The Failure of Black Lives Matter

“Black lives matter was gaining ground. Then a Sniper Opened Fire.” This New York Times article encapsulates everything that is wrong with the ubiquitous but ultimately useless organization, Black Lives Matter. The phrase is now used to describe any protest by black people in the last two years and has come to symbolize the fight against police murder. So much so that it is difficult to offer any serious commentary about BLM.

To be clear I differentiate between the organization and the many efforts to fight back against 21^st century lynch law. That fight is a righteous fight, but BLM as an organization is an abject failure. BLM makes no political demands of Obama or any other officials. The founders of BLM know good marketing when they see it and the phrase is used by the righteous and the scoundrels alike. If BLM was the truly radical, revolutionary organization that we so desperately need, it wouldn’t feel a need to explain actions, defend itself or offer anything other than political demands. Its leaders wouldn’t care what the New York Times or anyone other than the masses of black people had to say about them.

Black people have been living in a state of barely concealed anger for years. Murderer vigilantes like George Zimmerman go free and make a profit from killing. Eric Garner was killed on camera but the only person imprisoned was the one who recorded the video. Watching Alton Sterling and Philando Castille die on camera were the straws that broke the camel’s back. Whether spoken or not, black people know there will be no justice for these two men, just as there was none for Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray or Michael Brown.

Black Lives Matter has nothing to show for the money it raises and media attention it receives. They gave words, a name to a mass movement, but they haven’t articulated any political message to date. Their conference in 2015, a “convening” as they called it, was a mish mash of touchy feely new age nonsense. Workshops on healing and safe spaces were on the menu but there was little talk of political action which might end police murder.

Despite its lack of accomplishment, BLM has been a target for white anger. That doesn’t really mean much because white people are generally angry and feel aggrieved when their racism is pointed out to them. The bar for making white people mad is rather low and so is evoking negative reaction from right wing pundits and red neck republicans from Nowheresville.

If the New York Times says that BLM was gaining ground, who were they gaining ground for? Are they talking about good publicity, fund raising or accolades from all the right people? Since BLM was founded there has been no drop in the number of police murders of black people or of anyone else. There has been no improvement in prosecution or punishment of killer cops.

Black Power Matters. All else is nonsense.

Putin: US / NATO is irreversibly pushing the world towards nuclear war

This is a short portion of Vladimir Putin's meeting with journalists in St. Petersburg on June 17th. He is talking about the terrible threat that NATO poses to Russia and to the world.

He makes a statement about the role that the press plays in reporting official lies. His words are well worth remembering.

"It's only that you tell tall-tales too and you buy it, and spread it to the citizens of your countries. Your people in turn do not feel a sense of the impending danger, this is what worries me. How do you not understand that the world is being pulled in an irreversible direction? While they pretend that nothing's going on. I don't know how to get through to you anymore."

Simply put, we are closer than ever to an all out nuclear conflagration because of the United States. But neither the corporate media nor any presidential candidate has pointed this out. Americans are sheep on the verge of slaughter and don't even know it. The danger has been disappeared from public discourse. The media decision to act as stenographers for presidents is truly criminal.

ANTI-NATO PROTEST ON TIMES SQ. 7 9 2016

The NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland generated protest around the world yesterday. I joined the effort in New York city. The United National Antiwar Coalition, International Action Center and other groups joined to speak out against American aggression. The NYPD would not grant us a sound permit, so we were forced to be next to a street soccer tournament, complete with loud music, with no sound of our own.

I was one of speakers. I start at about 11:40. It is important to speak against U.S. imperialism which is such a danger to the world and to domestic police terrorism which kills so many here at home.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News Interview: Republicans Don't Want Trump

In my weekly CPR News interview with Don DeBar I discussed my Black Agenda Report column, Republicans Reject Trump.

Donald Trump's anemic fund raising is an indication of his unpopularity with the republican establishment. They don't want a president who threatens austerity, trade deals and NATO. The same people who raised hundreds of millions of dollars in the primaries are now sitting on their hands.

The anti-Trump hysteria cooked up by the democrats is a ruse meant to keep democrats in Hillary Clinton's camp. Anyone worrying about a Trump presidency should relax or choose something else to worry about.

Don also reports on police murder, Hillary Clinton gets out of jail free, Glen Ford on the crisis of legitimacy spawned by Barack and HRC. I start at about 9 minutes into the program.

Republicans Reject Trump

Donald Trump is the subject of my latest missive in Black Agenda Report. The ruling class, the elite, the 1%, call them what you will, have chosen their candidate and her name is Hillary Clinton. The republicans who raised hundreds of millions of dollars for Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are now sitting on their hands. They are still around and still very rich but they don't want a nominee who threatens trade deals, austerity and NATO. They would rather lose than support Trump.

Keep this in mind the next time the democrats try to turn Trump into a bogeyman. He is toast and they whip us into hysteria to keep us from asking questions about Hillary Clinton's or Barack Obama's criminality. Read my column here.

Black Agenda Report Radio

Listen to our latest commentary here. Hillary escapes prosecution, DNC protest, Israeli police state and America's criminal history.

But on the other hand...

Donald Trump is that Broken Clock

If Donald Trump said that the sun rose in the east and set in the west I wouldn't disagree with him. Today he spoke the absolute truth about Libya and Iraq. The corporate media are flogging this quote to death, but none of them dare speak the truth about America's crimes against the peoples of these two countries. The Harvard of terrorism indeed.

"I mean look at Libya. Look at Iraq. Iraq used to be no terrorists. He (Hussein) would kill the terrorists immediately, which is like now it's the Harvard of terrorism. If you look at Iraq from years ago, I'm not saying he was a nice guy, he was a horrible guy, but it was a lot better than it is now. Right now, Iraq is a training ground for terrorists. Right now Libya, nobody even knows Libya, frankly there is no Iraq and there is no Libya. It's all broken up. They have no control. Nobody knows what's going on."

Where is the outrage about the Iraq war crime which Obama continues?  Why doesn't anyone in the corporate media say that ISIS wouldn't exist at all if it weren't for the United States? Where is the outrage about the Libya crime cooked up by Obama and Clinton? Refugees are fleeing Syria because of the United States. They are fleeing from Libya because it was destroyed by the United States. This humanitarian disaster is wholly American made.

