Welcome to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Margaret Kimberley, along with my co-host Glen Ford. Coming up: The Black Is Back Coalition will make freedom for all political prisoners the top item at its upcoming national conference. And, What is the meaning of Pan-Africanism today, in a post-colonial world?

But first—the entire planet remains in the grips of the Covid-19 contagion. The United States has fared worse than any other developed country, economically and in terms of loss of life. Everyone TALKS about how bad things are in the Age of Covid, but it’s even more crucial to ask, What KIND of crisis is this? We posed that question to Anthony Monteiro, the Philadelphia-based Duboisian scholar.

The Black Is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations holds its national conference on August 15 and 16. Coalition chairman Omali Yeshitela says the emphasis will be on the plight of political prisoners.

Many tens of millions of people of African descent live outside the Continent, but what does that mean, in political terms? We spoke with Jayne O. EE-FEK-WUN-EEG-WAY, a senior scholar at the Center for Genomics, Race, Identity and Difference at Duke University. She says the Africa connection means different things to different people.