DSR's Words Matter

Dr. Maya Angelou was a poet, professor, memoirist, actor, singer, author, educator and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and appeared in numerous plays, movies, and television shows over a 65 year career. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degreesIn literary circles, Maya Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.Her books center on themes including racism, identity, and familyShe was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked closely with both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. On January 20, 1993, Angelou became the second poet in American history -- and the first African American and woman -- to read a poem at a presidential inauguration, when she recited her original work "On the Pulse of Morning" at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton.She was the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.Angelou's audio recording of the poem won the 1993 Grammy Award for "Best Spoken Word" - introducing her to a whole new generation and bringing much deserved recognition for her previous works.As evidenced by her Grammy win - Maya Angelou was as brilliant a performer as she was a writer.In 2011 - she awarded the national’s highest civilian honor - the Presidential Medal of Freedom.But of all her awards and accolades - one of the most memorable was her 1992 commencement address at Spelman College -an private historically black women's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, The Spelman Messenger later wrote - “ Maya Angelou left an indelible mark upon the world. Her wit, wisdom, and work will continue to inspire generations of Spelman women.” With that - let’s listen to Grammy winning poet Maya Angelou and her iconic 1992 Spelman College Commencement Address Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Angela Davis is an activist, philosopher, academic and author.Born in Birmingham, Alabama during World War II - she attended segregated black elementary and middle schools in the 1950s.Davis studied philosophy at Brandis University and did her graduate work in Germany with famed philosopher Herbert Marcuse.She would later say that: “Herbert Marcuse taught me that it was possible to be an academic, an activist, a scholar, and a revolutionary.”After returning to the United States, Angela Davis joined the Communist Party, became involved in the Black Panther Party, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, second-wave feminism and actively protested the War in Vietnam.In 1969 Angela Davis became an acting Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of California Los Angeles.That same year the University of California initiated a policy against hiring Communists.[At their September 19, 1969, meeting, the Board of Regents - urged on by then-Governor Ronald Regan, fired Professor Davis from her teaching post because of her political beliefs.”On October 8th 1969, Angela Davis gave a speech at UCLA protesting her dismissal.“Education” she told a cheering student audience, “should not mold the mind according to a prefabricated architectural plan. It should rather liberate the mind. Because the mind has to be liberated in order to perceive the world, to see society, to understand what its advantages are, what its disadvantages are.” In that same speech Angela Davis drew persuasive links between the suppression of academic freedom, academic and social institutional racism, and the rise of totalitarianism in German during the 1930s. Later that month Angela Davis was reinstated by a California Superior Court judge and completed teaching the 1969-70 academic year. With that - let’s listen to Angela Davis talk about academic freedom, institutional racism and the dangers of totalitarianism.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, in honor of Women’s History Month, we wanted to pay tribute to one of the most consequential leaders in American History. Eleanor Roosevelt was the niece of the 26th President of the United States and the wife of the 32nd – but make no mistake, she was a political thinker, an international activist and a World Leader in her own right.Of her many achievements and successes, perhaps none was more personally satisfying and poignant than her work - after FDR’s death - at the United Nations -- in particular, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Adopted at the Third Session of the U.N. General Assembly held in Paris, to this day it is one of the most meaningful and important accomplishments in the 75-year history of that World Assembly. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as Ken Burns noted in his award-winning series, The Roosevelts, was history's first attempt at laying out the principles under which all nations should behave toward their own citizens and toward each other.And it was largely the work of one delegate from the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt.It was no easy task leading the international drafting committee at the dawn of the Cold War. But the former First Lady, as always, was shrewd, persuasive, and relentless.As tough as she was tactful, she drove her fellow delegates so hard that one felt compelled to remind her that they "had human rights too.""If they wanted shorter days, Theodore Roosevelt's favorite niece answered, "they should make shorter speeches."At 3 a.m. on the morning of December 10th, 1948, the General Assembly approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights without a single dissenting vote.And after the historic vote, the entire General Assembly did something it had never done before