It's been an eventful month. In our small corner of the world, Who We Be was named a New York Times Book Review "Editor's Choice" and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award (congrats to the nonfiction winner, Bryan Stevenson's incredible memoir, Just Mercy!). Through it all, activists and artists kept questions of racial justice at the center of national discourse, deepening and vitalizing the race conversation.

Here's our first roundup of 2015, a collection of articles, interviews & reviews from the last month. Enjoy!

JEFF'S ARTICLES IN THE GUARDIAN

• On Where We Go From Here
"America wiped out years of progress. Time to have 'the race conversation' for real..."

• On Iggy Azalea and Azealia Banks
"...all culture starts somewhere, and all exchanges are not equal..."

• On Hip-Hop and Contemporary Art
"If in the past black artists were forced to confront issues of invisibility, this new wave of artists asks questions about the visibility that hip-hop confers on young African Americans now..."

MORE TO READ
Reviews

• Oakulture — Eric Arnold
"'Who We Be' could not possibly be any more timely or relevant...If the worldview of mainstream art critics, anti-immigration activists, and Tea Partiers relies on projections of 'Whitopia,' the rise of multiculturalism represents a gradual yet inexorable reality..." / web

• The Skanner — Kam Williams
Best Black Books of 2014 / print

• The Passion of The Weiss —
"It’s an extraordinary work and research feat that’s unparalleled in race writing. It’s a needed kick to the dome for folks who give a damn just enough to watch The Daily Show and listen to NPR..." / web

Interviews

• East Bay Express — Sarah Burke
"He began writing the book in 2008, right after Obama's election, filled with idealism and hope. But slowly, as he wrote, the reality of racial inequality in America today set in. So he took back the manuscript and rewrote almost a third of the book." / print

• Baret Newswire — Kam Williams
"I guess every project has been a little autobiographical..." / print

• National Post — Anupa Mistry
"Chang argues that this cultural browning of America is both intentional and a red herring: it’s ultimately meaningless without political change..." / print

• Alternet — Kali Holloway
"There's a section on the issue of 'political correctness' that I wrote and rewrote a million times...I didn't know how to modulate my tone correctly, you know?"

LISTEN

• Rhymes and Reasons — Ed Vogel & Eric Roberts
A wonderful interview on hip-hop, SoleSides/Quannum & my intellectual coming-of-age / podcast

• KALW — Crosscurrents w/ Sandhya Dirks
"Diddy’s a superstar, Jay-Z and Beyonce are everywhere...And yet at the same time you can still have a Michael Brown, a Tamir Rice, and Eric Garner happen." / radio/podcast

• WBAI — Nonfiction w/ Harry Allen
Search "Nonfiction" and scroll to January 16, 2015 show. / radio/podcast

• NPR — Bullseye w/ Jesse Thorn
All thanks to Jesse, this is one of the best interviews I have ever been privileged to be a part of. / radio/podcast

• LA Public Library ALOUD! — w/Justin Simien ("Dear White People") and Erin Aubry Kaplan
I was so grateful to be a part of this rare public discussion about race that was relaxed, unguarded, probing, painful, profound, empowering, and hilarious all at the same time.

VIEW

• Malmo University conference speech
"Hands Up: Hip-Hop In The Obama Era"
Speech begins at 34:00

• MSNBC — The Ed Show
On the killing of NYPD officers and the #BlackLivesMatters movement

• Brooklyn Independent Media — Told It First Hand w/Wes Jackson & Nikon Kwantu
Debuting a brand new show from Brooklyn Independent Media!

READ EXCERPTS OF WHO WE BE!

• Walker Mag - "The Ruins of The Culture Wars"

• Konch Magazine - "Seeing America"

• N+1 - "Color Theory"

LOOKING FOR PAST INTERVIEWS AND REVIEWS?

For all of week 1's interviews and reviews, just click right here!

For all of week 2-4's interviews, click right here!

For all of week 5's interviews, click <http://jeffchang.net/news/jeff-s-interviews-reviews-week-5 text:right here!)

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