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

White Supremacy Goes Back to the Crusades
Black Agenda Radio with Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
12 Nov 2019
🖨️ Print Article

The roots of western European anti-Blackness lie in the Middle Ages, in the Crusades to seize Arab lands, said Cord Whitaker, a professor at Wellesley College and author of “Black Metaphors: How Racism Emerged from Medieval Race-Thinking.” It was during this era that “you started to see the idea that darkness of skin, blackness, denoted potential evil,” said Whitaker. “It was still not the racial ideology we have today, but it was an important step in getting there.”

white supremacy

Related Podcasts

Patriot Front in DC
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Opposing Patriot Front and White Supremacist Groups
10 July 2026
Daryle Lamont Jenkins is founder of One People’s Project, which seeks to combat and exp
BAR Radio Logo
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Report June 19, 2026
19 June 2026
In this week’s segment, we discuss the increase in racist mob violence against Black and brown immigrants in Britain.
Burned Muslim owned business
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Racist Mob Attacks in Britain
19 June 2026
On June 8th, a knife attack in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the UK, was seen on video.

More Stories


  • Ajamu Baraka
    ​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist , Garland Nixon
    US Imperialism Has Set the Middle East on Fire
    18 Jun 2025
    Ajamu Baraka, Black Agenda Report Editor and Columnist, joins Garland Nixon to discuss Israel's aggression in West Asia and the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio June 13, 2025
    13 Jun 2025
    In this week’s segment, we hear about how a tornado impacted the Black community of St. Louis, which already suffered as a result of decades of destructive public policy. But first, we discuss…
  • Global March to Gaza
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Nkosi Mandela on the Global March to Gaza
    13 Jun 2025
    Our guest is Nkosi Mandela. He is the tribal chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council and the grandson of Nelson Mandela. He joins us from Johannesburg to discuss his work in solidarity with Palestine…
  • St. Louis after tornado
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    St. Louis Black Community Organizes Against Racist Policy and Tornado Impact
    13 Jun 2025
    Our guest is Christopher Gladney. He is president of the Northside Independent Neighborhood Association in St. Louis, Missouri. He joins us from St.
  • Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Solidarity Against ICE and the Entire State Apparatus
    11 Jun 2025
    Popular resistance against the Trump administration in Los Angeles and other cities is a very positive development and one that Black people must embrace.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us