Sojourner Truth Radio

Today on Sojourner Truth, we present our International Women's Day program with our featured guests joining host Margaret Prescod: Anna Aurilio, campaign Director of the Economic Security Project Action, Phoebe Jones, women's rights campaigner in Philadelphia, Emiliana Guereca, organizer with the Women's March LA, state chair for the Michigan Welfare Rights organization, Maureen Taylor, as well as Nell Myhand, organizer and member of the Bay area Poor People's Campaign. We discuss the work being done to address the most pressing issues women face today: reproductive rights, and economic disparities for women and mothers in the workplace.

Today on Sojourner Truth we kick off women's herstory month with an all female round panel discussion focusing on women's work and contributions as caregivers and their central role in movements towards bringing visibility to the labor of women that has been undervalued for centuries. Women and girls spend about 12.5 billion hours every day on unpaid care and domestic work. If we were to monetize this for women aged 15 and older, it adds up to $10.8 trillion a year—three times the size of the world’s tech industry. Unpaid work is essential for households and economies to function globally, yet it continues to be valued less than paid work. In 2023, women in the labor force continue to earn less than their male colleagues across the board. Our panelists are Laura Carlsen, Director of the Americas Program and regular contributor to Americas Updater, Foreign Policy in Focus, CounterPunch and several Spanish-language publications, and, Jackie Goldberg, governing school board member for the Los Angeles Unified

Today on Sojourner Truth we honor women's history month with the voices of women of color that contributed to progressive change in the world as writers, scientists and entertainers. We share speeches from Wangari Maathi, Paule Marshall and Dorothy Dandridge and excerpts from an exclusive Sojourner Truth interview with world renowned writer Toni Morrison.

March 1st marks the anniversary of the US backed 2004 coup vs Haiti’s first democratically elected government under Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Aristide was ousted in the 2004 coup after right-wing ex-army paramilitaries invaded the country from across the Dominican border. The United States helped orchestrate the coup against him. Aristide was later forced into exile in the Central African Republic and South Africa. Today 19 years later, Haiti continues to be destabilized under de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry, the country is facing a resurfacing of cholera and an uptick in gang crime. We speak Edouard "Pacha" Vorbe, an organizer on the ground in Haiti to hear his perspective on the current events unfolding in Hait. Edouard “Pacha” Vorbe is founder and co-director of Fanmi Lavalas. Since 1998, Pacha Vorbe has been an active member of Fanmi Lavalas, the political organization headed by former President Jean Bertrand Aristide and supported by the vast majority of impoverished people in Haiti.

March 1st marks the anniversary of the US backed 2004 coup vs Haiti’s first democratically elected government under Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Aristide was ousted in the 2004 coup after right-wing ex-army paramilitaries invaded the country from across the Dominican border. The United States helped orchestrate the coup against him. Aristide was later forced into exile in the Central African Republic and South Africa. Today 19 years later, Haiti continues to be destabilized under de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry, the country is facing a resurfacing of cholera and an uptick in gang crime. We speak to organizers on the ground in Haiti to hear their perspectives: including Edouard “Pacha” Vorbe, founder and co-director of Fanmi Lavalas. Since 1998, Pacha Vorbe has been an active member of Fanmi Lavalas, the political organization headed by former President Jean Bertrand Aristide and supported by the vast majority of impoverished people in Haiti. As well as Pierre Labossiere, one of the most respected progressiv

Today on Sojourner Truth our Friday roundtable is back. Each of our panelists select people they'd like to honor as we kick off the month of African American History. Our panelists are: journalist Laura Carlsen, LA Unified school board member Jackie Goldberg and Dr. Gerald Horne, Moores Professor of History and African-American Studies. We cover a wide range of topics including: figures from curriculum, history and in particular Black history under attack in Conservative states across the country, international affairs in China, as well as the forces at play regarding the recent rise in violence in Israel-Palestine conflict.

