Sojourner Truth Radio

Today on Sojourner Truth: Our Friday roundtable panel is back with governing school board member Jackie Goldberg, Moores Professor of History & African-American Studies at the University of Houston and Director of the Americas program and international correspondent Laura Carlsen, joining Margaret Prescod for the hour to discuss the call for reparations since the passing of the Queen, the latest in the war in Ukraine and global realignments, Trump's threats regarding the ongoing investigation and much more.

Today on Sojourner Truth: International Journalist Laura Carlsen joins us for the hour to discuss the history of Chile's authoritarian regime, its remnants and its impact on the recent vote down of what could have been the first progressive constitution to be enacted in Latin America. What is the youngest, most progressive President of Chile Gabriel Boric, planning to do moving forward in an attempt to salvage this failed vote? We also discuss Brazil and its impending presidential election, the danger President Jair Bolsonaro poses for Brazil if he chooses to follow suit with his threats, taking a page from former President Trump’s reaction to the Presidential election he lost to President Biden, claiming the election is rigged. We conclude with a brief update on the 43 missing students in Guerrero Mexico.

According to the White House, there have been 3.6 million official eviction filings so far in 2022. We should expect the number of eviction filings to increase, given that Data from the US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey released in 2021 found approximately 4.2 million adults report being at risk of eviction or foreclosure in July and August. The data indicated that those facing eviction are significantly more likely to be Black, Indigenous, Latinx, or other people of color. Analysis by PolicyLink (Cal Matters) indicates that about 900,000 households in California are behind on rent, with an average of $4,600 in rental arrears. Today on Sojourner Truth guest host Nana Gyamfi is joined by Pete White, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Community Action Network aka LACAN. LA CAN’s constituency consists of extremely low-income and homeless people, primarily those living in Downtown LA and South Central LA. Christina Griffin and Natasha Brown of the California Black Power Network join Nana to discu

With the death of Queen Elizabeth and the succession of her eldest son, Charles III, there are new calls from former and present-day British colonies for Britain to make amends by paying reparations, issuing apologies, returning stolen artifacts and breaking with the British monarchy as did the island nation of Barbados in the fall of 2021. Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1952 when more than a quarter of the world’s population were under British rule–according to NPR that was more than 700 million people. The old saying went: the sun never set on the British Empire, which included countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific and the Caribbean. And British imperial power was known for slavery, massacres and other violence and theft. The resulting suffering was felt around the world, even as the royal family accumulated great wealth, much of that wealth is secret. Even the crown jewels of the late queen were stolen from India and South Africa. Today we focus on the colonial impact and legacy of Britai

Today on Sojourner Truth: Guest host Nana Gyamfi, attorney and Black Alliance for Just Immigration Executive Director discusses the polluted water crisis occurring in Jackson Mississippi with her first guest Rukia Lumumba, attorney and Executive Director of Peoples' Advocacy Institute, who has been on the ground since the crisis began. You will also hear excerpts from the recent UN Committee on Eliminating Racial Discrimination and their findings and recommendations. The UN committee cite abortion rights, reparations and policy brutality as three of the most pressing issues that require follow up from the US. Maraky Alemreged with BAJI, joins Nana to discuss surveillance and the forthcoming abolition week. Lastly, Matyos Kidane, organizer with Stop LAPD Spying joins Nana to contextualize mass policing at the local level in Los Angeles as well as the national level, keeping in mind Biden's recent plan to hire thousands more police making it clear he stands behind addressing national safety issues by funding

Today on Sojourner Truth: Our Friday panel round table discussion is back featuring international journalist and Director of the Americas Program Laura Carlsen, historian and Moores Professor of History & African American Studies, Dr. Gerald Horne and Los Angeles school board member Jackie Goldberg, joining host Margaret Prescod to discuss Biden's state of the union speech, the ongoing Department of Justice investigation involving former President Trump, left wing politics in South America, reactions to the passing of the former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorvachev across the Atlantic, and an update on Israeli-Palestinian relations.

Today on Sojourner Truth we bring you our annual Labor Day show honoring workers across the nation and and across the globe fighting for fair wages, working conditions and benefits. Our guests are Chairman of the LA Long Beach Labor Coalition Larry Barragan, National and CA organizer with Workers United, Evelyn Zepeda and Tyler Keeling, a Starbucks worker at one of the only unionized Starbucks in Southern CA who will share his experience during the recent workers’ strike protesting unfair labor practices.

