Peace! This episode kicks off with a round table discussion with Dr. Amilcar Shabazz, Corey Rinehart, Trevor Baptiste, and Camilla Carpio, surrounding the upcoming celebration Juneteenth happening this Wednesday, June 19th 1-7pm in Amherst town commons. Juneteenth observes the June 19th, 1865, proclamation of the abolition of slavery in Texas. The inter-generational event in Amherst celebrates freedom for people of all backgrounds, with a focus on its meaning for today’s youth. As youth leader of the Multicultural Student Achievement Network in Amherst powerfully puts it, the event functions to mobilize a powerful, rooted community that supersedes ‘diversity’ with an understanding of power that demands self-determination for people of color on the ground, not just on paper.
Our second hour, veteran TRGGR associate Rosa Clemente joined us to analyze the the first
comprehensive study of marijuana possession and arrest rates by race for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, conducted by the ACLU. In 2010, there was one marijuana arrest every 37 seconds, and states spent over $3.6 billion enforcing marijuana possession laws that year alone. Yet what do these shocking statistics mean when contextualized in the larger War on Drugs and the Prison Industrial Complex? Rosa explains how more and more people and institutions are debunking the myths. Long-established policing procedures that transform drugs, race and crime rhetoric into arrests are increasingly questioned in public spheres. Check out Rosa’s interview with ACLU director Ezekiel Elliot with links to the report here: $3.6 Million Dollar Nickel Bag
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TRGGR Radio – Moral Mondays and the Supreme Court – 6.28.2013
Posted: July 2, 2013 by trggradio in Activism, Annalise Fonza, Commentary, Education, Hip-Hop, Moral Mondays - N.C., People's Durham, Politics, ProtestBeginning in late May in North Carolina, activists have gathered in several cities to protest the cuts in education, increased taxes on the middle class, cuts in employment benefits, the repealing of the Racial Justice Act of 2009, and many other injustices reflective of increasing right-wing political power. Joining us from Durham are activists and educators Holly Jordan and Bryan Proffitt, two educators and members of People’s Durham organizers directly involved in what is known as the Moral Mondays protests in Raleigh and Durham. A strength of this growing movement is the broad scope in its goals and strategies, which collectivizes the struggles of many disconnected groups. The protests unite around educational justice, affordable housing, and accessible jobs within and beyond electoral governance. In a state that is flooded with right-wing money, both on the ground organizing – such as civil disobedience, protests and strikes – and as well as Black left political representation.
The challenge from this point forward is the sustainability of people-power and political bases in order to achieve the lasting, progressive demands. Connecting each Monday protest to the next, the NAACP documents the movement, participating in media to make each Monday swell greater than the last. However, at some point the legislative session will end, and with it the movement might falter. Yet the needs of our communities of color and working class people are more needed than ever. This speaks to the need for alternative forms of education that keeps our demands at the forefront of our every day struggles. As Bryan Proffitt states, this is the realization of how education is not a neutral force, that making connection between school subjects and current political structures needs to be seamless.
Our second interview features commentator and scholar Dr. Annalise Fonza, and Dr. Whitney Battle-Baptiste who joined us to comment on recent Supreme Court rulings, the Zimmerman trial, and related issues. CHECK IT OUT!
part 1: featuring Holly Jordan and Bryan Proffitt; and Annalise Fonza
Part 2:
photo credit: dr. whitney battle-baptiste