Groundings
By: Groundings Podcast
Language: en
Categories: History, News, Politics, Society, Culture, Documentary
Groundings is a place where organizing, theory, and history come in contact with dialogue, experience, and storytelling. It's where the past meets the present, and political education happens. The title "Groundings" is in honor of the revolutionary educator Walter Rodney, whose concept of "groundings" as a form of radical, political, and communal education inspires the conversations on this podcast. Groundings: we sit, we listen, we talk, we share, and we learn.
Episodes
The Memoirs of Robert & Mabel Williams w/ Dr. Akinyele Umoja
Oct 27, 2025In this broadcast, co-hosts taylor, Leyla, and Dartricia discuss the ongoing Atlanta city council elections and the theft of the Crown Jewels from the Louvre Museum in France. They are joined by guest Dr. Akinyele Umoja to talk about the book he co-edited, The Memoirs of Robert and Mabel Williams: African American Freedom, Armed Resistance, and International Solidarity.
They cover topics such as the Williams’ political and personal lives, and their exile in Cuba and China. The collaboration it took to bring this book the fruition and propaganda as a tool for liberation. They also talk about arm...
Duration: 00:59:33The New Jewel Movement and Grenada's Revolution
Oct 27, 2025In this broadcast, co-hosts Dartricia and Musa give a history of the New Jewel Movement and the Grenada Revolution and the U.S. Invasion and overthrow in 1983 under the Reagan Administration. The discussion includes wins of revolution including a powerful literacy campaign, better healthcare, and the construction of an airport.
They also make connections to the U.S. Monroe Doctrine and U.S. imperialism across the Caribbean and Latin America including Nicaragua, Guatamala, and Haiti. The show includes an inciting speech give by former Prime Minister Maurice Bishop.
To view a list of past programs, vi...
Duration: 00:59:56The Black Scare, Red Scare & So-Called Terrorism
Oct 07, 2025We explore the historical strategies of black radicals to resist repression, the evolution of fascism and what it means today, and the importance of mutual comradeship in sustaining movements. The discussion includes an analysis of where anti-communism and anti-Blackness intersect, the Biden administration's role in facilitating repression, the historical context of fascistic practices in the U.S., and the global implications of labeling resistance movements as 'terrorist.' The conversation also touches upon the neglected histories of colonial fascism in places like Namibia.
00:00 Crackdown on Foreign Students Supporting Terrorism
01:09 Domestic Terrorism Charges and H...
Duration: 01:29:39The Stono Rebellion
Sep 09, 2025In this episode of Groundings, we talk to guest Erica about the Stono Rebellion. We commemorate the rebellion on its anniversary, explore the harsh conditions faced by our enslaved African ancestors in colonial South Carolina, and their struggle for freedom. Erica provides insights into the role of heritage interpretation, the impact of African cultural retention, and the drastic shifts in laws and slavery practices following the mass rebellion, such as the Negro Act of 1740.
The episode underscores the importance of reclaiming and teaching this history to understand ongoing struggles for African American liberation, and to un...
Duration: 01:03:58The Groundings (Re)Introduction
Aug 26, 2025Host Musa and new co-host Dartricia Rollins discuss our backgrounds and motivations for the podcast, our excitement for the upcoming season, and highlight some key episodes and guests we've got coming up.
Dartricia introduces herself as an oral historian, archivist, and organizer, and Musa talks about the educational mission and origins of Groundings. Also... how Musa hates podcasts.
We tease upcoming episodes on topics like class warfare in Black Atlanta, harm reduction organizing, and historical African uprisings.
The audio you hear at the end is Safiya Bukhari speaking in 1998 at the Jericho98 March On...
Duration: 00:15:41The 100th Birthday of Frantz Fanon
Jul 22, 2025In commemoration of Fanon's centennial, the interview covers his biography, many writings, including his books A Dying Colonialism, Wretched of the Earth, Black Skin, White Masks, and more. As well as Fanon’s participation in the Algerian revolutionary struggle and his theories of violence and decolonization. The broadcast also features the news of Fanon's daughter, Mirelle Fanon, being banned from the Caribbean Philosophical Association conference due to her Palestine advocacy on her fathers birthday. The news segment also includes a discussion of immigration agents demanding tenant information from landlords, stirring questions and confusion and the Georgia Division of the So...
Duration: 01:00:00The 'Middle East' is On Fire Because Israeli and US Imperialism Lit the Match
Jun 25, 2025In this episode of Revolutionary African Perspectives — RAP — the co-hosts discuss the US and Israel’s most recent acts of imperial violence against Iran. They provide a historical timeline of how we got here before interviewing geopolitical analyst and journalist, Ajamu Baraka to provide additional context and analysis on why this is happening in the Middle East how it compares to previous interventions, as well as the over-stretching of empire with war in Ukraine and the desired pivot to China. Ajamu talks about why this is relevant to Black people specifically and what we can expect in the future.
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Duration: 00:57:46The Khamansha Raphael album, cultural work, and state repression
Apr 28, 2025This episode includes reflections on the historic tactics to counter the Confederate Memorial Day Rally at Stone Mountain. It also features co-host Musa's recent targeting and detainment by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in early April. RAP interviewed special guest, Atlanta rapper Khamansha Raphael and played exclusive unreleased tracks from his forthcoming album. The show concluded with a lifting up of Political Prisoner, Imam Jamil Al-Amin, who is suffering from poor health in prison for fighting for the liberation of all-oppressed peoples.
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This audio is from a live recording on Monday, April 21, 2025 from 7pm...
Duration: 00:59:31The Revolutionary African Perpectives ReLaunch
Apr 28, 2025This audio is from a live recording on Monday, March 17, 2025 from 7pm to 8pm on WRFG Atlanta 89.3 FM.
Hosts: Dartricia, Musa, and Steven
Producers: Leyla and Taylor
RAP, Revolutionary African Perspectives, is a public affairs program airing every Monday from 7pm to 8pm EST.
For more information, including an archive index of past RAP programs, or to listen to episodes live each week, visit https://wrfg.org/rap/
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In this episode we talk about the Bowen Homes housing projects, Andre Dickens' run for reelection, Walter Rodney's How Europe...
The U.S. Out Of Korea Campaign
Mar 30, 2025In this episode of Groundings, I speak with professor Haruki Eda to discuss the Korean struggle for sovereignty, the impact of U.S. imperialism on the Korean Peninsula, and the ongoing U.S. Out of Korea campaign by Nodutdol. Haruki provides a deep historical and political analysis, drawing connections between the Korean struggle and global anti-imperialist movements, including Palestinian liberation, African decolonization, and resistance to U.S. hegemony worldwide.
The conversation covers:
✔️ The history of U.S. involvement in Korea, from colonial division to present-day occupation
✔️ The U.S. Out of Korea campaign and its goals
The Panthers & Armed Struggle
Nov 23, 2024This episode was recorded in the first week of August, 2024.
Dr. Gerald Horne discusses his new book, "Armed Struggle: Panthers and Communists, Black Nationalists and Liberals in southern California, Through the Sixties and Seventies."
Please forgive the minor audio issues here and there.
Onyesonwu Chatoyer joins as a co-host .
Duration: 01:07:14The Carribean, Haiti, and U.S. Imperialsm
Aug 30, 2024Activist and professor Tamanisha John joins Musa and Erica to discuss U.S. and Western imperialism in the Caribbean, the U.S.-backed invasion of Haiti by Kenyan forces, and the genocidal U.S. blockade of Cuba.
The Walter Rodney speech can be found in full here.
Check out Liberation Through Reading here.
Duration: 01:42:04The Legacy of Baba Masai Ehehosi
Aug 24, 2024Activist, journalist, and lawyer Anoa Changa joins to talk about her father, Black Liberation Army (BLA) member and former political prisoner Baba Masai Ehehosi, who transitioned on April 1, 2024. The conversation touches Baba Masai's lifelong commitment to Black liberation, sovereignty, freeing political prisoners, and the abolition of the prison-industrial complex. Anoa shares personal reflections on her father's impact and experiences on life and activism, as well as his influence within organizations like Critical Resistance, The Jericho Movement for Political Prisoners, and the Republic of New Afrika.
Listeners will gain insight into Baba Masai's enduring dedication to justice, his...
Duration: 00:45:20The Jericho Movement for Political Prisoners
Jun 21, 2024Political organizer, community worker, and former political prisoner Jihad Abdulmumit discusses his life, and the Jericho Movement for Political Prisoners.
Duration: 01:27:01The Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
Apr 28, 2024Hussein Al-Rahman Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network discusses the struggle for Palestinian prisoners, some of the resistance tactics imprisoned Palestinians have used, and the importance of uplifting Palestinian prisoners. They also discuss the case of popular Palestinians figure Walid Daqqa, who wrote the episode's opening story, "Uncle, Give Me A Cigarette," read by comrade Bisan.
Learn more about how you can support Samidoun here.
Check out the Palestinian Youth Movement here.
Read "Uncle, Give Me A Cigarette" here.
Support the podcast at Patreon.com/HalfAtlanta or by purchasing a copy of Aliv...
Duration: 01:10:44The Nonprofit Industrial Complex
Mar 08, 2024How did we get to an entire grassroots "industry" dominated by billionaire philanthropists? How do they influence and politically limit the "organizing", activism, and advocacy that thousands of people engage in? And most importantly, how does the Nonprofit Industrial Complex act as a force of counter-insurgency against the working, organizing masses?
These are just a handful of important questions that Hiram Rivera, Executive Director at the Community Resource Hub for Safety & Accountability answers in his conversation with co-hosts Erica Caines and Musa Springer.
Support Erica's Patreon here.
Support Musa's Patreon here.
Int...
