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

Black Agenda Radio for Week of July 20, 2015
21 Jul 2015
🖨️ Print Article

Mumia “May Have Been Poisoned”

Six months after Mumia Abu Jamal nearly died from diabetic shock, the nation’s best known political prisoner’s underlying illness has yet to be diagnosed, said Dr. Johanna Fernandez, a professor of history at New York City’s Baruch College and member of Educators for Mumia. Abu Jamal’s maddeningly itching skin has turned a leathery black, and his output of commentaries and analysis for Prison Radio “has diminished significantly,” said Fernandez, who fears Mumia is suffering a “deeper, systemic problem” or “may have been poisoned.” Nevertheless, “Mumia is delighted and inspired by the movement against police violence that has emerged in the country,” and will continue to speak out “from the belly of the beast.” That’s why, she said, “over and over, the state has tried to silence and kill him.”

Obama’s Recent “Epiphanies” on U.S. Racism

President Obama’s recent discovery that “racism is part of the DNA of this country” was sparked by a need to reposition himself in the wake of the Charleston massacre and “the resistance that is growing among African people in this country,” said Omali Yeshitela, chairman of the Black Is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations. The Coalition is gearing up for a national conference, in Philadelphia, August 22 and 23, with a focus on Black community control of police, a stance that Yeshitela believes “resonates with Black people” and can put the struggle firmly on the road to self-determination.

TPP is a Black Issue

“Any agreement that has a detrimental impact on workers anywhere, is a Black issue,” said Ajamu Baraka, veteran human rights activist and editor and columnist for Black Agenda Report. “We are the victims of this global capitalist economy, and so we have solidarity and responsibilities to people in other parts of the world,” Baraka told Solomon Comissiong, of Your World News. President Obama’s proposed Trans Pacific Partnership is “specifically a Black issue because one can’t understand the objective material conditions in places like Baltimore, Detroit, Gary, Indiana, and South Bend, Michigan, without connecting these conditions to the transformation of the U.S. economy” by deindustrialization – which will further intensify under TPP.

Black Agenda Radio on the Progressive Radio Network is hosted by Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey. A new edition of the program airs every Monday at 11:00am ET on PRN. Length: One hour.



Your browser does not support the audio element.

listen
http://blackagendaradio.podbean.com/mf/web/wtvz7c/BAR_072015.mp3

More Stories


  • African Court of Human and Peoples Rights
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Judicial Sovereignty for Congo and Africa
    26 Mar 2025
    Western courts have imposed imperial justice on Africa, but African courts promise judicial sovereignty.
  • Jon Jeter
    In Complying With Trump’s Demands to Crack Down on Free Speech, Columbia Confesses That Money, Not Education, Is Its Goal
    26 Mar 2025
    Columbia University quickly rolled over for the Trump administration’s demands to suppress pro-Palestinian protests, pulling back the thin veil of liberal academic freedom.
  • Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Chasing Chuck Tumor's testicular cancer—or building Resistance to Stage 4 Capitalism?
    26 Mar 2025
    "Chase Chuck Tumor's testicular cancer—or build Resistance to Stage 4 Capitalism?" is the latest from BAR's Poet-in-Residence
  • Clau O'Brien Moscoso
    As Elections Near, Ecuador's Working Poor and Colonized under Siege - Part 2
    26 Mar 2025
    Ecuador was once a safe country with some of the best economic prospects in the region. Today, Ecuador has a nearly 500% increase in violent crimes and a marginalized population of poor, African, and…
  • Jacqueline Luqman
    It Is Time To Reckon With The Reactionary Rantings of ADOS/FBA
    26 Mar 2025
    The ADOS and FBA (American Descendants of Slavery and Foundational Black Americans) movements have gained influence by advocating for reparations exclusively for Black Americans descended from U.S.…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us