Nichelle Nichols died of heart failure on Saturday July 30th in Silver City NM. She was 89 years old. Nichelle Nichols first appeared on Star Trek on Sept 8, 1966 as Lt. Nyota Uhura. She was one of the first Black women to have a leading role on TV according to the NYT. Star Trek was on TV from 1966 to 1969, but the show remains popular and iconic and Nichelles Uhura remains beloved by fans all over the world. Nichelle appeared in 66 episodes of Star Trek. According to the NYT, In 1977 she became an ambassador of sorts for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), she later spoke of her pride in recruiting the first Black and woman astronaut hopefuls. Her efforts resulted in over 2,600 women and people of color applicants. In 2012 she was a keynote speaker at the Goddard Space Center. Our guest is Lawrence Ware, Co-director of Oklahoma State University African Studies Program and a contributing writer to Slate, the NYT, The Root. Commentary on race and politics have appeared in the Huffington Pos

Today on Sojourner Truth we bring you our Black August Special featuring George Jackson. George Jackson was born in Chicago Illinois. He was one of five children. He was arrested in Northern California 1961 when he was 19 years old for allegedly attempting to rob a gas station at gun point for $600. He was sentenced to 1 year to life in prison and he spent the next 11 years in prison, most of those years were in solitary confinement. While in prison George became a revolutionary, an organizer and an author. He along with fellow prisoner W.L. Nolan founded the Third World Coalition and founded the San Quentin Prison chapter of the Black Panther Party. He was becoming well-known in radical circles in the US and internationally. He was dubbed a trouble-maker for his revolutionary views and activities by prison authorities. In 1970 W.L. Nolan was killed by a prison guard, this after Nolan had planned to file a lawsuit against the superintendent in the prison where he was held. George Jackson and two

Today on Sojourner Truth, we are bringing you a special broadcast on the environment: Part 4 of Hoodwinked in the Hothouse series: Greenwashing Disaster Capital. This is the fourth panel of a series that builds on the momentum created by the most recent report titled: HOODWINKED IN THE HOTHOUSE (THIRD EDITION): RESIST FALSE SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE. Moderated by Tom Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network and co-organized by the Hoodwinked Collaborative and The New School. As part of President Biden's 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. The direct impact is to frontline and environmental justice communities who are facing increased pollution burdens and toxic threats. In part 4 the speakers examine and present

Today on Sojourner Truth we discuss the possibilities and limitations of radical social change under progressive governments with Mexico City-based-journalist and Sojourner Truth regular Laura Carlsen. We focus on: Columbia, Chile, Honduras and Mexico for the first half of the hour. Our second guest is also a regular guest, Dr. Gerald Horne fills us in on key developments in Africa. This, as the continent is increasingly a target of influence by Russia, China and Western powers. The reality on the ground? 346 million people, a quarter of the entire population of The Continent are facing starvation due to drought exacerbated by climate change, the violence on people and the environment as a result of poverty, internal proxy wars and corruption, the war in Ukraine as grain exports from Ukraine plummeted due to the war there. Meanwhile, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has embarked on a tour of four African nations, and French President Macron is also touring three African countries,while China has outpa

Today we bring you an update on the crisis of the violent military occupation of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. Earlier this week the military occupiers of Myanmar executed four human rights campaigners. They were found guilty in secret trials. There was a military coup in Myanmar carried out on Feb 1, 2021. People responded with peaceful protests, with garment workers, the majority of whom are women at the forefront of the protests. The military responded by killing thousands, and many more have been arrested, and rape and torture happen in custody. Many may recall that the military in an earlier operation committed genocide and other atrocities against the Rohingya people. Other lesser- known ethic groups were also attacked and brutalized. Hundreds of thousands were forced to flee their homes. In this round of conflict thousands have also been forced to flee including the tribal Karen people many of whom have had to flee into the forests with their children. International outrage is growing

Today on Sojourner Truth as we celebrate the 63rd birthday of one of Pacifica Radio's stations, KPFK in California, delving into the rich history of the PRA archives and its ties to our listener sponsored radio station model, the first of its kind. Host Margaret Prescod guides the listener through Pacifica radio history playing excerpts from an exclusive Sojourner Truth interview with Toni Morrison as well as Pacifica archival audio including the voices of Lena Horne, Patty Hearst and several other notable figures

Today on Sojourner Truth with guest host, Nana Gyamfi we bring you our coverage of How Cops Get Off, the new national groundbreaking campaign led by the Advancement Project National Office made more critical in light of the recent cases of police killings in the nation. After the George Floyd/Breanna Taylor summer uprisings, why is it still hard to hold Cops accountable? We will also discuss new complaints of atrocities at Stewart ICE Detention Center in Georgia where more women and femmes keep coming forward alleging sexual abuse from medical personnel. What is being done to protect immigrant women from these abuses, particularly in a state where reproductive justice and body autonomy are under attack?