But there is no outrage at all, just more corruption. Today the FBI director announced that there will be no charges filed against Clinton even though she broke the law by keeping classified information on a private server. He also added that while she won't be charged, anyone who does the same thing will be. And with that, the criminals Obama and Clinton went off into the campaign sunset. The blood on their hands has been rendered invisible but the anti-Trump hysteria continues.

Never mind the fact that he is going to lose. It won't even be close. Why are the democrats beating a dead horse? Because they need Trump to keep democrats herded together and ready to vote for Hillary. Today Obama kicked off that process in grand style. And what about Bernie Sanders? He's just waiting for the right moment to endorse her and prove his detractors right. He was the original democratic sheep dog who has now herded himself straight to Loserville.

Benjamin Zephaniah - Rong Radio

I thank Don DeBar for adding this great work of spoken word to our interview today.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News Interview: the Good News of Brexit

Today Don DeBar and I discussed my latest Black Agenda Report column, The Good News of Brexit. Simply put, the chaos that the Brexit vote cast on British politics is a positive development. The U.K. will be less likely to assist the U.S. in its next imperialist adventure, and Brexit stops the TTIP, the latest trade deal monstrosity. Of course the U.S. was opposed to Brexit. Washington only had to negotiate with the European Union on TTIP. Now it will have to do two deals and both are in jeopardy. Chaos can be a good thing especially since the left in Britain didn't know how to deal with the Brexit vote.

I want to thank Don not only for today's interview but for adding the great spoken word artist Benjamin Zephaniah. Rong Radio is a classic of political spoken word.

Zephaniah is a righteous man indeed. When he had the opportunity to get a knighthood from the queen, he said no thanks.

The Good News of Brexit

You read correctly. The hand wringing from the New York Times and the white house and the pundits must be ignored. Brexit creates instability for finance capitalists and that is very good news. Brexit puts at least a temporary halt to NATO mischief making against Russia. Brexit exposes American control of the European Union which destroyed Greece, tore Ukraine apart and paid bribes to Turkey to keep the refugees who wouldn't exist without U.S./NATO/EU connivance.

My column in today's Black Agenda Report says all of that and more. Netfa Freeman discusses how Africa has been oppressed by European and American finance capital and how Brexit may be the beginning of a new paradigm for that continent. Netfa says that Brexit could be The Nail in the Coffin of Neo-colonialism in Africa. We can only hope.

Of course Glen Ford delivers the tour de force with House Negroes International Defend European Union. Colonized people have a warped world view and crises like these bring it all out into the open. 

Wednesday is more than hump day. It is Black Agenda Report day.

White Settlement, Texas

My addiction to the internet sometimes provides me with information I would rather not have. Today I was perusing social media, twitter I believe, and I came across a story about a cat in a library. It seems this cat was allowed to live in a library for six years but the city council decided that he had to go.

Who cares? Well I didn't until I noticed that the town is called White Settlement, Texas. So I indulged my addiction a little more and did a Wikipedia search. Sure enough there is a town called White Settlement.

"The name of White Settlement originated as a result of there being two settlements in the area: one occupied predominantly by Native Americans (near where Fort Worth is located today), and the other one being occupied by white settlers. The latter settlement received the name 'White Settlement' as a way to distinguish itself from the Native American settlement. The city was incorporated in 1941."

Ok, so why keep the name? Did anyone ever consider changing it? No worries. Wikipedia has an answer there too.

"On October 14, 2005, city leaders announced a plan to have local voters decide on a possible name change for the town from White Settlement to West Settlement. In the November 8 election, the name change was overwhelmingly rejected by a vote of 2,388 to 219."

The town in 89% white and just .05% black. The mayor's name is Ron White. 

It is fine with me if Texas really wants to secede from the rest of the country. Good-bye and good luck.

Fascism

When George W. Bush was president I dropped the F bomb with great frequency. Bush was fascist, Cheney was a fascist, the Iraq war was fascist, the patriot act was fascist,etc. I don't take back what I said but I am rethinking how fascism would look in the 21st century.

Donald Trump is a racist. He is vulgar. He is misogynistic. But he isn't a fascist. We already have fascism in this country. The government goes to war without declaration of congress. Police kill with impunity. The mass incarceration system rolls along with little political opposition. Public education has been privatized. Free trade agreements which make governments the servants of corporations are fascistic and democratic presidents are the ones who get them passed in congress.The ruling classes get what they want from municipal legislatures right up to congress and the white house and the corporate media are in the tank for all of it.

It seems that everyone expects a Hitler like figure to emerge, hence the panic about Trump. You don't need a guy on a balcony giving speeches to fanatical followers in order to say that a system is fascist. Every political issue is turned into a diatribe against what many people are quick to label as fascism when we really need useful analysis of our current condition. Neo-liberalism is fascism and it is causing tremendous suffering around the world. It will exist whether Trump is president of the United States or not.

By the way, the Brexit vote isn't fascist either. The European Union is fascistic. It destroyed a poor country (Greece), tore another in two (Ukraine) and paid off another (Turkey) to stop the flow of refugees who wouldn't exist if the U.S./NATO/EU hadn't destroyed the nations of Libya and Syria.

So don't lose sleep over Donald Trump. For one thing he is toast. He can't raise money because the republican party has turned its back on him. Last week Hillary Clinton had $40 million on hand and Trump had just $1 million. She will win and it isn't going to be close. But even if he did have a better chance of winning he wouldn't bring fascism into government. It is there already. We have a president who invented a right to assassinate us without charge or trial. Now that sounds pretty fascistic to me.

Democrats Gun Control Sit-in a Cynical Election Year Stunt

Read what Bruce Dixon has to say.

"Since John Lewis and his hypocritical crew are just as much the party of the one percent as Republicans, their disputes with Republicans are confined to carefully staged food fights between meaningless brands. This is the party that wants to control Congress instead of Republicans. This is why it's time to chuck both the one-percenter capitalist parties, and do something completely new."

"Sanders Supporters Need to Split or Get Off the Pot"

So says Glen Ford in our latest edition of Black Agenda Report. If the Sanders people meant what they said about having a revolution, they need to drop Bernie like a bad habit. If not they need to stop crying and admit their guy was the sheep dog that Bruce Dixon predicted more than one year ago.

