Johnny Cash and Richard Nixon / plus Ndaba Mandela

This time on Peace Talks Radio, a conversation with Sara Dosa, who

co-directed the Netflix film "Tricky Dick and The Man in Black." In the

late 1960's and early 1970's, the divisions in the United States over the

Vietnam War and the civil rights movement brought the youth of America in

conflict with longstanding social and political norms. The Richard Nixon

administration sought to ingratiate itself to both the youth culture and

the Deep South by trying to recruit the favor of music star Johnny Cash.

Cash, nicknamed “The Man In Black”, was invited to perform at the Nixon

White House. Nixon wanted him to play stereotypical country favorites

that he didn’t even write. But Cash's social consciousness was being lit

by anti-establishment rock music performers like Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

The struggle in Cash's heart and the resultant song choices at the

concert are at the core of the documentary. It is Part One of the

hour-long episode.

In Part Two of the hour-long version, conversations about how the legacy

of Nelson Mandela might inspire today’s African leaders? Reporter Judy

Goldberg leads a panel that explores history, identity and power

structures embedded in the strategies to move Africans towards

sustainability and independence. Guests are Ndaba Mandela, mentor,

political consultant and grandson of Nelson Mandela; Andrew Nalani,

educational designer/evaluator who promotes positive youth development,

and Teddy Warria, entrepreneur, author, and collaborator with Ndaba

Mandela to transform leadership in Africa. This segment was made possible

in part by the Bartos Institute. Recorded at the United World

College-USA’s Migration and Belonging

Conference, 2019.