Duration: 01:38:15'The Movement Underestimates Fascism' - Gerald Horne
Jan 20, 2024The goat 🐐 himself Dr. Gerald Horne joined me for a special bonus episode of the groundings podcast. We discuss the current state of global politics, imperialism in crisis, the potential for a new multipolar world,,growing contradictions and splits among European colonizers,,and the rising fascism across the west.
He also answers some questions submitted by Patreon subscribers! If you enjoyed this 'bonus' episode, consider checking out our Patreon at Patreon.com/Halfatlanta, where more of these special episodes are posted every month, and where subscribers can submit questions to podcast episodes.
Tune in, let me kn...
Duration: 00:19:49The Artists Against Apartheid
Dec 26, 2023This is audio from a panel discussion about the role of artists against imperialism and apartheid, that took place on November 29, 2023 in Atlanta, GA. Our focus was on the genocide unfolding in Palestine, however the topic spans many relevant points related to art, revolutionary movements, and more.
We expected about 40 people to show up, and instead nearly 100 did, and we had people sitting on the floors, in people's laps, and even 4 rows of chairs outside the room in the hallway listening.
The panel was hosted by WRFG, Artists Against Apartheid, Atlanta Radical Art Collective, and th...
Duration: 01:14:40the apocalypse
Dec 26, 2023"the apocalypse" by Musa Springer, Protean Magazine, Nov. 3, 2020
Duration: 00:04:43The Framing of Leonard Peltier
Jul 23, 2023Nick joins the show to provide a comprehensive and riveting breakdown of the struggles faced by Leonard Peltier, one of the longest held political prisoners in the world, incarcerated for almost five decades. We dive into the history of the American Indian Movement (AIM), the blood counter-insurgency war waged by the U.S. government against AIM, the critical implications of Peltier's case, and the broader context of Indigenous resistance in the United States.
In a recent article, Nick writes: "The way Leonard Peltier tells it, he was a criminal the day he was born — but not by cho...
Duration: 01:34:18The COINTELPRO war
Jun 27, 2023In this episode of the Groundings podcast, host Musa Springer talks with Dr. Akinyele Umoja, a scholar, activist, and author, about the notorious COINTELPRO program. This program was led by the FBI and local police departments, and was an all-out war on Black organizers. This episode delves into the history, consequences, and the struggle led by Black organizers to expose the violent program.
Dr. Umoja provides a comprehensive understanding of the COINTELPRO program, its inception, and first-hand account of its impact on Black liberation movements in the US. The episode begins with a discussion about Assata Shakur...
Duration: 01:04:37The U.S. and Cuba during Slavery and Jim Crow
May 28, 2023Dr. Gerald Horne, the 🐐historian and author of "Race to Revolution: The U.S. and Cuba during Slavery and Jim Crow”, discusses the intricate history of race and slavery between the U.S. and Cuba, the profound influence of U.S. slavery on Cuban society and politics, and the ongoing consequences brought on by the U.S. Blockade.
Dr. Horne discusses what slave resistance in Cuba looked like, the Haitian Revolution's deep significance and far-reaching impact on the Caribbean, and the surprising connections between Confederate slaveowners and the white Cubans who fled the island following the revolution in 19...
Duration: 00:40:37The Legacy of Imam Jamil Al-Amin
May 26, 2023Activist and musician Baba Bilal Sunni-Ali, of the Jamil Al-Amin Action Network, joins Groundings to discuss the life, legacy, and impact of current political prisoner Imam Jamil Al-Amin.
Formerly known as H. Rap Brown, Imam Jamil Al-Amin was once one of the Amerika's most well-known Black revolutionary activists. A former member of SNCC, Jamil Al-Amin was framed for a crime in 2000, and despite a mountain of evidence showing his innocence, he's sat as a political prisoner ever since.
Baba Bilal Sunni-Ali discusses the legal matters related to Al-Amin's case, the current movement to free him, a...
Duration: 01:19:41The Jailhouse Lawyer Known As Sundiata Jawanza
May 09, 2023In this episode, we discuss the story of Sundiata Jawanza, who has been in prison since 1995 on a life sentence. Sundiata has spent the last 28 years working towards self-development and has become a beacon of hope for others in prison; he's a selfless advocate for prisoners' rights, is a peer counselor where he supports the mental health of fellow incarcerated people, and provides legal aid and education through his work as a founder of the organization Jailhouse Lawyers Speak. He has also served as the Imam, providing spiritual guidance to the entire prison Muslim population.
Jay and...
Duration: 00:39:54The Pendleton 2
Apr 25, 2023In this episode, poet and activist Too Black joins to discuss the incredible story of the Pendleton 2. We dive into the details of the 1985 uprising at the Pendleton Correctional Facility and explore the factors that led to this critical event: racial tensions and a violent prison environment created by guards who were part of a KKK splinter group, the "Sons of Light," pushed John 'Balagoon' Cole and Christopher 'Naeem' Trotter to take a courageous stand against racist prison abuse.
Too Black gives us a play-by-play of the day's events, highlighting the importance of unity among prisoners in...