"Putin Derangement Syndrome"

Eight minutes well worth your time. I had never heard of Patrick Armstrong but he makes good sense with words like these. "The last days of a declining empire are always very dangerous." Listen here.

Say No to NATO

On June 22, 1941 Hitler's armies invaded the Soviet Union. At first their path to victory seemed easy. They quickly penetrated far into Soviet territory and took millions of prisoners of war. An estimated 27 million Soviet citizens died before their country emerged as the winner in 1945.

Fast forward 75 years. The United States and other NATO nations, including Germany, are massing troops on the borders of the Russian Federation. The corporate media keep up a steady drum beat of lies about Russia but say nothing about the slide to war.

The next NATO summit will be held in Warsaw, Poland on July 8th and July 9th. It is imperative that we protest against NATO's threats against Russia that could trigger World War III.

On Saturday, July 9th the United National Antiwar Coalition and other groups will protest at the U.S. Army Recruiting Center in Times Square in New York City. Please join us there at 2:0 p.m.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News Interview: Orlando Massacre and U.S. Foreign Policy

The killing of 49 people in Orlando, Florida is the subject of my Black Agenda Report column this week. In Orlando Massacre and U.S. Foreign Policy I discussed the difficulty in acknowledging killer Omar Mateen's apparent mental illness, his closeted sexuality and also his evocation of jihad. He was the son of an Afghan exile and existed in that peculiar world of people who have been officially elevated but who also live through years of unresolved grievance and paranoia. The corporate media have also ignored the fact that the FBI reportedly tried to turn Mateen into an informant.

I talked about all this on Community Public Radio News today with Don DeBar. Don also reports on U.S. policy in Syria, comments from Russian president Vladimir Putin on NATO's threats against his country and the uncounted ballots from California's recent presidential primary. I start at about 7:00 minutes into the program.

Search for the Truth: Massacre in Odessa Horrifies Americans

This is a Russian news story about the UNAC panel on Ukraine (see previous post). We will get it translated.

What's Happening in the Ukraine?

The United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) sponsored the panel What's Happening in Ukraine on May 21st at Left Forum 2016. Phil Wilayto, Bruce Gagnon, Irina Kovel and Greg Butterfield speak. This panel was the first public forum in America for the Odessa Solidarity Campaign, a project of UNAC.

Wednesday is Black Agenda Report Day

This week we have an excellent issue of Black Agenda Report. We feature three different articles on the hell of mass incarceration, America's history of domestic terror, the destruction of Muhammad Ali's legacy, Green party access, American attempts at regime change in Eritrea, and the horrors to come with the second president Clinton.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News: September 9th Prison Strike

Today I had my weekly interview with Don DeBar on Community Public Radio (CPR) News. Don reported on the U.S. intervention in Syria, European Union sanctions against Russia, China's reaction to Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama, the continued vote count in the California primary, and a chilling phone call between Richard Nixon and New York governor Nelson Rockefeller after the 1971 massacre at Attica prison. I discuss that subject at about 7:25.

On September 9th, prisoners across the nation will take part in a work stoppage to protest the modern day prison slavocracy. The mass incarceration system runs on low wage or no wage work for the 2 million people locked behind bars in this country. There is a call for a nation wide strike and for support and solidarity outside of prison walls. September 9th will be the 45 anniversary of the Attica uprising. The strike is the subject of my latest Black Agenda Report column.

GIAnalytics is "On Hold"

I wrote two pieces of commentary for the website GIAnalytics. The first was called The 21st Century Slavocracy: Why Black Lives Don't Matter on December 15, 2015 and  Hashtags Won't Stop Police Murder on January 19, 2016.

Today editor Joshua Tartakovsky announced that GIAnalytics is "on hold" for now. Too bad but you can still access articles. This site is a great resource of commentary from around the world. Hopefully it will return.

Worst Mass Shooting in American History?

Contrary to press reports, the killing of 50 people at a gay club in Orlando, Florida is not the worst mass shooting in American history. Where to begin?

On December 29, 1890 the U.S. army killed 150 Lakota at Wounded Knee, in South Dakota. On April 13, 1873 between 62 and 153 black men were shot to death in Colfax, Louisiana. But wait. There's more. On November 29, 1864 between 70 and 163 Cheyenne and Arapaho were killed by the Colorado militia at Sand Creek. On May 31, and June 1, 1921 between 55 and 300 black people were killed by a white mob in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There are more atrocities like these, but I thought of these first.

And here is a bit of historical trivia you probably don't know about either. Between September 7 and September 11, 1857 a Mormon militia killed 120 other white people traveling by wagon train through Mountain Meadows in Utah. The only known attack on a wagon train was carried out by white people, not Indians. That phrase "circle the wagons" needs to disappear.

I could go on and on and on. But you get my point. This guy in Orlando was a piker.

ISIS in Orlando, Florida

Early this morning a gunman killed 50 people at a gay night club in Orlando, Florida. The suspect, Omar Mateen, is among the dead. We are told that Mateen was interviewed by the FBI several times because of alleged terrorist sympathies. We are also told that he called 911 before the shootings began and claimed responsibility in the name of ISIS.

President Obama, the killer of many thousands of people, gave a press conference expressing condolences, disavowing terror and babbling about American greatness. In the coming days he'll visit Orlando to hug grieving relatives and will look like a normal person instead of the criminal that he is.

I posted this screen shot of a tweet I sent six days ago. Glen Ford explained in Black Agenda Report that American claims of wanting to fight ISIS and other jihadists are a lie. They are his foot soldiers, an imperial asset just as they have been for past presidents who want to destroy secular governments from Afghanistan to Iraq to Libya and on to Syria. 

ISIS thrives wherever America has intervened. Their continued existence is a direct result of U.S. foreign policy and so is the mayhem they cause. All of the public statements about fighting terror are phony. Our government doesn't care about people being beheaded or burned alive or shot in Florida for that matter. It isn't clear if Mateen was a member of ISIS or just inspired by them. He's dead so we don't know why he chose that location or that date. We don't know if he hated gay people or acted because of Ramadan. Of course common sense won't stop the corporate media nor will it keep foolish people from expressing their opinions. 

