Voices From The Frontlines

This week on Voices from the Frontlines Eric Mann, Channing Martinez, and Barbara Lott Holland speak about Ciclavia South LA, the Strategy and Soul pitstop along the route, and the realities of riding a bike as a Black and Latinx person in a police state.

In February the Strategy Center will work with 7 other organizations to launch the South Central Power Up E-bike lending library. As part of that effort we are ramping up programing around Bikes and what we're calling a community run 1st class Transportation system. The program will be free for the first 6 months.

Channing speaks about the controversy of riding a bike as a Black person, which includes being subject of pretextual stops and criminalization by police.

Eric speaks about the idea of launching a truly 1st class transportation system while Metro runs the public transportation system into the ground.

Barbara speaks about running the pitstop at Ciclavia.

This week on #VoicesRadio Join Eric Mann and Channing Martinez in conversation on Palestine, the role of 3rd party Presidential candidates, and the Strategy and Soul Bookstore.

On Saturday November 11th the Strategy and Soul Bookstore will return to the Leimert Park Village Book Fair for its 16th Annual festival at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. Eric and Channing speak about the political role that the Bookstore is playing and announces holiday book collections to support Strategy and Soul Bookstore.

In this political climate Palestine will continue to be a segment on Voices from the Frontlines. Eric speaks about the frame for calling on Biden and the democratic party to free Palestine.

Eric speaks about the role of 3rd party candidates and challenges the notion that they are ultimately bad, but encourages everyone to look at their candidacies. Eric also speaks about the failed democratic strategy to scare everyone into voting for them by saying if not Biden, then Trump and the fascists will take over the country.

This week on voices; we begin the conversation with Channing on his new article: Taste of Soul: Locked out of our own Black community; thoughts from a Black organizer. Channing speaks about the political implications of having a fence placed on front of Strategy and Soul during one of the largest annual events in South Central Los Angeles.

In the second half of the show Eric continues the conversation about fighting for liberation and self determination for Palestine. Eric speaks about the new openings for struggle in favor of Palestine including speaking about the disagreement between former President Barack Obama, and current president Joe Biden.

This Week Eric Mann hosts part two of a conversation with Michel Shehadeh from the Free Democratic Palestine Movement. Eric speaks about the frame of defending Palestine's right of self determination in the face of genocidal conditions placed upon them by Israel. Michel speaks about the context of more than 5 years of genocide against Palestine by Israel and speaks about international solidarity with Palestine.

Eric and Channing are joined in two conversations this week that focus on the intersections of Climate Justice, Women's Rights, Self Determination and the role of US Imperialism.

In the first segment Eric and Channing are joined by by Michel Shehadeh who speaks about the recent conflict between in Palestine. Michel speak about the feeling of four days of liberation and ends with acknowledging solidarity with the red nation as they too know what its like to struggle against an oppressive nation.

In the Second segment, Cheyenne Antonio speak about her work in the red nation around fracking, women's rights, and climate and environmental justice. Cheyenne speak about what it means to wake up each morning to fight the system despite depressive conditions.

This week on Voices Eric is joined live from the wall of the Ohio State Penitentiary with Keith Lamar, Artist, Jazz enthusiast, revolutionary teacher, revolutionary student, and serving time on death row in Ohio. Eric and Keith are joined in conversation with Amy Gordiejew who helps is fighting the hardest to free Keith Lamar and handles many of his external matters.

Together they speak about the upcoming #FreedomFirst Concert series coming to Strategy and Soul on October 5th at 7pm.

You can get tickets here: https://bit.ly/Strategyandsoul

This week on Voices from the Frontlines

Eric reflects on the devastating climate impacts in Libya and discuses how LA, through the neglect of the Metro is actively contributing to adverse climate events in the third world.

Second a Sing Along to "Maybe" by the Chantels

Third, Eric Mann is joined in conversation with Channing Martinez, who just returned from a Crenshaw Eco Club alumni trip to Yosemite National Park. Channing speaks about Bill Vanderberg, his former teacher at Crenshaw High School. Together Eric and Channing speak about what it means to travel while being Black, Volunteering in Yosemite, Ranger Shelton Johnson, deep group building, and how the Strategy Center can work to make sure more people can experience national parks to facilitate freedom dreaming.

