Black Agenda Radio

Black Agenda Radio - 09.09.19

 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: The Green Party will hold a national conference on Eco-Socialism, this month in Chicago; The FBI’s dreaded Watch List is ruled unconstitutional in a federal court; and, we’ll hear about the method behind the madness of the whole arbitrary system of book banning in the U.S. Prison Gulag.

The rapper known as Jay-Z started out as a dope dealer in Brooklyn, went on to become a billionaire in the entertainment business, and was soon hob-nobbing in circles of wealth and power. Jay-Z recently interjected himself into the controversy over football players that refuse to honor the Star Spangled Banner anthem, in protest of police killings of Blacks. We spoke with Louis Jefferson, an activist from San Jose, California, who wrote a poem critical of Jay-Z that appeared in Black Agenda Report. It was titled, “Anthem 4 Rappers Wrapped in the Flag.” Some speculate that Jay-Z cut his deal to advise and provide entertainment services to the National Football League as part of a scheme to eventually own an NFL team. But Jefferson sees a larger political picture.

Green Party is gearing up for a national conference on Eco-Socialism, to be held in Chicago, September 28th. Anita Rios is co-chair of the Green Party National Committee.

Black Agenda Report executive editor Glen Ford says the United States is always making lists of nations to make war against, or people to silence and incarcerate.

Prisons are constantly banning the books and periodicals that inmates are allowed to read, for what seems like the most arbitrary of reasons and often with no explanation at all. Many activists make the comparison with slavery, when it was a crime for enslaved people to read. We spoke with Britanny Friedman, a professor of Sociology at Rutgers University, specializing in criminal justice.

Donte Mitchell is a prisoner of the State of New York. He sees a Great Contradiction in the whole mass incarceration system.

 

Black Agenda Radio - 09.02.19

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: Why are Muslims always part of the story when a mass shooting occurs, even when a white American is the perpetrator? We’ll discuss that question. And, Black women from across the Diaspora have produced an important book on Gender Studies in Africa

A bill that would require all students in the California state university system to pass a course in Ethnic Studies before graduating has been put on hold after meeting fierce opposition. Dr. Gilda Ochoa, a professor of Chicano/Latino Studies at Pomona College, was a key player in pushing for the legislation. Ochoa and her brother Enrique wrote an article calling for passage of the Ethnic Studies bill. She’s not happy that it’s been sidelined.

 Most mass shootings in the United States are committed by white men. But Dr. Maha Hilal, co-director of the Justice for Muslims Collective, and an organizer with Witness Against Torture, says even when the perpetrators of mass murder are white, Muslims are somehow brought into the discussion. Dr. Hilal wrote an article for Truthout, titled “Leave Muslims Out of This. Let’s Discuss White Violence on It’s Own Terms.”

 Cheryl Rodriquez is co-editor of a fascinating new book, titled “TransAtlantic Feminism: Women and Gender Studies in Africa.” Roderiguez’s co-editors are drawn from a range of countries in the African Diaspora, including Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, and Uganda. She says Black people are always seen as “the enemy” in the U.S. 

Black Agenda Radio - 08.26.19

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: Is it Colin Kaepernick versus Jay-Z, or rich capitalists versus a Black movement against racist police killings? And, white supremacist gunmen have slaughtered hundreds of people in the U.S. in recent decades, prompting some to demand extra powers for the FBI. But does the Bureau really want to catch the racist bad guys? We’ll explore that issue.

Three months ago, four U.S. activists were arrested for occupying the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, with the express permission of the Venezuelan government, after the Trump administration recognized the pro-coup politician Juan Guaido as that nation’s leader. The four Americans face up to a year in jail and heavy fines, if convicted. One of them is Kevin Zeese, a co-founder of Popular Resistance. We asked Zeese how the case is going.

