Sojourner Truth Radio

News Headlines: August 29, 2019 by Sojourner Truth with Margaret Prescod

Today on Sojourner Truth:

We commemorate the 49th anniversary of the Chicano moratorium, one of the most impactful events in Chicano history in the United States. On August 29, 1970, a huge march of about 30,000 mainly young people stormed East Los Angeles opposing the Vietnam War and demanding rights for Chicano people, especially in the areas of education and ethnic studies. The march was led by activists from local colleges and other schools and members of the Brown Berets, with roots in a high school student movement that led massive walkouts two years earlier in 1968 in East Los Angeles. These walkouts were known as the Chicano Blowouts, in which students protested against unequal and racist conditions in Los Angeles Unified School District high schools in East Los Angeles.

The Chicano Blowouts, along with the Chicano Moratorium, were some of the largest mobilizations by Mexican-Americans to this date, as far as we know. During the Chicano Moratorium, police busted out their batons and tear gas canisters, forcibly breaking up the mass demonstration which was concentrated at Laguna Park. Four people died, dozens were injured and more than 150 people were arrested, according to historical records. Among the four people who were killed was Ruben Salazar, an award-winning journalist with the Los Angeles Times who was one of the few reporters on the ground providing coverage of the events.

Our guests are Theresa Montaño, Sol Márquez and Bill Gallegos.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

400 years ago this month, a Portuguese ship carrying the first 20 enslaved people from West Africa, most likely from modern-day Angola, arrived on the shores of occupied Indigenous lands known today as the United States.

The ship landed at Port Comfort, in what was then the British colony of Virginia, in August of 1619, a year before the Mayflower landed in what is now Massachusetts. Its voyage formed part of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, in which at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.

An estimated 1.8 million people died along the Middle Passage, disembarking in North America, the Caribbean and South America. Out of the roughly 10.7 million Africans who survived, only about 388,000 were sent directly to North America, as an overwhelming majority were sent to the Caribbean and Brazil.

The forced arrival and enslavement of the 20 West Africans who were taken to the United States marked the beginning of a four-century-long racist nightmare that were still experiencing as we speak.

Our guest is Dr. Gerald Horne, Moores Professor of History & African-American Studies at the University of Houston, has written more than 30 books. His most recently published books include "White Supremacy Confronted: U.S. Imperialism and Anti-communism vs. the Liberation of Southern Africa, From Rhodes to Mandela" and "Jazz and Justice: Racism and the Political Economy of the Music."

Today on Sojourner Truth:

400 years ago this month, a Portuguese ship carrying the first 20 enslaved people from West Africa, most likely from modern-day Angola, arrived on the shores of occupied Indigenous lands known today as the United States.

The ship landed at Port Comfort, in what was then the British colony of Virginia, in August of 1619, a year before the Mayflower landed in what is now Massachusetts. Its voyage formed part of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, in which at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.

An estimated 1.8 million people died along the Middle Passage, disembarking in North America, the Caribbean and South America. Out of the roughly 10.7 million Africans who survived, only about 388,000 were sent directly to North America, as an overwhelming majority were sent to the Caribbean and Brazil.

The forced arrival and enslavement of the 20 West Africans who were taken to the United States marked the beginning of a four-century-long racist nightmare that were still experiencing as we speak.

Our guest is Dr. Gerald Horne, Moores Professor of History & African-American Studies at the University of Houston, has written more than 30 books. His most recently published books include "White Supremacy Confronted: U.S. Imperialism and Anti-communism vs. the Liberation of Southern Africa, From Rhodes to Mandela" and "Jazz and Justice: Racism and the Political Economy of the Music."

Today on Sojourner Truth:

Donald Trump is proudly claiming that the U.S. economy has never been better, saying it's the talk of everyone. But what is the reality of the state of the economy in the United States? We speak with professor and economist Richard Wolff.

Also, the latest crackdowns on migrant children and families, including green card holders. We speak with attorney Peter Schey as well as Arizona-based attorney and activist Isabel Garcia.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

Donald Trump is proudly claiming that the U.S. economy has never been better, saying it's the talk of everyone. But what is the reality of the state of the economy in the United States? We speak with professor and economist Richard Wolff.

Also, the latest crackdowns on migrant children and families, including green card holders. We speak with attorney Peter Schey as well as Arizona-based attorney and activist Isabel Garcia.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

Donald Trump is proudly claiming that the U.S. economy has never been better, saying it's the talk of everyone. But what is the reality of the state of the economy in the United States? We speak with professor and economist Richard Wolff.

Also, the latest crackdowns on migrant children and families, including green card holders. We speak with attorney Peter Schey as well as Arizona-based attorney and activist Isabel Garcia.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

Donald Trump is proudly claiming that the U.S. economy has never been better, saying it's the talk of everyone. But what is the reality of the state of the economy in the United States? We speak with professor and economist Richard Wolff.

Also, the latest crackdowns on migrant children and families, including green card holders. We speak with attorney Peter Schey as well as Arizona-based attorney and activist Isabel Garcia.

Today on Sojourner Truth, our Weekly Roundtable:

Will Donald Trump's plan to run his presidential campaign against the four congresswomen of color, referred to as "The Squad," work? Will the racist chant he started pick up steam? We discuss the history, implications and policies based on the racist "go back to where you came from" view. Meanwhile among Republicans, Trump has jumped 5 percent in the polls after he made and then ramped up the "go back to where you came from" charge.

And, what about sexism and xenophobia - will it matter to Trump voters? The fact that he partied with Jeffery Epstein, who is now in prison on charges of rape and sexual abuse of minors. Clearly, Trump knew Epstein liked younger women as Trump himself put it. This, amid the court-ordered release of evidence involving the scramble to pay off two women who had affairs with Trump and hush money paid so they would not come forward right before the election. The scramble happened after the video of Trump bragging about grabbing women's private parts emerged. So, what is the depth of the involvement of Trump and his team in that cover up? Will any of this make a difference to women voters? Keep in mind that the majority of white women voted for Trump; looking back, Obama also lost the white women's vote.

Thursday, July 18 marked the birthday of the late Nelson Mandela, who emerged from 27 years in prison to become the first Black President of South Africa. What is his legacy? What contrasts can be made between Mandela's South Africa and the U.S. today?

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

Today on Sojourner Truth, our Weekly Roundtable:

Will Donald Trump's plan to run his presidential campaign against the four congresswomen of color, referred to as "The Squad," work? Will the racist chant he started pick up steam? We discuss the history, implications and policies based on the racist "go back to where you came from" view. Meanwhile among Republicans, Trump has jumped 5 percent in the polls after he made and then ramped up the "go back to where you came from" charge.

And, what about sexism and xenophobia - will it matter to Trump voters? The fact that he partied with Jeffery Epstein, who is now in prison on charges of rape and sexual abuse of minors. Clearly, Trump knew Epstein liked younger women as Trump himself put it. This, amid the court-ordered release of evidence involving the scramble to pay off two women who had affairs with Trump and hush money paid so they would not come forward right before the election. The scramble happened after the video of Trump bragging about grabbing women's private parts emerged. So, what is the depth of the involvement of Trump and his team in that cover up? Will any of this make a difference to women voters? Keep in mind that the majority of white women voted for Trump; looking back, Obama also lost the white women's vote.

Thursday, July 18 marked the birthday of the late Nelson Mandela, who emerged from 27 years in prison to become the first Black President of South Africa. What is his legacy? What contrasts can be made between Mandela's South Africa and the U.S. today?

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