Abolition Today

In this episode we discuss the origins, creation, history, purpose, and actions of what is now modern US police forces.

As always, we'll have profound in depth discussions, amazing music and poetry, and we'll bring the words of the abolitionist ancestors back to life for a new generation in our Bridging The Gap segment.

It's Easter Sunday and National Poetry Month.

We've got Poets, Preachers and Teachers who will break down slavery in Black and White.

- The story of Ota Benga

- The History of White People in America

- How America Invented Race

- How America Made Skin Color Power

- The Contemporary Conflation of Slavery in the Bible

- For-profit prison as an economic development program

With Spoken Word Poetry from Maya Angelou, Oscar Brown jr,

Abolitionist Frances Ellen Harper and Frederick Douglass.

All that and much more!

This week we are joined by members of United Tennessee to talk about their ballot measure to abolish slavery in the state for the first time. TN is one of FIVE states so far that will give citizens the opportunity to vote to abolish slavery in 2022. We'll discuss the history of slavery in Tennessee including the creation of the KKK and much, much, more.

As always, we'll have amazing poetry/music mixes, news, updates on the abolitionist movement, and we'll bring the words of the abolitionist ancestors back to life for a new generation.

Join Max and Yusuf this Sunday for a talk about ending slavery in the birthplace of the KKK.

In our first broadcast for National Poetry Month we'll be honoring the legendary wordsmith Gil Scott-Heron and discussing the critical role of proper perspectives.

We know like he knew that "the first revolution is when you change your mind". That's something that can't be televised.

Join us as we share some of Gil's music and poetry while tying it all together in a nice neat slavery abolition bow. Giving you more than enough reasons to rethink, reconsider, and replace what you thought you knew with what you'll know now.  As John Maynard Keynes said; “When I’m wrong, I change my mind. What do you do?”

Of course we'll cover the news, discuss the latest events in the slavery abolition movement, enjoy educated discussions, and bring the words of the abolitionist ancestors back to life for a new generation in our Bridging The Gap Segment.  If you're a fan of Gil Scott-Heron, Spoken Word, Freedom, and Real Solutions to the Core Critical Issue facing our nation and the world today, tune in!

You heard a taste of her work and research a few weeks ago during S3-E8 Runaway Slave Syndrome. This week she joins us live!

Professor Sinha has written for The Times Literary Supplement, The New York Review of Books, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New York Daily News, Time Magazine, CNN, The Boston Globe, Dissent, The Nation, Jacobin, and The Huffington Post and has been interviewed by the national and international press. She has been on National Public Radio, NBC, Democracy Now, BBC News, C-SPAN, Pacifica, Euro News, Canadian Television News, Canadian Broadcasting Company, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, China Global News, Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, TLC’s Who Do You Think You Are, and was an advisor and on-screen expert for the Emmy nominated PBS documentary, The Abolitionists (2013), which is a part of the NEH funded Created Equal series. She has lectured all over the country and internationally in the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, India, Ireland, and New Zealand. The Chinese rights to The Slave’s Cause have recently been sold to Beijing Han Tang Zhi Dao Book Distribution Co., Ltd.

As always, we'll have wonderful music mixes and we'll bring the words of the abolitionist ancestors back to life for a new generation in our bridging the gap segment.

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This week we examine the human trafficking and warehousing bodies aspects of modern legal slavery.

America has the largest prison population in the world. With only 4% of the worlds population we have 25% of it's prisoners.

Prison and jail overcrowding in some states is as much as 300% capacity. Thousands of prisoners are trafficked across state lines to be placed in states where they were never convicted of a crime. Underlying it all are racial discrepancies where minorities represent the vast majority of prison populations despite being only a fraction of state populations.

As always, we cover the data and show the truth of modern legal slavery under the 13TH amendment of the US constitution.

We've come a long way and covered a lot of ground since S1-E1 of Abolition Today on March 15th 2020.  The day Breonna Taylor was murdered by Kentucky slave-catchers. We'll share some of the highlights, favorite moments, and look back at how we got here today as we plan for the future.  We're also opening the phone lines so you can share some of your favorite Abolition Today moments with us. The Guest Call In (515) 605-9814. Press the number "1" on your keypad to get in que for questions or comments.

Of course we'll be tapping into our rich archive of amazing music and moments captured in audio mixes as well as bringing the words of the ancestors back to life in our Bridging The Gap segment.

 Happy birthday to Abolition Today.

Max & Yusuf cover Rikers jail and all the horrors behind that island of death. We'll be joined by Dr Stewart who has spent the last 3+ years on Rikers awaiting a trial.

Unlike just about every other coverage you've seen, we examine this hell on earth from the perspective of Slavery Abolitionists and not as prison abolitionists or reformists. 

Max will be live on location in Selma Alabama during the annual Backwards March marking March 6th "Bloody Sunday" — when thousands walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

We'll also commemorate the 12th anniversary of March 4th For Freedom 2010. The 1st national organized protests against legalized slavery in the post antebellum era.

God willing, we'll be joined by Tag Harmon and Dr Stewart who has spent the last 3+ years in Rikers without a trial.

As always we will bring the fire with awesome clips and music mixes as well as bringing the voices of the ancestors back to life for a new generation in our Bridging The Gap segment.

It's the day after the Abolish Slavery National Network Quarterly Gathering and we're joined by Jean'na Anthony Kenney of Ohio's EPIC- Ensuring Parole for Incarcerated Citizens. A nonprofit prisoner rights advocacy group specializing in parole reform, fair laws, and fair treatment. @EPICohio. Kenny is also the lead state organizer behind Ohio Senate Joint Resolution 1 The abolition amendment. Jean'na is the host of Kicking it With The Kenneys and an ASNN state partner.

We'll talk about the amazing national quarterly gathering and dig deep into Ohio's connection to the abolitionist movement of the past and modern constitutional slavery today. We'll expose some blatant conflicts of interest within the Ohio DOC and as always, tie it all together with powerful music mixes.

In this episode we discuss false narratives surrounding the antebellum abolitionist efforts. To assist in that endeavor we're going to listen to some of Professor Manisha Sinha's lecture

"Did Abolitionists Cause the Civil War?"

Manisha Sinha is the James L. and Shirley A. Draper Chair in American History at the University of Connecticut and a leading authority on the history of slavery and abolition and the Civil War and Reconstruction.

They told us that abolitionists caused the civil war. That middle class white people started and ran the abolitionist movement, and that those in bondage were happy slaves satisfied with their condition. Then, when we resisted or became a runaway, they told us it was a mental illness to want freedom from slavery. Drapetomania.

They lied. They always lie.

We've got some amazing musical mixes that will have you pumped and ready to dodadamnthang.

For our Bridging The Gap segment we have a special gem to share with you. You don't want to miss any of this weeks educational and inspirational episode.