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

Puerto Rico Crippled Before Hurricane Hit
Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
12 Dec 2017
🖨️ Print Article

Harsh austerity measures imposed by a federal financial oversight board set Puerto Rico up for disaster, said Lara Merling, a researcher for the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research. A new study shows about 1,000 more deaths resulted from Hurricane Irma than were officially reported. “It’s not surprising that the Puerto Rican government had no ability to respond” to the storm, as a result of the spending cuts, said Merling.

Puerto Rico

Related Podcasts

BAR Radio Logo
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio March 6, 2026
06 March 2026
In this week’s segment, we discuss past and present U.S.
Puerto Rico independence movement
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution and Struggle for Independence in Puerto Rico
06 March 2026
Brianna Alvarado Ramos of Diaspora Pa’lante Collective discusses the challenges
BAR Radio Logo
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio September 19, 2025
20 September 2025
In this week’s segment, we discuss a new book that analyzes the latest iteration of fascism currently emerging in the United States.

More Stories


  • No To War, No To NATO North American Perspectives On Ukraine, Russia, And NATO
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    No To War, No To NATO North American Perspectives On Ukraine, Russia, And NATO
    14 Apr 2023
    Margaret Kimberley participated in a webinar hosted by World BEYOND War entitled, No to War, No to NATO: North American Perspectives on Ukraine, Russia, & NATO.
  • Black People Used to Attack Revolutionary Governments
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Black People Used to Attack Revolutionary Governments
    12 Apr 2023
    The question of how Black people fare in a particular country can be a legitimate issue or a ruse used in the furtherance of U.S. regime change plots. 
  • SPEECH: Forge Negro-Labor Unity for Peace and Jobs, Paul Robeson, 1950
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    SPEECH: Forge Negro-Labor Unity for Peace and Jobs, Paul Robeson, 1950
    12 Apr 2023
    Paul Robeson’s 1950 speech to the delegates of the National Labor Conference for Negro Rights should remind us that there is no Black liberation struggle without the Black working masses.
  • US Still Imposing Illegal, Unilateral Economic Sanctions on Eritrea
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    US Still Imposing Illegal, Unilateral Economic Sanctions on Eritrea
    12 Apr 2023
    Yemane Ghebreab, advisor to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, explains how US economic sanctions impact the Eritrean people.
  • Blues for Boss Tweet
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Blues for Boss Tweet
    12 Apr 2023
                                                           …
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us