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

Rikers Island, Slave Catching, and the Modern Carceral State
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
07 Mar 2025
🖨️ Print Article

Black Agenda Radio · Rikers Island, Slave Catching, and the Modern Carceral State

Darren Mack is co-founder and co-director of Freedom Agenda, an organization devoted to decarceration and system transformation, including closing the Rikers Island jail. In commenting on New York City mayor Eric Adams' plan to allow ICE to operate on Rikers Island, Darren Mack pointed out the history behind the name. Richard Riker was a New York City judge who worked with slave catchers and the kidnappers who captured fleeing enslaved people and free Black New Yorkers to send them to slavery in the south. Darren Mack joins us from New York City to discuss this history, the need to close Rikers Island, and the historical connections with the modern-day carceral state.

Rikers Island
Incarceration
Slavery
New York City
Eric Adams

Related Podcasts

Carmella Charrington
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Deed Theft and Black Communities
22 May 2026
Leah Goodridge, a New York City-based attorney, housing advocate, and writer, is a memb
BAR Radio Logo
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio April 24, 2026
24 April 2026
In this week’s segment, we discuss the importance of including African-descended people in discussions around climate change and a just transition
Carmella Charrington
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Deed Theft and the Loss of Black Property
24 April 2026
Evangeline of the People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft, a grassroots New York City organiz

More Stories


  • “December Revolution’s rebirth”: Sit-ins Mark New Stage of Protests Against Sudan’s Military Junta
    Pavan Kulkarni
    “December Revolution’s rebirth”: Sit-ins Mark New Stage of Protests Against Sudan’s Military Junta
    20 Jul 2022
    In the aftermath of the violent repression of protesters on June 30, sit-ins have been organized in various parts of Sudan even as the military junta tries to consolidate power.
  • The American Empire Has No Clothes
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    The American Empire Has No Clothes
    20 Jul 2022
    The U.S. is empire is in a state of crisis, creating chaos around the world and contradicting its own goals.
  • The PAIGC’s Political Education for Liberation in Guinea-Bissau, 1963–74 (Part 1)
    The Tricontinental
    The PAIGC’s Political Education for Liberation in Guinea-Bissau, 1963–74 (Part 1)
    20 Jul 2022
    Liberation struggles are not fought only on the battlefield. The African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC) left a legacy of educational decolonization.
  • Congresswoman Karen Bass and the Will to Intervene
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Congresswoman Karen Bass and the Will to Intervene
    20 Jul 2022
    Congresswoman Karen Bass is running for mayor of Los Angeles. She's also Vice Chair of the NED, the CIA's soft power arm. She epitomizes everythng that is wrong with the Black political class.
  • Black Agenda Radio July 15, 2022
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio July 15, 2022
    15 Jul 2022
    The 55th anniversary of the Newark, New Jersey rebellion, how the child welfare system damages Black children and families, and how the United Nations creates suffering in Haiti.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us