Duration: 01:11:15The 'Nation Time' Sound
Apr 12, 2023We sit down with Slank and Sunny Ture to discuss their new album, "Nation Time."
Throughout the episode, we delve into the creative process behind "Nation Time," discussing the themes, concepts, and inspirations that shaped the album. We examine the samples used throughout the project, including speeches from influential figures like Amiri Baraka, Malcolm X, Tupac Shakur, and Edward Onaci. Additionally, we take a closer look at the album's bibliography and its connection to the politically conscious roots of hip-hop, with standout tracks like "Black Belt Thesis" and "Devil in the Details."
Read the full N...
Duration: 00:48:56The #StopCopCity Movement
Mar 07, 2023In this episode of Groundings, host Musa Springer is joined by Atlanta organizer Tunde Osazua as co-host; they sit down with local organizer and lawyer Kamau Franklin to discuss the ongoing struggle surrounding the development of Cop City in Atlanta. Kamau provides insightful analysis on the background and larger political context of Cop City, the response from organizers and residents, and what makes this specific movement so important.
We dive into Cop City origins, Kamau explains that the idea of the facility started prior to the 2020 uprisings, but after the uprisings, it was brought forth and rushed...
Duration: 01:04:05The Revolutionary Life of Jalil Muntaqim
Oct 16, 2022Just two months before his 20th birthday, Black Panther and Black Liberation Army members Jalil Muntaqim was captured by enemy forces along with Albert “Nuh” Washington, and made into one of the longest-held political prisoners in U.S. history.
Muntaqim joins the show to discuss his revolutionary life, his long history of organizing for incarcerated people, and his own political incarceration. We also get into a crucial paradox: the imagery of the Black Panthers is very popular now, with capitalists like Beyonce and Marvel profiting from the aesthetics of the organization, while the actual lives of surviving Blac...
Duration: 01:14:43The Decolonial Feminist Collective
Jul 17, 2022In this conversation from March 2022, reproductive justice practitioner, organizer, researcher, and educator Jalessah Jackson speaks about decolonial feminism, a framework that forges material feminist solidarities through an examination of the relationship between gender and colonialism. We discuss the origins of this intellectual and organizing framework, its relationship to bourgeois and carceral feminisms, material international solidarity work, and the role of scholar-activism. Get into it!
Check out the decolonial feminist collective at instagram.com/decolonialfeministcollective /
The music you hear was produced by the homie JayOhAye , support them at www.jayohaye.com /
Support Grou...
Duration: 01:03:49The Struggle For Reproductive Justice
Jun 13, 2022Reproductive justice practitioner Jalessah Jackson and public health professional Debbie Billings join us to discuss the recent leak by SCOTUS, which showed they are prepared to overturn abortion rights in the U.S.
We put this decision by SCOTUS into the overall political context, discussing how it relates to other fascist assaults on TLGBQ rights, and is part of a larger fascist 'backlash.' We also discuss maternal health internationally, why a people-centered human rights framework is vital, and the power of mutual aid and other grassroots organizing in the face of state violence.
...
Duration: 01:36:30The Apokalypse of Settler Colonialism
May 27, 2022Dr. Horne’s books ‘The Apocalypse of Settler Colonialism’ and ‘The Dawning of the Apocalypse’ are essential readings in understanding the original sins of empire, the worlds that settler colonialism precluded, and the apokalyptic transformation the world is experiencing today. Our conversation moves across subjects of colonial technology and weaponry, Africa's underdevelopment, and how our material conditions within empire are directly tied to the material conditions across the African continent and diaspora.
Dr. Horne also candidly reflects on his own writing process, how he’s such a prolific and productive writer and activist, and the stakes of doing rigoro...
Duration: 01:37:06The Role of Christianity In African Colonization
Apr 14, 2022Christian churches are found on virtually every corner across the African world, from the continent to its expansive diaspora, and their role in the affairs of Africans have long been called into question. How did a foreign religious practice gain so much influence across Africa, and why are millions of Africans devoutly following the religion even at the expense of their own indigenous practices? How do the legacies of enslavement and colonization inform Christian thinking, and how do these legacies influence the neo-colonialism of the African world today? How do other religious or spiritual practices, like Islam or Voudou...
Duration: 01:03:02The Legacy of Black Communist Women
Mar 11, 2022From Claudia Jones and Safiya Bukhari, to Assata Shakur and Dr. Patricia Rodney, the impact of Black women radicals has created monumental shifts in the way we think, organize, and survive. In this episode we're joined by community organizer and writer Erica Caines and professor Charisse Burden-Stelly, who dive into a deep history of important Black communist women figures like Claudia Jones. We discuss what makes their work so important, why they have such lasting relevance, how we should engage their work, and why there's a battle going on to dissociate them from their communist politics.
In t...
Duration: 00:58:07The Christmas Rebellion
Dec 24, 2021Armed uprisings across the Caribbean can often be portrayed as spontaneous and isolated events that were largely unsuccessful. In fact, these efforts have informed each other across time and can reshape how we think about imperial domination in Africa and across the Americas. The Christmas Rebellion, sometimes called the Baptist Uprising, is the largest rebellion in Jamaica's history, and it reveals the importance of continued resistance and pushes us to rethink what we call ‘successful’ revolts by the enslaved.
Writer and organizer Q. Anthony Omene joins us to discuss this and much more, in the first episode of Gro...
Duration: 00:56:24The US Blockade & Cuban Protests
Nov 16, 2021On this episode, we talk about the US blockade against Cuba, which we define as a weapon of economic, political, racist, colonial warfare against the Cuban people. We hear from Belly of the Beast producer Daniel Montero, who explains the main character behind these mysterious protests, and then we dive into some historical context. Finally, we discuss the blockade in detail, and Luna tells us some of the important documentary projects they're working on.
Make sure you check out Belly of the Beast's work on YouTube here, and follow them on Twitter as well here.
#En...
Duration: 00:32:37The Palestinian Resistance & Sheikh Jarrah
May 17, 2021The entire world has witnessed israel's naked colonial violence in Sheikh Jarrah, Palestine, where countless Palestinians have been brutalized and forcefully removed from their homes. Palestinian writer and activist Mohammed el-Kurd joins the show to discuss the latest round of ethnic cleansing in his home neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, the many ways that Palestinians are resisting israel colonial domination, and why we're seeing unprecedented resistance from Palestinians. We also discuss those who only support Palestinians when they appear to be 'perfect victims' but are quiet when they are resisting iraeli state violence, and how international media is complicit in o...
Duration: 00:35:58The Plurality of Abolitionism
Jan 01, 2021Professor, writer, and activist Dr. Joy James joins the show to discuss her work around abolition. More specifically, we look at what Dr. James calls "academic abolitionism", the role that academics play in halting or co-opting revolutionary organizing, the current state of the prison abolition movement, and why it is revolutionary to start our political organizing with one simple question: what do Black children need?
Felicia Denaud joins as co-host.
The beat you hear was produced by JayOhAye, and you can hear more here.
The painting on the cover art is "J.D. Mc...
Duration: 01:20:06The Work of Dr. Patricia Rodney
Dec 20, 2020Patricia Rodney, public health expert, researcher, activist, and wife of the late Dr. Walter Rodney, discusses her 1998 book, "The Caribbean State, Health Care, and Women: An Analysis of Barbados and Grenada." We talk about her analysis of Caribbean state healthcare as it relates to women, the Cuban healthcare system, and how her analysis remains incredibly relevant during our current pandemic.
We then speak on her decades-long work in preserving Walter Rodney's legacies, as well as the trouble that sometimes comes along with that.
Duration: 00:58:50
The Myth of Black Buying Power
Nov 26, 2020Dr. Jared Ball joins the show to discuss his new book, The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power. We discuss the propaganda used to perpetuate the supposed trillion-dollar "buying power" myth, Black capitalism, and the Black misleadership class of rappers. Writer and organizer Erica Caines just as guest co-host for the conversation.
The first audio you will hear is a scene from the Malcolm X movie, the second audio clip is Angela Davis discussing the relationship between capitalism and racism.
Duration: 01:08:00The Role Of Artists Beyond Celebrity
Nov 02, 2020Rapper and poet Noname has spent a bulk of her career rejecting celebrity, and is now taking a turn towards the left to embrace anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist, and radical politics. Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly and Devyn Springer speak with her to find out what the trajectory towards political activation has been like, who inspires her, where she sees the state of hip-hop today, how she hopes to continue on her political path, voting, and much more.
You will hear interlude audio of Nina Simone discussing the role of artists, and of a clip contrasting the political orientations of Tupac S...
Duration: 01:10:00The 'Residue' of Gentrification
Oct 27, 2020Guest hosts Yasmina and Tarik interview filmmaker Merawi Gerima, who discusses his new film Residue. The film puts the spotlight on gentrification in DC, and all the racist, violent baggage and displacement that accompanies it.
They discuss the process of 'community filmmaking' that helped create the film, the role of capital in dictating creative directing choices, the importance of Black film and narrative-shaping, the Gerima legacy of filmmaking and community building, the power of DC's go-go music, and much more.
Duration: 01:05:34The Canadian Police State
Oct 06, 2020Writer, educator, and author of Policing Black Lives: State violence in Canada from slavery to the present, Robyn Maynard joins me to discuss policing, state violence, and prisons in Canada, as well as the connections between Indigenous and Black struggles against state violence. We also talk about the 'post-racial' mythmaking which is synonymous to Canada, despite its centuries-long history of enacting structural and systemic violence on colonized communities globally.
Duration: 01:14:34
The Anti-Black, Anti-Communist Academia
Sep 08, 2020Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly discusses the history and institutionalization of Black Studies, the often overlapping relationship between anti-communism and anti-Blackness, and the 'elision' of political economy in capitalist academia.
Moreover, she also talks about 'academic McCarthyism', academic celebrities, ideological battles, and the current state of Black Studies.