 Black Twitter has been buzzing about rapper Jay-Z’s recently announced collaboration with the owners of professional football. Jay-Z cut a deal to produce entertainment for the NFL and to consult on League racial policies. The move is widely seen as a betrayal of sidelined player Colin Kaepernick. We spoke with James Hill Jr., a writer and doctoral candidate at Northwestern University, who two years ago wrote an article for Black Agenda Report about Kaepernick and his “take a knee” initiative. Hill has some thoughts on the Jay-Z deal.

The constant drumbeat of mass shootings, many of them carried out by white supremacists, has prompted some people to call for giving enhanced powers to the FBI. But civil liberties activists disagree. Chip Gibbons is with the advocacy group, Defending Human Rights and Dissent. Gibbons says the FBI has plenty of authority to investigate and cause the prosecution of violent white supremacists, but chooses not to do so.

Black Agenda Radio - 08.19.19

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: We’ll take a look at the state of racism in Hollywood, and find out if Atlanta really is the Mecca for Black film-makers. And, When liberals call Donald Trump “un-American,” aren’t they playing the same chauvenist game as he is?

The Black Is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations held its national conference in St. Louis, this month. The Coalition was formed ten years ago, during Barack Obama’s first year in the White House. Black Agenda Report executive editor Glen Ford is a co-founder of Black Is Back.

That was BAR executive editor Glen Ford. Omali Yeshitela is chairman of the Black Is Back Coalition, which is made up of a diverse group of radical Black organizations. Yeshitela is also the leader of the African People’s Socialist Party, which has long been intimately involved with the African liberation movement.

President Trump’s rhetoric gets raunchier by the day, as the 2020 election draws near. Some of Trump’s critics seem to think that calling him “un-American” is an effective argument. But political analyst William C. Anderson doesn’t think so. Anderson recently wrote an article for TruthOut titled, “Using Patriotism to Deflect Racism is a Deadly Mistake.”

Hollywood is a lot Blacker than it used to be, but that’s not saying much. Most Hollywood studios still work on the assumption that movies geared to Black audiences don’t make much money. Maryann Erigha is a Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at the University of Georgia. She’s got a new book out, titled “Hollywood Jim Crow: The Racial Politics of the Movie Industry.”

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. 

 

 

 

Black Agenda Radio - 08.05.19

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: The Black Alliance for Peace demands that elected officials tell us where they stand on militarism and endless war; a Black scholar defends Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s description of immigrant detention centers as “concentration camps”; and, we’ll examine the changing relationship between African Americans and the Mother Continent.

August 9th marks the 5th anniversary of the day Mike Brown was shot to death by a white policeman in Ferguson, Missouri, setting off national revulsion against killer cops and the criminal injustice system. Activists in cities around the country are commemorating the events that spawned the Black Lives Matter movement. In Newark, New Jersey, the public library will host a day of activities on August 14th, in hopes of spurring renewed social activism. Zayid Muhammad is with N-CAP, Newark Communities for Accountable Policing.

 Black office-holders are about to be put on notice, that their support for U.S. imperial crimes around the world goes against the grain of the pro-peace tradition in Black America. Ajamu Baraka, of the Black Alliance for Peace, says both corporate parties try to keep U.S. foreign policy out of the political debate. The Alliance is demanding that elected officials go on record on issues of war and peace.

Freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, known as AOC, came under savage attack when she described detention centers for immigrants as “concentration camps.” But Zoe Samudzi, co-author of the book, “As Black As Resistance,” says AOC is correct in broadening the popular discussion about the various ways that targeted groups are contained and controlled. Samudzi’s latest essay is titled, “Policing the Borders of Suffering.” She says no ethnic group has a monopoly on terms like “genocide” and “concentration camp.”

Nemata Blyden is a professor of History and International Affairs at George Washington University, and author of the book, “African Americans and Africa: A New History.” Blyden has a unique perspective on the subject. She was born in Sierra Leone, West Africa, the descendant of a renowned Pan Africanist and an African American mother. Professor Blyden talks about her book.

