| Black Agenda Report

by BAR managing editor Bruce A. Dixon
More Fake Criminal Justice Reform in Georgia, And A Real Answer
13 Jul 2011
by BAR managing editor Bruce A. Dixon How do you reform the “criminal justice system” without acknowledging systematic torture, endemic corruption, pervasive racial and class bias, the failure of the war on drugs, and the massive economic and social devastation it wreaks upon entire communities?…
Norman Richmond
Reflections on Gil Scott-Heron
03 Jul 2012
by Norman (Otis) Richmond aka Jalali Gil Scott-Heron’s repertoire was as wide and deep as the audience that loved him. “He dealt with racism, capitalism, the environment, Pan-Africanism, substance abuse, nuclear power, women's liberation and just plain ‘silly’ little love songs.”
Solomon Comissiong
The 4th of July: Indoctrination, Oppression and Hypocrisy
03 Jul 2012
by Solomon Comissiong “We must reject all forms of injustice, as well as symbols of inequality that have been imposed upon us. The 4th of July holiday,” says the author, “is one of those repugnant symbols.”
Dr. Nia Imara
An Unwanted Army for Haiti
04 Jul 2012
by Dr. Nia Imara Armed men in uniform by the thousands are encamped around Haiti, claiming to be the national army, although the country has no military of its own – by choice. “The people have consistently expressed their desire for free and widespread access to education, employment, housing…
Dr. Julianne Malveaux
Will Affirmative Action Disappear?
04 Jul 2012
by Dr. Julianne Malveaux Affirmative action’s final fate may soon be decided by a hostile U.S. Supreme Court, yet there are few signs of a major mobilization by those who still support diversity in education. The objective facts of disparity are stark: “While 29 percent of the US population…
by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley
Can the International Criminal Court Deliver Impartial Justice? Margaret Kimberley on Al Jazeera's Inside Story
04 Jul 2012
Originally broadcast on Al Jazeera's Inside Story On July 1, 2002, the International Criminal Court (ICC), the only permanent criminal tribunal set up to try genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, came into force.A decade later, it has been ratified by 121 states with another 32…
by BAR executive editor Glen Ford
Obama Bound for Mount Rushmore?
05 Jul 2012
by BAR executive editor Glen Ford President Obama’s healthcare plan, now vetted by the U.S. Supreme Court, is the spawn of Republican reactionaries, “based on the principle that people should pay for their own bodily maintenance.” It bears no resemblance to world-class healthcare…
Dr. Boyce Watkins
Obama Stingy on Pardons
11 Jul 2012
by Dr. Boyce Watkins Clarence Aaron got three life sentences for a drug deal he wasn’t present at and for which he was not paid. The truth is, “there are thousands of men, mostly black and brown, who received several life sentences for very simple crimes, while their foreign ‘connects…
by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley
Freedom Rider: Nixoncare Finally Wins
11 Jul 2012
by BAR editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley The euphoria in the Obama camp over their health care victory at the U.S. Supreme Court shows “the Democrats of the 21st century are akin to the Republicans of forty years ago.” Back then, Richard Nixon proposed a health care plan…
by BAR managing editor Bruce A. Dixon
Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, Tavis Smiley, and the Impoverishment of Black Media
15 Apr 2009
by BAR managing editor Bruce A. Dixon When the Tom Joyner Morning Show was pulled first from Chicago, and then from other markets early this month, Joyner counseled listeners that "...black radio will never be what it once was, and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it." This…