The 140 character limit prevented me from explaining as well as I wanted to. The United States is responsible for terrorism in Brussels and Paris and Orlando. Our government knows that ISIS can strike anywhere and kill anyone but doesn't care. Maintaining a crumbling but increasingly violent empire is their only concern. Party goers in Orlando are just collateral damage. So when Obama arrives there looking sad and spewing platitudes just remember that the blood is on his hands too.

I forgot to add this photo. The Black Agenda Report panelists at Left Forum on May 21st. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, Raymond Nat Turner, Glen Ford, Ajamu Baraka, yours truly, Jemima Pierre and Danny Haiphong.

Our panel Forging the Radical and Principled Black Movement of the 21st Century was pretty awesome.

Odessa Solidarity Campaign

Here in the belly of the beast, otherwise known as the United States of America, we are lied to on a regular basis by the government, the ruling classes and their friends in the corporate media. One of the worst foreign policy lies in recent years concerns the overthrow of the Ukrainian government in 2014.

This coup took place under the direction of the Obama administration. It was part of a 20-year long effort to weaken and dismantle the Russian federation. The first point of attack was continued NATO expansion and then the destruction of a neighboring, pro-Russian government.

Ukraine was taken over by fascists and oligarchs like billionaire president Petro Poroshenko. Unlike Vladimir Putin who was implicated in corporate media reports of offshore bank accounts, Poroshenko has hidden his personal fortune in order to escape public disclosure.

On May 2, 2014 a demonstration in the city of Odessa led to clashes between pro and anti government groups. The anti-government group were chased into the Hall of Trades Unions building which was set on fire. More than 40 people were burned to death. Some who managed to escape the inferno were also killed. Despite the existence of ample photographic evidence, no one has been prosecuted for this crime.

At the invitation of the Council of Mothers of May 2, the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) sent a three person delegation to commemorate the massacre and join in the call for an investigation. The newly formed Odessa Solidarity Campaign is a UNAC effort to fight for justice for the martyrs of May 2, to fight fascism and to oppose U.S. interventions around the world. I serve on the advisory board of this campaign and I urge you to stay informed about our work. Thanks.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News: World War III

You can hear my latest discussion with Don DeBar on CPRNews. Don reports on Kenya/China relations, United Nations reports on ISIS, and conditions in Fallujah, Iraq. My interview on my latest Black Agenda Report column, "World War III" begins 7 minutes into the program.

My Interview on Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox

I'm a guest on Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox this week. We discussed my latest Black Agenda Report column Who's a Fascist? and other issues. It was great to be on again.

What Real Journalism Looks Like, a Lesson from Russia

I have no recollection of seeing John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Colin Powell, Condi Rice, Henry Kissinger or any of their ilk taken to task like this. I don't know who is correct in this exchange but I am impressed that Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was put on the defensive. It is good for people in positions like that to have to answer in public forums. But as I said, you never see that here.

Hat tip Russia Insider

Black Agenda Report and CPR News: Trump is Not a Fascist

No, Donald Trump is not a fascist. I point this out in my latest column, "Who's a Fascist?" at Black Agenda Report. Having said that, he will be a fascist should he become president of the United States. It is in the job description after all. I discussed the issue with Don DeBar today on CPR News. My interview starts at about six minutes into the program.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News: Georgetown Should Pay for Slavery

Georgetown University owes black people millions of dollars. That is what I say my column in this week's Black Agenda Report. In 1838 the Jesuit school that became Georgetown held 272 enslaved people and sold them in order to ensure that institution's survival. Now they must pay up. I discussed the issue with Don DeBar on CPR News.

Left Forum 2016, Forging the Radical and Principled Black Movement of th...

The Black Agenda Report team had a great panel at the Left Forum on May 21st. Glen Ford, Bruce Dixon, Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, Jemima Pierre, Ajamu Baraka, Raymond Nat Turner, Danny Haiphong and yours truly.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News: Civil Rights Protection for Transgender Kids, but None for Black People

Here is my latest discussion with Don DeBar at Community Public Radio. We talked about my latest Black Agenda Report column. I noted that the Obama justice department quickly issued a directive intended to protect the rights of transgender public school students. The DOJ has shown no such urgency about addressing legal rights or rather the lack thereof for black people. I start at about 6 minutes into the program.

United National Antiwar Coalition Panels at Left Forum 2016

I serve on the Administrative Committee of the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC). UNAC is sponsoring three panels at Left Forum 2016 taking place in New York City May 20 - May 22. Please join us. Thanks.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News Interview: Dilma Rousseff and Sanders Supporters Ending the Democratic Party

Today I spoke to Don DeBar on Community Public Radio news. The first few minutes has reports on the right wing ouster of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff and the U.S. unilateral withdrawal from missile treaty with Russia. I start at about 12 minutes to discuss my latest Black Agenda Report column. What should Bernie Sanders supporters do if Hillary Clinton wins the nomination? Simple. Don't vote for her. They have a chance to be the revolutionaries they claimed to be. They can end the ruse of democrats posing as progressives.

Feel the Bern! (For real.)

All About Money on KMEC

I talked about foreign policy, the election, and the military draft we ought to bring back on the program All About Money on KMEC.
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Now Age Conversations: “Finding Truth in U.S. Foreign Policy” with Marga...

My thanks to Craig Gordon of Now Age Press. We had a great conversation on United States foreign policy with Russia, American imperialism and the propaganda that promotes it.

Black Agenda Report and CPR News Interview: Election, Foreign Policy, U.S. Provokes Russia

Today I spoke with Don DeBar on Community Public Radio news. Intro at 2:30, I start speaking at 3:45. I discussed my latest Black Agenda Report column, Obama's Last Gasp Imperialism.

How Will the Left Vote in the 2016 Presidential Election?

On April 26 I spoke at a forum sponsored by Socialist Action. How will the left vote in the 2016 presidential election? People will make a variety of choices, but none of those should include the democratic party. More importantly, we need to talk about what it means to be on the left. The word is not synonymous with the democratic party.

