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PROFILE

Peniel Joseph Guest

Peniel Joseph

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University of Texas at Austin

Peniel Joseph is Professor of History at University of Texas at Austin and Founding Director of its Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. He is a former professor of history at Tufts University and founding director of its Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, and a former associate professor of African and Afro-American studies at Brandeis University. Joseph is the author of Waiting 'til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America, Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama and Stokely: A Life.

FROM Peniel Joseph

Amid increased police brutality, Black Lives Matter changes tactics

Amid increased police brutality, Black Lives Matter changes tactics Photo by Ella Police have shot and killed 23 unarmed people already this year. If that rate continues, the death toll will be higher than last year's total of 48. In both years, about a third of those shot have been black. In the past, the loose coalition called Black Lives Matter has staged street protests after such incidents — but in the era of Donald Trump, its tactics are changing.

27 MIN, 13 SEC May 11, 2017

Barack Obama and race in America

Barack Obama and race in America As President Obama prepares tonight's farewell speech, his approval ratings are well above many ex-presidents and much higher than Donald Trump's. He's bound to go down in history as the first black president of a nation with a legacy of slavery, Jim Crow and other forms of racial discrimination. We ask activists and historians about the example he and his family have set during the past eight years. Are millions of black people better off because of his policies? What's the state of race relations after Barack Obama's two terms in the White House?

33 MIN, 54 SEC Jan 10, 2017

New promises today to bring the nation together

New promises today to bring the nation together Early this morning, Donald Trump found himself President-Elect of the United States in an upset victory over Hillary Clinton — who he threatened to put in jail if he were elected. In a rare tone of conciliation, he gave credit to his opponent.

52 MIN, 9 SEC Nov 09, 2016

Colin Kaepernick and the politics of the national anthem

Colin Kaepernick and the politics of the national anthem NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick refuses to stand for the National Anthem. Is his a legitimate protest or a lack of patriotism? Winning sprinters John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their fists on the medal stand in the 1968 Olympics. Mohammed Ali was convicted of draft evasion for refusing to serve in Vietnam. They and other athletes have been praised and reviled for protesting America’s treatment of black people. Now San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is getting mixed reactions for refusing to stand during the National Anthem. We get perspective from Peniel Joseph, Professor of History at University of Texas at Austin.

9 MIN, 13 SEC Aug 30, 2016

Police Shootings – and a Devastating Sniper Attack on Officers in Dallas

Police Shootings – and a Devastating Sniper Attack on Officers in Dallas It’s the latest raw wound in the social fabric: A cold-blooded sniper attack on police officers in Dallas, in the middle of a peaceful march to protest recent police shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana. The headlines seem numbingly familiar – yet still have the power to shock.

15 MIN, 59 SEC Jul 08, 2016

How Activism Pushed Mizzou President to Resign

How Activism Pushed Mizzou President to Resign The University of Missouri has seen weeks of protest over racism on campus that has included the use racial epithets and incidents including the drawing of a swastika on a dorm wall using human feces. University President Timothy Wolfe resisted demands that he resign until the football team joined a walk-out. Photo: Anthony Sherrils/Twitter Today, he acknowledged, "The frustration and anger that I see is clear, real and I don't doubt it for a second. To the faculty and staff who expressed their anger and frustration it too is real. We need to use my resignation, please please use this resignation to heal." Peniel Joseph, professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin, has written about black student activists challenging white supremacy and institutional racism on college campuses in The Root .

9 MIN, 18 SEC Nov 09, 2015

The Confederate Flag Fades Out of the American Landscape

The Confederate Flag Fades Out of the American Landscape The Confederate flag was removed today from the memorial on South Carolina’s state capitol grounds--less than a month since 9 black Americans were murdered in a Church in Charleston. Have race relations reached a tipping point?

9 MIN, 49 SEC Jul 10, 2015

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Juneteenth Today, June 19, is the day that marks the end of slavery in America. It’s called “Juneteenth.” But why isn’t it official holiday? We take off Columbus Day, we have President’s Day, but why not Juneteenth? Many people haven’t even heard of it. Why not?

8 MIN, 16 SEC Jun 19, 2015

Bloody Sunday and "The Bridge Crossing Jubilee"

Bloody Sunday and "The Bridge Crossing Jubilee" On "Bloody Sunday," John Lewis and other civil rights marchers were brutally attacked by police and soldiers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Tomorrow — just 50 years later -- President Obama and former President George W. Bush will be among the huge crowd that's expected to attend the " Bridge Crossing Jubilee " in Selma. It's a reminder of progress toward civil rights in America — and a reminder of failure. Peniel Joseph is a history professor at Tufts University, where he directs the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. He's author of, Stokely: A Life , about the disillusioned civil rights leader, Stokely Carmichael.

8 MIN, 32 SEC Mar 06, 2015

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Obama, Ferguson, and Race President Obama announced new efforts yesterday to improve community policing, including a task force that will come up with recommendations for building better relationships between local law enforcement and minorities. The actions come in response to the ongoing protests in Ferguson, Mo., and nationwide, over the shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in August. But is Obama sidestepping the issue of racism? We hear from one person who argues that he is.

9 MIN, 35 SEC Dec 02, 2014

Race and the Militarization of Policing in Ferguson, Missouri

Race and the Militarization of Policing in Ferguson, Missouri For four nights after an officer killed a young, black man in Ferguson, Missouri, confrontations escalated between police and protesters. Last night, the state Highway Patrol was in charge, led by Captain Ron Johnson, a native of Ferguson. Earlier, local police met one of the protesters’ demands, naming the officer who shot Michael brown as Darren Wilson. They said Brown had been stopped as a suspect in the robbery of a convenience store, but they have not released a complete account of the shooting. For the moment, a change of authority seems to have led to the restoration of order. How long will that last?

33 MIN, 2 SEC Aug 15, 2014

Reintroducing an Overlooked Civil Rights Leader

Reintroducing an Overlooked Civil Rights Leader Stokely Carmichael was a powerful civil rights leader in the 1960’s who became a black nationalist before leaving this country for Africa. His biographer says he was as influential as Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

9 MIN, 21 SEC Jul 04, 2014

School Desegregation: 60 Years Later

School Desegregation: 60 Years Later In 1954, the US Supreme Court ruled that legally segregated public schools deprived African Americans of their 14th Amendment guarantee of an equal education. Today, after decades of controversy, school integration has not been achieved. Most black kids still go to mostly black schools. In some places, desegregation orders have been ignored — or even reversed — by school districts. In the meantime, America's racial make-up has radically changed. The Latino population has mushroomed. The proportion of white students is on the decline. Can students learn without diversity in their classrooms? Is school segregation a symptom of deeper issues: housing discrimination and economics?

35 MIN, 27 SEC May 15, 2014

Peniel Joseph on Stokley Carmichael

Peniel Joseph on Stokley Carmichael His is a name seldom remembered in the context of America's Civil Rights Movement, but he deserves a place alongside Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That's according to a new biography — the first -- about Stokley Carmichael's life. Peniel Joseph is a history professor at Tufts University and the author of Stokely: A Life . The Trinidad-born, New York educated Carmichael spent his 20th birthday in jail in Mississippi, where he helped organize freedom rides. In 1966, he was head of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Two years later, he left this country to live in Africa.

10 MIN, 51 SEC Mar 14, 2014

The March on Washington: Myths and Realities

The March on Washington: Myths and Realities The March on Washington is remembered for Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech and what one historian calls "a sweetly patriotic glow." But it doesn't tell the whole story of what happened on that day in 1963 or what happened before and after. The press, the Kennedy White House -- even the NAACP -- feared that a crowd of mostly black Americans might turn violent and set back the civil rights cause. If it was a "defining moment" of the Civil Rights Movement, what is its legacy today? We put the event in the context of the times, when integrated, non-violent protest became big news. As we hear Dr. King's words, how much of his vision has been accomplished? How much has yet to be done?

34 MIN, 27 SEC Aug 28, 2013

What's Happened to America's 'Crackdown on Crime?'

What's Happened to America's 'Crackdown on Crime?' After 30 years of being "tough on crime," the US -- with 5% of the world's population -- has 25% of its prisoners, and that's very expensive. Now the crime rate is way down. Conservatives are joining liberals, demanding reduced sentences and alternatives to incarceration. Texas is one of the states where prisons are being shut down. But hard-liners warn that so-called "smart sentencing" will push the crime rate back up again. Eric Holder told the American Bar Association today that America's 30-year crackdown has produced unintended consequences, and called for reform. The Attorney General has support from some unexpected sources, including Grover Norquist , one of the most influential conservatives in Washington. We update the controversy.

35 MIN, 50 SEC Aug 12, 2013

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Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe?

Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?

51 MIN, 22 SEC Jun 13, 2017

White House budget proposal slashes and burns

White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?

50 MIN, 44 SEC May 24, 2017

Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story

Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.

51 MIN, 18 SEC Jun 08, 2017

Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos

Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.

51 MIN, 12 SEC Jun 02, 2017