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46:19

Bob Mugge Showscases Gil Scott-Heron in "Black Wax."

Documentarian Bob Mugge's new film "Black Wax" is a performance documentary with poet and activist Gil Scott-Heron. The film documents performances by Scott-Heron, including some with wax figures. Mugge's previous film "Amateur Night at City Hall," was a documentary about Frank Rizzo. The film includes Scott-Heron performing a portion of his poem/song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised."

Interview
40:39

Eldridge Cleaver on His Return to the United States.

Eldridge Cleaver was active in the Black Panther Party in the 1960s and early 1970s. He fled the country after his involvement in a shootout with Oakland Police and returned in 1975. Cleaver served 9 months in jail before being released, and he finishes his last day of parole today. He joins the show to discuss what has happened since his return, including his political involvement (which has become more conservative) and return to Christianity.

Interview
48:58

The Territories of Women.

Poet, playwright, and novelist Ntozake Shange is best known for her choreo-poem "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf," which has been adapted for public television. Her first novel, "Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo" has just been published. It follows three sisters whose weaver mother named them after vivid dyes. The novel mixes poems, spells, potions, and recipes, and explores the territories and choices of modern Black women.

Interview
57:17

Comedian and Political Activist Dick Gregory

Gregory uses his celebrity platform to raise awareness for a number of different issues, including alcoholism, the policies of the Reagan administration, and the the state of the black community today. He is currently on a hunger strike in solidarity with women in support of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Interview
45:11

An American Historian Abroad

Historian Philip Foner recently returned from a stint in China, where he lectured on the current state of civil rights, labor and women's movements in the United States. He shares his impressions of Chinese views on recent American history, as well as the current state of Chinese social conditions.

57:06

The Legacy of the Black Panthers

Black activist Bobby Seale talks about the history of the Black Panther Party. In light of misrepresentations of the group in the media and by politicians, Seale clarifies their anti-racist positions and the reasons behind their actions and militant image. He also discusses his trial as part of the Chicago Eight. Fresh Air listeners call in with their questions.

Interview
52:46

A Writer Gets to the "Heart" of her Past

Poet Maya Angelou has written a new memoir which details her relationship with her son while she worked as a singer and civil rights activist. She discusses the impact of prominent African American leaders like Billie Holiday, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcom X had on her personally and intellectually.

Interview
30:19

Sister Falaka Fatah and Urban Youth.

Activist Falaka Fatah is the co-founder of Umoja House, an organization that currently runs 21 house on North Fraser Street in Northwest Philadelphia serving gang members and street kids. The program began when Fattah and her husband, David, invited a gang to live with them after discovering their son, Robin, had joined. The Fattahs work with gangs led to a city wide meeting and truce among Philadelphia gangs. Their new project is "Boys Town," which will serve ex-offenders. Fattah joins the show to discuss strategies for reaching youth in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Interview
31:12

Bobby Seale Discusses the Future of Black Organizing.

Bobby Seale was one of the co-founders of the Black Panther Party, who was part of the "Chicago Eight," where he was eventually severed from the group's trial. Seale currently works in Washington D.C. where he has started an advocacy group, Advocates Scene, and also offers a self-help program. Seale discusses his past work and how he sees the future of African Americans.

Interview
22:03

Anthony Jackson and "The State of Black Philadelphia."

Anthony Jackson is a lawyer who wrote the chapter on the criminal justice system for the Urban League's report "State of Black Philadelphia." For three years, Jackson was the Director of the Police Project at the Public Interest Law Center. He joins the show to discuss race relations and justice in Philadelphia and the entire country.

Interview
51:57

Black History in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.

Historian Philip Foner joins the show again to discuss Black history in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Foner is the foremost historian on the labor movement in the U. S. He is the author of over eighty works, including a four volume history of the American labor movement, "Organized Labor and the Black Worker," and "Women and the American Labor Movement," the second volume of which was recently published. He is currently a visiting professor at Rutgers University.

50:23

Talk By Milton Street.

Activist and Pennsylvania State Senator Milton Street delivers a talk about the inner city, gentrification, Philadelphia politics and its racial aspects, and his experiences as an activist.

19:08

Dick Gregory On Voting and Choice.

Activist Dick Gregory recently gave a speech for the Ford Hall Forum that was recorded by NPR. Today, Fresh Air will play an excerpt of that speech, on the subject "Are Minorities Really Powerless?" The topics addressed in the excerpt are the 1980 presidential election, Gregory's distaste for the concept of "voting for the lessor of two evils," and the "choicelessness" the common voter feels. The speech was given prior to the election.

Comedian and activist Dick Gregory
13:59

Racism's Effects On White People.

Dr. John Morrison is a professor of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania. He has recently completed a study about the effects of racism on whites. He joins the show to discuss his work.

Interview
50:34

Harris Wofford on the Leaders of the Sixties.

Harris Wofford was Special Assistant to President John F. Kennedy for Civil Rights, the Assistant Director of the Peace Corps, a lawyer for Martin Luther King, Jr., and president of Bryn Mawr University. He currently practices law in Philadelphia. His new book is "Of Kennedys and Kings: Making Sense of the Sixties." He joins the show to discuss the leadership styles of three SIxties' figures: John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Interview
56:40

Sonia Sanchez on Telling Children's Stories

Writer Sonia Sanchez returns to Fresh Air to discuss her upcoming book of children's stories, A Sound Investment. She explains the importance of literature and storytelling with her own children, as well as the role of political poetry and the stereotypes of African Americans in television and movies.

Interview

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