Harriet Tubman, Prince and Me

Yesterday the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) asked me for a statement regarding the U.S. Treasury decision to share Harriet Tubman's likeness on the $20 bill with Andrew Jackson. He was the 7th president of the United States and a slave holder of 200 human beings. Jackson was the genocidaire of indigenous people in the southeast. Their stolen lands were then used to establish the plantation system which brought hell on earth to enslaved people. The slavocracy created a market for human beings that sent thousands of people from the north and upper south to the deep south. To this very day a majority of black Americans live in the southern states. Here are my first thoughts, a little too short and not yet thought out, but they sum up my feelings.

“I have serious mixed feelings about this supposed honor. Slavery existed precisely because of the almighty dollar. How are we honoring her by putting her face on money?

Tubman is deserving of great respect, veneration even. What she accomplished is unbelievable. She was a soldier and a revolutionary, a liberator. I no longer feel the need for acceptance from the larger society. Our heroes are ours and we can claim them without expectation or need that the U.S. government will give approval.”

After the statement was released I was asked for comment by media outlets such as KDKA radio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I was invited to speak by phone on the Mike Pintek show. I didn't know who he was or that KDKA is a CBS affiliate but I didn't want to pass up a chance to speak on this issue.

While I was waiting to go on the air I of course could hear what was being broadcast. The producer told me to hold on and I first heard a Donald Trump campaign commercial. Yes. For real.

It isn't the first time I inadvertently ended up on conservative radio. It is difficult because interviews require a feeling of connection with the other person. That is hard to do when you know they are the opposition, the enemy if you will.

Anyway I could also hear Pintek speaking. He said there were reports that Prince had died. I looked at my laptop and sure enough. Some media outlets reported that he died. 

So finally I was on the air and the New York Times, Associated Press and others all confirmed that Prince had passed away. Pintek said he didn't know Prince was 57. I was surprised too until I said to myself, "You're 56. Of course he is your age." So I tried to talk about his great talent and the shock I felt but when I made the call I had no idea I would be doing a Prince obituary. It was funny because they kept interrupting my interview to report on Prince. I was supposed to talk for 20 minutes but the interview was extended to about 40 minutes.

Pintek wasn't horrible. He felt that it was an honor to put Tubman on the $20 bill but I insisted that it was not. She escaped a system caused by profits and it is not fitting to "honor" her with the instrument of her suffering. Those of us who do truly honor her should feel no need for approval or legitimacy from the government that said she could be owned like any other piece of property.

Finally he asked about black history month and opined that the country need only teach American history and shouldn't set aside time for different groups. I said he had a point as long as American history is taught with all of the ugly truths intact and inclusion of everyone's story. I recommended that his listeners read Lies My Teacher Told Me and I warned against revisionism such as that which recently took place with the Advanced Placement history test. Now high school students will essentially be told that American is a great place with a great history and great people and maybe one or two things are bad but those are in the past and no one has cause for complaint. I paraphrase but that is pretty much it.

By the way, I had to do this on my day job lunch hour. I was in a storage room because I needed
privacy. No complaints though. I also have a good story to tell.

"The Quadrennial Duopoly Sham" and the Black Vote

I must thank Jared Ball and Bashi Rose of I Mix What I Like for this amazing video of my talk at the recent Black is Back Coalition conference. I already posted but this is pretty amazing. Thanks again Jared and Bashi.

Talk Nation Radio: Margaret Kimberley on Politics, Scams, and Activism

Talk Nation Radio: Margaret Kimberley on Politics, Scams, and Activism

A few weeks ago I wrote a column entitled, "Democrats and the SCOTUS Scam" for Black Agenda Report. David Swanson invited me to discuss it on his Talk Nation Radio show. We talked about the many ways in which we are scammed every four years and how the democrats keep progressives hypnotized into believing that this time, this year they really will fight the republicans. In reality we have a far right party and a center right party but I don't know if the democrats are even at the center anymore. Listen up.

BIBC-3 Margaret Kimberley: Sanders and Black Self Determination

Uhuru! That means freedom and it is the rallying cry of the Black is Back Coalition. The BIBC conference was held on April 9, 2016 in Harlem. The conference theme was The 2016 Election and Black Self-Determination. I spoke on the issue of the Bernie Sanders campaign and how it does nothing to promote self-determination for black people. Listen up.

Response to Terry Burke and In These Times

On March 13, 2016 the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) held a Day of Peace and Solidarity rally in New York City. I was among the many speakers who made clear our opposition to all U.S. interventions abroad. Obviously Syria was a subject of discussion and Syrian-Americans were in attendance who condemned the American led destruction of their country.

Terry Burke condemned the event in an In These Times article published two weeks ago. Burke says that our event was too "U.S. centric" and decried the fact that some of the Syrians who marched with us carried their own flags and images of president Assad. Burke criticizes the lack of a Syrian presence within the anti-intervention movement except there was a Syrian presence which she acknowledges but they are pro-Assad so they don't really count. It was the usual blather from pseudo leftists who don't really mind when wars are carried out by democrats and who are happy to listen to the bogus claims of humanitarian intervention. It is the U.S., Saudi, Israeli, Turkish, Qatari, ISIS camp who have destroyed Syria and displaced 9 million people and killed 400,000 more. There is nothing humanitarian about this brutal war.

None of her arguments makes sense, but we at UNAC felt compelled to respond, point by point. After much discussion we did so and our rebuttal is now posted on the UNAC web site. Please take the time to read it.

Hands off Syria!

UNAC Day of Peace and Solidarity

On Sunday, March 13, 2016 I was joined by my comrades from UNAC, Peoples Organization for Progress, the Peace Poets, the International Action Center, People's Power Assemblies, Gabriela New York, Free Aafia Siddiqui and many others. We marched and rallied against war, imperialism, police murder, neo-liberal attacks on working people and government entrapment.

Watch the two hours at your leisure but I start at about 28 minutes. Do listen to Larry Hamm, Imam Talib, Ray Laforest, Mauri Salakhan, Nat Agosto, Lynne Stewart, Debra Sweet, Raymond Nat Turner and many more.

Now Age Conversations: The Liberal-Left Divide with Margaret Kimberley

I had a great conversation with Craig Gordon of Now Age Press. We talked about the presidential election and how the left should respond.

