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

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.
BAR Radio Logo
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio September 26, 2025
26 September 2025
In this week’s segment we discuss the need for self-defense against racist, white supremacist forces.

More Stories


  • Community Movement Builders - Newark
    CMB Newark Statement on the Killing of Wali Bey by Newark Police
    04 Mar 2026
    The media cycle has moved on, but the family of Wali ‘Grillz’ Bey is still waiting for answers after his murder by Newark Police.
  • Stephen Millies
    The War Against Black Workers
    04 Mar 2026
    Black workers built a strong U.S. labor movement. They now endure plant closings, deindustrialization, and low-wage work as a result of neo-liberal policies.
  • Middle East Eye Staff
    At Least 23 Protesters Killed in Pakistan After Killing of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
    04 Mar 2026
    Anger erupted across the country, which is home to a large Shia population that viewed Khamenei as their spiritual leader.
  • The Cuban Institute of Friendship with The Peoples
    We Express our Firm Solidarity with the Iranian People: Statement from the ICAP
    04 Mar 2026
    In this statement, the Cuban Institute for Friendship of the Peoples (ICAP) expresses solidarity with Iran and condemns the United States and Israel's attack on that country and clearly states that…
  • Jeremy Kuzmarov
    Renegade African-American Soldier Should Be Remembered For Resisting White Supremacy and Colonialism
    04 Mar 2026
    David Fagen's defection demonstrated the history of Black solidarity with oppressed people.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us