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

Farewell to Glen Ford, A True Friend to Eritrea
Elias Amare
03 Aug 2021
🖨️ Print Article
Farewell to Glen Ford, A True Friend to Eritrea
Farewell to Glen Ford, A True Friend to Eritrea

Ford's reporting on Eritrea exemplified his commitment to African liberation.

It came as shocking sad news for us to learn of the passing of a good friend of #Eritrea, comrade Glen Ford, the co-founder and Executive Editor of the Black Agenda Report. Brother Glen was one of the sharpest critics of U.S. imperialism's interventionism in Africa. Glen was also one of the few radical left Black intellectual analysts who truly understood and was able to appreciate Eritrea's steadfast struggle for genuine independence, social justice, and people-centered development.

His consistent solidarity with Eritrea's struggle was a source of inspiration. Bitsai/comrade Glen was always there for us whenever we needed him to speak at Eritrea festivals and youth conferences. He also wrote with clarity and sharp analysis about Eritrea's struggle and the complex politics of the Horn of Africa.

Listen to this brilliant keynote address of Glen Ford at the Eritrean Festival in Oakland, California, in August of 2012.

I am honored to have known brother Glen closely over the years and learned a great deal from him. He stood by us through thick and thin. I would call him every now and then to keep him posted on developments in Eritrea and the region. When on June 11, 2018, he made this interview with the Real News Network, I was very impressed with how sharp he was in his analysis. I remember having called him on June 20, a week after this interview, to let him know about Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki's speech on Martyrs' Day, in which he announced that he was sending a peace delegation to Ethiopia to assess the situation on the ground. Glen was happy to learn about the peace breakthrough for Eritrea, Ethiopia and the region. He was especially glad after the lifting of the U.S.-engineered sanctions on Eritrea at the United Nations Security Council later that year in November 2018. But he also knew that the peace would not be well-received by the powers-that-shouldn't-be in Washington and that there would be challenges and obstacles ahead.

The last I was Brother Glen Ford was four years ago in August 2017 at the Eritrea festival and conferences in Seattle – three days of lengthy discussions, debates, intense conversations and learning from an older brother and, dare I say, revolutionary mentor. At that conference Glen was especially happy to see young Eritrean Americans fully engaged in political activism and the struggle to defend Eritrea. It warms our hearts to know that, according to investigative journalist Ann Garrision, Glen thought of Eritrea and his Eritrean friends till the very end. We’ll always cherish and honor his memory and legacy.

We in the Eritrean communities in the diaspora extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Brother Glen Ford, as well as to his comrades at Black Agenda Report. We mourn the loss of such a great intellect and analyst, a powerful voice for the voiceless and a principled friend for Eritrea. He will be greatly missed.

Rest in peace, gallant fighter and honorable comrade, Glen Ford!

This article originally appeared in #Eritrea. Elias Amare’s work can be found @eliasamare on twitter.

Eritrea
Glen Ford

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


Related Stories

Isaias Afwerki
Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
Isaias Afwerki: My Struggle for Eritrea and Africa
13 August 2025
Michel Collon has interviewed Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and says the world must listen to him.
Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
Eritrea: We Won’t Kneel Down
06 August 2025
Eritrean Americans celebrated their 51st Eritrean Festival and their home country’s resolute independence from August 1 to 3, 2025.
Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
Independent, Sovereign Eritrea Stays the Course
28 May 2025
Eritrea remains true to the revolutionary ideals forged during its 30-year War of Independence.
NefasitPost
Biden’s Last-Ditch Agenda and Western Media’s Smear Campaign: Eritrea’s Resolve Amid Hostility
11 December 2024
Eritrea defies relentless Western hostility with unwavering self-reliance and resilience.
Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
Washington Post Attacks Eritrean Americans for Organizing in their Own Defense
27 November 2024
The Washington Post’s latest anti-Eritrea propaganda demonizes Eritrean immigrants defendin
Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
How the US Destabilized the Horn of Africa
02 October 2024
In 2018, the leaders of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia signed a regional cooperation agreeme
Eritrean Ministry of Information
Keynote Address by President Isaias Afwerki on the occasion of the 33rd Independence Anniversary, Asmara, 24 May 2024
29 May 2024
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki delivered this speech during the nation's 33rd Independence Day ceremony.
February 17 Eritrean Independence Day Celebration
Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
Investigations of Attacks on the Eritrean Diaspora Are Underway
28 February 2024
Ann Garrison spoke to Eritrean British attorney Feven Yemane regarding attacks on Eritrean diaspora festivals and gatherings and the investigat
Protest for Eritrea
Dr. Fikrejesus Amahazion
Eritrea's Defiance and Independence Remain Its Supreme Crime
10 October 2023
Eritrea has been the target of a media campaign orchestrated by the US and its allies who act in collusion with corporate media.
Regionally Integrating the Horn of Africa and the Nile Basin
Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
Regionally Integrating the Horn of Africa and the Nile Basin
06 September 2023
BAR Contributing Editor Ann Garrison spoke with Amanuel Biedemariam, author of The History of the USA in Eritrea, about regional integration in

More Stories


  • Kalonji Changa
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    The Struggle for Liberation Amid Celebrity Culture
    04 Jul 2025
    We are joined by Kalonji Changa, who is a co-founder of Black Power Media, founder of the FTP Movement, and co-author of the book Beyond Cop Cities: Dismantling State and Corporate-Funded Armies and…
  • Free Mumia event flyer
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Free Mumia Coalition of New York City Joins Mobilization in Philadelphia
    04 Jul 2025
    Gil Obler is an organizer with the Free Mumia Abu Jamal Coalition of New York City. He joins us from New York to discuss the Saturday, July 5th rally and march at Malcolm X memorial park in…
  • Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    The Necessity of Birthright Citizenship for Black People
    02 Jul 2025
    Black citizenship was non-existent for the first 200 years that enslaved and free people were present in what became the United States. Even long-standing legal victories are tenuous, and now…
  • Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    ESSAY: Black Refugees Unwelcomed! Gaou Guinou Balewa, 1973
    02 Jul 2025
    “Haitian refugees and political exiles find themselves being refused the hospitality granted others.”
  • Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Aggressors Unnamed in Rwanda-DRC “Peace Agreement”
    02 Jul 2025
    Rwandan and M23 forces are the aggressors in the DRC. They are integrated under Rwandan command.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us