Basic Black: The Black Church, Hip Hop and Gay Marriage

Watch Basic Black Live:The Black Church, Hip Hop and Gay Marriage on PBS. See more from Basic Black.

Basic Black Live:

From President Obama’s support of same sex marriage to the dominating influence of hip hop culture, the black church finds itself on the front page of a national conversation about its identity, relevance, and impact. Will support for Obama's presidential bid fade in the upcoming election? Has the church adequately addressed the needs of a younger generation? Is this an opportunity for new voices to emerge in the evolution of the black church?

Our panelists:

- Callie Crossley, host and executive editor, The Callie Crossley Show, 89.7 WGBH Radio
- Kim McLarin, assistant professor of writing, literature and publishing, Emerson College
- Emmett Price III, author, The Black Church and Hip Hop Culture, assistant professor of music and - African American Studies, Northeastern University
- Rev. Paul Robeson Ford, Senior Pastor, Union Baptist Church, Cambridge, MA
- Michael Curry, president, Boston chapter of the NAACP

Social Media, Occupy, & Hip Hop in the Academy

WGBH-TV (Boston) | Basic Black Live: Michelle Obama and Election 2012

Basic Black Live: Michelle Obama and Election 2012
(Originally broadcast on November 18, 2011)

This Basic Black conversation is a focus on First Lady Michelle Obama, (and the significance of having a woman of color in that role), as well as what we can expect in regards to her participation in the 2012 election. Related to the 2012 election, we'll also take a look at African Americans and the use of social media.

Our panel: Callie Crossley, host of The Callie Crossley Show, 89.7 WGBH Radio; Kim McLarin, assistant professor of writing, literature and publishing, Emerson College; Phillip Martin, senior reporter, 89.7 WGBH Radio; Peniel Joseph, professor of history, Tufts University; and Mark Anthony Neal, professor of African and African American studies, Duke University and co-editor of That's The Joint: The Hip Hop Studies Reader, 2nd edition.

Basic Black: A Conversation on Black Theater and "NEIGHBORS"

On this episode of Basic Black, a conversation about the Company One production of NEIGHBORS, by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. The play is probably most noted for its minstrel characters (black actors in blackface) but it's primary focus is on issues of racism, classism, and identity.

Our panel: Latoyia Edwards, anchor, New England Cable News; Kim McLarin, assistant professor, writing, literature, and publishing, Emerson College; Phillip Martin, senior investigative reporter, 89.7 WGBH Radio; Summer Williams, director of NEIGHBORS; and Lisa Thompson, playwright and currently a fellow at the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard University.