17 September 2020 — Black Agenda Report

Freedom Rider: Democrats’ Climate Change Lies 

Margaret Kimberley, BAR senior columnist
The Republicans lie about the harm they do to the planet, and the Democrats lie and pretend they’re not doing the very same things.

Tribute to Kevin Zeese: Life and Loss in the Struggle for Liberation 

Danny Haiphong , BAR contributor
Zeese never wavered in his opposition to the corporate duopoly, white supremacy, and the forces of militarism.

Will a Biden Foreign Policy Make a Difference for the World? 

Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
For the people of the world the real fascism of anti-democratic, brutal regimes supported by the U.S., murderous sanctions, and right-wing coups will continue unabated.

Fourteen Martyrs in the Struggle Against Racist Terror and Trumpism-Fascism 

Paul Street
Their names are not as familiar as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, but these victims have paid the ultimate price, dying in the line of anti-racist and anti-fascist citizenship duty.

1st 100 Days— Portland   

Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
I have a friend—some- time bandmate—Daily… Whining, wringing his hands. Distressed and depressed—

The Great White Heist 

Michael Harriot
Just because enslaving and stealing labor from Black people was perfectly legal prior to 1868, America should not get to ignore descendants of the people who supplied this nation with 246 years of free labor.

Letters from Our Readers 

Jahan Choudhry, BAR Comments Editor
This week Ibram X. Kendi, Toussaint Louverture, community control of the police, and the trial of Julian Assange were on your minds.

BAR Book Forum: “Books I Teach” 

Nada Mustafa Ali
Students of all ages can share the experiences of women from the slum margins of Nairobi and young female shapeshifters at a Detroit homeless shelter.

BAR Book Forum: Samantha Pinto’s Book, “Infamous Bodies” 

Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
The author examines the lives of five Black female historical figures and challenges some deeply-held ideas about Black women in politics

First and Foremost, Malcolm X Was “Black Minded” 

Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
If he were alive today, Malcolm X “would be a harsh and clear critic of everything that’s happening” under the Black Lives Matter banner, said Michael Sawyer, a professor of Race, Ethnicity, and Migration Studies at Colorado College, and author of a new book, titled “Black Minded: The Political Philosophy of Malcolm X.” Prof, Sawyer believes Malcolm would be most interested in “following the money,” to determine what forces are attempting to direct the course of events.

Capitalism and Racism Entwined

Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
“There’s long been a recognition of this intertwining of slavery, white supremacy, racism and capitalism,” said Dr. Gerald Horne, the professor of History and African American Studies whose latest book is titled, “The Dawning of the Apocalypse: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, Settler Colonialism, and Capitalism in the Long Sixteenth Century.” If the idea behind the term “racial capitalism” is to “punctuate capitalism with an exclamation point, I have no problem with it,” said Horne.

Only Community Control Can Stop Police Atrocities 

Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
A Minneapolis judge is moving forward with jury selection in the 2nd degree murder trial of the cop that killed George Floyd. Ai the height of protests, Minneapolis city council members vowed to disband the local police force. However, “there’s nothing being disbanded, dismantled or defunded, unfortunately, at this time,” said Sam Martinez, of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar Clark, a young Black man killed by cops five years ago. “We let the community know that what happened to George Floyd wasn’t going to stop unless the community has control of the police,” said Martinez.

Black Agenda Report Presents: The Left Lens