Friday, 11 February 2022 — Black Agenda Report

Eric Adams’ Black on Black Crime
The mass incarceration state was built to lock up as many Black people as possible and discussion of even modest reforms is shut down. Such was the case in New York where the mayor and police commissioner smeared Manhattan’s district attorney, forcing him to backtrack on his campaign promise of reducing the number of prison sentences. The Black face rises to the high place because of adherence to white supremacist ideology.

SPEECH: (Re)Centring African Epistemologies: An Intellectual Journey, Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí, 2021.
Nigerian scholar Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí’s speech upon acceptance of the African Studies Association’s Distinguished Africanist Award offers an important reminder of the role of racist and sexist hierarchy in the organization of knowledge of Africa.

Left-Right White Solidarity Basis of Support for U.S./EU/NATO Wars on Global Humanity
The current crisis in Ukraine had its beginnings in 2014, when the U.S. allied itself with right wing, white supremacist forces to overthrow an elected government. Supposed leftists in this country were largely silent about the danger and were themselves supportive of white supremacist politics carried out by the U.S. and its NATO partners.

Eight times the United States Has Used Biological and Chemical Weapons Since WWII
U.S. accusations of human rights abuses elsewhere ring hollow. In addition to coups, invasions, sanctions, proxy wars and other forms of interference, there are eight documented instances of biological and chemical weapons use by the United States. WMDs are an American specialty.

Activist Journalist Frank Sterling on Trial
A KPFA reporter experienced violent encounters with police in Antioch, California and advocates on behalf of others. The chief of police has moved on to another city but victims of abuse have not received justice.

Gridiron gods and theirVoodoo? and Move African-American History Month to Black August?
The latest from BAR’s poet in residence.

BAR Book Forum: Interview with Taija Mars McDougall
This week’s featured scholar is Taija Mars McDougall. McDougall is a PhD candidate in Culture and Theory at the University of California, Irvine. Their article is “Left Out: Notes on Absence, Nothingness and the Black Prisoner Theorist. ”

The US Political Elite Gives Cover to the Brutal US Police State
The US political elite and their elite press are using the fraudulent claims about a “crime wave” as an ideological offensive, a backlash, against the large-scale protest movements over the past few years.

The Black Alliance for Peace Condemns the “America COMPETES Act”
The America COMPETES Act passed by the House of Representatives is a futile effort to “contain” China, and a de facto attack on that country.

How Lebanon Exploits Migrant Workers
The kafala system allows residents to bring workers into Lebanon, where they are often abused and overworked with no recourse to protection under labor laws. African women are particularly vulnerable to mistreatment.

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Has a New Corporate Megadonor
Amazon donated $1.7 million to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation last year as it faced allegations of illegal anti-union work. The Foundation is a slush fund that supports the Black political class as they do the bidding of the oligarchy.

Mexico Has Become a “Roofless Prison” for Haitian Refugees—With Biden’s Help
Thousands of migrants are trapped at the border as the United States and Mexico crack down on deportations—under Biden’s policies, many will be expelled.