ICE is what happens when Americans refuse to learn from Black history.
In this episode, I respond to the killing of Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and mother of three, shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
I draw on the Black history, specifically the example of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense.
Finally, I turn to Venezuela.
I connect domestic repression to international aggression and argue that the same ideology animating ICE and CBP also fuels an imperial “crusader mentality” is visible in rhetoric about the Western Hemisphere and Venezuela and the theological justifications of power.
In this episode:
* The human stakes: who Renee Good was—and how quickly propaganda rewrites a life
* The hypocrisy of “Christian persecution” narratives under a regime that kills a “devoted Christian” at home
* Why Black communities have long warned that policing protects power, not people
* The Black Panthers, the Mulford Bill, and what armed Black self-defense revealed about American “law and order”
* ICE as a “personal army”: law enforcement powers without meaningful restraint
* Why learning only from Europe’s fascism archives narrows our survival toolkit
* Venezuela, Project 2025’s worldview, and the imperial logic of the “Western Hemisphere”
* Closing with The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance
Mentioned / recommended
* Jemar Tisby’s Substack: Footnotes (subscribe free or paid)
* The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance
* The Justice Journey: cornerstone course (registration opening soon)
* Data + reporting sources: Brennan Center for Justice and The Marshall Project
Who are the Black historians, activists, thinkers, and historical figures you return to when things get dark, and who should others follow? Let us know in the comments.
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