Sojourner Truth in partnership with the Global Justice Ecology Project present our weekly Earth Minute segment on the science behind the actual impact of carbon offsets corporations claim.

The month of January culminates in what is being proclaimed globally as the deadliest period of fighting between Israel and Palestine in years in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports Israel has killed at least 42 Palestinians in this month alone, including 8 children and an elderly woman. The deadliest Israeli raid in the West Bank took place on Thursday January 26, when Israeli forces raided the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, killing 10 people. It was the deadliest Israeli raid in the West Bank in two decades. We discuss these latest developments in the Israeli-Palestine conflict with Michael Kalmanovitz, founding member of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network.

We are joined by civil rights icon Zoharah Simmons who will be discussing the response from educators and civil rights organizers to the rejection of an advanced placement course on African American studies for high school students last month by Florida's department of education, under the leadership of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Initially Florida tried to ban the course entirely, but after weeks of backlash and even a potential lawsuit the College Board released the official curriculum for a new Advanced Placement course in African American studies on Wednesday, the first day of Black History Month. However, critics point out that the newest iteration of the course is now missing several themes and voices from Black scholars that were originally presented in a pilot program already being taught at dozens of schools this year across the country.

Our Global Justice Ecology Project Earth Watch guest joining us to delve into a deeper discussion of carbon offset and its impact on climate change is researcher Jutta Kill, whose current research focuses on analyzing the role of carbon markets in the emergence of the Green Economy concept where natural complexity and diversity are transformed into "natural capital" – the re-defined "nature" of the Green Economy. Her recent writings explore how in the process, rules-based environmental legislation and fines for violation of environmental regulation are being replaced with incentive-based regulation and fees that buy the right to destroy or pollute.

Today on Sojourner Truth we begin by paying homage to the life of Tyre Nichols as civil rights leaders including: Reverend Al Sharpton, speak at his funeral on Wednesday, contextualizing the significance of his death at the hands of black police officers. We are joined by civil rights icon Zoharah Simmons who will be discussing the response from educators and civil rights organizers to the rejection of an advanced placement course on African American studies for high school students last month by Florida's department of education, under the leadership of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Initially Florida tried to ban the course entirely, but after weeks of backlash and even a potential lawsuit the College Board released the official curriculum for a new Advanced Placement course in African American studies on Wednesday, the first day of Black History Month. However, critics point out that the newest iteration of the course is now missing several themes and voices from Black scholars that were originally present

Today on Sojourner Truth, we kick off Black History Month hearing the words of James Baldwin and WEB Dubois. Hakeem Jeffries is causing quite a stir in his new leadership position in the Democratic Party, so why are some worried about his positions on foreign policy, in particular controversy on his positions re the Israeli Palestinian conflict? Our guest is Stephen Zunes Professor of politics at the University of San Francisco who will be elaborating on this. And Anna Aurilio with the Federal Campaign Director of Economic Security Project Action joins host Margaret Prescod to discuss the latest on the expanded Child Tax Credit on Federal and State levels providing an update on the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) and the movements for a guaranteed income and a basic income.

Today on Sojourner Truth we discuss the wrongful killing of Tyre Nichols, a 29 year old black man who was beaten up and tased by five black police officers and later died in the hospital. According to the family attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, an independent autopsy was done by a forensic pathologist, which determined that Nichols died of “excessive bleeding caused by a severe beating.” Police claim to have stopped Nichols for a traffic violation and that he became aggressive and tried to reach for one of the officers' guns, however video footage showed that police lied in their report. Videos of the beating that involved five black officers who at one point laid on top of Nichols all at once, was released Friday January 27th, leading to widespread national protests and putting a national spotlight on Memphis,TN police and the wider conversation around systemic failures and racism in policing. A 6th police officer, Preston Hemphill, who is white, has been let go from the police force as the invest