 

 

 

Black Agenda Radio - 07.29.19

 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: Newark, New Jersey throws a party for Mumia Abu Jamal’s latest book; Mumia. The nation’s best known political prisoner, offers his journalistic analysis of Joe Biden’s worthiness for president; and, the Socialist Action Party’s candidate tells us why HE ought to be president.

Dr. Gerald Horne is Professor of History and African American studies at University of Houston, and possibly Black America’s most prolific living political writer. One of his latest books is “US Imperialism and Anti-Communism vs. Liberation of Southern Africa, from Rhodes to Mandela.” Chapter Two is titled, “US Lays the Foundation for Apartheid – 1906 to 1930.” The United State DID create the world’s first totally racially regimented society, in the Jim Crow South. But, did the US lay the “foundation” for South African apartheid? Dr. Horne explains.

 At the Source of Knowledge bookstore in Newark, New Jersey, veterans of the Black Panther Party organized a hugely successful roundtable discussion of the new book by Mumia Abu Jamal and his co-author, Steven Vittoria. It’s titled, “Murder Incorporated,” and it’s in three parts. The second volume, with a focus on US imperialism, was just released. One of the speakers at the roundtable was Todd Steven Burroughs, author of a number of books, and co-author of “Correcting Manning Marable’s Malcolm X.” Burroughs is also a biographer of Mumia Abu Jamal.

The nation’s best known political prisoner is a lifelong journalist. Mumia Abu Jamal files this report for Prison Radio. It’s called “Biden his time.”

The Democrats and Republicans, the two corporate parties, aren’t the only ones fielding presidential candidates. Jeff Mackler is running on the Socialist Action Party ticket.

Black Agenda Radio - 07.22.19

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: Black victims of police lawlessness keep piling up, year after year, yet almost all the officers involved get off with no punishment whatsoever. We’ll talk with an activist about impunity for killer cops. Nellie Bailey gets the real story on why record numbers of Puerto Ricans have been in the streets. And, I’ll have a report on the history of America as a White Man’s Country.

William C. Anderson is a prolific writer, whose latest article in Truthout is titled, “Reparations is One Step in a Long Fight to End Racial Capitalism.” Lots of Democratic presidential candidates have endorsed the principle of Black American Reparations. But they all have different ideas on what shape reparations should take. Anderson says its up to Black people to craft demands for reparations, and the subject is not open to debate. Black people are owed, period.

Why Accountability, New York, is determined to make killer cops accountable for their crimes. Shannon Jones is an activist in Why Accountability. She and others last week marked a host of unpunished deaths at the hands of police, including Sandra Bland, in Texas, four years ago, and Eric Garner, five years ago, in Staten Island, New York. Neither of the cops involved was indicted. Jones talks about impunity and killer cops.Record Breaking Puerto crowds have been demanding the resignation of that island colony’s governor, Ricardo Rosello. To explain why Puerto Ricans are protesting, we spoke with activist Danny Vila, Labor Coordinator, Sisa Patiki Cultures and Labor Center, in Queens, New York.  He says Puerto Rican have a multitude of grievances. But what set it of,f was a chat thread

Black Agenda Radio - 07.15.19

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: The United States is picking a fight with the two other big powers in the world, China and Russia. But, is the US overplaying its imperial hand? We’ll get an assessment from Dr. Anthony Monteiro. And, two women from the MOVE organization have been released from prison after 41 years behind bars. We’ll have details on their home-coming celebrations.

 Reparations is a hot topic in the Democratic presidential race. Although reparations has always been part of the African American agenda, only recently have mainstream white politicians endorsed the concept. The Burning Spear, the newspaper of the African People’s Socialist Party, recently re-released a radio documentary of the 1982 World Tribunal on Reparations to Black People, held in New York City. One of the featured speakers was Afeni Shakur, the former Black Panther and mother of Hip Hop legend, Tupac Shakur. Here’s her testimony, from 37 years ago.