[cover image: student activist Don McAllister beaten bloodied and arrested by pigs during San Francisco State College protests, 1968]
Duration: 01:20:07The Grassroots VS The Misleadership Class
Aug 25, 2020Writer and activist Benji Hart discusses the multitude of ways grassroots movements against police in Chicago are challenging the Black misleadership class.
We discuss the struggle around the struggle against the construction of a $95 million cop academy in Chicago, the many movements and educational moments birthed from this struggle, and how individuals like Mayor Lori Lightfoot represent the 'Black misleadership class'.
You will here audio from a 2017 Chicago City Council meeting which can be found here. In this audio clip you will also hear chants stating "NTA is here to stay" - you can find o...
Duration: 01:23:50The Anti-Black Pinnings of Ableism
Jul 24, 2020Community organizer and educator Dustin Gibson discusses the white supremacist, colonial, capitalist roots of ableism which structures capitalist society, why a disability justice framework must be abolitionist, and why "the state always has a carceral response to disabled Black people."
Throughout the episode, you will hear the following audio clips:
Leroy Moore discussing the erasure of Emmett Till's disability Members of Fairfax County, Virginia, at a public forum following the killing of Natasha McKennaJennifer Msumba describing the abuse faced at the Judge Rotenberg Center in Canton, Mass.Cover image: “Back of the Neck,” (1983) by Jean-Michel Basqu...
Duration: 01:27:34The Political Prisoner: From Mumia Abu-Jamal To Palestine
Jul 03, 2020Mumia Abu-Jamal, world-renowned political prisoner, former Black Panther, and award-winning journalist, gives me his opinion on the movement taking place in the streets right now against police violence, the outpouring of international solidarity we've witnessed, and more. Because he is incarcerated, our interview was cut very short, but he still manages to pack intense amounts of wisdom into only a few minutes.
Then we hear from author, professor, and longtime activist Johanna Fernández, who has spent nearly two decades working on the campaign to free Mumia and all political prisoners. We discuss what it is about M...
Duration: 01:16:08The Intellectual Life Of Du Bois
May 05, 2020I spoke with scholar, writer, and professor Charisse Burden-Stelly about W.E.B. Du Bois. Charisse recently co-authored the new book W.E.B. Du Bois: A Life in American History with historian Gerald Horne, and has an extensive amount of insight, knowledge, and research on the life of Du Bois. Moreover, she's apt to think deeply on the intellectual, political, and ideological history within his life trajectory.
We speak about Du Bois, the many ways his ideological positions shifted over the century (!) he lived, where Du Bois fell short and where he accelerates, how to position...
Duration: 01:11:59The Revolution Can't Be Quarantined
Apr 19, 2020Philadelphia based community organizer and writer Steven Powers helps run a community based, free, socialist gym, the People Power Gym, and is involved in a number of other community survival projects. In this episode we discuss how his organization was able to turn these survival programs into a Covid-19 mutual aid grocery program, delivering free groceries throughout their neighborhood. We also discuss how capitalism has exacerbated this pandemic into a crisis with blood on its hands, the need for community organizing, a cautious understanding of 'mutual aid', and Sock'em Boppers.
Support their fundraiser here. You can read S...
Duration: 01:00:18The Young Lords: A Radical History
Apr 10, 2020Professor Johanna Fernandez introduces listeners to the Young Lords, a revolutionary Puerto Rican organization that radically shifted international discourse on Puerto Rican politics.
Fernandez recently publish The Young Lords: A Radical History, a groundbreaking and foundational new book which compiles 20 years of research to create the authoritative history of the Young Lords. In our conversation we discuss the roots of the Young Lords organization, how they transformed from a street gang to revolutionary socialist organization, the political and ideological motivations of the group, why they took a specific, relevant focus on health issues, and much more.
The Gentrification of Atlanta
Oct 26, 2019I speak with community organizer, researcher, and writer Taiza Troutman to discuss urban development, trap music, Tyler Perry, activism, homelessness, neoliberalism, displacement and, above all else, gentrification in Atlanta.
Audio used throughout the episode was provided graciously by Eva Dickerson, activist, educator, and all around comrade. Watch the full video in which this audio is from here.
Some of the books mentioned in the episode:
Rashad Shabazz, Spatializing Blackness: Architectures of Confinement and Black Masculinity in Chicago
Lester K. Spence, Knocking the Hustle: Against the Neoliberal Turn in Black Pol...
Duration: 01:16:39The Philosophy of Amílcar Cabral's Actions
Sep 23, 2019We explore the philosophy and theoretical work behind the actions of Amílcar Cabral, African revolutionary from Guinea-Bissau who helped lead a succesful anti-colonial movement against the Portugese in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde.
Reasearcher, writer, and organizer Zeyad El Nabolsy discusses Cabral's approach to culture and cultural liberation, dispels some eurocentric and racist myth surrounding Cabral's legacy, and looks at Cabral's relationship to Marxism.
You can find Zeyad's essays we reference here, as well as the essay by Blaut here which he mentions towards the end.