Christopher Columbus of Brooklyn and 21st Century White Settlers

White Settlers of New York City

Sometimes people who don’t filter their thoughts do the world a great service. Such was the case in New York City last week when video of a fight over side walk space revealed the sinister nature of gentrification.

The video shows a white man arguing with a white couple after he claimed to be bumped by their baby’s stroller. In part of his tirade, the mystery man is heard to say, “The only reason white people are living here is because I settled this fucking neighborhood for you.”

Needless to say the man now dubbed “Christopher Columbus of Brooklyn” is not a person whose actions ought to be repeated. Notwithstanding the abject narcissism displayed by this person, he spoke a very serious truth. White people gentrifying Brooklyn or Harlem or Washington DC or Oakland or Chicago taker their role very seriously. They see themselves as conquerors and they act accordingly. When white people wanted to move back into the cities they had fled, they were called urban pioneers and homesteaders.

The use of these names is not at all accidental. White Americans still see themselves as pilgrims or pioneers stealing Indians land. The imagery is a powerful one even for people who did not play a direct part in that story. No matter. If they are white they are invited into the circle which they may find so intoxicating.

A settler community is violent and rapacious. They may live in New York or in an Israeli settlement stolen from Palestinian land. They may have arrived at Plymouth Rock or St. Augustine, Florida or Tasmania in Australia. The end result is always the same. Indigenous communities are wiped out and settlers get the spoils.

While the ill-mannered man in the Brooklyn video has been lambasted for bad behavior, the people who could stop him are silent. He is a villain and a figure of fun in social media, but the fracas has not inspired any serious discussions about the massive displacement taking place in New York.

Neither the New York City Council nor the democrats who control the state assembly chamber have come up with any meaningful legislative agenda to prevent the 21^st century pilgrims from eradicating the native population. While luxury high rises proliferate and the number of protected apartments decline, the misleaders of New York do nothing.

The masses know that they are being chased out of town, but there is no one to help make their voices heard. Their concerns are diminished with foolish questions about whether people have the right to live where they like. Yes, everyone should have that right, but it ought to be extended to everyone, regardless of means. Harlemites and Brooklynites have a right to live in the neighborhoods they have occupied for decades. That right shouldn’t be dismissed because the newcomers have money and are present because red lining was reversed and big money has been poured into New York.

The only voice of reason in this sorry episode comes from a black person viewing the incident as he says, “Thank you white guy.” 

I’m sure he was being ironic.

Protest held near UN headquarters over refugee crisis

I participated in a great rally yesterday here in New York City. You can see some of my comments starting at about 29 seconds. We protested the economic and political policies which cause millions of people to leave their homes in desperation.

It was also the first anniversary of the disappearance of 43 Mexican students in Ayotzinapa.

#BlackLivesMatter marches on Minnesota State Fair

I didn't talk about this particular action but about the terrible state of black people's lives and my concerns about the Black Lives Matter organization. Only three minutes. Not enough time.

Syria Forum at International Action Center on August 12, 2015

I was on a panel at the International Action Center with Sara Flounders, Ramsey Clark, Joe Lombardo, Dr. Ghias Moussa and Lawrence Hamm. We discussed Syria, What's Ahead? Diplomacy or Military Escalation? I start at about 27 minutes.

UNAC 2015 CONFERENCE: PANEL 2: FREE POLITICAL PRISONERS

I co-chaired this panel at the United National Antiwar Coalition on May 9, 2015 in Secaucus, NJ.

Uber: Neo Liberal Bastards from Hell Calling My House

This afternoon I got a phone call from Uber, the $40 billion for hire car company trying to take over the world (it operates in 57 countries) by paying drivers peanuts. I must disclose here that I have an Uber app on my phone and I have used the service  six or seven times in the past year or so.

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio is sponsoring legislation to regulate the for hire car industry.  That sounds reasonable to me, given Uber’s bad labor track record of racing drivers to the pay scale bottom and flooding an already crowded city with cars, but it didn’t get to be a big company by playing nice.

Uber has hired David Plouffe, a former Obama campaign aide as a lobbyist. Plouffe is trying to get King Rat Al Sharpton on board to fight the mayor.

This is all fairly standard corruption but today I came home to hear this robocall on my answering machine.

“Hi. It’s Molly from Uber and we need your help. Uber ended the days when you couldn’t get a ride during rush hour or in bad weather. Now mayor de Blasio is trying to bring the bad old days back because his billionaire taxi donors are telling him to.

But why on earth would your Council Member ever consider voting for something like this? They should stand up for you, not take orders from the mayor.

You Council Member is still undecided on this issue and we need your voice. Please call and tell them to vote against mayor de Blasio’s anti-Uber bill. Because you and all New Yorkers deserve reliable transportation.

Paid for by Uber 212 257-1745.”

There are now more Uber cars on the streets than the yellow taxis which provide a living wage. I will tell my City Council Member to back the mayor’s legislation.  I will also tell Uber not to call me again. Any business that hires Al Sharpton is inherently corrupt and will get no support from me. Then again, de Blasio thought that Sharpton was working for him. There really is no honor among thieves.

Russian Documentary "President"

I was watching the May 9th Victory Day celebrations on youtube and came across a Russia 24 network documentary about president Vladimir Putin. It appeared to be a history of his presidency and included interviews with him. Of course it was in Russian and I couldn't understand any of it.

Ah, the wonders of the internet. Thanks to Russia Insider I found a link to the eight-part English translation.

Thank you interwebs!

Episode 1

Left Forum 2015, Liberation Politics in the Post Obama World

Black Agenda Report always has a great panel at the recent Left Forum. Glen Ford, Ajamu Baraka, Nellie Bailey, Marsha Coleman-Adebayo and yours truly. The subject was Liberation Politics in the Post Obama World. BAR always brings it.

Police officer charged with killing 2 unarmed African Americans, found N...

I was a guest on Presstv yesterday. I was asked to comment on the acquittal of a Cleveland policeman who murdered two black people in 2012. I was asked why these crimes persist. My answer, "Racism."

UNAC Conference Political Prisoners Panel

I co-chaired a panel along with Jeff Mackler at the recent United National Antiwar Coalition conference. Jeff and I both serve on the Administrative Committee of UNAC.