 That was Afeni Shakur, the former Black Panther and member of the New York 21. Also speaking at that 1982 World Tribunal on Reparations to Black People, was Job Mashariki, of Black Veterans for Social Justice.

The 1982 World Tribunal on Reparations to Black People was organized by the African People’s Socialist Party, whose chairman--  then, and now -- is Omali Yeshitela. The politics of that era was deeply influenced by Malcolm X and others who urged Blacks to take their case against the United States to an international arena. Omali Yeshitela explains.

Both the Democrats and the Republicans seem intent on waging never-ending hostilities against the two other major powers on the planet: China and Russia, which have responded to US pressures by forming an even closer alliance. For an geopolitical analysis, we turned to Dr. Anthony Monteiro, the Duboisian scholar based in Philadelphia.

Two of the MOVE organization’s political prisoners have been released on parole after 41 years of incarceration. Janet Africa and Janine Africa are part of the MOVE 9, imprisoned in the death of a Philadelphia policeman, in 1978. Mumia Abu Jamal, who was also imprisoned in the death of a cop, has helped arrange a New York City welcome for Janet and Janine Africa. Activist Gwen DeBrow gives us some background on the MOVE organization.

 Four of the US activists that defended the Venezuelan embassy in Washington from takeover by Donald Trump’s hand-picked puppets, face up to a year in prison. Glen Ford has this report.

Black Agenda Radio - 07.08.19

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. This is one of the most difficult shows we have ever done, coming in the wake of the death of Bruce Dixon, a co-founder of Black Agenda Report. We’ll have comments and commentary by his colleagues. A committee in Congress has been collecting powerful testimony on the need for Reparations for the descendants of enslaved persons in the United States.  And, Mumia Abu Jamal confronts the soul-chilling fact that he may be going blind.

 Bruce Dixon, the managing editor of Black Agenda Report, was scheduled to speak at a number of panels at the Left Forum, the yearly conference of left-wing activists in New York City. However, Dixon succumbed to blood cancer only days before the event. The entire conference was in mourning for Dixon, the former Black Panther and lifelong activist who co-founded BAR in 2006, and was a key force in the Green Party. BAR executive editor Glen Ford remembered his comrade.

 That was BAR executive editor Glen Ford. Margaret Kimberley is an editor and senior columnist of Black Agenda Report. She and Glen Ford co-founded the publication along with Bruce Dixon, 13 years ago. Kimberley paid her respects to Dixon. She also found some comic relief in the antics of New York City mayor Bill De Blasio, who is one of the 20-something Democratic candidates for president. At the debates in Miami, De Blasio seemed to be channeling the ghost of Che Guevera.

 Danny Haiphong is a regular contributor to BAR, and co-author of a new book, titled, “American Exceptionalism and American Innocence: A People’s History of Fake News, From the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror. Haiphong was part of the BAR panel at the Left Forum. He began with some words on the dearly departed Bruce Dixon.

That was BAR contributor Danny Haiphong. BAR executive editor Glen Ford followed Haihong on the panel. He talked about why its necessary to have publications like Black Agenda Report.

 Back in 1989, Congressman John Conyers first introduced his bill calling for a study of the question of reparations for the Black descendants of people enslaved in the United States. The HR 40 legislation languished with few co-sponsors for decades. But this year, reparations is an issue in the Democratic presidential race, and co-sponsors are popping up all over the place. Plus, HR 40 now has a companion bill in the U.S. Senate, which means it is finally a serious piece of legislation. Last week, the House committee holding hearings on reparations heard from Katrina Browne, who produced and directed the Emmy-nominated film, “Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North.”

Mumia Abut Jamal, the nations best known political prisoner, has been incarcerated by the state of Pennsylvania for the past 39 years in the death of a Philadelphia policeman. Abu Jamal has suffered a number of health crises due to atrocious medical treatment in prison, including a battle with Hepatitis C contracted in prison and left untreated for years. Now the prolific author and journalist is losing his sight. He files this report for Prison Radio. It’s titled, “Walking in the Dark.”