Black Agenda Radio

Black Agenda Radio 07.27.20

Welcome to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Margaret Kimberley, along with my co-host Glen Ford. Coming up: The Black Is Back Coalition will make freedom for all political prisoners the top item at its upcoming national conference. And, What is the meaning of Pan-Africanism today, in a post-colonial world?

 

But first—the entire planet remains in the grips of the Covid-19 contagion. The United States has fared worse than any other developed country, economically and in terms of loss of life. Everyone TALKS about how bad things are in the Age of Covid, but it’s even more crucial to ask, What KIND of crisis is this? We posed that question to Anthony Monteiro, the Philadelphia-based Duboisian scholar.

 

The Black Is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations holds its national conference on August 15 and 16. Coalition chairman Omali Yeshitela says the emphasis will be on the plight of political prisoners.

 

Many tens of millions of people of African descent live outside the Continent, but what does that mean, in political terms? We spoke with Jayne O. EE-FEK-WUN-EEG-WAY, a senior scholar at the Center for Genomics, Race, Identity and Difference at Duke University. She says the Africa connection means different things to different people.

Black Agenda Radio 07.20.20

Welcome to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Margaret Kimberley, along with my co-host Glen Ford. Coming up: a man born to imprisoned victims of a racist police vendetta recounts his life in the Move organization. And, today’s Black activists could learn something from the Maroons, who built communities of freedom outside the reach of the slave master,

 

Black nationalism is a potent political force, with studies showing that about half of Black Americans see themselves as a nation within a nation. Edward Oh-NAH-Chi teaches history at Ursinus College, and has written a book titled, “Free the Land: The Republic of New Afrika and the Pursuit of a Black Nation-State.” Onaci says there have been calls for a separate Black nation for generations.

 

Mike Africa was born in a Pennsylvania prison, a captive of the long Philadelphia police vendetta against the Move organization, in 1978. After for decades behind bars, all of the surviving Move members are now free, as Mike Africa explains.

 

In North and South America and the Caribbean, there is a long history of escaped slaves establishing their own communities in far-off swamps and mountains. Willie Jamaal Wright is a professor of Geography and Africana Studies at Rutgers University. Wright wrote an article titled, “The Morphology of Marronage,” which explores the history of the people we call Maroons.

Black Agenda Radio 07.13.20

Welcome to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Margaret Kimberley, along with my co-host Glen Ford.  Coming up: the Green Party gears up to take on the two corporate parties in November. And, the Movement for a Peoples Party plans to be on the presidential ballot in 2024, but its members are in the streets, today.

 

But first – by some measures, the current movement against police brutality is the largest political movement ever seen in the United States. But Clarence Taylor, a professor emeritus of history at Baruch College, in New York City, reminds us that brutal, repressive cops have been part of Americana for most of the nation’s history. Professor Taylor has written a book, titled, “Fight the Power: African Americans and the Long History of Police Brutality in New York City.”

When the corporate Democrats defeated Bernie Sanders’ first race for president, in 2016, a number of Sanders’ supporters left the Deocratic Party entirely, and formed the Movement for a People’s Party. Nick Brana is National coordinator for the M.P.P. Now Bernie Sanders has been forced out of the presidential race once again. We asked Nick Brana if Sander’s second defeat has resulted in a boost in recruitment for the People’s Party movement.

The Green Party held its national convention this weekend, and nominated party co-founder Howie Hawkins as their presidential candidate. Angela Walker, a Black activist from Milwaukee, is Hawkins’ vice presidential running mate. 

 

Black Agenda Report’s Margaret Kimberley is a Green Party activist, and BAR editor and columnist Ajamu Baraka was the Green’s vice presidential candidate in 2016. Both Kimberley and Baraka spoke at the Party convention. First, Margaret Kimberley.

Black Agenda Radio 07.06.20

Welcome to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and
analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Margaret Kimberley, along with my co-host
Glen Ford. Coming up: The Black Alliance for Peace steps up its campaign to get the
U.S. military out of Africa; a scholar takes a look at Kwaito music and young people’s
politics in South Africa; and, a new article celebrates the life and work of James Cone,
the father of Black Liberation Theology.
But first – the U.S. political establishment is still reeling from the nationwide wave of
demonstrations that followed the police killing of George Floyd. We spoke with Monifa
Bandele, a veteran activist from Brooklyn, New York, who sits on the policy table of the
Movement for Black Lives. Bandele says the ongoing protests are the result of years of
organizing.

The United States military has a larger presence on the African continent than Britain
and France at the height of their colonial empires. The Black Alliance for Peace is
escalating its campaign against AFRICOM, the U.S. Military Command in Africa, which
is active in almost every nation on the continent. Alliance activist Tunde Osazua points
out that AFRICOM’s first big mission was the regime change attack on Libya, in 2011.

