Wednesday, 14 December 2022 — Black Agenda Report

Brittney Griner and the U.S. State
Margaret Kimberley
Brittney Griner’s ordeal in Russia is over. But she has been secreted away for “reintegration” and the U.S. continues its own brand of international hostage taking.

ESSAY: Negroes Speak of War, Langston Hughes, 1933
Editors, The Black Agenda Review
What benefits do Black folk get by endorsing or participating in the white man’s war? Revisiting an anti-war statement by Langston Hughes.

On International Human Rights Day: Money for Ukraine and War But Austerity for the People
Ajamu Baraka
The U.S. does not respect the right to health care, housing, employment, or education while making war on the rest of the world. What does the idea of human rights amount to in this country?

Ghost Stories of Capitalism: Racism is REAL, and It’s a Class Struggle
Danny Haiphong
From culture wars to identity politics, it’s easy to get sucked into toxic rhetoric and forget the reality of racism staring the US in the face.

If the US Told Rwanda and Uganda to Get Out of Congo, the War Would End
Ann Garrison
Rwanda and Uganda continue their plunder and destabilization of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as proxies of the United States.

Where do they all come from???
Raymond Nat Turner
The latest from BAR’s poet in residence.

BAR Book Forum: Lara Sheehi and Stephen Sheehi’s Book, “Psychoanalysis Under Occupation”
Roberto Sirvent
This week’s featured authors are Lara Sheehi and Stephen Sheehi. Lara Sheehi is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at the George Washington University Professional Psychology program.  Stephen Sheehi is the Sultan Qaboos Professor of Middle East Studies and Director of the Decolonizing Humanities Project at William & Mary, where he is also Professor of Arabic Studies in the Asian and Middle East Studies Program, Arabic Program, and Asian and Pacific Islander American Studies Program. Their book is Psychoanalysis Under Occupation: Practicing Resistance in Palestine.

BAR Book Forum: Robyn Maynard and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s “Rehearsals for Living”
Roberto Sirvent
This week’s featured authors are Robyn Maynard and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. Maynard is an award-winning Black feminist scholar-activist based in Toronto, and the author of the national bestseller Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present. Simpson is a renowned Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar, writer and artist, who has been widely recognized as one of the most compelling Indigenous voices of her generation. Their book is Rehearsals for Living.

As UK Premier Polishes His “Brand Rishi” Image, the Country Slides Into Recession
Nizar K. Visram
It may seem noteworthy that the UK Prime Minister is of Indian ancestry and a Hindu. It isn’t surprising when one considers that Rishi Sunak is richer than the king. He acts on behalf of his class and should not be celebrated when governmental austerity has created so much suffering.

We Charge Imperialism: The International People’s Tribunal on U.S. Imperialism: Sanctions, Blockades, and Economic Coercive Measures
Helyeh Doutaghi, Nina Farnia
The International People’s Tribunal on U.S. Imperialism will convene in 2023. This position paper describes how sanctions are used as a tool of imperialism.

Zionism is Canada’s Sacred Cow
Laith Marouf
The Canadian government has embarked on a project to disappear any anti-Zionist narratives and to discredit anyone who expresses them. The Zionist project is now treated as if it were a “protected group.”

Africa and the World Cup
Gus Griffin
The quadrennial football World Cup is the focus of worldwide attention. But African nations have fewer opportunities to participate, and Morocco’s success has made it the favorite of the African diaspora. The World Cup and other international sporting events are opportunities for celebration but also for “sports washing” that hides international inequalities.

U.S.-Based Africans Organize Events to Counter Biden Administration’s U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit
Julie Varughese
The African diaspora gathered for events in Washington DC to counter the claims of U.S. concern for African nations before the U.S. African Leaders Summit.

Alex Saab, Venezuelan Political Prisoner on Trial in Miami, Refuses to “Sing”
Roger D. Harris
Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab was kidnapped by the U.S. in 2020 and is still in custody. An evidentiary hearing is taking place to determine if the country that constantly speaks of a “rules based order” will be forced to abide by international law and free its hostage.

Invitations for a Seat at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Table Should Not Only Be Rejected, the Table Needs Turning Over!
Black Alliance for Peace
The 2022 U.S. African Leaders Summit is the latest effort by Washington to exert influence on a continent where it habitually thwarts democracy, sovereignty, and true independence for 54 nations.

Rain of Sanctions Augurs U.S.-Prodded Regime Change in Haiti from Musseau to Montana
Travis Ross
U.S. and Canadian sanctions against Haitians are a signal that a new Core Group regime change plot is underway.

Sanctions: A Wrecking Ball in a Global Economy
Dee Knight
A new book, Sanctions: A Wrecking Ball in a Global Economy, analyses unilateral coercive measures, sanctions, which are war by other means waged by the U.S. against millions of people around the world.

Israel and the Rise of Jewish Fascism
Chris Hedges
The mask is being lifted from the face of Israel’s apartheid state, exposing a grinning death’s head that portends the obliteration of the few restraints against killing Palestinians.