This Sunday on #nerdland: Angelina, access to care, and apologies.
But first, Iran. For more than a year, the United States -- along with Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- has been negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program. If they are successful, it would be a historic moment -- a success both for Iran and the world powers, led by the U.S. The deadline to have a concrete framework for a deal in place is March 31. With the deadline looming, NBC White House correspondent Kristen Welker and author of “Going to Tehran” Hillary Mann Leverett join us to provide insight about the significance of this potential deal and some of the current challenges facing negotiators.
Then: her body, her choice, her story. This week, actor Angelina Jolie Pitt penned a New York Times op-ed piece detailing her decision to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed out of health concerns. This isn’t the first time that Jolie Pitt has taken to The Times to discuss her reproductive health. In fact, her 2013 New York Time’s op-ed, “My Medical Choice,” where she shared her decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy led to a “surge in demand for genetic testing.” The megastar’s words clearly have influence. Yet, although some of her fans have access to the same level of care, most do not. So is Angelina correct in writing, “it is possible to take control and tackle head-on any health issue”? Our panel will discuss this question and more.
In the second hour: race on campus. On Wednesday, Levi Pettit, one of the former University of Oklahoma SAE fraternity members who was caught on camera singing a racist chant spoke publically for the first time about the incident. After meeting with African-American clergy and civic leaders who Pettit said helped him understand the meaning behind the words he said on the bus, he spoke at a press conference where he apologized for the pain he has caused and his racist remarks. But his remarks raise questions about the role of apologies in racial healing. Who should be apologizing at OU? Are we looking for racial healing or racial justice? Our panel will explore these questions and many others.
And, TV Now in Color. Empire wore the crown this season. Period. With shows like Black-ish, Jane the Virgin on the CW, and the comedy Fresh Off the Boat rising in the ratings this season, it seems like television series are successfully embracing more diversity than years prior-- and audiences are responding.. and so are the critics. Our panel will discuss the trend of non-white actors in lead roles and the backlash to the Deadline article that gave Shonda Rhimes and our panel all the feelings! Panelists include:
- Kevin Fallon, senior entertainment reporter for The Daily Beast,
- Janet Mock, host of msnbc’s “So Popular!
- Jaeki Cho, music journalist, co-producer of the documentary “Bad Rap”
- Mychal Denzel Smith, contributing writer at TheNation.com
All that, plus, the Indiana government’s reaction to the state’s growing HIV epidemic and an update on the last-standing abortion clinic in Mississippi.
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.