Intro/outro audio: Angela Davis on Amilcar C...
Duration: 01:10:33The State VS Keith Davis Jr.
Aug 07, 2019If you don't know the story of #KeithDavisJr., make sure you listen to this episode of the #GroundingsPodcast.
Keith is being framed for murder by the Baltimore police and the state of Baltimore.
Police shot at Keith over 44 times, hitting him in the face and neck.
Keith has been in jail for a crime he didn't commit since 2015.
Keith has been through FOUR trials because Marilyn Mosby, the state attorney, is determined to see him behind bars.
Keith was the first high-profile police in shooting in Baltimore since Freddie...
Duration: 00:34:25The School To Prison Pipeline
May 12, 2019In this episode, activist and writer Bilphena Yahwon get into the nitty gritty details of the school-to-prison pipeline, racial disparities in school disciplinary actions, how these disparities send Black children to prison, and the ways she uses restorative justice processes to combat it.
Duration: 00:35:09The (Current) Uprising Happening In Haiti
Apr 18, 2019Haiti is an island in perpetual revolution, and over the past few months massive island-wide mobilizations have been taking place as Haitians protest to oust their corrupt, neo-colonial, U.S.-installed government.
I speak with lawyer, activist, and director of the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti Brian Concannon, who gives a general overview of why Haitians are protesting, and how the corrupt and violent Moïse government has remained in power with support from Western empires like the US. Then we discuss the connection between the protests in Haiti and the imperialist aggression on Venezuela, and w...
Duration: 00:29:49The Politics of Food and Blackness in Venezuela (Part 2)
Feb 28, 2019This is part two of a special report on Venezuela, in collaboration with Venezuelanalysis.com.
First I speak with Christina Schiavoni, scholar and activist who deals with issues of food, food sovereignty, and agriculture. Her work in Venezuela has been very important to dispelling misinformation about food, food shortages, and agricultural production in Venezuela, as well as the great strides towards food sovereignty that the Bolivarian Revolution has made. We specifically reference an essay of hers titled "The Politics of Food in Venezuela" that masterfully combats myths and intentional misinformation surrounding the subject.
Then Jeanette...
Duration: 01:34:15The Bolivarian Revolution, Venezuela's Fight Against US Imperialism (Part 1)
Feb 12, 2019In collaboration with Venezuelanalysis.com, this is part one of a two-part special on current events in Venezuela, as well as the historical developments which have led to the country being the target of an international imperialist campaign, conducted by the U.S., to remove the popularly elected President Maduro and install a Western puppet via a coup. We remove the imperialist propaganda dominating the news and interview four different people whose analyses are key to understanding Venezuela, the Bolivarian Revolution, U.S. imperialism, grassroots activism, sanctions, race, gender and agriculture in the country, and so much more.
<... Duration: 01:01:33The Green New Deal & Agrarian Revolution
Jan 23, 2019Writer, academic, and activist Max Ajl discusses his critique of the Green New Deal, which particularly looks at the ways in which the Green New Deals intentionally leaves out the Global South and functions to preserve a "green" version of industrial capitalism.
Then he explains what ecological catastrophe like global warming could mean for the Global South if left in our current state of global capitalism, and we explore revolutionary, agricultural alternatives to the Green New Deal that have emerged from the Third World. In short, full decolonization marks the future of hope in combating global ecological...
Duration: 01:12:01The Linkages of Black, Jewish, and Palestinian Solidarity
Dec 09, 2018Documentary filmmaker, activist, and writer Rebecca Pierce discusses her work documenting the resistance of those most oppressed by the Israel apartheid state. We discuss the ways her work highlights the oppression and resistance of African migrants in Israel, how Palestinians exercise solidarity with those migrants, and how many groups that are oppressed by Israel form linkages of solidarity and action.
We also discuss the recent mass shootings at a synagogue in Pittsburgh and a Kroger in Kentucky, specifically how these two incidents are connected by similar white supremacist violence and how Rebecca, as someone who is both...
Duration: 00:48:39The (un)Logic of Afro-Pessimism and Anti-Blackness
Nov 24, 2018Organizer and academic Annie Olaloku-Teriba discusses her recent essay, which is a critique of Afro-Pessimism, "anti-blackness" theory, and how these two things often negatively impact organizing spaces. We try to break down lots of academic jargon and wordy concepts to dive into a conversation which is crucial right now for Black studies and the movements it represents.
This is one of my favorite episodes yet; a conversation which dives deep into the world and currently contemptuous debates occurring in Black Studies, however discussed without leaving unfamiliar listeners behind—we make sure at every step to explain the co...
Duration: 01:06:10The Anti-Indigenous, Imperialist, Racist Marketing of Coca-Cola
Oct 15, 2018(This episode was a Patreon exclusive for several days prior to release elsewhere. )
In this episode, Native activist and writer Dani Miller breaks down the various ways that the brand identity of Coca-Cola, a brand known and admired worldwide, is built on a mountain of anti-Indigenous tropes, racism, and what she calls "conglomerate imperialism." She then discusses the need for a Native anti-imperialist perspective, connecting Indigenous struggles in the U.S. to struggles globally, and explores how normalizing the racist, imperialist marketing tactics of corporations like Coca-Cola has material impacts on Indigenous communities everywhere.
