At the Movies with the Roomies

Welcome, to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective.

The United States has embedded itself in Syrian territory, after six years of arming Islamic jihadist fighters to overthrow that government. Russia is also in Syria, but that’s at the request of the recognized Syrian government. There is no legal justification for the U.S. presence in Syria, according to Dr. Francis Boyle, the professor of international law at the University of Illinois.

The Black Is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations will hold a national conference in Chicago, August 12 and 13. The theme of the gathering is “The Ballot AND the Bullet: War and Peace in the Era of Donald Trump.” We spoke with Black is Back chairman Omali Yeshitela, and asked, What’s so different about the Donald Trump era?

The nation’s best known political prisoner, Mumia Abu Jamal, was a radio journalist before he was locked up in the death of a Philadelphia policeman. In an essay for Prison Radio, Abu Jamal speaks of Franz Fanon, the “Revolutionary Journalist.”

Diane, Rwigara, the 35-year old daughter of a businessman believed to have been assassinated by the regime of Paul Kagame, in Rwanda, is perservering in her presidential bid. People that challenge dictator Paul Kagame most often wind up dead, in prison, or in exile. David Himbara is journalist who fled Rwanda to avoid assassination. Himbara says Diane Rwigara has given Rwandans hope. He appeared on Phil Taylor’s radio program, “Unusual Sources,” in Toronto, Canada.

WBAI-FM Radio, in New York City, is being sued by the Empire State building, from whose towers it has been broadcasting since 1965. But the Empire State Building management claims WBAI owes more than 2 million dollars in back rent. The suit threatens not only WBAI, but other Pacifica stations in Texas and California, according to WBAI interim executive director Bill Crosiere

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.

Welcome, to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Glen Ford, along with my co-host, Nellie Bailey. Coming up: Black people gathered in East St. Louis, Illinois, and nearby Ferguson, Missouri, to mark one of the nation’s most deadly racist assaults, 100 years ago. Mumia Abu Jamal challenges the prosecutorial racism that put him in prison, 35 years ago. And, the Green Party puts forward a candidate for mayor of New York City.

But first – Rev. Edward Pinkney, the veteran community leader from mostly Black Benton Harbor, Michigan, is breathing free air for the first time in two-and- a-half years. Rev. Pinkney was released from prison after serving 30 months of a maximum ten year sentence for trying to recall a mayor allied with the giant Whirlpool Corporation, which has long dominated his city. The newly released political prisoner recalled his ordeal in the Michigan prison system.

A century ago, white mobs killed hundreds of Black people in East St. Louis, Illinois, in a slaughter that shaped Black politics for much of the remainder of the 20 th century. Back in 1917, when the white media spoke of “race riots,” they meant mass white assaults on Black communities. Many historians now refer to attacks like the one on East St. Louis, as pogroms -- organized racist bloodbaths. Dr. Randy Short was a principal organizer of three days of actions marking the massacre. He says these rituals of mass murder were standard white political behavior, for many generations.

The Green Party’s candidate for mayor of New York City, Akeem Browder, thinks his fight to get on the ballot will be successful, despite the difficulties that small parties face in challenging the rule of the duopoly, corporate parties. Akeem is the brother of Kalief Browder, the young man who spent one thousand days locked up in New York’s infamous Rikers Island jail, before charges against him were dropped for a crime he didn’t commit. Kalief Browder then fell into a deep depression and committed suicide. His brother Akeem’s challenge to Mayor Bill Deblasio is an uphill climb. Diblasio was once seen by many as the great progressive white hope for New York. But, fewer people feel that way now that he’s up for re-election.

The 4 th of July is just another day behind bars if, like Mumia Abu Jamal and many others, you are a political prisoner in the United States. Mumia’s 35 years in prison, much of it on death row, in the 1981 killing of a Philadelphia police officer, has been marked by many courtroom dramas, punctuated by massive mobilizations of his worldwide supporters. There was encouraging news on the legal front, last month. Black Agenda Radio producer Kyle Fraser spoke with Dr. Johanna Fernandez, a professor of history and African American Studies at Baruch College, and a key organizer in the Campaign to Bring Mumia Home. Dr. Fernandez explained the complex legal issue that is now before the Pennsylvania courts.