Today on Sojourner Truth with host Margaret Prescod our Friday roundtable is back with our panelists: foreign correspondent Laura Carlsen, Los Angeles school board member Jackie Goldberg and historian Dr. Gerald Horne. Only one month into 2023 and the nation is experiencing an uptick in state and gun violence. We begin with the recent police killing and brutality of a young black man in Memphis Tennessee, and as well as three back to back killings by police of black men in California. We are also facing a series of mass shootings happening in America in the month of January 2023. We then turn our conversation to international affairs: the continued war between Ukraine and Russia. Russia launches over 50 missiles in response to Germany and the U.S. decision to send war tanks to Ukraine to continue militarized action vs Russia in what many experts refer to as the newest US ‘"proxy war." We also discuss the latest Israeli police attacks in Palestine and the ongoing protests in Peru since the replacement of Pr

Today on Sojourner Truth with host Margaret Prescod we delve into the nurse protests going on around the country and internationally. Joining us to tell us more about the largest nurse strike in recent NY history at New York City hospitals Mount Sinai and Montefiore Medical Center is Mount Sinai Hospital Emergency Room registered nurse and union delegate Erin Hogan.

Is the CA desert tortoise going to make it to the 22nd Century? The desert tortoise that has been called the closest species to the dinosaur is at serious risk of becoming extinct, joining Sojourner Truth host Margaret Prescod to discuss the factors behind this growing extinction risk and what can be done, is naturalist educator Pat Flanagan. In her current position as Desert Naturalist at The 29 Palms Inn, Oasis of Mara, she educates an international audience on the local history going back 9,000 years and desert ecology.

Today on Sojourner Truth with host Margaret Prescod we delve into the nurse protests going on around the country and internationally. Joining us to tell us more about the largest nurse strike in recent NY history at New York City hospitals Mount Sinai and Montefiore Medical Center is Mount Sinai Hospital Emergency Room registered nurse and union delegate Erin Hogan. And is the CA desert tortoise going to make it to the 22nd Century? The desert tortoise that has been called the closest species to the dinosaur is at serious risk of becoming extinct, joining us to discuss the factors behind this growing extinction risk and what can be done is naturalist educator Pat Flanagan. In her current position as Desert Naturalist at The 29 Palms Inn, Oasis of Mara, she educates an international audience on the local history going back 9,000 years and desert ecology.

As the Biden Administration approaches its halfway mark. We know that Blacks put this Administration in office just off of the South Carolina primary alone. But they expected to see something from the Biden Administration in the areas of: voting rights, reparations, and addressing white supremacist violence, yet very little if anything in these areas has come from the Biden Administration. We are joined by two members of the Movement for Black Lives, Dr. Amara Enyia and Montague Simmons who will share their take on these shortcomings and what the Movement for Black Lives is doing to build the power to get these priorities accomplished, in spite of a conservative House.

On Wednesday January 18th, Atlanta Law enforcement officers shot and killed Atlanta forest defender and activist Manuel Tortuguita Terá. Atlanta Police — including a SWAT team — were violently evicting protesters who had occupied a wooded area outside a proposed $90 million training facility known as “Cop City,” inside Weelaunee Forest, a public forest in Georgia. Kamau Franklin, the founder of Community Movement Builders, a grassroots organization dedicated to creating sustainable Black communities through organizing and cooperative development, joins guest host Nana Gyamfi to discuss the opposition from community members to “Cop City” and what organizers and community members are calling for since this violent raid.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has made it clear from press conferences from NYC to Texas and back that he doesn't want any more asylum-seekers coming to the City. New York City has seen 36,400 asylum seekers arrive as of Jan. 4th this year, but keeping asylum seekers out of NY is not a real solution so what can be done? Guest host Nana Gyamfi is joined by Carl Hamad Lipscombe, the Executive Director of Envision Freedom Fund, an organization committed to dismantling and transforming the immigration and criminal legal systems in NYC. We discuss this issue and contextualize past and present immigration reforms that disqualify recent arrivals from Africa and African descent from being able to acquire asylum or fix their immigration status in the U.S.