Black Agenda Radio - 11.20.17

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: The people of Haiti remember a time when they had a real army, that fought against slavery and foreign oppression; U.S. prosecutors try to put hundreds of demonstrators in prison for breaking the same window; and, Mumia Abu Jamal writes a book that asks the question, “Have Black Lives Ever Mattered?”

But first, Democrats, corporate media and U.S. spy agencies have combined to make Russia the boogeyman for every crisis and failure of the United States. We spoke with Daniel Kovalik, a professor of human rights at the University of Pittsburgh, and author of the book, “The Plot to Scapegoat Russia.” We asked Kovalik, what’s the motive for scapegoating Russia, and who’se behind it?

Police in Haiti violently crushed protests against plans to reactivate the Haitian Army, which was abolished as a force of repression and corruption. However, over the weekend, many Haitians remembered when their country had a real army – one that fought for human liberation. Daoud Andre is a Brooklyn-based radio host and Haitian community activist.

In Washington, hundreds of demonstrators and journalists face long terms in prison for protests on the day in January when Donald Trump was sworn in as president. Chip Gibbons is policy counsel for the group, Defending Rights and Dissent. Gibbons says federal prosecutors seem intent on outlawing protest in the United States.

Also in the nation’s capital, activist Netfa Freeman represented the Black Alliance for Peace at a recent national conference of the Black Is Back Coalition, at Howard University.

Mumia Abu Jamal, the nation’s best known political prisoner, has a new book out. Supporters from around the country held parties to help Mumia launch his book, titled, “Have Black Lives Ever Mattered?”