Groundings

Organizer 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 contexts and meaning to what we're discussing. A few of the books mentioned: Black Star, Crescent Moon by Sohail Daulatzai Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life by Karen & Barbara Fields Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon

(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 can support this podcast on Patreon, follow Devyn on Twitter, and make sure to subscribe to stay updated on the latest episodes. If you or someone you know would make a great guest for an episode, send a tweet to Devyn and let them know!

Co-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, Jared gives us the context of the upcoming nationwide #August21 prison strike. Then, Jared gives context to the #August21 nationwide prison strike and how folks can find ways to get involved. This episode is in collaboration with and cross-posted between the #GroundingsPodcast (which you can support here) and Millennials Are Killing Capitalism (which you can support here).

In 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 white/capitalist class. Finally, we discuss the book "Against Equality", which she co-wrote.

In 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 coming to the US, the difficulties he has faced being a Black, Muslim immigrant in jail, the impact incarceration has on mental health, and the impossible challenges he has faced in trying to navigate the US immigration system. The Richard, from Jamaica, discusses the inhumane conditions they face within the jails/detention centers, the legal battles that he has endured, and how these issues of i

Multi-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."

"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 Rodney. Walter Rodney was assassinated in 1980 by an explosive device which was hidden in a walkie-talkie, provided to him by Gregory Smith who was later revealed to have been an operative for the Guyanese government. Asha covers not only meticulous details of her father's assassination, but describes the political climate and context in which it occurred: an incredibly repressive, western-b

Organizer 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 with this he discusses the 'Juche' ideology, which is essentially the guiding philosophical ideology of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and gives a quick history lesson on both the Juche ideology and the country itself.

Revolutionary 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 Black Arts Movement, one of global Black political consciousness at its height, before diving into first-hand experiences as a school student during the early 1960s before transforming into an organizer and cultural worker within the movement itself. In discussing the politics of the Black Arts Movement, he discusses how various ideologies existed simultaneously, at times in conflict, and how this was embr