Author Archives: Alondra Nelson
After Obamacare
Americans of all hues expressed surprise when Barack Obama was elected four years ago (and again last year), with many candidly remarking that they never thought they would live to see the day when the United States would be led … Continue reading
CSPAN Event: Gender, Sexuality, and the 2012 Elections
Reblogged from Madlawprofessor’s Weblog: NEW YORK, NY Friday, November 9, 2012 Columbia University hosted a discussion on women’s issues in this year’s election and how those issues may be addressed during the upcoming Congress. Panelists focused on women’s health, reproductive … Continue reading
On the Sociology of Genealogy
I am thrilled to be working with the venerable Beacon Press on my next book, The Social Life of DNA. This book is a sociological look at genealogy (and so much more!). I am interested in why genetic genealogy has … Continue reading
The Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the Black Panther Party
Today is the 39th 40th anniversary of the revelation of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. On July 25, 1972, Associated Press reporter Jean Heller disclosed in the New York Times that the United States Public Health Service had been conducting a … Continue reading
Doing Good Works: Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Troy Duster
I had the great honor of interviewing the trailblazing sociologist Troy Duster for Public Culture. Our conversation covers much of Duster’s extraordinary life trajectory, from his childhood on the South Side of Chicago, to his interactions with notable scholars, including … Continue reading
BOSTON REVIEW Interviews Alondra Nelson: The Black Panthers Versus the Medical Industry
The Black Panthers Versus the Medical Industry An Interview with Alondra Nelson by Gina Mitchell | Boston Review Prevailing narratives of the Black Panther Party have focused almost exclusively on its militant advocacy. In Body and Soul: The Black Panther … Continue reading
Healthcare and the 99%
Healthcare and the 99 Percent The Occupy movement has been a mostly peaceful campaign. But it has not been without drama, ranging from the protesters’ riotous parade of signage to their raucous street theater. Prior to the violent turn of … Continue reading
Crowdsourcing the Black Panther Party
I sat down recently for an interview with Minh-ha Pham, one-half of the ingenious Threadbared project. Our conversation was inspired by one of the many artful (and now iconic) images of the Black Panther Party taken by the award-winning social-realist … Continue reading
Black Berets, White Coats : The Black Panther Party for Medical Self-Defense
Black Berets, White Coats :The Black Panther Party for Medical Self-Defense The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, founded 45 years ago this month by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, is generally remembered for its black berets, revolutionary rhetoric and shootouts … Continue reading
Derrick Bell: Mourning and Missing a Mentor
I am deeply saddened by the passing of the committed scholar-activist Derrick Bell on October 5, 2011 at the age of 80. Professor Bell was never my teacher in a formal sense. He nevertheless had a profound influence on me. … Continue reading