Eric concludes the show with a sing along with Jerry Butler's "For Your Precious Love".

This week on #Voices Radio Eric and Channing review sis of the Best of Voices from the Frontlines Classic conversations and we're proud to add a new excerpt from Eric's Conversation with Keith Lamar.

Excerpt 1. Mumia Abu-Jamal

In this excerpt Mumia and I discuss the concept of Menticide—wiping out a people’s historical memory in order to disempower them, to demobilize them. In this case, we discuss how the knowledge of movement leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Robeson, and Malcolm X has has not been transmitted to a new generation of black youth, or youth of any race for that matter.

Excerpt 2. Diane Fujino

In this excerpt, Diane Fujino, Associate professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara discusses her recent book, Samurai Among Panthers: Richard Aoki on Race, Resistance, and a Paradoxical Life. She describes the political influences that turned Aoki into a revolutionary nationalist who joined the Black Panther Party at the very beginning. She describes how he was shaped by the Japanese internment camps, growing up in Black working class neighborhoods of Oakland, and in his early 20s by his work with socialists of the Old Left, before he joined up with Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in college.

Excerpt 3. LisaGay Hamilton

In this excerpt, actor and activist LisaGay Hamilton talks about the political influences on her life that evolved into her left, antiracist politics. And she discusses the difficulties of getting work in Hollywood, let alone getting acting roles that are politically progressive and meaningful, when you are an actor who is black, a woman, AND have left politics.

Excerpt 4. Aris Anagnos

In this excerpt, Aris Anagnos, the Greek and Los Angeles leftist and a major supporter of revolutionary movements around the world, discusses the growing crisis of European capitalism and what form that crisis has taken in Greece and why Greece and the Greek people have been scapegoated.

Excerpt 5. Alex Sanchez

In this excerpt Alex discusses the life and political influences that took him from being a working class El Salvadoran immigrant and former gang member to become an internationally known peace maker and executive director of the L.A. organization Hommies Unidos.

Excerpt 6. Keith Lamar

In this excerpt Eric is in discussion with Keith Lamar about the life and legacy of George Jackson and the relation of his legacy to Keith Lamar's struggle to survive in the hell that makes up solitary confinement. Keith reflects on movement building beyond the bars.

Eric Mann and Channing Martinez discuss the moral collapse of U.S. imperialism

• Emmett Till—July 25, 1941—August 28, 1955—a young Black man who held his head high and sparked the civil rights movement and touched the lives of millions.

• Jeffery St. Clair—Counterpunch, Roaming Charges---the Ecological catastrophe of Spokane Washington and the Katrina like racism of the system’s decimation of Lahaina.

• Kirkpatrick Sale, author of the great book, SDS about Students for a Democratic Society, 50 year edition on “It’s not climate change, it’s the burning to death of the planet”.

• Eric and Channing on Eric’s Book: on the 18th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Katrina’s Legacy: The Black Nation and the People of the World Confront the U.S White Settler State And its genocidal Climate Crimes.

• The white racist, Ryan Christopher Palmeter and the murder of 3 Black innocents—Angela Michelle Carr, 52; Jerrald Gallion, 29; and Anolt Joseph “AJ” Laguerre Jr., 19.

• Eric Mann’s commentary—if you are an anti-imperialist socialist you can’t call for socialism in the United States. You can’t socialize U.S. imperialism, can’t socialize the white settler state, can’t socialize 800 U.S. Military bases or 1 million Black people in prison—a true socialist would support socialism in China, Cuba, Venezuela, and build an anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-imperialist Resistance against U.S. imperialism—Trump and Biden—to help protect the Third World inside and outside the U.S., the people and the planet.

This week on #VoicesRadio Eric speaks with Akunna about her trajectory into becoming a conscious organizer through her upbringings and through her training at the Strategy Center.

Eric gives commentary on the Colonialism that created the unnatural disaster in Maui.

Eric also gives commentary on the Youth who recently won their suit against the State of Montana for promoting fossil fuels.

Lastly, tune in for a sing along with Eric signing Unchained Melody by the Drifters.