The New Dark Age

by BAR executive editor Glen Ford
On November 5 and 6, a coalition of Black organizations will put forward a 19-point National Agenda for Self-Determination, to chart a pathway to real democracy and freedom. “Every central demand, every strategy of struggle, must be formulated with the goal of self-determination in mind.” Otherwise, the movement will be “drowned in reformist schemes and projects that bind Black people even more tightly to structures of outside control.”

Freedom Rider: Henry Louis Gates’ $10 Million Scam
by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by executive editor Glen Ford
The range of “speakable” political subjects is dwindling fast in the U.S. Even billionaire Donald Trump is treated as beyond the pale when he speaks of a “’global elite’ that has ‘stripped’ the U.S. of its wealth in order to line the pockets of corporate and political interests.” The New York Times calls that “anti-Semitic,” while Wikileaks is slimed as a stooge of Russian intelligence for reproducing Hillary Clinton’s own words.

by Benjamin Woods
Black America has always revered education as a stairway to progress, but the data show that “education has not created social mobility for Black people, and it has done little to close the Black-white wage gap.” Black millennials put far less trust in the U.S. electoral system, but are open to the kind of “clear, bold and intersectional policy demands” put forward in the Vision for Black Lives policy platform.

by BAR Editor and Columnist Dr. Marsha Adebayo
The Freedom Charter, the socialist document that united South Africans in the battle against apartheid, has become the focus of a new wave of activism among the nation’s students. Protests have shut down most of the country’s universities. “Activists are demanding that the mining industry and the profits from the minerals of South Africa be invested in the future of Black youth.”

by Ann Garrison
The man most responsible for the death of six million Congolese – the worst genocide since World War Two – holds periodic celebrations in cities all around the world to celebrate the accomplishments of his regime. Rwandan President Paul Kagame is armed, financed and protected by the United States. When Kagame showed up in San Francisco last month, the author was there to mark the occasion.

by Oscar Wailoo
Hillary Clinton is right; she does have the experience to be a U.S. president: a track record in slaughtering unlimited numbers of people. Donald Trump, the bombastic, “utterly cold psychopath,” is also well suited to the American presidency. He would build walls and set loose the police. The Americans deserve to be inflicted with Trump, so they can “get a taste of what other countries have had to accept at their own country’s hand.”

by Solomon Comissiong
The Democrats and Republicans are both proven evils. “Donald Trump is a devoted racist and xenophobe and Hillary Clinton is an imperialist who has a track record of destroying human life.” Now if the time for Black people to “take possession of the politics within our communities and put forth our own revolutionary candidates who represent our collective interests.”

Europe is in crisis, and yet countries in East Africa are ready to sign on a poorly understood trade agreement with the EU whose overall impact will be disastrous for years to come. The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) will favor trade in the direction of Europe and stunt African progress. Tanzania has hesitated and called for public debate. Tanzania should provide the bold leadership required in the region to reject the EPA.

If Trump is a Fascist, What is Clinton?
Speaking to a gathering of the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, in Atlanta, Black Agenda Report executive editor Glen Ford challenged those who maintain that progressives are obligated to support Hillary Clinton for president to counter a “fascist” threat from Donald Trump. “I’d like to know how Donald Trump is supposed to build fascism when the ruling class is mostly with the Democrats this election season,” said Ford. “If you are worried about 21st century fascism, you need to check out the tent where the ruling class congregates — and that’s Hillary’s tent. Most of all, if you’re looking for fascists, go to the sound of the war drums” — which are also pounding in Hillary’s tent. For voters that are looking for a real anti-fascist and pro-peace presidential ticket, the only choice on the ballot in most states is Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka of the Green Party, said Ford.

In Some States, 20 to 25 Percent of Blacks Disenfranchised by Felonies
A new report by The Sentencing Project shows that six million Americans have been disenfranchised because of felony convictions, with huge consequences for Black America. In four states — Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia — one out of every four or five African Americans has lost the right to vote. “These are states with high rates of incarceration and, as is true in every state, the rate of incarceration of African Americans dwarfs that of whites, usually by about a five to one ratio,” said Project executive director Marc Mauer. “The combined effect of high rates of incarceration and the fact that many, if not most, of the people who have completed their sentences are still disenfranchised means that it is a lifetime ban.” Mauer said the U.S. stands alone among industrialized countries in its zeal to disenfranchise ex-felons. “Nothing we know of comes close to this.”

Black Agenda Radio on the Progressive Radio Network is hosted by Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey. A new edition of the program airs every Monday at 11:00am ET on PRN. Length: one hour.