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

White Supremacy Goes Back to the Crusades
Black Agenda Radio with Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
12 Nov 2019
🖨️ Print Article

The roots of western European anti-Blackness lie in the Middle Ages, in the Crusades to seize Arab lands, said Cord Whitaker, a professor at Wellesley College and author of “Black Metaphors: How Racism Emerged from Medieval Race-Thinking.” It was during this era that “you started to see the idea that darkness of skin, blackness, denoted potential evil,” said Whitaker. “It was still not the racial ideology we have today, but it was an important step in getting there.”

white supremacy

Related Podcasts

BAR Radio
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Report October 23, 2026
23 October 2026
In this week’s segment, we hear about the ongoing uprising in France against neo-liberal austerity, colonialism, and white supremacy.
france
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
French Protests Against Neoliberal Austerity, Colonialism, and White Supremacy
23 October 2026
Bouna Mbaye is an activist, writer, and a member of the Pan-African League-Umoja, the Pan-African Brigade for Palestine, and the US Out of Africa N
BAR Radio
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio September 11, 2026
11 September 2026
In this week’s segment, we discuss the 55th anniversary and legacy of the 1971 Attica prison revolt. But we begin with the history of W.E.B.

More Stories


  • Peruvian De Facto Minister of Defense Travels to DC Solidifying US Militarization of Country
    Clau O'Brien Moscoso
    Peruvian De Facto Minister of Defense Travels to DC Solidifying US Militarization of Country
    16 Aug 2023
    Peru's coup regime enhances its alliance with the U.S. with visits to Washington and arms supplies to Ukraine.
  • You Can’t Project Power When the World Knows You Are Weak
    Dr.Wilmer J. Leon, III
    You Can’t Project Power When the World Knows You Are Weak
    16 Aug 2023
    Every empire falls and the fantasy of American exceptionalism doesn't exempt the U.S. from inevitable decline. Yet the failing hegemon behaves as though it still controls events, and…
  • Ivory Coast's Role in ECOWAS and the Impact of Its Destabilization of Niger
    Dr. Abdiwahab Sheikh Abdisamad
    Ivory Coast's Role in ECOWAS and the Impact of Its Destabilization of Niger
    16 Aug 2023
    The author explains why the Ivory Coast has joined the U.S. plan to take part in a possible ECOWAS invasion of Niger. There is a long history of antagonism between the two states and Ivory Coast…
  • Anti-Imperialist Sentiment Spreads Across West Africa Amid Threats Against Niger
    Abayomi Azikiwe
    Anti-Imperialist Sentiment Spreads Across West Africa Amid Threats Against Niger
    16 Aug 2023
    The U.S. and France have inspired a new solidarity among the nations opposing their efforts to interfere in Niger.
  • Atlanta’s Appeal of ‘Stop Cop City’ Referendum Denied as Petition Nears 80,000 Signatures
    Dyana Bagby
    Atlanta’s Appeal of ‘Stop Cop City’ Referendum Denied as Petition Nears 80,000 Signatures
    16 Aug 2023
    The grassroots movement to put a Cop City referendum on the ballot came closer to becoming a reality when a federal judge denied the city of Atlanta's appeal to stop the petition drive.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us