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
  • omnibus

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

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

Kalonji Changa
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
The Struggle for Liberation Amid Celebrity Culture
04 July 2025
We are joined by Kalonji Changa, who is a co-founder of Black Power Media, founder o
Gerald Horne
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Gerald Horne Discusses His Book "The Capital of Slavery: Washington DC 1800 - 1865"
27 June 2025
Dr. Gerald Horne is an author and historian who currently holds the John J.
Rikers protest
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Eric Adams Loses Control of Rikers Island to Federal Receivership
30 May 2025
Our guest is Melanie Dominguez, Organizing Director, New York with the Katal Center for Equity, H

More Stories


  • Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Did New Yorkers say, No Mo Cuomo; No Mo Turkey Trot with Papa Cop?
    02 Jul 2025
    "Did New Yorkers say, No Mo Cuomo; No Mo Turkey Trot with Papa Cop?" is the latest from BAR's Poet-in-Residence.
  • Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    The Terrible Origins of July 4th
    02 Jul 2025
    The causes of the July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence are rarely taught in this country. The American colonists chafed under British rules limiting their settlements and feared they would…
  • Adam Mahoney
    From Watts to D.C.: How 500 Black Neighborhoods Vanished in 45 Years
    02 Jul 2025
    America’s gentrified neighborhoods have lost 500,000 Black people, while gaining residents of every other race, a study finds.
  • Black Alliance For Peace
    FIFA and IOC Must Ban the United States and Israel from Hosting or Participating in International Sporting Events
    02 Jul 2025
    With an anticipated tens of thousands of international travelers for the World Cup and the Olympic Games, U.S. immigration policy has made it a dangerous place to visit. Both the U.S. and Israel…
  • Pedro Stropasolas
    Mali Takes Control of One of Africa’s Largest Gold Mines and Launches Its Own Refinery
    02 Jul 2025
    Mali’s mining code change in 2024 puts pressure on foreign companies in the country.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us