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
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Report October 23, 2026
23 October 2026
In this week’s segment, we hear about the ongoing uprising in France against neo-liberal austerity, colonialism, and white supremacy.
france
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
French Protests Against Neoliberal Austerity, Colonialism, and White Supremacy
23 October 2026
Bouna Mbaye is an activist, writer, and a member of the Pan-African League-Umoja, the Pan-African Brigade for Palestine, and the US Out of Africa N
BAR Radio
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio September 11, 2026
11 September 2026
In this week’s segment, we discuss the 55th anniversary and legacy of the 1971 Attica prison revolt. But we begin with the history of W.E.B.

More Stories


  • Black Agenda Radio March 3, 2023
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio March 3, 2023
    03 Mar 2023
    This week we hear about right wing attacks on the finances of a grass roots organization, and the effort to cultivate a culture which promotes peacemaking, but first a new book reveals Harriet Tubman…
  • Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy
    03 Mar 2023
    Clarence Lusane discusses his latest book, Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy.
  • Alliance for Global Justice Under Attack
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Alliance for Global Justice Under Attack
    03 Mar 2023
    The Alliance for Global Justice works to achieve economic justice and social change through grass roots action. Right wing forces are attempting to undo their work.
  • US Peace Memorial Foundation
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    US Peace Memorial Foundation
    03 Mar 2023
    Since 2005, the US Peace Memorial Foundation has directed a nationwide effort to honor Americans who stand for peace.
  • East Palestine, Ohio and the Oligarchy
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    East Palestine, Ohio and the Oligarchy
    01 Mar 2023
    A freight train derailment brought environmental catastrophe to a small Ohio town. While the circumstances are somewhat unique, events followed a predictable pattern in a country run by and for the…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us