and has never done since. It rose to give a standing ovation to a single delegate, Eleanor Roosevelt.Please listen to Eleanor Roosevelt 1948 speech on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Weren't we supposed to get a break from being angry at DC? At the political inanity? The recklessness? The law breaking with impunity? Sure its the same old people being inane and reckless and breaking the law but even with Democrats in charge in the White House and in both houses of Congress, progress is painfully hard to come by, setbacks are frequent, Republicans seem disciplined and Democrats can't get together around core ideas. Or can they? Are there glimmers of hope? Patterns or opportunities that should trigger a little more optimism? We discuss with Greg Sargent of the Washington Post, Dr. Kavita Patel, of the Brookings Institution and formerly of the Obama White House and Ryan Goodman, professor at NYU Law School and co-editor of "Just Security." Join us. You might feel better.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Black History Month ends and Women’s History Month begins, we wanted to honor a pioneer in the struggle for equal rights for both movements.Shirley Anita Chisholm was a politician, educator, activist, community organizer and author.Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1924, as a child during the Great Depression - while her parents struggled to make ends meet - young Shirley and her two sisters were sent to Barbados to live with their Grandmother. Long before the Civil Rights movement in the United States, youngShirley watched as her community advocated for their rights as she witnessed the Barbados workers' and anti-colonial independence movements. Chisholm would later say about her time on Barbados with her Grandmother: “Granny gave me strength, dignity, and love. I learned from an early age that I was somebody. I didn't need the Black Revolution to tell me that."In 1964, after nearly two decades as an educator and community activist, Chisholm ran for and was elected to the New York State Assembly.Even within the New York Democratic Party, Shirley Chisholm had faced resistance to candidacy based on her sex - so she took hercampaign directly to women, using her role as Brooklyn branch president of Key Women of America to mobilize female voters.Four years later - in 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, representing New York's 12th congressional district for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. Her 1968 congressional campaign slogan was "Unbought and Unbossed" - which later became the title of her memoir and a documentary film on her amazing life. On January 25, 1972, in a Baptist church in her district in Brooklyn - Shirley Chisholm became the first African-American candidate for a major party's nomination for President of the United States, and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.In her presidential announcement - she called for a "bloodless revolution" at the forthcoming Democratic nominating convention and described herself as representative of the people offering a new articulation of American identity: "I am not the candidate of Black America, although I am Black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women's movement of this country, although I am a woman and equally proud of that. I am the candidate of the people and my presence before you, symbolizes a new era in American political history."Let’s listen to Civil Rights and Women’s Rights Pioneer Shirley Chisholm announce her candidacy for President of the United States. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the 9/11 Commission was formed in the wake of the Al Qaeda attacks on the US, the current was united in grief and anger but politically polarized and it was very difficult to find a path forward that would be credible and an effective driver of reform. But the divisions of the early 2000s were nothing compared to what we have today and the problem is compounded by the active culpability one political party has in both of the issues that demand investigation. So, how do we get to accountability today? We discuss this question with former 9/11 Commissioner, former Indiana congressman Tim Roemer as well as Ryan Goodman of NYU Law School and "Just Security" and Dr. Kavita Patel of the Brookings Institution and former senior Obama White House staffer. Join us.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska- and he became one of the most celebrated, influential and misunderstood leaders of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960sMalcolm X was a Muslim Minister and human rights activist - best known as a pioneer of the Black Nationalist Movement and as an apostle for self-respect and uncompromising resistance to white oppression.By the time he was assassinated 56 years ago this week - Malcolm X had become one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history.He is credited with raising the self-esteem of Black Americans and reconnecting them with their African heritage. He is largely responsible for the spread of Islam in the Black community in the United States.Many African Americans, especially those who lived in cities in the Northern and Western United States, felt that Malcolm X better articulated their struggle against racism and inequality than the mainstream civil rights movement did.He argued that if the U.S. government was unwilling or unable to protect Black people, Black people should protect themselves.Although he had publicly criticized the mainstream civil rights movement for its emphasis on nonviolence and racial integration - after he left the Nation of Islam in March of 1964, Malcolm X declared his willingness to cooperate with that Movement.Of those civil rights leaders he said: “I've forgotten everything bad that [they] have said about me, and I pray they can also forget the many bad things I've said about them."Originally delivered in Cleveland, on April 3rd 1964 - this recorded version was delivered in April 12th in Detroit.Today, historians regard “The Ballot or the Bullet” as one of the most influential speech in American history. Far from a call to violence – Malcolm X sought educate his community as to the extent of their political power:The whites are so evenly divided that every time they vote, the race is so close they have to go back and count the votes all over again. Which means that any block, any minority that has a block of votes that stick together is in a strategic position. Either way you go, that's who gets it. You're in a position to determine who'll go to the White House and who'll stay in the doghouse. While distancing himself from the Nation of Islam - Malcolm X described his continued commitment to Black Nationalism, which he defined as the philosophy that African Americans should control the political, economic and social destinies of their own communities.Like many of the great speeches we feature - Malcolm X tied his and his people’s struggle to American’s Founding and embraced the spirit of the American Revolution:The white man made the mistake of letting me read his history books. He made the mistake of teaching me that Patrick Henry was a patriot, and George Washington – there wasn't nothing non-violent about ol' Pat, or George Washington. "Liberty or death"- is what brought about the freedom of whites in this country from the English.This is why I say it's the ballot or the bullet. It's liberty or it's death. It's freedom for everybody or freedom for nobody.Here is Malcolm X’s historic speech - "The Ballot or the Bullet" - in its entirety.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Trumpists may have celebrated that the disgraced former president was not convicted by the Senate and the Senators who voted to convict have been attacked for their show of conscience, the reality is that Trump's legal prospects are not good. Mitch McConnell, his one time ally, called for his prosecution. Multiple cases in which he is a target are under way--in NY, Atlanta, and Washington DC. A commission is being called to investigate the January 6th insurgency. We discuss where these may lead and how the GOP may handle the consequences with former Trump Admin senior staffer Olivia Troye and Ryan Goodman of NYU Law School and "Just Security." Don't miss it.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, as the House Managers presented their Impeachment case -- a step-by-step, rigorous, fact-based prosecution that clearly drew the connection between Donald Trump’s words and the violence that ensued in that very chamber little more than a month earlier - we thought back to the stirring words of the Senate Chaplain, Rear Admiral (Ret.) Barry C. Black following that failed insurrection.At 4:45am on the morning of January 7th - just hours after an angry mob had violently attacked the US Capitol - a joint session of Congress certified the free and fair election of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States.As the proceeding drew to a close - Vice President Mike Pence, who just hours earlier was targeted for execution by the mob in that very building - recognized the Senate Chaplain to give the final invocation.Let’s listen to the powerful prayer offered by the Senate Chaplain, Rear Admiral (Ret.) Barry C. Black.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House Impeachment managers proved beyond any reasonable doubt that Donald Trump incited an insurrection against the US government that resulted in six deaths over 140 injuries and profound damage to our democracy. Good as they were, we have to admit, it wasn't that tough to do because we all saw the events unfold. So, ensuring justice will be done should be easy, right? Not so fast. The Senate Kangaroo court you will remember from a year ago is back in session and most of the GOP simply do not care about facts or the law or the Constitution or the judgment of history. Which is why Trump will be acquitted. But...what then? What does it mean? Can other prosecutions follow? We discuss with former US Attorney Barb McQuade, NYU Law's Ryan Goodman and Dr. Kavita Patel of the Brookings Institution. We also include an update on a bunch of breaking COVID news with Kavita. So...don't miss this episode.Each week, we’re bringing you a new episode of one of our favorite podcasts, Deep State Radio. Deep State Radio, hosted by David Rothkopf, produces new episodes 2-3 times per week and brings together top experts, policymakers, and journalists from the national security, foreign policy, and political communities. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you become a member of the DSR Network, you’ll receive benefits such as ad-free listening via private feed, discounts to virtual events and Deep State Radio Swag, and access to the member-only Slack community. This is one of the most closely followed podcasts among the people influencing the most important decisions in Washington and worldwide today. You can learn more by visiting thedsrnetwork.com. Listeners to Words Matter will receive 25% off of the regular membership price. Use code wordsmatter at checkout.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/words-matter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices