Discourse matters. This week, President Obama caught flak for making a concerted effort not to use terms like “Muslim” or “Islamic” when describing ISIS and its allies. Instead, the President opted for phrases like “countering violent extremism” and insisted that we are not at war with Islam. This Sunday, we’ll discuss why the discourse around this topic matters – both domestically and internationally. We’ll also revisit the tragic murders of the three University of North Carolina Muslim students and discuss how the discourse of it being a “parking dispute” rather than a “hate crime” matters to the Muslim community and even the justice system. Our panel includes:
- Imam Khalid Latif, executive director and chaplain of The Islamic Center at NYU
- Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, senior minister of Middle Collegiate Church
- David Tafuri, former State Department official
- Amaney Jamal, associate professor of Politics at Princeton University and author of “Of Empires and Citizens: Pro-American Democracy or No Democracy at All?”
- Sherman Jackson, director of Center for Islamic Thought, Culture and Practice at USC
Then, millennials: You can hate ’em or love ’em but you better get used to ’em! They will soon be the largest generation in American history. And they are coming to visit us old GenXers in nerdland to share their goals, concerns, and hopes for the future. Y’all ready to have this conversation or nah? Check out these interesting reads about millennials:
- This year, Millennials will overtake Baby Boomers
- Millennials Rewrite The Census For A Better Sense Of Selfie
- The Stunning Evolution of Millennials: They’ve Become the Ben Franklin Generation
- These Are Your Millennials, America
- Generation Nice: The Millennials Are Generation Nice
- Millennials: The Greatest Generation or the Most Narcissistic?
Not so flawless? Why are we fascinated with leaked untouched photos of women celebrities? And why do so many of us feel the pressure to look perfect and present unrealistic images of ourselves? Just ahead of the beautiful people strutting down the red carpet this Sunday for the Academy Awards, we’re going to talk beauty. Vanessa K. De Luca, editor in chief of Essence Magazine and Thuy Linh Tu, associate professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University joins us.
All that, plus, a look at the controversy over AP History in Oklahoma, a one-on-one interview with Mayor Aja Brown of Compton, and the director of “Little Ballers”- a documentary following four 11 year old basketball players.
Be sure to read what we’ve linked above, and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Sunday at 10am ET on msnbc. Join the conversation—share your thoughts about these issues on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.
Victoria Asbury