Top Rank Magazine

On episode 42 we are joined by Mims — an artist, abolitionist, and facilitator based in Los Angeles, CA. Mims is the mind behind “Uncle Ronnie’s Room,” an art-driven campaign to mobilize the general public and media around the story of Ronald (Ronnie) Coleman Jr. and Carl Coleman’s wrongful conviction over 20 years ago. At 29 years old, Ronald Coleman Jr. was sentenced to two life sentences plus 65 years for a murder case that he was not involved in. Ronnie is currently incarcerated at Calhoun State Prison in Morgan, Georgia, where he has lost 22 years of his life and counting. Through exploring his childhood, Uncle Ronnie’s Room takes us deeper into who Ronnie is as a person, information about his case, and the impact his incarceration has had on his family. The work invites attendees to imagine what he could have done with 22 years of his life, creates space to collectively tap into spiritual and ancestral guidance, and questions the system at large. Learn more about the campaign and support here: https

This episode features our conversation with Destiny Mata, an NYC/San Antonio photographer and filmmaker whose work focuses on topics pertaining to subculture and community. Her photography book "The Way We Were" documents the alternative punks of color scene in NYC. Destiny is formerly the Director of Photography Programs at the Lower East Side Girls Club and her work has been published in Vogue, Vice’s Noisey, Vibe, The Source, and Mass Appeal. Her work has been exhibited on a multitude of occasions, including for the 2020 Photoville Festival, at the International Center of Photography, and at the Museum of the City of New York, to name just a few. Learn more about Destiny: http://www.destinymata.com Her book "The Way We Were" is available for purchase here https://www.theculturecrush.com/culture-crush-editions/the-way-we-were

Over the last decade, manifestation-based rhetorics to “love yourself,” “believe in yourself” and “feel good in your own skin” have become guiding social directives for people, and especially for women. We see these mantras in social media captions, advertising campaigns, and song lyrics that seem to promise that, through a confidence-based mindset, we will be able to transform our psychology, and therefore the material conditions of our lives. Though it may seem harmless, or even empowering, the tendency to emphasize individual agency over the structural conditions we exist within and through is perhaps the core component of a culture of neoliberalism that also permeates and drives almost every part of our society. We spoke with sociologists Shani Orgad and Rosalind Gill who are the minds behind "Confidence Culture," a new book that specifically examines how the entrenched social injustices of our time have been reframed as psychological blocks, and what this means for us. Shani Orgad is an associate pr

Celebrity culture thrives on granting us vicarious access to our favorite stars. But rarely on display are the paparazzi and reporters whose hidden labor makes the story happen. In "Manufacturing Celebrity: Latino Paparazzi and Women Reporters in Hollywood", anthropologist Dr. Vanessa Díaz brings us inside the world celebrity media production and reveals the complex racial and gendered power relations at play in the production of fame. On this episode, we are joined by Diaz, an interdisciplinary ethnographer, filmmaker, journalist & Assistant Professor of Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Learn more about Vanessa's research & book here https://manufacturingcelebritybook.com

We’re honored to have had the chance to interview a scholar whose work we’ve appreciated for a long time—lauded sociologist Jessie Daniels, who is a professor at Hunter College and CUNY Graduate Center and a faculty affiliate at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. She is an expert on racism’s manifestations in the media and online, as well as the author of several books, including “White Lies”—a look at white supremacist extremist groups' printed newsletters—and “Cyber Racism,” which examines the ways in which far-right extremism has come alive on the internet. For this episode, we spoke with Jessie about her newest publication—“Nice White Ladies: The Truth about White Supremacy, Our Role in It, and How We Can Help Dismantle It” (2021)—and how the ideological constructions of gender and whiteness are detrimentally wielded within America’s cultural mythology. Learn more about Jessie Daniels' work here: https://www.jessiedaniels.net

For our last episode of 2021, we shared a special conversation with artist, writer, and organizer Eilen Itzel Mena (@eilen.itzel.mena), whose interdisciplinary visual art practice synthesizes elements of Abstract Expressionism and Surrealism with spiritual frameworks of the African Diaspora. Eilen is co-director and creative collaborator for @_honeyandsmoke_—an artist community & platform that makes space for artists to meditate on the important themes of our time—and a principal member of @zealcoop, a Black artist cooperative, creative agency, and studio. We talked to Eilen about her upbringing between the Dominican Republic and NYC, the personal origins of her relationship to creativity, and the role of spirituality, ritual, and knowledge of self in how she’s navigating and finding purpose in her work. Visit Eilen's website: https://www.eilenitzelmena.com

The social media influencer is one of today’s most talked about and divisive figures. They represent the convergence of technology and the surveillance state with a consumer culture that encourages us to conceptualize our identities through market logic—each of us entrepreneurs within our own lifestyle brands. On our latest episode, we spoke with Anuli Akanegbu (@anuliwashere), anthropologist & NYU doctoral student, about the rise of the influencer marketing and its impact on contemporary culture. Anuli’s research examines how race and desirability factor into the success of Black-identifying social media content creators and influencers in the particular creative economy of Atlanta, GA. We talked with Anuli about how racism structures the industry, and about how the power of influencer culture may effect the future of labor itself. Check out Anuli’s podcast @BLKIRL where she digs into these topics even further. https://www.blkirl.com

Cosmetic surgery is one of the fastest growing medical procedures in the United States. According to 2019 figures from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the US has the highest number of cosmetic procedures conducted annually, as well as the largest number of practicing cosmetic surgeons, who are among this country's highest paid medical professionals. Cosmetic surgery is also a rapidly growing industry globally and countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Japan, and South Korea are sought after destinations for people seeking specialty procedures. Though highly variable according to context, aesthetic standards for beauty are always socially and politically constructed. In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Alka Menon, a medical sociologist and assistant professor at Yale University whose research centers on the relationship between the body and social identities, especially race and ethnicity, and how these ideas manifest in the realm of cosmetic surgery. How is cosmetic surgery enmeshed in the t

For our final episode of 2020, we welcomed a personal hero of both of ours—the trailblazing designer, entrepreneur, and thinker April Walker (@iamaprilwalker), who in the past three decades has been instrumental in shaping the industry and aesthetic category we now call “streetwear.” In 1987, Walker launched her custom clothing boutique, Fashion in Effect, out of her own home. The following year, she opened her first shop on Greene Avenue in Brooklyn, paving the way for the birth of her seminal ready-to-wear label, Walker Wear, adored by the likes of Aaliyah, Mike Tyson, Tupac Shakur, and the Notorious B.I.G., to name just a few. For our 34th episode, Walker shares snapshots from her experience bearing witness to the interconnected evolutions of Hip Hop and New York fashion, and explains why collective work and cooperative economics are crucial for inventing a different and better future for the fashion industry. https://www.instagram.com/iamaprilwalker/ https://www.instagram.com/Walkerwear/

As mega media companies merge, and social media platforms siphon us into echo chambers, independent content creation remains one of the most empowering aspects of our current moment. Those with access to a computer and wifi connection can develop and distribute their own media - and point of view - with a sense of urgency, creativity and scale that was once thought to be unimaginable. @lifewithjrdn is a writer, curator of the Instagram account @true_to_us and host of the podcast “Dating in NYC. Her work spans everything from lifestyle and fashion blogging, to bold IGTV videos on sex positivity and safety. Check out Jourdan's work http://www.lifewithjrdn.com/ https://www.instagram.com/lifewithjrdn/ https://www.instagram.com/datinginnycpod/ https://www.instagram.com/true_to_us/

It is impossible to separate the workings of the art world – and what these institutions deem valuable — with the compounding racist, sexist, and classist ideas that run through American society. For artists who identify with the pan-ethnic category of Latinx, institutional marginalization in the contemporary art world brings forth urgent questions around the politics of identity, the marketing of ethnicity, and the future of arts institutions. To unpack these dynamics, we spoke to cultural anthropologist and NYU professor Dr. Arlene Davila, about her new book, "Latinx Art: Artists, Markets and Politics" from Duke University Press. Our listeners get 30% off their purchase of "Latinx Art" on the Duke University Press website by using the code "E20DVILA" at checkout https://www.dukeupress.edu/latinx-art Follow Professor Davila on Twitter @ArleneDavila1

Tech is one of the biggest, fastest changing, and most in-demand industries in terms both of services and of jobs. It is also a fraught and largely yet-to-be traversed territory, that comes with many critical and even existential questions, from AI and automation to privacy and surveillance. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the role of technology in our lives into high relief, while also forcing us to totally reimagine the workplace, as countless careers are becoming remote, perhaps indefinitely. On this episode, we spoke with Jerelyn Rodriguez (@jerelyn_r) & Joe Carrano (@joeknows718), founders of The Knowledge House—an education organization in the Bronx that offers technical training and professional development to youth and young adults. Their programming provides students with the skills to pursue of range of careers in the tech industry, from data science to web design. Check out The Knowledge House at https://www.theknowledgehouse.org/ and on social media @TheKnowledgeHouse