You...
Duration: 01:02:29The Praxis of Abolition & Prison Strikes
Aug 20, 2018Co-host of Millennials Are Killing Capitalism Jared Ware joins me for a conversation on the material practice of prison abolition. Prison abolition is such an imaginative theory, but beyond simply discussing Abolition as an idea, we target the question of what does abolitionist organizing look like, and what are we doing to work towards abolition? More than just this, we discuss what abolition means on a global scale, especially given the colonial and imperialist roots of the global prison-industrial-complex.
Then Jared discusses prison strikes, both the ways they come about and how incarcerated revolutionaries sustain them. Finally...
Duration: 01:11:33The Critique of TLGBQ "Inclusion"
Aug 08, 2018In this episode I speak with writer, activist, and academic Yasmin Nair, who is highly critical of liberal narratives of "diversity" and TLGBQ+ "inclusion" inside of violent and imperialist institutions like the US military. Recently, Nair co-wrote a piece with Eli Massey which gave a radical left and queer critique of the mainstream push for trans inclusion in the military, and that serves as the basis for our discussion. Then, we discuss the intentional erasing of the legacy of radical queer anti-capitalist/anti-imperialist organizing, the problematic nature of reactionary gay politics like "legalize gay" and how they serve a...
Duration: 01:00:49The Experiences of Detained Immigrants, In Their Own Words
Jun 22, 2018In this special interview, we speak over the phone with two Black immigrants who are detained in Atlanta City Detention Center, as well as Kevin Caron, a local Atlanta organizer and abolitionist that does tremendous work with immigrant communities. Throughout the interview you will notice difficulties with telephone connection and communication; we decided not to edit these things out, and instead to leave these various difficulties in the audio as to expose the listeners to the vast difficulties that often come with trying to communicate with incarcerated people.
Mohammed, who is from Ghana, discusses his journey of...
Duration: 00:58:24The Way Capitalism Underdevelops Hip-Hop
May 04, 2018Multi-disciplinary artist Bocafloja, one of Mexico's first rappers, discusses global politics and capitalism where they intersect with hip-hop. He also discusses his documentary Nana Dijo which explores anti-Blackness in Latin America. Along with this, we also have an in-depth conversation on navigating the capitalist music industry, cultural hegemony, and the social construct of the "conscious rapper."
Duration: 00:48:57The White Comrades and Anti-Racism
Mar 30, 2018Anti-racist activist Tommy DiMassimo, known for rushing Trump's stage during the 2016 elections, discusses why he decided to charge at Trump and the repression against him which followed, the role of a white comrade in the anti-racism struggle, and moving beyond white guilt and liberalism.
In the interview, Tommy shares that the moment he ran after Trump on stage was not a random or unplanned event, rather the culmination of years of anti-racist activism. Then, he describes the political repression against him, enacted by the Feds, in the year following the event. Along with this, we talk about...
Duration: 01:05:40The Assassination of Walter Rodney
Mar 06, 2018"Your consciousness can come from anywhere. but the point is, it needs to come urgently." — Asha Rodney
An Interview with Asha Rodney, scholar-activist, lawyer, and youngest child of Walter Rodney. Asha discusses the assassination of her father by the hands of an immensely repressive Guyanese government in 1980, describes what a "groundings" session is, and gives us suggestions for how to implement her father's work and legacy in our organizing today.
Asha Rodney, along with the rest of the Rodney family, has spent many years seeking justice for the assassination of her father, the revolutionary Walter Ro...
Duration: 01:03:54The Democratic People's Republic of Korea Beyond Propaganda
Feb 21, 2018Organizer and educator Derek Ford gives a historical context for the current imperialist aggression surrounding the DPRK, explains the 'Juche' ideology, and recounts some firsthand propaganda-shattering experiences from his travels inside the country.
The day after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced the travel ban for US citizens to North Korea, Derek Ford traveled to the country on a fact-finding delegation. In this episode, he shares many of those firsthand experiences with me, and discusses how what he saw in person was quite different from the propaganda he'd been told in the US.
Along...
Duration: 00:49:22The Black Arts Movement
Feb 08, 2018Revolutionary Pan-Africanist writer, artist, and organizer Sobukwe Shakur gives a first-hand account of the history of the Black Art Movement, a movement which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and ran parallel to the Black Power Movement.
Sobukwe Shukur is a multi-media cultural worker, the host of the Revolutionary African Perspectives radio show on Georgia's independent WRFG station, a cadre and organizer in Nkrumah’s brainchild, the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (A-APRP) and a former chair of the National Network On Cuba (NNOC).
The conversation begins with Sobukwe setting the context for the Blac...
Duration: 01:14:11