TRGGR Celebrates Juneteenth – 6.14.2013

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 feat. JASIRI X – 5.24.2013

On this episode we speak with Pittsburgh-based critically acclaimed activist and eMCee, Jasiri X on the role of community-based alternative media, the inspirations and directions in his music, and the development of his critical media justice organization, 1Hood. On the second half of the show we welcome TRGGR family, Rosa Clemente, for a multi-pronged discussion including recent news of Chicago school closings, homophobia in Lauryn Hill’s new song “Neurotic Society”, and the recent commencement addresses by President and Mrs. Obama and why they seem to only speak in condescending terms when addressing African American audiences. Enjoy!

Part 1: Featuring Jasiri X

Part 2: round table discussion of current events

TRGGR Radio – Rosa vs. Rick Ross 3.29.2013

This week Chris and Rec collaborated with TRGGR family Rosa Clemente and Abby Hernándes to critique Rick Ross’s recent lyric that promotes sexual assault. Recognizing this lyric as only one manifestation of a larger culture that is complicit in rape culture, we unpack what Rosa Clemente terms the ‘Rap Industrial Complex’ and call for outspoken accountability from both men and women through media channels and within our communities. While critical media outlets such as TRGGR speak out against pervasive patriarchy, we discuss how to move forward in confronting rape culture before, during and after these individual incidents surface in major media channels.

Stigma of Incarceration Panel – Mount Holyoke College, April 11, 2012

The Untouchable Caste of the United States:
The Stigma of Incarceration and the Metamorphosis of Legal Discrimination
Mount Holyoke College – South Hadley, Massachusetts – April 11, 2012

A panel featuring Rosa Clemente, Jasiri X, Jared Ball, and Marc Lamont Hill; moderated by Chris Tinson; also featured: Emahunn Campbell of Students Against Mass Incarceration (SAMI) speaking on the Charles Wilhite case, and closing inspiration by Nyle Fort. Enjoy & Spread!!

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