Sojourner Truth Radio

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.

Our guest is historian and author Dr. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz providing insightful historical context on America's gun obsession, racialized policing, its roots in the wars vs Indigenous nations and slave patrols, leading up to the power of the NRA and inability of Congress to take real action vs. gun control in the U.S.

Today on Sojourner Truth: Attorney and Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) Nana Gyamfi joins us to discuss the recent Los Angeles mayoral candidate forum sponsored by BAJI, why has Karen Bass been the only responsive candidate? And Attorney Matt Simmons joins us for 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. Our final guest is historian and author Dr. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz providing insightful historical context on America's gun obsession, racialized policing, its roots in the wars vs Indigenous nations and slave patrols, leading up to the power of the NRA and inability of Congress to take real action vs. gun control in the U.S.

Today on Sojourner Truth: Our Friday roundtable is back with journalist Laura Carlsen, school board member Jackie Goldberg and Professor Gerald Horne. We unpack the recent mass shootings and the present state of gun violence in this country. What is its impact on countries like Haiti and Mexico? How do we move forward with actual solutions vs. political rhetoric? And on the international front: the growing misinformation in Haiti, to the point that the representatives invited to the upcoming Summit of the Americas are problematic. Also, how is the U.S. alignment with China in light of the war in Ukraine unfolding?

Today on Sojourner Truth: Our weekly Earth Minute covers the latest updates regarding pollution.

Today on Sojourner Truth we discuss why some Latin American countries are threatening to boycott the upcoming Summit of the Americas to take place in the U.S., with our guest Guillaume Long. Our guest for the second half of the hour Liz Hilton, will give us an update on the Draft Act in Thailand. What is it? And if it passes how will the state have the power to shut down grassroot organizations?

Today on Sojourner Truth: On this 2nd anniversary of the death of George Floyd we explore what has and has not changed to address police brutality of black lives, in Minnesota and nationwide. President Biden has just signed an executive order to address police misconduct but does it really have any impact on abusive police actions? We discuss this with our panelists Tristan Taylor, co-founder of the Minnesota-based organization Detroit Will Breath, an integrated, youth-led, militant organization fighting against police brutality and systemic racism in Detroit. Our other panelists joining us for the hour are teacher and Minnesota-based activist Marcia Howard and #BLM member and PhD student and founder of the Tacoma Action collective, Jaleesa Trapp. And for our Earth Minute today, we receive an update on air pollution.

Today on Sojourner Truth our Weekly Round Table is back! We tackle the white supremacist murder of ten Black people in Buffalo NY, the present day and historical context of these types of attacks; the great replacement theory; the broader national and international political implications. White supremacy is imbedded deeply in the US but it goes beyond US borders, indeed it is global, here is what the public safety official in Canada had to say. Also, we discuss the latest news from the war in the Ukraine. This as at least 1,700 Azov fighters who have been associated with Neo-Nazis surrender their position in Mariupol, they had taken refuge in the Azovstal steel plant. Boris Johnson is encouraging the Ukrainian Prime Minisiter to keep the war going and the U.S. steps up military funding for Ukraine. Meanwhile other leaders in Europe are calling for a negotiated end to the war. All while there are increasing worries about arms smuggling as the flood of weapons to the Ukraine continues unabated. We also discus

Today on Sojourner Truth we honor Malcolm X on his birthday with a special show featuring archival clips of his speeches, joining us to discuss Malcolm X and his social justice stance is author of "The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.," Dr. Peniel Joseph. Dr. Joseph contextualizes the white supremacist shooting in Buffalo NY rooted in Malcolm X's era. And Black Lives Matter LA held a vigil for the stolen lives in Buffalo, we end our show with their chant honoring Malcolm X and the victims of the Buffalo massacre.