Sojourner Truth Radio

Today on Sojourner Truth:

As the nation mourns the passing of two civil rights icons, C.T. Vivian and Congress John Lewis, yet another civil rights leader, Charles Evers, has died. He was the brother of Medgar Evers, who was assassinated outside of his home in front of his family. C.T. Vivian's funeral takes place today on Thursday, July 23, in Atlanta, Georgia. Today, for our ongoing Campaigners for Black Lives series, we speak with Dr. Roslyn Satchel, giving reaction from the perspective of Black Lives activists of the contributions of these civil rights icons. What has the Black Lives Matter movement of today gleaned from their predecessors?

For our weekly Earth Watch, we speak with Orin Langelle, photojournalist and the Strategic Communications Director for the Global Justice Ecology Project. We discuss how the struggle in Portland relates to the Pinochet-era in Chile and also attacks against the Mapuche people, who are Indigenous to Chile.

Protests continue in Portland, Oregon, despite the presence of what many now refer to as Donald Trump's private army. We speak with Portland-based activist Mic Crenshaw and for legal analysis, Marjorie Cohn. Cohn is professor emerita at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where she taught for 25 years.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

As the nation mourns the passing of two civil rights icons, C.T. Vivian and Congress John Lewis, yet another civil rights leader, Charles Evers, has died. He was the brother of Medgar Evers, who was assassinated outside of his home in front of his family. C.T. Vivian's funeral takes place today on Thursday, July 23, in Atlanta, Georgia. Today, for our ongoing Campaigners for Black Lives series, we speak with Dr. Roslyn Satchel, giving reaction from the perspective of Black Lives activists of the contributions of these civil rights icons. What has the Black Lives Matter movement of today gleaned from their predecessors?

For our weekly Earth Watch, we speak with Orin Langelle, photojournalist and the Strategic Communications Director for the Global Justice Ecology Project. We discuss how the struggle in Portland relates to the Pinochet-era in Chile and also attacks against the Mapuche people, who are Indigenous to Chile.

Protests continue in Portland, Oregon, despite the presence of what many now refer to as Donald Trump's private army. We speak with Portland-based activist Mic Crenshaw and for legal analysis, Marjorie Cohn. Cohn is professor emerita at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where she taught for 25 years.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

We bring you voices of women from the Continent. Women from Africans Rising hosted a webinar entitled, "Africa's Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery: A Feminist Perspective." Africans Rising is a grassroots movement based on the Continent of people and organizations working for peace, justice and dignity. The women gave an analysis of the failure of the liberal economic model, including a critique of imposed capitalist approaches to African economies. They said for capitalism to be a success, someone has to suffer.

In their wide-ranging discussion, they spoke about how grassroots women in largely unpaid care and domestic labor subsidize African economies and how in turn, Africa subsidies the global economy. They describe what they call "climate imperialism" and refer to what they call "reproduction debt" for domestic work and the need for a care economy. Topics included policies of multi-lateral financial institutions on women in Africa. They discussed restitution, reparations and eugenics capitalism. They spoke about the significance of Africa, the murder of George Floyd, how African nations responded to Floyd's murder and the importance of Pan Africanism.

Today, we bring you Part 1 of a two-part series, the voices of women based in Africa. You will hear perspectives and sharp analysis from Coumba Toure, Coordinator for Africans Rising in Senegal, Amina Mama, a Nigerian-British professor and editor of Feminist Africa, Nancy Kachingwe, a freelance consultant based in Zimbabwe specializing in women's rights, and Lebohang Liepollo Pheko, Steering Committee Member of South African Women in Dialogue.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

We bring you voices of women from the Continent. Women from Africans Rising hosted a webinar entitled, "Africa's Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery: A Feminist Perspective." Africans Rising is a grassroots movement based on the Continent of people and organizations working for peace, justice and dignity. The women gave an analysis of the failure of the liberal economic model, including a critique of imposed capitalist approaches to African economies. They said for capitalism to be a success, someone has to suffer.

In their wide-ranging discussion, they spoke about how grassroots women in largely unpaid care and domestic labor subsidize African economies and how in turn, Africa subsidies the global economy. They describe what they call "climate imperialism" and refer to what they call "reproduction debt" for domestic work and the need for a care economy. Topics included policies of multi-lateral financial institutions on women in Africa. They discussed restitution, reparations and eugenics capitalism. They spoke about the significance of Africa, the murder of George Floyd, how African nations responded to Floyd's murder and the importance of Pan Africanism.

Today, we bring you Part 1 of a two-part series, the voices of women based in Africa. You will hear perspectives and sharp analysis from Coumba Toure, Coordinator for Africans Rising in Senegal, Amina Mama, a Nigerian-British professor and editor of Feminist Africa, Nancy Kachingwe, a freelance consultant based in Zimbabwe specializing in women's rights, and Lebohang Liepollo Pheko, Steering Committee Member of South African Women in Dialogue.

Today on Sojourner Truth, we honor the lives and legacies of two icons of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States: C.T. Vivian and Congressman John Lewis.

C.T. Vivian - born on July 30, 1924 in Boonville, Missouri - was an activist, author, minister and lead organizer during the Civil Rights Movement, alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1947, Vivian took part in his first sit-in demonstrations, which successfully integrated Barton's Cafeteria in Illinois. Vivian co-founded the Nashville Christian Leadership Conference and helped coordinate sit-in protests against segregation in Nashville in 1960 and a historic civil rights march the following year. He also participated in the Freedom Rides, in which activists traveled on interstate buses across segregated states in the South. The Freedom Rides challenged the lack of enforcement of two Supreme Court decisions which ruled that segregated public buses were unconstitutional. In 2008, he went on to establish the C. T. Vivian Leadership Institute. In 2013, former President Barack Obama awarded Vivian the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Congressman John Lewis - born on February 21, 1940 in Boonville, Missouri - served as the Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (known as SNCC) from 1963 to 1966. As a respected leader of SNCC, he helped organize the historic March on Washington in 1963, protesting racism and segregationist policies. There, he delivered an impassioned speech in which he was prepared to ask the question: Which side is the federal government on? In 1965, on a day known as Bloody Sunday, he was beat up with batons by police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, resulting in a fractured skull. Like Vivian, Congressman Lewis was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Obama, but in 2011. He represented Georgia's Fifth Congressional District in the House of Representatives from 1987 until his recent passing. Funeral services for C.T. Vivian are set for Thursday, July 23, at the Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Meanwhile, funeral services for Congressman Lewis have not yet been announced, but memorials are expected to take place in Washington D.C., Atlanta and in his birthplace of Troy, Alabama, according to BET.

Since their passing, there has been an outpouring of love for C.T. Vivian and Congressman Lewis. Respected sociologist and professor Aldon D. Morris described Vivian as one of his favorite civil rights warriors and Lewis as someone who personified the youth wing of the civil rights movement. In a statement addressing Vivian's death, Obama described him as someone who was always one of the first in the action and also as someone who absorbed blows in hopes that fewer of us would have to. Paying tribute to Lewis, Obama described him as one of my heroes, adding that he stood on his shoulders. The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, Co-Chair of the Poor Peoples Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, tweeted: CT Vivian was to the movement what a CT scan is to medicine. His critique of Americas racism was clear, penetrating & exposed the sickness of its systemic nature. Speaking on Congressman Lewis, Rev. Barber said he was faithful unto death to the beloved community. Mourning the death of Vivian, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said: Our city and nation lost an incredibly kind and courageous man today. Senator Kamala Harris also said Vivian was someone who dedicated his life to fighting and organizing against racial injustice. Lewis, who was the longest serving member of the Congressional Black Caucus, was described by the political body as the conscience of our caucus."

Today on Sojourner Truth, we honor the lives and legacies of two icons of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States: C.T. Vivian and Congressman John Lewis.

C.T. Vivian - born on July 30, 1924 in Boonville, Missouri - was an activist, author, minister and lead organizer during the Civil Rights Movement, alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1947, Vivian took part in his first sit-in demonstrations, which successfully integrated Barton's Cafeteria in Illinois. Vivian co-founded the Nashville Christian Leadership Conference and helped coordinate sit-in protests against segregation in Nashville in 1960 and a historic civil rights march the following year. He also participated in the Freedom Rides, in which activists traveled on interstate buses across segregated states in the South. The Freedom Rides challenged the lack of enforcement of two Supreme Court decisions which ruled that segregated public buses were unconstitutional. In 2008, he went on to establish the C. T. Vivian Leadership Institute. In 2013, former President Barack Obama awarded Vivian the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Congressman John Lewis - born on February 21, 1940 in Boonville, Missouri - served as the Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (known as SNCC) from 1963 to 1966. As a respected leader of SNCC, he helped organize the historic March on Washington in 1963, protesting racism and segregationist policies. There, he delivered an impassioned speech in which he was prepared to ask the question: Which side is the federal government on? In 1965, on a day known as Bloody Sunday, he was beat up with batons by police on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, resulting in a fractured skull. Like Vivian, Congressman Lewis was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Obama, but in 2011. He represented Georgia's Fifth Congressional District in the House of Representatives from 1987 until his recent passing. Funeral services for C.T. Vivian are set for Thursday, July 23, at the Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Meanwhile, funeral services for Congressman Lewis have not yet been announced, but memorials are expected to take place in Washington D.C., Atlanta and in his birthplace of Troy, Alabama, according to BET.

