Black Agenda Radio - 02.13.17

Welcome, to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Glen Ford, along with my co-host, Nellie Bailey. Coming up: Activists plan to counter President Trump’s threatened crackdown on so-called “sanctuary cities,” by expanding the movement to resist unjust laws and government repression; and, prison abolitionists say the U.S. system of mass incarceration is a continuation of old time slavery. They plan a Millions March for Prisoners Human Rights, in Washington, DC, this summer.

Donald Trump’s ban on refugees and visitors from seven mostly Muslim countries is a reflexion of the new president’s larger vision of who should be an American, according to author and activist Arun Kundnani. Kundnani recently wrote an article titled “Recharging the Batteries of Whiteness: Trump’s New Racial Identity Politics.” But, Trump’s anti-Muslim policies are nothing new. Kundnani says the seven targeted countries had already been singled out for special treatment under the Obama administration.

President Trump has long threatened to crack down on so-called “sanctuary cities” that refuse to collaborate in the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. However, rather than go on the defensive, activists are vowing to broaden the sanctuary movement beyond immigration issues. According to Sue Udry, executive director of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, the movement will be expanded to include resistance to other forms of state repression.

Anti-mass incarceration activists from across the country will converge on Washington, DC, on August 19 th , for a Millions for Prisoners Human Rights March. Black Agenda Radio producer Kyle Fraser spoke with one of the organizers: Brother Dee, of the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee and Jailhouse Lawyers Speak. Brother Dee prefers not to give his full name, to avoid retribution by the authorities. He explained what the march in August is all about.

And that it’s for this edition of Black Agenda Radio. Be sure to visit us at BlackAgendaReport.com, where you’ll find a new and provocative issue, each Wednesday. That’s www.BlackAgendaReport.com. It’s the place for news, commentary and analysis, from the Black Left.