Rob Eschmann and DC Benney discuss how Rob's new book, "When The Hoods Come Off" , chaotic giveaway in Union Square, DC Benny's new comedy hour on YouTube, and how the use of social media challenges racism and racist narratives with host Marina Franklin.

Rob Eschmann Dr. Eschmann is a writer, educator, filmmaker, and scholar from Chicago. He is a proud product of the Chicago Public Schools and received his PhD from the University of Chicago in 2017.

He writes on educational inequality, community violence, racism, social media, and youth wellbeing. His research seeks to uncover individual, group, and intuitional-level barriers to racial and economic equity, and he pays special attention to the heroic efforts everyday people make to combat those barriers. For Dr. Eschmann, this work is a part of the freedom struggle. The function of racism is to reproduce racial inequality, but in the 21st Century the devices of racism are often hidden behind color-neutral laws or friendly interactions. Highlighting the mechanisms of racism, therefore, can demonstrate the continuing significance of race, raise consciousness, and promote and strengthen resistance efforts.

Dr. Eschmann is an avid reader and re-reader of fantasy fiction who uses his children as a justification for his continued interest in young-adult fiction and regular trips to the comic book store. In terms of creative endeavors, Dr. Eschmann has co-written and directed several short films for the 48 Hour Film Project Film Festival, and has written and workshopped fiction since his days as a graduate student. He is currently in the midst of his first novel project. 

*Dr. Eschmann’s first book, When the Hood Comes Off: Racism and Resistance in the Digital Age, is an engaging and comprehensive exploration of the ways technology and online communication are changing how we experience, understand, and respond to racism, both online and in-person. You can buy it now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or wherever books are sold.

D.C. Benny’s story-telling style of comedy has delighted audiences over his thirty-five years as a New York-based performer. His third appearance on NBC's  “Showtime At The Apollo” has over eighteen million Youtube views, he has 4 stand up specials including Comedy Central Presents, Dry Bar, was a season finalist on both seasons 2 and 8 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. He's been featured in John Singleton’s “Illegal Tender”, "Freedomland" with Samuel Jackson and Julianne Moore, "Love Walked In" with Terrance Stamp, "Where God Left His Shoes" with John Leguizamo, recurred on the soap opera “As The World Turns” and appeared in many national commercials such as the Budweiser "How You Doin’?” campaign.  He co-hosted the story-telling podcast, "Tall But True", with Cash Cab's Ben Bailey, was a cast member on ABC"s Supermarket Sweep with Leslie Jones and currently plays "Bart" on Amy Schumer's series Life and Beth on Hulu. His writing has been published in New York Magazine, Mystery Tribune, Heeb Magazine, Narratively, and The New York Observer. He currently lives in Long Island's North Fork, where he teaches comedic storytelling and runs a beach rental business with his wife at www.bungalowouteast.com. 

Always hosted by Marina Franklin - One Hour Comedy Special: Single Black Female ( Amazon Prime, CW Network), TBS's The Last O.G, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Hysterical on FX, The Movie Trainwreck, Louie Season V, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, HBO's Crashing, and The Breaks with Michelle Wolf.