Today on Sojourner Truth, you will hear Part 4, the final episode of our series coverage of the Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls, that took place in Washington D.C. on June 18, 2022. The Poor People's Campaign is demanding that the 140 million poor and low-income people in our nation from every race, creed, color, sexuality and place are no longer ignored, dismissed or pushed to the margins of this country's political and social agenda. In Part 4 of our coverage of the Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls, you will hear from a variety of speakers including: Reverend William Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, Professor and philosopher Dr. Cornel West, healthcare reform organizers, faith leaders, former Vice President Al Gore along with other organizers taking action to address the present climate crisis. You will also hear testimonies from poor and low income people re

Today on Sojourner Truth we bring you Part 3 of our series coverage of the Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls, you will hear from a variety of speakers including: Reverend William Barber II, co-chair of the Poor Peoples Campaign, writer Phyllis Bennis, Planned Parenthood, immigration reform and prison reform organizers, faith leaders, and the testimonies from poor and low income people from across the U.S. detailing their first-hand experience with interlacing injustices: infringement on women's bodies and reproductive rights, generational poverty ensued by low wage work and the war economy/militarism and misallocation of resources, all of which are facilitated by what the PPC refers to as" a distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism, that needs to be reconstructed," in order to end these oppressive injustices once and for all.

Today on Sojourner Truth, we bring you Part 2 of our coverage of the Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls that was organized by the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. The Poor People's Campaign is demanding that the 140 million poor and low-income people in our nation " from every race, creed, color, sexuality and place " are no longer ignored, dismissed or pushed to the margins of this country's political and social agenda. The economic and social costs of poverty and the injustices of systemic racism, militarism and ecological devastation are unsustainable. The United States has the wealth to end these interlocking injustices, so why isn't ending poverty a priority for policy makers? Why can millions be found for war and occupation but not extend a program that lifted millions of children out of poverty? The welfare rights movement encouraged Dr. Martin Luther King to focus on poverty and months before his assassination Dr.

There are 140 million poor and low-income people in the U.S., internationally there are many many more. Every day, poverty takes an enormous toll on all who experience it. The economic and social costs of poverty and the injustices of systemic racism, militarism and ecological devastation are unsustainable. Yet billions of dollars continue to be allocated to U.S. involvement in foreign wars and destabilization abroad. The U.S. has the wealth to end these interlocking issues so why isn't ending poverty a priority for U.S. policymakers? Today on Sojourner Truth, we unpack this reality as we bring you live coverage of the 2022 Poor People's Campaign Assembly brought to you by Pacifica Radio. The Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls took place in Washington D.C. on June 18, 2022. In Part 1 of our series, you will hear live coverage of the Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls, from a variety of sp

Today on Sojourner Truth we bring you a special hour on Haiti. The New York Times recently published an expose on Haiti making it the first time a mainstream media outlet covers the 2004 coup of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide as U.S.-led with the complicity of France and Canada, carried out after Aristide demanded restitution from France for the funds where the descendants of enslaved people paid reparations (“independence debt”) to the descendants of their masters — for generations. We speak to KPFA Flashpoints journalist Kevin Pina about those on the left in Haiti that helped lay the foundation for the coup but also objected to Jamaica providing Aristide with refuge following the coup. And we delve into who Jean Aristide was during his days as a priest and his connection with the long history of the Haitian people's struggle for freedom, with our guest Pierre Labossiere. Labossiere is co-founder of the Haiti Action Committee, an organization that champions grassroots efforts to improve educa

Attorney Matt Simmons is our weekly Earth Watch segment guest who will be updating us on the recent victory in Fort Bragg, CA Jackson Forest. The Save Jackson Coalition was pleased to learn that three controversial timber harvest plans located in Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF) had been withdrawn. The plans constitute a total of 1479 acres (over 2 square miles) of forest now taken off the chopping block.