Since their passing, there has been an outpouring of love for C.T. Vivian and Congressman Lewis. Respected sociologist and professor Aldon D. Morris described Vivian as one of his favorite civil rights warriors and Lewis as someone who personified the youth wing of the civil rights movement. In a statement addressing Vivian's death, Obama described him as someone who was always one of the first in the action and also as someone who absorbed blows in hopes that fewer of us would have to. Paying tribute to Lewis, Obama described him as one of my heroes, adding that he stood on his shoulders. The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, Co-Chair of the Poor Peoples Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, tweeted: CT Vivian was to the movement what a CT scan is to medicine. His critique of Americas racism was clear, penetrating & exposed the sickness of its systemic nature. Speaking on Congressman Lewis, Rev. Barber said he was faithful unto death to the beloved community. Mourning the death of Vivian, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said: Our city and nation lost an incredibly kind and courageous man today. Senator Kamala Harris also said Vivian was someone who dedicated his life to fighting and organizing against racial injustice. Lewis, who was the longest serving member of the Congressional Black Caucus, was described by the political body as the conscience of our caucus."

Today on Sojourner Truth, our weekly roundtable.

The politicization of a pandemic. What's going on? The debate about the market versus human life: is it over? The fight over schools reopening and all of its wider implications. Also, we return to our election watch. We look at what's going on not only in the presidential election, but also in the Senate and the House.

Our panelists are Jackie Goldberg, Laura Carlsen and Dr. Gerald Horne.

Today on Sojourner Truth, our weekly roundtable.

The politicization of a pandemic. What's going on? The debate about the market versus human life: is it over? The fight over schools reopening and all of its wider implications. Also, we return to our election watch. We look at what's going on not only in the presidential election, but also in the Senate and the House.

Our panelists are Jackie Goldberg, Laura Carlsen and Dr. Gerald Horne.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

As the coronavirus pandemic continues unabated, 29,000 Cuban doctors have been on the frontlines fighting the virus in 50 countries. Yet, Cuba's image in the United States is a negative one. Contrast this with countries in the Global South, from the Caribbean to the continent of Africa, there is a different image of Cuba. It is a humanitarian image, providing doctors, nurses and teachers to a wide swath of countries. It is also an artistic image. From music to dance and maintaining traditional African beats and spiritual practices. Cuba is known for its jazz, Afro-beats and more. This weekend, a major online live concert will focus on Cuba. It is billed as an epic gathering of Afro-Cuban musicians and artists influenced by Cuban traditions. Today, we speak with some of the artists performing, including Dayramir Gonzalez and Dionne Warwick.

Yamaha artist Dayramir Gonzalez is a three-time Cubadisco award-winner and the first Cuban national to receive Berklee College of Musics Presidential Scholarship and the 2013 Wayne Shorter Award for most outstanding jazz composer. In 2012, he was a headliner in Carnegie Halls Voices of Latin America Series, invited by Chucho Valdes to represent the young generation of Cuban jazz pianists. His latest album The Grand Concourse was named one of the Top 40 albums of 2018 and received 4.5 stars from Downbeat.

Dionne Warwick is a singer, actress, television host, and former United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization and United States Ambassador of Health. A six-time Grammy Award winner, Warwick has sold over 85 million records worldwide. She is a participating artist in the Concert for Cuba.

We also speak with Bill Martinez, one of the producers of the Concert for Cuba.

For our weekly Earth Watch, our guest is Manitoba, Canada-based Carol Kobliski. She has lived with her family in Nisichawayasihk her whole life. Carol is a survivor of the Churchill River Diversion project which has heavily impacted her family. Today, we discuss the implications of hydropower.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

As the coronavirus pandemic continues unabated, 29,000 Cuban doctors have been on the frontlines fighting the virus in 50 countries. Yet, Cuba's image in the United States is a negative one. Contrast this with countries in the Global South, from the Caribbean to the continent of Africa, there is a different image of Cuba. It is a humanitarian image, providing doctors, nurses and teachers to a wide swath of countries. It is also an artistic image. From music to dance and maintaining traditional African beats and spiritual practices. Cuba is known for its jazz, Afro-beats and more. This weekend, a major online live concert will focus on Cuba. It is billed as an epic gathering of Afro-Cuban musicians and artists influenced by Cuban traditions. Today, we speak with some of the artists performing, including Dayramir Gonzalez and Dionne Warwick.

Yamaha artist Dayramir Gonzalez is a three-time Cubadisco award-winner and the first Cuban national to receive Berklee College of Musics Presidential Scholarship and the 2013 Wayne Shorter Award for most outstanding jazz composer. In 2012, he was a headliner in Carnegie Halls Voices of Latin America Series, invited by Chucho Valdes to represent the young generation of Cuban jazz pianists. His latest album The Grand Concourse was named one of the Top 40 albums of 2018 and received 4.5 stars from Downbeat.

Dionne Warwick is a singer, actress, television host, and former United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization and United States Ambassador of Health. A six-time Grammy Award winner, Warwick has sold over 85 million records worldwide. She is a participating artist in the Concert for Cuba.

We also speak with Bill Martinez, one of the producers of the Concert for Cuba.

For our weekly Earth Watch, our guest is Manitoba, Canada-based Carol Kobliski. She has lived with her family in Nisichawayasihk her whole life. Carol is a survivor of the Churchill River Diversion project which has heavily impacted her family. Today, we discuss the implications of hydropower.