Sojourner Truth Radio

Part #1

Rev. William Barber, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, led a discussion with economists and public health policy practitioners on poverty and hunger in America during a three-day summit in Washington, D.C. They discussed a variety of issues, including the causes for poverty in America, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on low-income and minority populations, economic drivers of inflation, and how best to mitigate poverty in the country

Rev. William Barber, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, led a discussion with economists and public health policy practitioners on poverty and hunger in America during a three-day summit in Washington, D.C. They discussed a variety of issues, including the causes for poverty in America, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on low-income and minority populations, economic drivers of inflation, and how best to mitigate poverty in the country

Today, we are bringing you a special broadcast on the environment: Hoodwinked in the Hothouse: Would Build Back Better Burn Billions?

This is the third panel of a series that builds on the momentum created by the most recent report on the impact of climate change on indigenous and frontline communities titled, Hoodwinked in the Hothouse (Third Edition) : Resist False Solutions to Climate Change.

As part of President Bidens infrastructure plan, federal and state governments are providing billions in so-called climate subsidies, policy incentives and tax breaks to dangerous and dirty energy industries. These include: biomass and waste incinerators; nuclear power, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure for fossil-fuel facilities; frontline and environmental justice communities are facing increased pollution burdens and toxic threats.

Todays panel discussion highlights emergent threats of climate false solutions across U.S. federal and state policy landscapes. Panelists are community campaigners, community leaders, researchers, and frontline organizations who are fighting the myths associated with carbon capture and storage, nuclear, hydrogen, biofuels and waste incineration. Along with debunking what they see as false climate crisis solutions, they also highlight inspiring stories of success led by environmental justice communities.

They point out that to effectively move money away from dangerous policy directions and towards real climate justice solutions, coalition building is needed amongst national green groups, labor unions, climate philanthropy, and policymakers who should work with frontline communities in opposing these schemes.

Harry Belafonte, the singer, actor and civil rights activist who broke down racial barriers, has died aged 96.

As well as performing global hits such as Day-O (The Banana Boat Song), winning a Tony award for acting and appearing in numerous feature films, Belafonte spent his life fighting for a variety of causes. He bankrolled numerous 1960s initiatives to bring civil rights to Black Americans; campaigned against poverty, apartheid and Aids in Africa; and supported leftwing political figures such as Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez.

The cause of death was congestive heart failure, his spokesman told the New York Times. Figures including Joe Biden, the rapper Ice Cube and Mia Farrow paid tribute to Belafonte. The US president said Belafonte was a “groundbreaking American who used his talent and voice to help redeem the soul of our nation”.

Sojourner Truth continues its coverage of Black History Month coverage with our one-hour special broadcast on Stokely Carmichael, also known as Kwame Ture. He is known by a generation that popularized the cry of "Black Power."

We speak with Dr. Peniel Joseph about his book, "Stokely: A Life. And discuss several questions including: how the concept of Black Power as a political strategy developed. How and why did Stokely Carmichael move from civil rights worker to U.S. based Black Power leader, to Pan-Africanist and socialist. What price did he pay in making this move? Stay tuned for a wide-ranging conversation on Stokely's life, impact and contributions with host Margaret Prescod.

Today on Sojourner Truth, we share excerpts from the Alliance for Global Justice Eco Solidarity series titled: “Climate change disasters in the Caribbean and around the world,”moderated by Aminta Zea and James Jordan. Panelist speakers include:

Camilo Matos of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, Banbose Shango of the National Network on Cuba, and Camille Landry, co-director of AFGJ's Human Rights School, as well as a highlights interview with Peruvian Journalist Lucho Garate, and an interview with Jayeesha Dutta of the Climate Justice Alliance.

In 2022 alone, climate related disasters took place in Vietnam, Pakistan, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Florida, Japan, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Alaska. A series of heavy rains, hurricanes, typhoons, and floods that have hit these areas have all been attributed to climate change. These global warming catastrophes began even as leaders from across the world gathered for the annual Cop 27 conference.

Today you will hear a bit more on these climate change disasters including the privatization of private utilities in Puerto Rico. Camilo Matos of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party will explain why Puerto Ricans are calling for the immediate reinstatement of the PREPA public utility company, and its union, which was busted as a result of this privatization.

Today on Sojourner Truth, we share excerpts from the ideas 42 Policy Labs Policy for Shared Prosperity virtual webinar Basic Income Programs: Successes, Challenges, and Policy Solutions. Where panelists discuss the successes of basic income programs implemented throughout different parts of the nation, some of the challenges and propose tips for improving and expanding these programs.

