Welcome, to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. Coming up: A new report shows that one out of every five Black prison inmates in the U.S. is serving a life sentence; Why in the world would an organization that calls itself leftist demonstrate on behalf of the former head of the FBI?; and, This week marks Malcolm X’s 92 nd birthday.
But first – veteran human rights activist and 2016 Green Party vice presidential candidate Ajamu Baraka is busy pulling together BAP, the Black Alliance for Peace. The Alliance recently issued a joint statement with UNAC, the United National Anti-War Coalition, denouncing U.S. subversion against the socialist government of Venezuela. Baraka will be one of the speakers at UNAC’s national conference in Richmond, Virginia, on June 16 through 18 th . He says UNAC and the Black Alliance for Peace are a perfect fit.
Sarah Flounders, of the United National Anti-War Coalition, says Donald Trump’s victory has caused great confusion in the land, as we witness the spectacle of people that call themselves leftists demonstrating in support of James Comey, the recently fired head of the FBI.
A new report by the Washington-based Sentencing Project shows that one out of every seven prisoners in the United States is serving a life sentence. Lifers make up one out of every five Black prison inmates. More and more, prisons are places for warehousing old people, the legacy of a “lock ‘em up and throw away the key” criminal justice system that has abandoned all pretense of rehabilitation. We spoke with Ashley Nellis, senior research analyst for the Sentencing Project.
Mumia Abu Jamal is the nation’s best known political prisoner. Abu Jamal was an accomplished journalist before his conviction in the death of a Philadelphia policeman. Mumia presented this essay for Prison Radio, on Neoliberal Utopias and Nightmares.
Malcolm X would have turned 92 years of age, this week, if he had not been cut down by assassins. The event will be marked in many places, including the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Educational and Memorial Center, in New York City. Imam Talib Abdul Rashad is a member of the center’s advisory board. He says the event is titled, “What Malcolm Means to Us.”
And that it’s for this edition of Black Agenda Radio. Be sure to visit us at BlackAgendaReport.com, where you’ll find a new and provocative issue, each Wednesday. That’s www.BlackAgendaReport.com. It’s the place for news, commentary and analysis, from the Black Left.