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.

Welcome, to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Glen Ford, along with my co-host, Nellie Bailey. Coming up: The nations leading anti-war organization held its national conference in Richmond, Virginia. And, James Baldwin, the great author, essayist, playwrite, and political thinker, is the subject of a three-day celebration, at the Saturday Free School, in Philadelphia.

The activists of the United National Anti-War Coalition, UNAC, certainly have their work cut out for them. The War Party is firmly in charge on both sides of the political aisle, among the Republicans in Congress and the White House, and the Democratic so-called opposition. Nevertheless, three hundred activists gathered in Richmond, Virginia, to explore strategies for peace  including a sizeable delegation from Black Agenda Report. This year’s conference was the most heavily Black in the history of UNAC, with Blacks making up about a third of the speakers. This week, we’ll bring you ten of those speakers from the conference in Richmond, beginning with Charo Mina-Rojas, a Black community organizer from the South American nation of Colombia.

In Philadelphia, the Saturday Free School, a favorite venue for progressive activists, thinkers, and students of all ages -- and where Dubosian Scholar Dr. Anthony Monteiro can often be found – will hold a three-day celebration of the Life of James Baldwin. The event takes place July 7, 8 and 9 at Philadelphia’s historic Church of the Advocate, where the Saturday Free School is located. Artists, entertainers, educators and activists from around the region will honor Baldwin, who died in 1987. Baldwin wrote essays, articles, books and plays, but he didn’t write political manifestos, and was not active in conventional movement organizations. So, why is James Baldwin so important, historically and politically? We asked two members of the Free School collective: Elias Gonzalez and Kayla Watkins.

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.

Welcome, to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Glen Ford, along with my co-host, Nellie Bailey. Earlier this month, Black Agenda Report was well-represented at the Left Forum, in New York City, the nation’s largest yearly gathering of leftwing activists, organizers and thinkers. This week, we continue our coverage of the presentations made at the Left Forum by the Black Agenda Report team, and those who work closely with us. Black Agenda Radio host Nellie Bailey served as moderator for two of our panels. She’ll be introducing BAR managing editor Bruce Dixon, and BAR editor and columnist Ajamu Baraka, who ran for vice president on the Green Party ticket in 2016. We’ll also have presentations by Dr. Anthony Montiero, the Duboisian scholar based in Philadelphia, on the theme, “Understanding Our Resistance,” and Kevin Zeese, of Popular Resistance, who discusses ways to prevent the Co-Opting of the Left.

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.

We're back! And we are back in time for our favorite month - October! If you are fan of thrillers or scary movies, you need to check out the man we are discussing this episode. Mario Bava was an accomplished director and cinematographer whose works set the stage for the slasher movies of the 1980s and 1990s. We make some recommendations of Bava films and a few others, plus debate a modern masterpiece.

It's our annual tradition! Join the guys as they discuss the most hyped and most intriguing movies of 2016, which this year includes a new game of guessing the plot based on the title and lead actor.  They guys also dive into Hollywood deaths, Oscar controversies, and the two co-hosts yelling at each other about whether The Force Awakens got shafted in the Academy Awards.

We tackle the Billy Wilder movies of the 1950s this week with special guest @SMartano!  We talk Some Like It Hot, Ace in the Hole, Sabrina, Stalag 17, and more.

Set aside some time for our super podcast.  The guys tackle the films of Billy Wilder this month and begin with his films from the 1940s.  Can you trust Walter Neff's account in Double Indemnity? Is Sunset Boulevard Wilder's darkest movie, or is it The Lost Weekend?  We close with Robert's spoiler free review of Spectre, and debate whether James Bond movies have to be good films to be good Bond movies.

Just in time for your post-candy crash, we wrap up our discussion on horror remakes.  We wonder out loud if good big budget horror movies are possible, why so many remakes are simply lazy carbon copies, and how many mind-numblingly dumb things can Robert say in this episode.

True story, this episode was recorded October 22 but never published.  That means you get to enjoy a two-parter where the roommates talk about some of the best and most high-profile horror remakes.