Panelist speakers include: Sarah Stripp, Managing Director for Springboard to Opportunities, Lesa Gilbert, Director for the Center for Economic Support, City of Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services, Lori Pfingst, Senior Director, for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. This panel is moderated by Nicole Russo, Principal Behavioral Designer in Economic Justice for Ideas42.

Guaranteed basic income programs are an effective way to support families. Guaranteed basic income programs have been implemented in more than 50 cities across the United States. Households with low incomes receive a monthly, unconditional cash payment to help make ends meet. Evidence confirms the positive impacts of guaranteed income on economic and overall well being; yet, policy questions remain about how to best scale and operate these programs moving forward.

This panel of experts examine the impact of city-level basic income programs and the

potential benefits of state-wide basic income program implementation. Panelists discuss the

policy challenges associated with basic income programs proposing informed tips based on

practice for advocates and policymakers interested in improving and expanding these programs.

Activists and co-founders of the Shawnee Forest Defense John Wallace and Karen Frailey join host Margaret Prescod for the hour to discuss recent developments in their campaign towards making the Shawnee Forest a national park and climate preserve.

The Shawnee National Forest is located in Southern Illinois. The Shawnee National Forest

encompasses a 289,000 acre area in southern Illinois stretching from the Mississippi River to the Ohio River which contains some of the most ecologically bio-diverse areas in the United States.

Three decades ago, in the summer of 1990, activists from Earth First! occupied the Fairview Timber sale site in the Shawnee Forest which is located in Southern Illinois for 79 days — using their bodies to block the logging equipment and using legal strategies to challenge the harvesting of the lumber in court. This historic action has come to be known as the Shawnee Showdown. This relatively small group of activists were successful in stopping commercial logging in the Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois for 17 years. But in 2013, the Forest Service won a motion to lift the injunction.

But logging is back in Shawnee. Currently, thousands of acres at the Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois are scheduled for logging operations. Shawnee is managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which allows logging on public lands. The fight to save the Shawnee Forest continues today, with the most recent attempt by organizers to transfer the Shawnee National Forest out of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s control and into the hands of the U.S. Department of the Interior, with a proposal that would establish Shawnee as a National Park and designate it as the nation’s first climate preserve. The biggest gain from converting the forest into a national park and climate preserve is the elimination of commercial logging efforts and resource extraction.

Today on Sojourner Truth, author, organizer and anti-capitalist campaigner, Selma James joins host Margaret Prescod for the hour to discuss the history of her involvement in organizing for fair wages for women, and her continued organizing at 92 years old.

In 1972 Selma put forward Wages for Housework (WFH) as a political perspective that redefined the working class to include all who work without wages, starting with women, the primary carers everywhere. The International WFH Campaign she founded (which celebrates its 51st anniversary in 2023) coordinates the Global Women's Strike.

conversation with Professor Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Black feminist theorist and theoretical physicist and Selma James, long-time feminist activist and Wages for Housework co-founder to discuss, "Our Time is Now," an anthology by Selma James and the legacies of intergenerational feminism.Selma James is a women's rights and anti-racist campaigner and author. From 1958 to 1962 she worked with C.L.R. James in the movement for West Indian federation and independence. In 1972 she co-founded the International Wages for Housework Campaign, and in 2000 helped launch the Global Women's Strike whose strategy for change is Invest in Caring, Not Killing. She coined the word unwaged, which has since entered the English language. In the 1970s she was the first spokeswoman of the English Collective of Prostitutes. She is a founding member of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network. She co-authored the classic The Power of Women and the Subversion of the Community, which launched the domestic labor debate.Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy and core faculty in women’s and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire. Her research in theoretical physics focuses on cosmology, neutron stars, and dark matter. She additionally does research in Black feminist science, technology, and society studies. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein is also a columnist for New Scientist and Physics World. Nature recognized her as one of 10 peoplewho shaped science in 2020, and Essence magazine has recognized her as one of 15 Black Women Who Are Paving the Way in STEM and Breaking Barriers. A cofounder of Particles for Justice, she received the 2017 LGBT+ Physicists Acknowledgement of Excellence Award for her contributions to improving conditions for marginalized people in physics and the 2021 American Physical Society Edward A. Bouchet Award for her contributions to particle cosmology, including co-founding Particles for Justice. Her first book The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred received the 2021 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the science and technology category and was named a Best Book of 2021 by Publishers Weekly, Smithsonian Magazine, and Kirkus. It has been a finalist for several awards including the 2022 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. The Disordered Cosmos was also long-listed for the OCM Bocas Prize in Caribbean Literature. Originally from East L.A., she divides her time between the New Hampshire Seacoast and Cambridge, Massachusetts.