Royal State of Mind

A conversation with Jamael Dean, a 21-year-old jazz pianist, composer, producer, and rapper. Jamael and I speak about his musical origins and influences; the role of art education in Black community and life throughout history; how his spiritual practices inform his life, compositions, and creations; and much more.

Rosalyn Huff and Colby King -- board members of Columbia University's Black Students Organizations -- talk about their recent report about the University's long history of anti-black violence and policing.

Marc Hannaford -- a musician, PhD candidate in music theory, and course instructor at Columbia University -- joins me for a wide-ranging conversation centered around radical Black music and musicians.

For more, visit http://www.royalstateofmind.com/2019/05/radical-black-music/

Professor Stefan Bradley, author of "Upending the Ivory Tower: Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Ivy League" joins me to talk about Black students' role in liberation movements and the importance of their contributions throughout history.

Naye and Sophie, organizers with Columbia University Students for Justice in Palestine, join me to discuss their activism, Palestinian liberation, and demands for Columbia's divestment from Israeli Apartheid.

Chaedria LaBouvier, a scholar and curator, joins me to talk about Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1983 "Defacement" piece, his career, and his identity.

Jose Vilson, a New York City-based educator, writer, blogger, and activist joins the show to talk about education, schooling, culturally-relevant pedagogy, and much more.

Harold Jordan, an advocate at the ACLU of Pennsylvania, joined the podcast to talk about punishment in American schools and the school to prison pipeline.

Welcome to the latest edition of the Royal State of Mind Podcast. Today, I talk about Serena Williams and her interview with Common last month.

The tennis star and rapper talked a range of topics during their conversation, but I found it particularly interesting to hear Serena comment on the greatest-athlete-of-all-time conversation as a black woman.

On today’s show, I respond to her conversation with Common. I look at Williams’ career, discussing her identity in a mainly-white sport like tennis and what her presence in the sport means. Additionally, I use quotes from Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen” book to highlight the sharp contrast between Serena and tennis.

Camryn Garrett -- a teenage author, filmmaker, and creator -- joined me to talk about the way Black people participate and are portrayed in modern literature and writing.