End the US Wars Around The World and At Home

I was among those on a UNAC Panel on October 25, 2014. We discussed many aspects of the wars waged both at home and abroad. I start at around 4:30 but check out all the panelists.

2014 Was a Very Good Year

Exactly one year ago I began receiving emails announcing that Lynne Stewart, the people's lawyer, was awarded compassionate release from federal prison. I and many others were also asked to greet her at Laguardia airport the next day. I did, and that January 1st began an amazing year.

On February 14th I joined with other fans of Lynne to wish her a happy birthday. Here I am with Lynne and Nellie Bailey. (Photo by Tony Savino)

I was deeply honored when Vanderbilt University professors Jemima Pierre and Peter Hudson asked me to join an illustrious group (Kevin Alexander Gray, Dr. Christina Sharpe, David Austin, Dr. Maboula Soumahoro, Dr. Emira Woods, Glen Ford, Kevin Edmonds, Dr. Aaron Kamugisha, 

Dr. Naomi Beth Reed, Dr. Johnny Eric Williams, Sokari Ekine, and Dr. Rinaldo Walcott) to speak at a workshop entitled Black Folk in Dark Times.  Here I am with my fellow panelists.

Ah spring. In New York City that means Left Forum. As always, Black Agenda Report convened a panel. This year our theme was "Black America and the Empire in Crisis."

Bruce Dixon, yours truly, Dr. Anthony Monteiro, Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey in front.

In September I joined my comrades at the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) as we presented the panel "War and the Climate Crisis" at the Climate Convergence Conference.

In October, Counterpunch published "Killing Trayvons: An Anthology of American Violence." Thanks to Kevin Alexander Gray, I contributed one of my Black Agenda Report columns, "Obama Dog Whistles Over Trayvon." 

I was very busy in October. On October 10th I was interviewed on Presstv to discuss my column on the ebola epidemic.



On October 10th I joined by Marty Goodman to speak after a showing of the powerful documentary Miners Shot Down at Maysles Cinema in Harlem.

October 24th the Black Agenda Report team presented our annual fundraiser at Riverside church. This year's theme, "After Ferguson."

The very next day, October 25th (yes, I got up the next morning bright and early) to join another UNAC panel, "End the U.S. Wars Around the World and At Home."

More good news came in November. Professor Johnny Eric Williams invited me to speak at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. My topic was "Black America in a System in Crisis." 

All of this hard work paid off in November. The Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia invited UNAC to speak at a conference on December 13th. I was asked to join and speak on the anti police brutality protests which began in Ferguson, Missouri. The other members of our delegation were Bill Dores, Joe Lombardo, Joe Iosbaker, and Mo Hannah. Unfortunately Mo is not in this picture. 

We were all interviewed by Russian media and I was a guest on Govorit Moskva, Moscow Speaks, for an hour long interview with call-in from listeners. These were my first experiences working with translators and it was all very exciting. 

You can read a not very good translation of my radio interview here but better to download on that page so you can hear it.

I love being a tourist.

I left before others in our group and so I missed a protest at the U.S. embassy in Moscow. One of our hosts, Alexander Ionov, is in this photo.

When I returned I got right back to work. I gave another interview on Presstv on December 20th on police violence and the ensuing protests.



There were times that I felt overwhelmed with some of my commitments and wondered if I should slow down. I have learned that sometimes biting off more than I think I can chew is a great way to make progress.

I had no idea in January that I would be going to Moscow in December, but my work made it all possible. It was a wonderful ride which happened because I kept doing what I really love, which is writing and speaking and joining with like minded people whenever possible.

Work hard at whatever you love. That is the moral of this story.

Press TV interview

I was interviewed on Press TV on the subject of police brutality and protests against it. Ironically, this interview took place just 45 minutes before two police officers were killed.

December 20, 2014

Freedom Rider in Moscow

I was invited to attend the December 13th Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia conference as part of a United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) delegation. Black Agenda Report is a member of UNAC and I serve as a member of the Administrative Committee. I was joined by Joe Lombardo, UNAC Co-Coordinator, Bill Dores of the International Action Center, Joe Iosbaker of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and women's rights activist Mo Hannah.

The Anti-Globalization Movement is dedicated to "The rights of people to self-determination and construction of a multi-polar world." We all spoke at the conference and made ourselves available for interviews with Russian media. 

On December 15th I was fortunate to be interviewed on Govorit Moskva, which I believe is translated as Moscow Speaks. You can listen to the hour long interview here.

Glen Ford and Mumia Abu Jamal (on phone)

Sorry for the poor sound and video quality (filmed with my phone) but Black Agenda Report's Glen Ford and Mumia Abu Jamal were on the point at yesterday's The World Stands with Palestine event. Glen was on point as always when Mumia was able to call in. I can't think of a better way to spend 32 minutes.

The Spread of Ebola

There I am on Iranian Press tv discussing the spread of the Ebola virus. The interview was prompted by my latest Black Agenda Report column, The Real Ebola Conspiracy.

Al Sharpton, King Rat

Yesterday a black man named Eric Garner was murdered via choke hold and suffocation in broad day light on a Staten Island, NY street by the NYPD. His killing is on video for the world to see.

Al Sharpton, King Rat, has taken over the faux protesting duties, comforting the family, etc. Just remember who he is. This photo was taken in December 2013. The newly appointed NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton, Sharpton and mayor de Blasio all at the house of hoodwinkosity, I mean house of justice.

Sharpton's job is to make it look like black people are protesting. His real job, for which he is well compensated, is working with the powerful to make sure that black people don't do anything of substance.

During Bloomberg's time in office Sharpton said nothing about stop and frisk. He wasn't going to bite the hand that fed him. Now Bloomberg is gone, Obama is a lame duck (his other hustle since 2009) so he slithered back to NYC and pretended to be an activist.

If you want to protest Garner's death, bypass Sharpton. He can't be trusted.

Black America and the Empire in Criisis

Black Agenda Report panel at the recent Left Forum. Myself, Nellie Bailey, Glen Ford, Bruce Dixon, Anthony Monteiro, Marsha Coleman-Adebayo on Black America and the Empire in Crisis.

Enjoy.

