Counter-Revolution in Cuba by Other Means
The U.S. is establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time in nearly 55 years, but Washington is still up to no good. “I think the people in the Obama administration have decided that this is just another way to overthrow the Cuban revolution,” said Netfa Freeman, of the International Committee for Freedom for the Cuban 5. “They still have the same disposition about Cuba, but they want to change how they go about destabilizing it.” The remaining three members of the Cuban 5, who were imprisoned in 1998 on espionage charges, were freed as part of the diplomatic breakthrough.
Ferguson as Truth-Teller to the World
Russians were shocked at Michael Brown’s killing and the scale of protests that followed, said Black Agenda Report editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley, just returned from a conference of the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russian, in Moscow. “The small suburb of St. Louis is now known around the world,” said Kimberley, “and the people of Ferguson have really done an amazing thing in telling the world the truth about life in the United States, particularly for Black people.” Kimberley traveled as part of a delegation from UNAC, the United National Anti-War Coalition.
U.S. Power Structure Searching for Slick Black Hope
Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, the BAR editor and columnist, renowned whistleblower and activist with the Hands Up Coalition-DC, said U.S. rulers confront a huge challenge: “How do we take control of the movement and provide it with a leader that will be accepted among the young?” Obama favorite Al Sharpton and much of the traditional civil rights leadership are vying for the job. The power structure “needs these organizations to provide a diversion away from people asking very fundamental questions about whether capitalism can meet the needs of Black people in this country.”
The Ever-Morphing Police State
New York police commissioner Bill Bratton, architect of the “Broken Windows” philosophy of policing, has other tricks up his sleeve, said Josmar Trujillo, of New Yorkers Against Bratton. “He’s here to figure out new, innovative ways to get into our lives,” such as “predictive policing,” a “muscled-up, proactive” approach that provides yet more forced encounters between cops and their Black and brown prey. “The police state that communities of color live in is, literally, killing people” – such as “Broken Windows” victim Eric Garner.
Mumia Abu Jamal Daughter Dies
Samiyah “Goldie” Davis Abdullah, the 35 year-old daughter of political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal, has succumbed to cancer. The mother of two girls and spoken word artist had just finished earning her masters degree in social work at the University of Pennsylvania. At Frackville State Prison, Abu Jamal told Prison Radio that his daughter “remains with us, echoing in our souls. She is a song we will sing forever.”
Black Agenda Radio on the Progressive Radio Network is hosted by Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey. A new edition of the program airs every Monday at 11:00am ET on PRN. Click here to download the show. Length: One hour.
Kareem Crayton is senior director for voting and representation at the Brennan Center for Justice.
Zulu Sharod is Chairman of the New Afrikan Black Panther Party which is based in New Jersey.
Ali Abunimah is Director of electronicantifada.net, an independent online news publication and educational resource focusing on Palestine.
In this week's segment we hear about the state of Black politics in Newark and across the country.
Thanks for your support of Black Agenda Report in 2023. We are taking our annual break and we'll be back on January 10, 2024. Power to the people!
