The Black Myths Podcast

In this episode, we explore the myth of the Israel-Hamas War with guests Rana Nazzal Hamadeh and Musa Springer beginning with the history of Israeli conquest of Palestine and the history of apart that followed.  Rana is a Palestinian artist and filmmaker living between Ramallah and Ottawa on unceded Anishinaabe territory. Her photography, film, and installation works look at issues related to time, space, land, and movement, offering interventions rooted in a decolonial framework. My practice is deeply informed by the knowledge emerging from the grassroots movements for justice around me, both in Palestine and across Turtle Island. Musa Springer is a cultural worker, community organizer, and independent researcher. They are a member of the Walter Rodney Foundation, Hood Communist editor, and host of the Groundings podcast. Join the Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths

Dr. Jared Ball, an author and scholar known for his insights on Black buying power, joins to debate the necessity of pooling Black resources for liberation. He critiques the notion of buying power, arguing for a deeper understanding of resource allocation beyond financial metrics. The discussion covers historical examples of cooperative strategies and the challenges Black communities face within a capitalist system. Engaging and spirited, the debate highlights the importance of mutual aid and collective action in pursuing true empowerment.

In this episode, we explore the relationship between Atlanta and Cop City in our interview with Kamau Franklin. We explore the events that precluded cop City, how the Black elite helps shield the project, and what the realities are of organizing against it.  Kamau Franklin is the founder of Community Movement Builders, Inc. Kamau has been a dedicated community organizer for over thirty years, beginning in New York City and now based in Atlanta. For 18 of those years, Kamau was a leading member of a national grassroots organization dedicated to the ideas of self-determination and the teachings of Malcolm X.   Join our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths

In this episode we cover the myth of the Black Mecca in relationship to the city of atlanta. We track the genealogy of the term and how Atlanta developed as a Black city. We cover the creation of the "new south," the rise of Maynard Jackson, the Atlanta child murders and the 1996 Olympics. We utilize "Legend of Black Mecca: Politics and Class in the Making of Modern Atlanta" by Maurice J. Hobson.   Join our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths

In part 2, we explore the history of the Third World with the Soviet Union, the different characters of a one party state post-national liberation, and the activity in the Sahel region of Africa including the most recent coup in Niger. Vijay lays out the historical context that has led to the current coups in the region. He also clarifies how the Third World became known as an impoverished, backward place for missionary-like charity. "Niger is the fourth country in the Sahel to experience an anti-Western coup" https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/08/01/niger-is-the-fourth-country-in-the-sahel-to-experience-an-anti-western-coup/ Join Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths

We interview journalist, historian, and Marxist intellectual Vijay Prashad. We discuss the myth of the third world as a site of poverty and degradation instead of the global anti-colonial movement it once was. To gain a better understanding of the history and how it became co-opted we analyze Prashad's book "The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World." Bio Vijay is an Indian historian and journalist. He is the author of forty books, including Washington Bullets, Red Star Over the Third World, The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World, The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South, and The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power (2022), written with Noam Chomsky. Vijay is the executive director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, the chief correspondent for Globetrotter, and the chief editor of LeftWord Books (New Delhi). He also appeared in the films Shadow World (2016) and Two Meetings (2017). Join our patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths

For Pt. 2, we speak with former entrepreneur and current writer Joshua McCoy. We use his experience as a business owner for over 10 years to show the limitations of black business, how the (myth of the) circulating Black dollar does little to impact the day-to-day operations of Black business, and some socialist alternatives to the traditional aspects of Black business.   https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths

In this episode, we debunk the myth circulating Black Dollar at DePaul University in Chicago. We track the original claim stating "the lifespan of the dollar in the African-American community is approximately six hours." We show its questionable origins, deconstruct the concept of community, and most importantly we explore the concept of circulation.  Sign up for patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths

Myth: Prisons Rehabilitate (Reacting to the Pendleton 2   In this episode, we discuss the documentary The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up directed by our co-host Too Black and TheKingTrill. The film chronicles the story of Indiana political prisoners Christopher "Naeem" Trotter and John "Balagoon" Cole who got 200 plus years for intervening to save the life of a fellow prisoner who was being brutally beaten to death by the prison guards at Pendleton prison. Our frequent listeners will be familiar with this story.    We use this film as a case study to demonstrate how prisons fail to rehabilitate the people they lock up and how the Pendleton two are examples demonstrating that community rehabilitates people, not the state. We strongly encourage listeners to watch the film and if you have the capacity schedule a screening in your local area at pendleton2.com.    Film https://youtu.be/aQ6c4iE88Uk   Patreon  https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths

In this episode, we re-explore the Pendleton 2—Indiana political prisoners Christopher "Naeem" Trotter and John "Balagoon" Cole. Recently, a documentary film entitled The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up (directed and produced by TheKingTrill and our very own BMP host Too Black) debuted on Breakthrough News.  In this film, the Pendleton 2 and witnesses who were present for the '85 uprising discuss the events that led to their imprisonment and their subsequent time in solitary confinement. However, only a portion of their interviews about solitary confinement aired in the documentary. So we are sharing the full interviews of Naeem and Balagoon on solitary.    Originally, we were going to call this episode part two of our myth "Tough On Crime" but it felt more apropos to intertwine this with the myth that "torture works." Torture is an extension of counter-insurgency both domestically and internationally. Solitary confinement for political prisoners is a clear expression of such.    Please view the documentary The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up and book a screening at Pendleton2.com   Film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ6c4iE88Uk&t=3029s&ab_channel=BreakThroughNews   Donate https://chuffed.org/project/free-pendleton-2   Sign Petition https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfAsx4u1g_Z38gZ3a70AAbwuFTpSJB_ipf2_qtepwbBz2iL7A/viewform