professors for any “lawful purpose.
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
The new policy prohibits students from recording class without permission but explicitly allows administrators to surveil professors for any “lawful purpose.
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
UNC Admin Can Now, Officially, Secretly Record Faculty
The new policy prohibits students from recording class without permission but explicitly allows administrators to surveil professors for any “lawful purpose.”
www.insidehighered.com
February 11, 2026 at 10:14 PM
UNC Administrators Can Now Secretly Record Faculty
The new policy prohibits students from recording class without permission but explicitly allows administrators to surveil professors for any “lawful purpose.
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
The new policy prohibits students from recording class without permission but explicitly allows administrators to surveil professors for any “lawful purpose.
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
The Truth About Interracial Intimacy
In a new memoir, author Dorothy Roberts explores why interracial attraction can’t be disentangled from the larger forces of race, gender, and power that govern our world.
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
In a new memoir, author Dorothy Roberts explores why interracial attraction can’t be disentangled from the larger forces of race, gender, and power that govern our world.
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
The Truth About Interracial Intimacy
In a new memoir, author Dorothy Roberts explores why interracial attraction can’t be disentangled from the larger forces of race, gender, and power that govern our world.
www.thenation.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:42 PM
The Truth About Interracial Intimacy
In a new memoir, author Dorothy Roberts explores why interracial attraction can’t be disentangled from the larger forces of race, gender, and power that govern our world.
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
In a new memoir, author Dorothy Roberts explores why interracial attraction can’t be disentangled from the larger forces of race, gender, and power that govern our world.
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
A White Historian Claimed That Black People ‘Had No History.’ This Trailblazing Scholar Dedicated His Life to Proving Otherwise
Carter G. Woodson, the “father of Black history,” founded the celebration now known as #BlackHistoryMonth in 1926.
www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-...
Carter G. Woodson, the “father of Black history,” founded the celebration now known as #BlackHistoryMonth in 1926.
www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-...
A White Historian Claimed That Black People 'Had No History.' This Trailblazing Scholar Dedicated His Life to Proving Otherwise
Carter G. Woodson, the "father of Black history," founded the celebration now known as Black History Month in 1926. A prolific writer and activist, he viewed his efforts to educate the public as a "li...
www.smithsonianmag.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:23 PM
A White Historian Claimed That Black People ‘Had No History.’ This Trailblazing Scholar Dedicated His Life to Proving Otherwise
Carter G. Woodson, the “father of Black history,” founded the celebration now known as #BlackHistoryMonth in 1926.
www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-...
Carter G. Woodson, the “father of Black history,” founded the celebration now known as #BlackHistoryMonth in 1926.
www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-...
Happy 99th Birthday Leontyne Price
Photo Credit: Carl Van Vechten, 1951 courtesy Beinecke Library
Photo Credit: Carl Van Vechten, 1951 courtesy Beinecke Library
February 10, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Happy 99th Birthday Leontyne Price
Photo Credit: Carl Van Vechten, 1951 courtesy Beinecke Library
Photo Credit: Carl Van Vechten, 1951 courtesy Beinecke Library
With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet
Ring's 'Search Party' is dystopian surveillance accelerationism.
www.404media.co/with-ring-am...
Ring's 'Search Party' is dystopian surveillance accelerationism.
www.404media.co/with-ring-am...
With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet
Ring's 'Search Party' is dystopian surveillance accelerationism.
www.404media.co
February 10, 2026 at 5:08 PM
With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet
Ring's 'Search Party' is dystopian surveillance accelerationism.
www.404media.co/with-ring-am...
Ring's 'Search Party' is dystopian surveillance accelerationism.
www.404media.co/with-ring-am...
How Companies Profit by Annoying the Hell Out of You
A new report reveals that sneaky fees, excessive paperwork, spam calls, and other annoyances cost Americans $165 billion annually in wasted time and money.
newrepublic.com/article/2063...
A new report reveals that sneaky fees, excessive paperwork, spam calls, and other annoyances cost Americans $165 billion annually in wasted time and money.
newrepublic.com/article/2063...
How Companies Profit by Annoying the Hell Out of You
A new report reveals that sneaky fees, excessive paperwork, spam calls, and other annoyances cost Americans $165 billion annually in wasted time and money.
newrepublic.com
February 10, 2026 at 5:06 PM
How Companies Profit by Annoying the Hell Out of You
A new report reveals that sneaky fees, excessive paperwork, spam calls, and other annoyances cost Americans $165 billion annually in wasted time and money.
newrepublic.com/article/2063...
A new report reveals that sneaky fees, excessive paperwork, spam calls, and other annoyances cost Americans $165 billion annually in wasted time and money.
newrepublic.com/article/2063...
A Timeless Take on Autobiography: Audre Lorde’s Zami: A New Spelling of My Name
@seminewblack.bsky.social Remembers the Poet’s Innovative Excavation of the Self
lithub.com/a-timeless-t...
@seminewblack.bsky.social Remembers the Poet’s Innovative Excavation of the Self
lithub.com/a-timeless-t...
A Timeless Take on Autobiography: Audre Lorde’s Zami: A New Spelling of My Name
I remember exactly where I was when I learned that Audre Lorde had passed. It was an evening in late fall, already really cold in that characteristically Chicago way. I was at the Guild Literary Co…
lithub.com
February 9, 2026 at 10:27 PM
A Timeless Take on Autobiography: Audre Lorde’s Zami: A New Spelling of My Name
@seminewblack.bsky.social Remembers the Poet’s Innovative Excavation of the Self
lithub.com/a-timeless-t...
@seminewblack.bsky.social Remembers the Poet’s Innovative Excavation of the Self
lithub.com/a-timeless-t...
Edward Said and the Task of the Intellectual Today | Rebecca Ruth Gould
What does a new edition of Edward Said’s classic ‘Representations of the Intellectual’ reveal in the context of the crisis in Gaza?
lareviewofbooks.org/article/edwa...
What does a new edition of Edward Said’s classic ‘Representations of the Intellectual’ reveal in the context of the crisis in Gaza?
lareviewofbooks.org/article/edwa...
Edward Said and the Task of the Intellectual Today | Los Angeles Review of Books
What does a new edition of Edward Said’s classic ‘Representations of the Intellectual’ reveal in the context of the crisis in Gaza?
lareviewofbooks.org
February 7, 2026 at 9:21 PM
Edward Said and the Task of the Intellectual Today | Rebecca Ruth Gould
What does a new edition of Edward Said’s classic ‘Representations of the Intellectual’ reveal in the context of the crisis in Gaza?
lareviewofbooks.org/article/edwa...
What does a new edition of Edward Said’s classic ‘Representations of the Intellectual’ reveal in the context of the crisis in Gaza?
lareviewofbooks.org/article/edwa...
Reposted by Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan on X)
Entered the country legally in 2024 through a humanitarian program. No criminal record. Sure don’t seem to be worst of the worst criminals, do they?
U.S. Seeks to Expedite Deportation of 5-Year-Old Liam Conejo Ramos
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:13 PM
Entered the country legally in 2024 through a humanitarian program. No criminal record. Sure don’t seem to be worst of the worst criminals, do they?
"Surveying the city of Durham in 1912, noted Black intellectual and activist W.E.B. Du Bois celebrated Durham as a city that “characterizes the progress of the Negro American"."
medium.com/p/e5dd14b8f10e
medium.com/p/e5dd14b8f10e
The Brotherhood? Duke Basketball and the Legacy of Black Durham by Mark Anthony Neal
Few of Duke University Basketball’s most fervent fans, or haters, I imagine are as knowledgeable of Dr. John Hope Franklin, as they are…
medium.com
February 7, 2026 at 3:00 PM
"Surveying the city of Durham in 1912, noted Black intellectual and activist W.E.B. Du Bois celebrated Durham as a city that “characterizes the progress of the Negro American"."
medium.com/p/e5dd14b8f10e
medium.com/p/e5dd14b8f10e
Reposted by Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan on X)
"Satisfy My Soul" is my absolute favorite Marley song. The line "I feel like a sweepstakes winner" is a gem.
February 7, 2026 at 1:54 PM
"Satisfy My Soul" is my absolute favorite Marley song. The line "I feel like a sweepstakes winner" is a gem.
Stop Meeting Students Where They Are
What I learned when I finally started assigning the hard reading again.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... | @theatlantic.com
What I learned when I finally started assigning the hard reading again.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... | @theatlantic.com
Stop Meeting Students Where They Are
What I learned when I finally started assigning the hard reading again.
www.theatlantic.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:57 PM
Stop Meeting Students Where They Are
What I learned when I finally started assigning the hard reading again.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... | @theatlantic.com
What I learned when I finally started assigning the hard reading again.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... | @theatlantic.com
Reposted by Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan on X)
Before this first week of Black History Month concludes, here's my latest Considering History column once more, on a series of impressive & inspiring figures from Minnesota's Black history we should all better remember, today more than ever! @markanthonyneal.bsky.social 🗃️
So for my latest @satevepost.bsky.social Considering History column, a #BHM special on Minnesota's foundational Black histories, white supremacy, & America's defining diversity! 🗃️
www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2026/02/cons...
www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2026/02/cons...
Considering History: Minnesota’s Black History and America’s Defining Diversity | The Saturday Evening Post
Minnesota’s African American history highlights how much the state has always embodied diversity and the ongoing challenge of living up to our ideals of equality and justice for all.
www.saturdayeveningpost.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:55 PM
Before this first week of Black History Month concludes, here's my latest Considering History column once more, on a series of impressive & inspiring figures from Minnesota's Black history we should all better remember, today more than ever! @markanthonyneal.bsky.social 🗃️
"“Satisfy My Soul” and “Is This Love?” are so powerful because Marley allowed himself to be “caught up” in such an unguarded mood, leaving himself vulnerable to the inconsistent rhythms of love."
medium.com/@tnimixtape/...
medium.com/@tnimixtape/...
Marley in Love by Mark Anthony Neal
Sandwiched in between two “great” Marley recordings, it has perhaps been easy to ignore — forget really — the significance of Bob Marley’s…
medium.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:03 PM
"“Satisfy My Soul” and “Is This Love?” are so powerful because Marley allowed himself to be “caught up” in such an unguarded mood, leaving himself vulnerable to the inconsistent rhythms of love."
medium.com/@tnimixtape/...
medium.com/@tnimixtape/...