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June 8, 2016 The Skanner Page 7 Arts & Entertainment Sharma Sets Sights on Hillary, Poised to Make History appeared in the New Republic, UPI, AP, Real Clear Politics, Raw Story, Asia Times and numer- ous other newspapers. Here, he discusses his new book, “The Global Hillary: Women’s Politi- cal Leadership in Cultur- al Contexts.” Kam Williams: Hi Dinesh, thanks for the in- terview. Dinesh Sharma: Hillary Clinton with Dinesh Sharma By Kam Williams For The Skanner News D inesh Sharma is a social scientist, marketing con- sultant and an ac- claimed author with a doctorate from Harvard University. He is an As- sociate Research Profes- sor at the Institute for Global Cultural Studies at SUNY-Binghamton; an adjunct Professor in Or- ganizational Psychology at Fordham University; and a senior fellow at the Institute for Internation- al and Cross-Cultural Re- search in New York City. Dr. Sharma’s biography of the 44th President of the United States, enti- tled “Barack Obama in Hawaii and Indonesia: The Making of a Global President,” was rated as among the Top 10 Books of Black History for 2012 by the American Library Association, Book List Online. His next book, “The Global Obama,” was published by Rout- ledge Press and received Honorable Mention on this critic’s Ten Best Black Books of 2014 as published by the Afri- can-American Literary Book Club (AALBC) and widely syndicated across the country. Sharma’s recent arti- cles and opinions have Review cont’d from pg 6 Dr,. Warrington Avery (Kevin Willmott). He suggests that African Americans attempt to colonize Mars, and turn the red planet into a vir- tual utopia where they will be entirely free from white oppression. And wouldn’t you know, a spaceship has already been built and George Washington Carver (George Forbes) has developed an atomic rocket fuel made from peanuts and sweet po- tatoes. The crew volun- teering for the maiden voyage consists of Dr. Avery, his daughter Be- neatha (Danielle Cooper) and their pilot, Captain Race Johnson (Tosin Mo- rohunfola). The three astronauts blastof, travel through space and eventually crash on the surface of what they believe to be a distant star. However, only ater christening it “Planet Negro,” do they gradually come to realize that they’ve time-trav- eled to the future and landed back on Earth in present-day Kansas City. There, the trio is in for quite an awakening, be- tween discovering that the United States has an African American pres- ident and that Blacks now use the “N-word” as a term of endearment. “Where we come from, that’s what they call you right before they kill you,” Dr. Avery explains to B-12 (Trai Byers), a rap- per ostensibly oblivious of the slur’s ugly legacy. Written and directed by and starring Kevin Willmott, Destination Planet Negro is a goofy spoof of the B-movie genre that’s basically played for laughs. Yet, it simultaneously serves as a sophisticated sat- ire that makes some thought-provoking ob- servations about Amer- ican culture `along the way. In that regard, it is reminiscent of Will- mott’s own C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, a brilliant, al- ternate-reality comedy which speculated about what the country would be like today if the South had won the Civil War. As for Destination Plan- et Negro, it’s also highly recommended, provided you’re in the mood for a campy, low-budget sci-i whose cheesy special ef- fects are more than ofset by a profusion of insight- ful social statements. Excellent HHHH Unrated Running time: 98 min. Distributor: Candy Fac- tory Films Thanks, Kam, for this op- portunity to speak with you about my new book. irst woman candidate, pretty close to securing the nomination. KW: What about Hil- lary Clinton interested you enough to edit a book about her global image? DS: I think she is by far the most qualiied person running for the White House right now -- Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, First Lady -- who also happens to be the KW: Tell me where you got the idea for “The Global Hillary.” DS: This is a follow-up to “The Global Obama” book which you re- viewed. The same pub- lisher, Routledge Press, wanted me to write a book about Hillary Clin- ton’s leadership. KW: How would you describe the main thesis of this opus? DS: In this book, we explore the linkage be- tween “Smart Power” and Hillary Clinton’s leadership style. Can she advance American lead- ership and women’s de- velopment worldwide? “The Global Hillary” ad- dresses these questions See SHARMA on page 11