The Problem with Bring Back our Girls

You can listen to my interview here on KPFA. Thanks to Ann Garrison.

Margaret Kimberley of Black Agenda Report at Left Forum 2014

Imperialism: Facts, Perspectives & Solutions - Your World News

What is imperialism? How is it manifested in 2014? Thanks to Solomon Comissiong from Your World News, I was able to discuss this topic along with Abayomi Azikiwe, Ajamu Baraka, Dahlia Wasfi, Eric Draitser, Stephen Lendman and Michael Parenti.

Well worth your time.

Modern Day Lynching

“Lynch law was never repealed.” Glen Ford

Black people are still being lynched at a rate of one every day. The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement documented in a 2013 report, “Operation Ghetto Storm”, that a black person is the victim of an extra-judicial killing every 28 hours. We may hear the name of some of those individuals as in the case of Trayvon Martin, but he was joined by 300 other black people in 2012 whose names we didn’t know.

The killings are becoming more numerous and more brazen. Why else would Stand Your Ground laws exist, if not to give white racists permission to kill without fear of prosecution. Modern Day Lynching is the title of my most recent Black Agenda Report column. I wrote about the killings of brothers Carl and Garrick Hopkins in West Virginia and Mckenzie Cochran in Michigan and the brutal assaults on Darrin Manning in Pennsylvania and Charda Gregory in Michigan.

On the same day that my column appeared I learned of another horrific case. Alfred Wright was found dead in Sabine County, Texas. His throat was cut and his ear was cut off. If that is not a lynching I don’t know what is.

These murders are being committed in part because black people have stood down from their legacy of agitation and demands for justice. The crowning of a black prince/president just put the icing on the cake and silenced people who were always at the forefront of fighting for justice.

Where are the black elected officials? Where were they when Kwadir Felton was shot in the head and blinded by a cop in Jersey City, New Jersey and then convicted of assault?

To put it bluntly, they don’t give a damn. Texas congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee made this mealy mouthed statement about Alfred Wright’s murder.

“the Department of Justice will investigate and take appropriate action and will conduct a thorough and independent investigation into all the circumstances surrounding this tragedy and to take appropriate action necessary to vindicate the federal interest, protect the civil rights of all Americans, ensure that all persons receive equal justice under law.

We are all better off when the facts are discovered, the truth is discerned and the family and the community are at peace.”

If Jackson Lee cared at all she would have personally led a protest and an investigation in Sabine. Instead she speaks jibberish about federal civil rights prosecutions which never take place.

Black people are in very grave danger and in part because we won’t even say so. The predators are winning.

Faithful Negros and Old Time Darkies

In the late 90s and early 00s I was an avid amateur genealogist. I discovered quite a lot of my family history and enjoyed it all very much.

Black people do face the 1865 brick wall but there is still a lot of information to be had. I have shared my discoveries and in turn been assisted by other family members with their information. I think of genealogy as a way of remembering and honoring my forebears.

Now thanks to digitization, searching is easier and more fun. I’m also planning to attend a family reunion in my grandfather’s hometown this summer and I’ve decided to resume my research and present it there. 

As a friend told me years ago, it is important not just to research one’s own family tree, but to learn from the history gathered along the way. In that spirit, I share with you an obituary that I discovered from 1895.

Death of Adam Prater

Adam Prater, colored, died at his home in this city on the evening of the 5th instant after a lingering sickness. Adam was a good citizen and belonged to the old time class of darkies whose number is gradually but surely diminishing. He was a hard working, honest negro, and attended strictly to his own affairs.

One by one this class of negroes is passing away. Between them and the white people there exists a peculiar bond which death alone can sever. We will never see any more like them for they belong to a different era. The affinity between those faithful old negroes and their former masters and mistresses is peculiar, for it is born of a different period and is the result of a mutual affection that can never be effaced.

Peace to his remains. Piedmont Inquirer, Saturday Morning, 7 Sep 1895, p. 1, c. 5.

I wish that we knew what Mr. Prater’s family had to say about him. I also wish we knew what he thought of his former masters.

If he was among the “old time class of darkies” he had good reason to be. Alabama in 1895 was no place to be a proud black person.  After all, being outspoken in 2014 can still be problematic. In 1895 it was just plain dangerous. Whatever else can be said of him, Adam Prater was probably a very smart man.

A Shout Out from Glenn Greenwald

2 good year-end essays on Snowden: (1) from BAR's @freedomrideblog (http://t.co/d9rrpVoLnS) & (2) from @nsheizaf http://t.co/QbmmvkUHw1
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 28, 2013

I measure success and prosperity in some very basic ways. I'm alive, in good health, and supporting myself. I have dear family and friends. By all those measures 2013 was a good year for me.

Sometimes though you get some icing on the cake, like when Glenn Greenwald retweets your work.

That is all.

Lynne Stewart, Laguardia airport, January 1, 2014

Sorry about the bad sound quality, but you can feel the vibe of the moment. Powerful.

Global Research Interview

 

The week before Christmas I was interviewed by Michael Welch on Global Research to talk about Nelson Mandela. Listen up here. Interview begins at about 7:50.

Lynne Stewart is Free. Happy New Year!

“We learned this morning that the US Attorney’s office has made the motion for my compassionate release and that the Order was on Judge Koeltl’s desk.  Since on the last go-round he stated in Court that he would treat it “favorably”, we are now just waiting expectantly.” Lynne Stewart

Lynne Stewart, the people’s lawyer, shared those words with us yesterday. Today I was honored to be with some 50 other people to greet Lynne and her husband Ralph Poynter at Laguardia airport.

I did not know of this momentous change in Lynne’s status until last night. I received an email that she had been granted compassionate release and I was invited to be among those who welcomed her home.

Apparently Lynne and Ralph missed their flight, so I and others had to wait another 90 minutes or so. I came close to coming back home but when I saw friends I decided to stay. I’m glad I did. We all need reminders that we are not alone and that millions of people work for a better and more just world.

In October 2013 Black Agenda Report wished Lynne, the people’s first responder, a happy birthday. Read it here or listen here. If you need more background on Stewart’s case, Chris Hedges explains here.

Happy new year to Lynne and Ralph and to all of us.