Dr. James Cone, the world-renowned theologian, died two years ago, but his work
continues to influence Black political thinking. Matt Harris is a PhD candidate at the

University of California, at Santa Barbara. Harris co-authored an article titled, "In the
Hope That They Can Make Their Own Future: James H. Cone and the Third World."
Harris says Cone is considered the father of Black liberation theology.

In South Africa, “kwaito” music is wildly popular with young people – just as is hip hop
among Black American youth. Xavier Livermon is a professor of African Diaspora
Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He’s spent years studying the kwaito music
phenomenon, and written a book, titled ““Kwaito Bodies: Remastering Space and
Subjectivity in Post-Apartheid South Africa.” Professor Livermon says Kwaito music has
had a profound effect on South Afrian youth, whose 21 st century politics is quite different
than the young people who rose up against white minority rule in Soweto in 1976.

Black Agenda Radio - 06.29.20

 Welcome to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Margaret Kimberley, along with my co-host Glen Ford. Coming up: A segment of Black America has long been obsessed with promoting images or spokespersons that are positive representations of “The Race.” But, has that ever worked as a Black strategy for empowerment? And, a scholar says it’s vital that everybody read, but warns that lots of western literature is bad for your mental and political health.

 

But first – In the wake of last month’s huge George Floyd protests, polls show that majorities of white people now agree that Blacks don’t get the justice they deserve in the United States. But, what about fairness in housing, health care, employment, and all other aspects of life? Amson Hagan is a PhD candidate in anthropology at the University of North Carolina. Hagan’s made a study of “deservingness” – what kinds of people Americans think deserve humanitarian care.

Black people – or, at least, some Black folks – have long invested a great deal of energy in putting forward a positive image to properly “represent” African Americans to the rest of the world. Dr. Brenna Greer is a professor of Social Sciences and History at Wellesley College. Greer has authored a book, titled, “Represented: The Black Imagemakers Who Reimagined African American Citizenship.” Many Blacks thought Bill Cosby, the comedian and millionaire, was an excellent image for Black America – until he was convicted on sex charges. Dr. Greer has some thoughts about Cosby and Black “representation.”

The massive demonstrations against police racism that rocked the United States have also had a profound impact in Canada. Aparna Mistra Tarc is a professor of Education at York University, in Toronto. Dr. Tarc has written a book, titled, “Literacy of the Other: Renarrating Humanity.” She says, it’s not only a good time to protest, but also to get in some serious reading.

Black Agenda Radio - 06.22.20

Welcome to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Margaret Kimberley, along with my co-host Glen Ford. Coming up: It started in Baltimore, but now it seems that the government has spy planes over at least 15 U.S. cities; a Black scholar examines the role that rage plays in Black politics; and, we’ll take a look at the long history of African Americans’ engagement with the people of Haiti.

But first – the current wave of Black-led protests are the largest and most sustained since the 1960s. Joshua Myers teaches Africana Studies at Howard University. He’s author of the book, “We Are Worth Fighting For: A History of the Howard University Student Protest of 1989.” Dr. Myers rejects the idea that the current protests are unique to this particular moment in history.

RAGE is one of the engines that has kept the current wave of protests going, week after week. Nicholas Brady teaches Africana Studies at Bucknell University. 

It’s been revealed that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security deployed airplanes, helicopters and drones over at least 15 cities to spy on the latest wave of public protests. The U.S. military isn’t supposed to back up local police without specific presidential authorization. Police spies in the skies are nothing new to the majority Black city of Baltimore. A police spy plane was discovered operating in secret four years ago. Now it openly spies on the public, as Vanessa Beck reported to a Zoom conference of her organization, the Black Alliance for Peace.

Haiti has seen wave after wave of popular protest against a succession of governments imposed on Haiti by the United States. African Americans have had a close relationship to the people of Haiti since the island’s slaves revolted and declared independence in 1804. We spoke with Vanderbilt University professor Brandon Byrd, who’s written a book entitled, “The Black Republic:: African Americans and the Fate of Haiti.”

 

Black Agenda Radio - 06.15.20

Welcome to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Margaret Kimberley, along with my co-host Glen Ford. Coming up: Black athletes earn billions of dollars for colleges, but who’s looking out for their interests? And -- solidarity. A veteran political organizer explains the meaning of the word.

 

But first – activists have been confronting local governments across the nation with lists of demands, mostly involving the police. Max Rameau is with Pan-African Community Action, which is calling for community control of the police In Washington DC. We asked Rameau why proposals to DEFUND the police have gotten so much more press coverage than community control.

Ajamu Baraka, national organizer for the Black Alliance for Peace, recently appeared on q podcast for Code Pink, the anti-war organization. Baraka agreed that U.S. advocates for peace overseas must also focus on police terror at home.