Over the past few weeks, starting in Minneapolis and spreading across the US and the globe, people have taken to the streets to express their fury, grief and immense collective frustration at a broken system built upon genocide, exploitation, racial capitalism and police brutality—a system that has resisted the same demands for change over generations. We are in the midst of an enormous cultural shift in the ongoing struggle for liberation for Black people, as well as all people of color, and, as always, some of the most important work is being led by young people voicing their demands for the future. For our 30th episode, we spoke with Kiara Williams, Gaya Rajesh and Cindy Kamtchoum of Warriors in the Garden—a newly-founded collective of New York activists dedicated to nonviolent protest and combating police brutality and all forms of systemic oppression—about their take on the moment. Follow @warriorsinthegarden on IG to join the movement https://www.instagram.com/warriorsinthegarden/

We are all being watched. From our phones to our Facebook activity, our data is being collected—and, in many cases, sold—to target us with ads, predict our identities and interests, determine our credit worthiness, and even evaluate our propensity for commiting crimes. In the midst of a crucial moment in conversations about surveillance and public “safety,” we talked with Sareeta Amrute, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Washington and director of research at NYC think tank Data & Society, to discuss the history of the data and surveillance economies and what’s at stake now.

“Diversity”—in particular, the lack of it—has become a buzzword in the past two decades, especially within the realms of education, entertainment, and corporate America. Companies and institutions alike are spending millions of dollars on programs to make their ranks more inclusive and reflective of ever-shifting demographics. Yet, as journalist and professor Pamela Newkirk (@ptnewkirk) argues, diversity remains “conspicuously lacking” in these contexts, both despite of and, in some ways, because of the efforts to confront it. On this episode, we speak with Professor Newkirk about her new book “Diversity, Inc: The Failed Promise of a Billion-Dollar Business,” and the paradoxes, pitfalls and potential of business-driven approaches to rectifying social inequality. Check out Pamela Newkirk's book here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/pamela-newkirk/diversity-inc/9781568588230/ Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @ptnewkirk

If the ongoing COVID-19 crisis has unveiled anything, it is the sheer unsustainability of our contemporary conditions. Just a few weeks ago, life as we knew it was “normal,” but that sense of normal was a world already in crisis, in which the sustainability of life on Earth was being sacrificed again and again for capital gain. On this episode, we spoke with Whitney McGuire & Dominique Drakeford, founders of Sustainable Brooklyn, about the story behind their friendship and organization, and what sustainability means in these uncertain times. Check out Sustainable Brooklyn: https://www.sustainablebk.co/ @sustainablebk @whitneymcguire @dominiquedrakeford Follow the @toprankpodcast on SoundCloud and iTunes for more episodes

After a brief hiatus as we transitioned into this new year and decade, we are back in the booth with Jessica Lynne, a writer and cultural critic from coastal Virginia and co-founder of ARTS.BLACK, an online journal that publishes art criticism from Black perspectives. We spoke with Jess about the craft of criticism, the relationship between research, love and vulnerability, and the art of finding balance. Find Jessica online at @lynne_bias. https://www.jessicalynne.co/ https://arts.black/

Who has the power to write history and how has the digital age transformed this process? On this episode, we speak with Professor Maria Cotera about her approach to grassroots community history-making with the Chicana por mi Raza Digital Memory Collective, an ongoing Chicana feminist history project documenting the oral histories and personal archives of women across the U.S. We speak with Professor Cotera about the politics of producing knowledge, the role of social media in new modes of archiving, and practical tips for independent scholars interested in pursuing their own research. Professor Cotera is an Associate Professor in the Department of Women’s Studies and the American Culture Department at the University of Michigan. You can learn more about Chicana Por Mi Raza here: http://chicanapormiraza.org/about

Salome Asega is a NYC based artist, educator and researcher whose work engages with the intersection of technology, design and social justice. Currently, she is the Technology Fellow at the Ford Foundation's Creativity and Free Expression program area, and a director of Powrplnt, a digital art community organization for youth in Brooklyn. On this episode, we chat with Salome about her dynamic interdisciplinary career, how her childhood has shaped her practice, and the political urgency of deploying design principles to imagine a more just present & future. Keep up with Salome here http://www.salome.zone and on IG @computers_puting

On this episode, we spoke with our friends Mia & Danielle from the new podcast "New York's Loudest" about their passion and expertise in the cannabis industry. From chatting about our first experiences with weed, to diving into the debates surrounding its legalization, our discussion highlights the deeply personal & political stakes of cannabis use. Check out "New York's Loudest" across all platforms! http://theemeraldmagazine.com/new-yorks-loudest-podcast/