Former President Barack Obama delivers his first major speech since leaving office, addressing inequality and other issues at the 16th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg, South Africa. Video via Time. A written commentary by Summer Meza and an article by Jelani Cobb (In Celebrating Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama Indicts Trumpism).
Audio courtesy of Critical Hour with Dr. Wilmer Leon — On this episode of The Critical Hour with Dr. Wilmer Leon, Brett M. Kavanaugh is Trumps nominee to be the next…
![Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York. ‘Everyone I spoke to remarked on her grace and stability, and how she calmly absorbed the dramas that surrounded her bid.’ Photograph: AP](https://ibw21.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez-New-York-910x512.jpg)
The little-known history of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s victory in a New York primary hints at the coming transformation By George Monbiot, The Guardian — Even at first sight it is exhilarating. The overthrow of one of the most mainstream and senior Democrats in Congress by a 28-year-old Democratic socialist with a radical programme and one tenth of his funding is, you might think, interesting enough. The moment 28-year-old socialist beats top-ranking Democrat in…
![Donald Trump](https://ibw21.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/trump-cant-reverse-the-decline-of-white-christian-america-post-image-1.jpg)
Two-thirds of those who voted for the president felt his election was the “last chance to stop America’s decline.” But his victory won’t arrest the cultural and demographic trends they opposed. By Robert P. Jones, The Atlantic — Down the home stretch of the 2016 presidential campaign, one of Donald Trump’s most consistent talking points was a claim that America’s changing demographics and culture had brought the country to a…
![Ben Jealous](https://ibw21.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Ben-Jealous.jpg)
The former NAACP chief wants to turn Maryland into a progressive beacon, fusing Bernie-style economic policy with racial justice. But first he has to win his gubernatorial primary. By Adam Serwer, The Atlantic — Ben jealous, a tall, gregarious man wearing a suit, stepped to the center of the room at Morgan State University. The comedian Dave Chappelle, wearing stylishly torn clothes and clutching a cup of coffee, took a seat…
![Jamaican immigrants aboard the "Empire Windrush" in 1948.](https://ibw21.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Jamaican-immigrants-aboard-Empire-Windrush-1948.jpg)
By Kaila Philo, The New Republic — Seventy years ago today—June 22, 1948—a passenger ship carrying 492 Jamaican immigrants arrived in Essex, London. The Empire Windrush was the first of many ships to come, as the British government recruited migrants from the Caribbean Commonwealth to help rebuild the economy after World War II. These arrivals came to be known as the Windrush generation. “It is unclear how many people belong to the Windrush generation,…
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By Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Socialistproject.ca — For two months now, I have been unjustly incarcerated without having committed any crime. For two months I have been unable to…
In this thought-provoking documentary, scholars, activists and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom. The title of Ava DuVernay’s extraordinary and galvanizing documentary 13TH refers…
![‘There’s another important public space where blackness has been policed: the voting booth.’ Photograph: Shawn Thew/EPA](https://ibw21.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/voting-while-black-the-racial-injustice-that-harms-our-democracy-1.jpg)
The routine suppression of black voters is far-reaching and has devastating consequences. We cannot be silent about it. By Carol Anderson, The Guardian — The recent spate of whites calling 911 on African Americans for barbecuing while black, waiting in Starbucks while black, sleeping at Yale while black ad nauseum has led to a much-needed discussion about the policing of public spaces. Yet, there’s another important public space where blackness has been policed and we have…
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By Chris Hedges, Truthdig.com — Chris Hedges gave this talk Friday at the Left Forum in New York City. W.E.B. Du Bois, more than any intellectual this nation produced in the first half of the 20th century, explained America to itself. He did this not only through what he called the “color line” but by exposing the intertwining of empire, capitalism and white supremacy. He deftly fused academic disciplines. He possessed unwavering…
![‘Something’s wrong in America.’ William Barber, a pastor, is one of the co-chairs of the Poor People’s Campaign.](https://ibw21.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/William-Barber-pastor-co-chair-Poor-Peoples-Campaign-910x512.jpg)
The Poor People’s campaign kicked off 40 days of nonviolent protest on Monday, reviving King’s anti-poverty efforts and demanding action. By Lauren Gambino — Hundreds of low-wage workers, faith leaders, civil rights organizers and liberal activists were arrested in demonstrations in Washington and in cities across the US on Monday as they resumed the work Martin Luther King left unfinished. Fifty years after King launched the Poor People’s Campaign against economic inequality, militarism…
![Rakem Balogun on being secretly watched by the FBI: ‘It’s tyranny at its finest.’](https://ibw21.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Rakem-Balogun-1.jpg)
Exclusive: Rakem Balogun spoke out against police brutality. Now he is believed to be the first prosecuted under a secretive US effort to track so-called ‘black identity extremists’ By Sam Levin, The Guardian — Rakem Balogun thought he was dreaming when armed agents in tactical gear stormed his apartment. Startled awake by a large crash and officers screaming commands, he soon realized his nightmare was real, and he and his…