Today on Sojourner Truth, our weekly roundtable. Our panelists are Laura Carlsen and Dr. Gerald Horne.
We focus on COP26, the UN Climate Conference that is wrapping up in Glasgow, Scotland. After thousands there, including most world leaders, there is little left to show in the outcome thus far, except for a watered-down mention of coal and fossil fuels. Even though it's watered-down, the United States has refused to sign on to it. This, as the Biden administration bends to the coal and oil lobby, and is opening up more access to oil and gas drilling. "So much for US leadership," complain other countries. China and the US did announce what is seen as a breakthrough. They announced a non-binding agreement, that some see at least as a step in the right direction. The United States and other countries that are mostly responsible for the climate crisis are refusing to pay the funds needed by small islands and other developing countries of the Global South, who are the first to feel the brunt of climate change. They need these funds to stop and reverse the damage to their nations.
Meanwhile, back in the United States, two trials highlighting racial tensions are taking place, and comparisons are being made to the history of vigilantism in the country. This, as attacks on teaching the true history of the United States is increasingly under attack, including voters in Virginia electing a Republican candidate saying they are concerned about what they call the teaching of critical race theory in schools. This, they say, is why they opposed the Democratic candidate. Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison's books have been attacked, with some suggesting that they be burned, including "Beloved" and "The Bluest Eye."
What does all of this mean as the nation still refuses to grapple with its history and its present-day legacy. On the international front, we get an update from South of the Border, and we look at what is happening with the migrant crisis in Europe, including what is happening at the Poland-Belarus border. Meanwhile in China, President Xi moves to extend his presidency and to solidify his role in China's history.