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Playlist: Commentary

Compiled By: [redacted] [redacted]

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Colorism

From New Visions, New Voices | Part of the My Mic is Hot with Michael Eric Dyson series | 02:59

In this commentary, Dyson addresses the historic biases with regard to lighter and darker complexioned blacks, and how best to move past the pathology of color bias.

Colorism3_small

Bill Dukes’ documentary Dark Girls, which recently aired on a cable network, raised the issue of colorism in America—an issue that Dyson came face-to-face with when a older black women at a convention “complimented” him on his light complexion. In this commentary, Dyson addresses the historic biases with regard to lighter and darker complexioned blacks, and how best to move past the pathology of color bias.

Prison Sentencing Disparities

From New Visions, New Voices | Part of the My Mic is Hot with Michael Eric Dyson series | 02:59

In this commentary, Dyson explores the reasons behind the disparity in prison sentencing between black and white men for the same crimes, and why it’s time to speak out against it.

Prisonsentence_small Whenever a media outlet features a segment about the disparate paths that Dyson and his brother Everett took—one a university professor and nationally recognized commentator and the other serving a life sentence in prison—he inevitably receives an e-mail from another black person saying that he shares that experience. In this commentary, Dyson explores the reasons behind the disparity in prison sentencing between black and white men for the same crimes, and why it’s time to speak out against it.

The Problem with MOOCs

From New Visions, New Voices | Part of the My Mic is Hot with Michael Eric Dyson series | 02:59

Depending on whom you ask in educational circles, MOOCs—massive open online courses—are either all the rage or a source of rage. They accommodate non-traditional students and offer access to lecturers at prestigious institutions, but, says Dyson, some familiar disparities between well-resourced universities and smaller schools resurface in the digital space.

Mooc-wordle_small Depending on whom you ask in educational circles, MOOCs—massive open online courses—are either all the rage or a source of rage. There are obvious benefits to a course offered online that aims for large-scale interaction and participation driven by open access of learning on the web. It seems tailor-made for non-traditional students who need maximal flex time and space to complete their education, and offers students at lower-tier schools greater access to lecturers at prestigious institutions. But, says Dyson, problems loom with MOOCs as well, and some familiar disparities between well-resourced universities and smaller schools and the education offered at these institutions resurface in the digital space.