Bresha Meadows was 14 years old when she shot her abusive father to death in their home in Warren, Ohio. Meadows was threatened with trial for murder as an adult. Her case was championed by a number of criminal justice reform groups, including the organization called Survived and Punished. Ms. Meadows was allowed to plea to involuntary manslaughter charges, and was sentenced to a year in juvenile detention and six months in a mental health facility.  Bresha Meadows is now 18 years old, free, and looking forward to her future.

Dr. Gabby Yearwood is a socio-cultural anthropologist at the University of Texas at Austin. He recently authored an article titled, “Playing Without Power: Black Male NC-double-A Student Athletes Living With Structural Racism.” We asked Dr. Yearwood, Can’t a bunch of big, muscular, star athletes take care of themselves?

 

 

Black Agenda Radio - 06.08.20

Welcome to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Margaret Kimberley, along with my co-host Glen Ford. Coming up: Among the demands on protesters lips and signs is Community Control of the Police. And, there’s nothing new about debates over the use of violence to get justice. A century and a half ago, some folks preached that the struggle against slavery should be non-violent.

But first – in some cities, protesters have zeroed in on corporations that have gotten too cozy with the police. We spoke with Dr. Brittany Friedman, a professor of sociology specializing in Race and Rights at Rutgers University.

Dr. Johnny Williams teaches at Trinity College, in Harford, Connecticut. He blames a self-serving Black leadership for selling out the poor.

The demand for community control of the police drew a thousand activists to Chicago, last fall. The conference was organized by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, chaired by veteran activist Frank Chapman. He says community control of police is a demand whose time has come.

It took thousands of atrocities, mass killings and other outrages by slaveholders before some white abolitionists finally recognized the necessity of violence to overthrow the system. Professor Jesse Olavsky is an historian at Duke University, and a scholar on resistance to slavery. She wrote a recent article about “Women, Vigilance Committees, and the Rise of Militant Abolitionism.

Black Agenda Radio - 06.01.20

 Welcome to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Margaret Kimberley, along with my co-host Glen Ford. Coming up: The civil rights movement was not totally non-violent, certainly not in bloody Mississippi. An imprisoned former Black Panther battles Covid-19. And, Black women’s rights to control their own bodies are still under assault, a century and half after slavery. 

 

But first – It’s feeling much like the 1960s in America, with protests and clashes with police in scores of cities in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, in Minneapolis. One of those protests, in Newark, New Jersey, was led by Larry Hamm, chairman of the Peoples Organization for Progress. Larry Hamm is also running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Cory Booker. Hamm has been endorsed by Dr. Cornel West, the activist and public intellectual.

The U.S. civil rights movement may have been led by proponents of non-violence, but Black folks in Mississippi believed in defending themselves from racist attack. Akinyele Umoja is a professor of African American Studies at Georgia State University, and author of the book, "We Will Shoot Back: Armed Resistance and the Mississippi Freedom Movement.” In fact, he says most Black families in rural areas of the South owned guns.

Jalil Muntaqim is a former member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. Muntaqim has been behind bars for almost half a century, repeatedly denied parole. Now he’s battling Covid-19 in a New York prison hospital. For the latest on Muntaqim’s condition, we spoke with Jihad Abdulmumit, chair of the Jericho Movement

Slavery may have been abolished more than a century ago, but Black women still battle for the right to full ownership of their own bodies. Jill Morrison is director of the Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship at Georgetown University, where she is a law professor. Morrison has written an article titled "Resuscitating the Black Body: Reproductive Justice as Resistance to the State’s Property Interest in Black Women’s Reproductive Capacity." 

Black Agenda Radio - 05.26.20

Welcome to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Margaret Kimberley, along with my co-host, Glen Ford. Coming up: A British Black activist remembers the Combahee River Collective, an historic gathering of Black feminists; an African scholar examines why the continent is still not free of foreign domination; and, Mumia Abu Jamal says the Covid-19 epidemic has laid bare the weakness of U.S. institutions.

The Black Is Back Coalition is marking its 11th year of activism by holding a school on Electoral Politics, via ZOOM, on June 13th and 14th. The Electoral School has become a kind of legacy program of the Coalition, according to Black Is Back chairman Omali Yeshitela.

U.S. prisons are hot-spots for the Coronavirus, with many of the nation’s two million prisoners on lockdown. Mumia Abu Jamal is North America’s best known political prisoner. He says the whole country was left naked to the contagion.

Black people from across the African diaspora this weekend celebrated African Liberation Day. But the African continent is still not free. We spoke to Ndubuisi Christian Ani, a scholar at the Institute for Security Studies, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Suryia Nayal is Black feminist activist, trade unionist, psychoanalytic therapist, and Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Salford in Great Britain. Dr. Nayak recently wrote a paper on the Combahee River Collective and its continued importance to Black feminism, worldwide.