Black Agenda Radio - 08.12.19

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: Venezuelans welcome a delegation of Black peace advocates from the United States; we’ll get an assessment on what’s really going on in the strife-torn African nation of Sudan; and, Why are Black women in the U.S. so much more likely to die while giving childbirth?

Slavery in the U.S. wasn’t just a system of exploitation. It was a regime of terror. Kellie Jackson teaches African American Studies at Wellesley College. Jackson’s new book is called “Force and Freedom, Back Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence.” We asked Jackson if the book’s title might raise ‘red flags’ among the powers that be.

A delegation from the Black Alliance for Peace recently returned from Venezuela, where they were honored for helping protect the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington from being handed over to supporters of Juan Guaido, the right-wing politician that was hand-picked as president by the Trump administration. Netfa Freeman was part of the Black Alliance for Peace delegation.

The African nation of Sudan may soon be run by a transitional government made up of both civilians and military leaders. Long-time strongman Omar al-Bashir was ousted from power in a military coup, in April, and hundreds of people demanding democracy were killed by soldiers. We spoke with Akmed Kadouda, a PhD candidate and researcher at George Washington University, and a native of Sudan.

Black women in the United States die in childbirth at three times the rate of white women. Donna Eye-eeen Davis is Director of the Center for the Study of Women and Society at the City University of New York. Davis is author of the book, “Reproductive Injustice: Racism, Pregnancy and Premature Birth”. She says “Black Women’s reprodocution sits a the intersection of medical control and racism.