Episode 30 — Jamal Joseph

Summary: Jamal Joseph is the guest. He is the author of the memoir PANTHER BABY, which details his coming of age within the Black Panther movement during the 1960s and '70s—a journey that took him to Riker's Island and Leavenworth prisons before ultimately leading him to his true calling in education, cinema, and the theater arts. Today, Joseph is the chair of Columbia University’s School of the Arts film division—the very school he exhorted students to burn down during one of his most famous speeches as a Panther. It's a truly incredible story. The book is due out from Algonquin on February 7, 2012. Topics of conversation include: Cuba, revolution, the Black Panthers, the IMPACT Repertory Theater, Huey Newton, police brutality, Malcolm X, Bobby Seale, father figures, Riker's, stress, insomnia, drugs, Dr. King, anger, betrayal, social change, Leavenworth, Afeni Shakur, Tupac Shakur, Sundance, James Schamus, Columbia, the Oscars, and love.