The Black Myths Podcast

  00:00:51 - Opening  00:07:08 - What is afrocentricity? 00:23:03 - What is pan africanism? 00:44:43 - Debate: Kwame Toure vs Molefi Asante  01:20:01 - Asante response 01:46:51 - Close For this episode, we examine the distinctions between Afrocenticity and Pan-Africanism that are often conflated as one and the same with our guest Dr. Layla Brown. Dr. Layla Brown is a member of the All African People’s Revolutionary Party-GC and currently works as an Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology & Africana Studies and affiliate faculty in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Northeastern University.   We explore the 1996 debate on Afrocentricity vs Pan-Africanism between Molefi Asante and Kwame Ture in a talk entitled Africa and the Future. We use this debate to help flesh out the understanding of these terms and show how the application of each term both coincides and differs.      Debate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeWcBU1m5ug&t=2538s&ab_channel=MaweluluOnwuku Support our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths

For part two, we cover the events after Congolese Independence including mutiny, Belgian occupation, the U.N., and most importantly CIA meddling that led to the assassination of Lumumba.   White Malice https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/white-malice/ Support our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths

In this episode, we investigate the assassination of the late Patrice Lumumba. Patrice Lumumba was a leader of the Congolese movement for independence from Belgium and subsequently became the first democratically elected prime minister of the country. 62 years ago 1961, January 17th, he was gunned down thereby changing the course of history.    We honor him by offering a history of the conditions that led to his assassination and how the United States via the CIA used the inaccurate claim of communism to justify their support for his assassination. We discussed how the resources contained inside the Congo were pivotal to this tragic moment in history. We primarily pull from the thoroughly researched book White Malice: The CIA and the Covert Recolonization of Africa by Susan Williams to support our analysis.   White Malice https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/white-malice/ Support our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths

We review the myths we covered throughout the year 2022.  An extended version of this conversation exists on our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths

This is a special crossover episode with The Malcolm Effect hosted Momodou Taal. BMP Host Too Black was interviewed by Momodou and ME special host Deej about his 2 part essay "Laundering Black Rage." The essay was discussed prior on BMP on our "profiting off of Black Death" myth/episode. In this engaging conversation Black Rage, the function of the Black Elite, and some of the means to reverse launder Black Rage. Essays https://www.blackagendareport.com/laundering-black-rage https://www.blackagendareport.com/laundering-black-rage-part-2 Prior Episode https://blackmyths.libsyn.com/myth-profiting-off-black-rage https://blackmyths.libsyn.com/myth-profiting-off-black-death-pt-2 Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths    

For part 2, we continue our sit down with Dr. Jemima Pierre investigating the situation in Haiti. In this episode we delve into the so-called "gang activity" in Haiti, leftist governments who have failed Haiti, the Global Fragility Act, and what is to be done to bring peace to Haiti.  Jemima Pierre is Associate Professor in the Departments of African American Studies and Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is an editor and columnist for Black Agenda Report. She is also the co-cordinator for the Haiti/Americas team of the The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP), a anti-war, anti-imperialist, and pro-peace of organization of the radical black movement.    Haiti and the Americas Syllabus https://www.blackagendareport.com/haiti-and-americas-syllabus#_czm6rl4s9rf0   Widespread Panic as Anti-Haitian Decree Goes into Effect in Dominican Republic https://www.latinorebels.com/2022/11/17/antihaitiandecree/   Support Patreon patreon.com/blackmyths

For this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jemima Pierre to discuss Haiti and its history of foreign intervention. Dr. Pierre explores the historical foundations that led to the influx of "gangs" in Haiti that the UN and US is now attempting to exploit as a justification for intervention. She demonstrates how Haiti has been under constant meddling since it's revolutionary inception.   Jemima Pierre is Associate Professor in the Departments of African American Studies and Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is an editor and columnist for Black Agenda Report. She is also the co-cordinator for the Haiti/Americas team of the The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP), a anti-war, anti-imperialist, and pro-peace of organization of the radical black movement.    Haiti and the Americas Syllabus (BAP) https://www.blackagendareport.com/haiti-and-americas-syllabus#_czm6rl4s9rf0   Support Patreon patreon.com/blackmyths

For part 2, we delve deeper into part 2 of co-host Too Black's essay, "Laundering Black Rage." We cover the three phases in which Black Rage is laundered to serve white capital via the state. We explore how the tragedy of Black Death is used to funnel Black Rage into commodity form. Throughout this process, we note how class interests within the African diaspora are fundamental to laundering Black rage into a flattened form. In our modern time, Black Rage becomes situated around Black celebrities and upper-class interests thereby cleaning Black Rage of it's militancy. We hope this analysis helps our listeners understand how Black Death cannot by itself explain why people are profiting and/or benefitting from the struggle.  Pt. 1 https://blackagendareport.com/laundering-black-rage  Pt. 2  https://www.blackagendareport.com/laundering-black-rage-part-2 Patreon patreon.com/blackmyths

In this episode, we discuss the (partial) myth of profiting off Black Death. Although Black Death is certainly profitable, the claim is often an incomplete critique that misses other critical elements driving the profit—particularly, Black Rage. Using the recent essay published by co-host Too Black—"Laundering Black Rage"—as a framework, we investigate how regularly Black Death occurs and how many of the opportunities created to profit and benefit from Black Death are also generated by exploiting Black Rage. Without Black Rage and the labor that follows there would not be money for an organization like BLM global to hoard, book deals to cash in on, or diversity jobs to fill. More broadly, we discuss how money laundering functions via capitalism and thus precipitates the laundering of Black Rage to ultimately serve the class interests of white capital via the State. By understanding crucial the role Black Rage plays in this process the better we can recognize our own agency in reverse-laundering it.  Laundering Black Rage Pt. 1 https://blackagendareport.com/laundering-black-rage Pt. 2 (We will discuss this in part 2 of the series) https://www.blackagendareport.com/laundering-black-rage-part-2 Patreon patreon.com/blackmyths    

For part 2, we speak with Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly & Dr. Jodi Dean about their edited volume, "Organize, Fight, Win: Black Communist Women’s Political Writing." We discuss the writings of Grace Campbell, Williana Burroughs, Maude White, Thyra J. Edwards, Ella Baker, Marvel Cooke, Louise Thompson, Marvel Cooke, Claudia Jones, Lorraine Hansberry. We analyze the select writings of Black communist women to further demystify Marxism by focusing on their day-to-day organizing. What is revealed is how they used Marxism (many within the Communist Party of the United States) to address the day-to-day material conditions of Black people including labor organizing, defense campaigns, International solidarity, and much more. Dr. CBS and Dr. Dean do a tremendous job of helping us understand just how essential black communist women were to the foundation of CPUSA and the push for Black Freedom throughout the 20th century. Pre-order the book: https://www.versobooks.com/books/4071-organize-fight-win Charisse Burden-Stelly: Associate Professor in the Department of African American Studies at Wayne State University. She is the author, with Gerald Horne, of W. E. B. Du Bois: A Life in American History and the forthcoming book Black Scare/Red Scare. Jodi Dean: teaches political, feminist, and media theory in Geneva, New York. She has written or edited thirteen books, including The Communist Horizon and Crowds and Party, and Comrade: An essay on political belonging, all published by Verso. Support Our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths