This week, the Ebola virus claimed its first victim on American soil. Thomas Eric Duncan, who had been fighting the illness at a Dallas hospital, passed away on Wednesday. Several U.S. airports will start screening passengers travelling from Ebola-stricken countries in West Africa as concern over the spread of the disease into the country remains high. In Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the virus is “entrenched and accelerating” according to the World Health Organization, and on Thursday 100 US marines landed at Roberts Airport in Monrovia bringing the total number of US Military personnel there up to 300. We’ll talk to GRITtv’s Laura Flanders and Dr. Corey Herbert at the top of Melissa Harris-Perry on Saturday.
Next, the “Weekend of Resistance” in Ferguson, MO, is in full swing as thousands have shown up for marches, teach-ins and panel discussions aimed at curbing police violence. After a summer in which “overpolicing” of protests in Ferguson was the source of widespread condemnation, how will law-enforcement and municipal authorities react to the new protests? And what do the protesters hope to achieve once the weekend has come and gone?We are live with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Trymaine Lee from St. Louis for an update. Also in the studio for the discussion are The Nation’s Mychal Denzel Smith and #nerdland regular Elon James White.
On Wednesday, 200 Students walked out of class in Philadelphia schools to show support for teachers who had their union contract terminated by the School Reform Commission earlier in the week. Journalist Daniel Denvir has covered the Philly school crisis extensively, including his most recent piece in The Nation entitled "How to Destroy a Public School System," and he joins us to explain what’s going on in the City of Brotherly Love.
Then, do you have feelings about Raven-Symoné telling Oprah Winfrey that she does not want to be labeled African-American? Rutgers professor Brittney Cooper shared some thoughts earlier this week in Salon, and she joins Michael Skolnik Editor in Chief at Global Grind, author Cora Daniels and Jill Filipovic, senior political director for Cosmopolitan.com for a discussion about self-identification and language.
And then, her body, her choice! Jennifer Lawrence is speaking up in Vanity Fair about the theft of her private photos this summer and isn't mincing words. “It is a sex crime” she says, “I didn't tell you that you could look at my naked body.” In contrasting those comments with the photos of Lawrence included in the magazine issue, J-Law makes a really important distinction about shame and about consent. Host Melissa Harris-Perry and our panel will unpack some of the implications.
Finally, Evolution of a Criminal. Filmmaker Darius Clark Monroe’s autobiographical documentary takes a look at how, at age 16, he ended up executing a bank robbery which would land him a five year prison sentence.
Be sure to read what we've linked above and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday at 10:00 a.m. ET on MSNBC! Also, don’t forget to join on us on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.