The following is an edited summary of comments made previously during The Angela Project (2017) conference and were initially slated for publication in a subsequent journal. Given all that has occurred since, including my disagreements with the founders of “#ADOS” who had initially invited me to this conference, I suspect it is the comments I…
Read moreThe Vernon Philosophy Of Black Media Avoidance
“I got a call from Mahershala Ali, a very, very respectful phone call, from him personally. He called me and my Uncle Maurice in which he apologized profusely if there had been any offense,” Edwin told Shadow and Act. “What he said was, ‘If I have offended you, I am so, so terribly sorry. I did…
Read moreBook Review: The African, The European, And The Underground Whispers That Spurred Revolution
Julius S. Scott’s classic work reveals that in the 18th century, Africans both free and enslaved by the European powers were in constant, underground communication with each other in the Caribbean as Revolution in France turned to the Americans.
Read moreRedefining Veteran’s Day
Originally published in 2011 with Black Agenda Report. I am officially a veteran. Like many I was conscripted by this country’s “poverty draft” and its associated judicial-military pipeline, the one that encourages military time over jail time, and then immediately pressed into service of this nation’s imperial projects. And while I recognize this reality…
Read moreCan A Leopard Change Its Spots? Undermining the Black Studies Tradition
By Tryon P. Woods Speaking at a 1971 symposium sponsored by Atlanta’s Institute for the Black World, C.L.R. James made the observation that “all political power presents itself to the world within a certain framework of ideas. It is fatal to ignore this in any estimate of social forces in political action.” This is a…
Read moreFahrenheit 11/9 Asks “What The Fuck Happened!?”
The problem with films like those we keep getting from Michael Moore is that they continue what is a very consistent theme found in popular liberal media; they are mostly good documentaries that do what they are intended to emotionally but which ultimately cannot break analytically from their base liberal moorings. Fahrenheit 11/9 is more of…
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