Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire
  • omnibus

Glen Ford, Presente!
Nellie Bailey
04 Aug 2021
Glen Ford, Presente!
Glen Ford, Presente!

Glen Ford was deeply committed to liberating people everywhere. 

Marxist Glen Ford never wavered from his core belief of self-determination for oppressed nations and the struggles of working people around the world dehumanized by U.S. imperialism, a geopolitical  paradigm for  global domination. Its ruthless and terrifying destruction of Iraq shocked the civilized world. On the domestic front, deindustrialization and corporate trade agreements plunged the middle and working class into an austerity abyss.  This political quagmire demanded a capitalist reset to shore up a collapsing empire in fear of a restless populace weary of wars that cost billions of dollars and countless deaths. Enter into this foray the $1 billion presidential campaign that mesmerized Black folks of every political stripe. Ironically, it was the Obama campaign that led me to reach out to Glen  in 2007.  

I held the unpopular position that Obama was the brown face of U.S. imperialism.  The popularly held notion that Obama gave Black people a wink and a nod belied the reality of the racist U.S. empire.  Glen agreed to participate in a community forum entitled: “Is Obama Good for Black People”, a debate between Glen and Amiri Baraka, an outspoken supporter of Obama. An enthusiastic and overwhelmingly young audience cheered Glen. That was the beginning of my 13-year membership with the BAR family.

Few are aware of Glen’s support  for our anti-gentrification resistance campaign against predatory capital that decimated Black and Brown neighborhoods. He met with the tenant president of a seven-building complex that housed over 1,700 units of rent regulated housing.  Glen stood with us against Columbia University's $6 billion expansion that displaced hundreds of low income families. In 2012, he protested with us against Obama's self-serving appearance at the Apollo theater.

What I loved most about Glen was his unconditional love for Black people and our liberation struggles founded on the Black Radical Tradition.  He taught us that revolutionary nationalism was not antithetical to Marxism.  

In every brilliant analysis, Glen engaged readers and his audience in the battle of ideas as a path for clarity of analysis centered around anti-imperialist doctrines.  History will absolve our movement around the world. 

Thank you Glen for your shining light of wisdom and love. You left us too soon. I will remember you forever! 

Glen Ford, Presente!

Nellie Bailey is Former Co-host, Black Agenda Radio and Organizer, Black Agenda Events

Glen Ford

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles. Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


Related Stories

A Tribute to Glen Ford
BAR Editors
A Tribute to Glen Ford
02 August 2023
"What would Glen Ford say?" That question is one which we often ask ourselves two years after his passing. Glen was extremely prescient, so much so
Glen Ford's Irreplaceable Journalism
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
Glen Ford's Irreplaceable Journalism
27 July 2022
I was very proud to write the preface to Glen Ford's book, The Black
The Lies of Empire: Don’t Believe a Word They Say
Glen Ford , BAR executive editor
The Lies of Empire: Don’t Believe a Word They Say
27 July 2022
The U.S. reprises Iraq, inventing a WMD threat from Syria.
Glen Ford's Journalism Fought for Black Liberation and Against Imperialism
Margaret Kimberley, BAR senior columnist
Glen Ford's Journalism Fought for Black Liberation and Against Imperialism
04 August 2021
Ford was among the few journalists who took a stance for Black liberation and against imperialism.
Glen Ford: A Remarkable Revolutionary
Danny Haiphong , BAR contributor
Glen Ford: A Remarkable Revolutionary
04 August 2021
Glen Ford was a revolutionary in all that he did.
“Greetings! Power to the People!”  In the Words of Glen Ford
Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
“Greetings! Power to the People!” In the Words of Glen Ford
04 August 2021
The struggle for his life didn't dissuade Glen Ford from struggling with and for others.
Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor
Glen Ford and the Black Radical Critical Tradition
04 August 2021
Glen Ford carried on his devotion to the liberation struggle until the end of his life.
Glen Ford: Revolutionary, Friend, Leader, Lover of Black People
Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, BAR editor and columnist
Glen Ford: Revolutionary, Friend, Leader, Lover of Black People
04 August 2021
The brilliant writer was also a dear friend and mentor.
Glen Ford: In Memoriam
Peter James Hudson and Jemima Pierre
Glen Ford: In Memoriam
04 August 2021
Glen Ford's persona and dedication inspired analysis and created many friendships.
Nia Ford
Power to the people!
04 August 2021
Glen Ford’s daughter explains his lifelong commitment to Black people.

More Stories


  • Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Ryan Coogler, Shedeur Sanders, Karmelo Anthony, and Rodney Hinton, Jr
    07 May 2025
    Black people who are among the rich and famous garner praise and love, and so do those who are in distress. But concerns for the masses of people and their struggles are often missing.
  • Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    LETTER: Thank you, Mr. Howe, Ama Ata Aidoo, 1967
    07 May 2025
    Ama Ata Aidoo lands a knock-out blow to white neocolonial anti-African revisionism.
  • Jon Jeter
    The Only Language the White Settler Speaks: Ohio Police Say Grieving Black Father Avenges Son’s Slaying By Killing One of Theirs
    07 May 2025
    The killing of Timothy Thomas in 2001 ignited Cincinnati’s long-simmering tensions over police violence. This struggle continues today, forcing a painful question: When justice is denied, does…
  • Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    DOGE— Department Of Grifter Enrichment
    07 May 2025
    "DOGE— Department Of Grifter Enrichment" is the latest from BAR's Poet-in-Residence.
  • Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Brittany Friedman’s Book, “Carceral Apartheid”
    07 May 2025
    In this series, we ask acclaimed authors to answer five questions about their book. This week’s featured author is Brittany Friedman. Friedman is assistant professor of sociology at the University of…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us