Millennials Are Killing Capitalism

This is session 2 of Journalism for Liberation & Combat. If you missed session 1, Journalism for Liberation & Combat was a mini-course that Jared Ware (Jay from MAKC) helped convene along with Brooke Terpstra who is an organizer with Oakland Abolition & Solidarity. We worked closely to put this together with Jared Ball from imixwhatilike and Black Power Media, and with a number of other radical journalists who you will hear from throughout the series.  Brooke Terpstra titled Session 2: “From Survival to Winning - Hegemony and Liberation on the Ground.” Both Brooke and Jared Ware cover the presentation in this session and the Jared Ball returns for a Q&A answering questions from the participants in the Journalism for Liberation & Combat course on the heels of Session 1 which Jared Ball gave the main presentation. This conversation is really about making the concepts of culture and hegemony real for folks and about sharing a media struggle from the coverage of the Prison Strike in 2018 which Brooke and Jay were very involved in as members of the Prison Strike Media Relations team for that action. There is a brief introductory conversation from Brooke and Jay on this session, and there is a lengthy Q&A with Jay, Brooke and Jared Ball at the end of the conversation. These sessions took place over zoom, and you can watch this session in its totality over on Black Power Media (session 1 also!) which is a great channel on Youtube with tons of amazing content from a Black Left perspective.  There was also a syllabus to the course, which we recommend you check out. As always if you like the work that we do here at Millennials Are Killing Capitalism, we do operate entirely on the support of our listeners. And as many folks are cutting costs in these rough financial times, we have been losing some patrons for the show. So if you are a listener and you have not become a patron yet and you can afford $1 a month or more, head to patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism and become a patron of the show.

***Video version now up on Black Power Media*** Earlier this month Brooke Terpstra from Oakland Abolition and Solidarity and Jared Ware convened a brief course that we titled Journalism for Liberation and Combat. At the heart of the course was the question: How do we cultivate revolutionary culture? Further we looked at the specific intersection of media or cultural production and revolutionary organizing.  Over the next couple weeks we will be sharing audio versions of all of these sessions. We will also be working with Black Power Media to release the video versions of these discussions over there over the next couple of weeks, the first one could premiere as soon as this Friday. What you will get here is lightly edited audio. The videos do often include visual aids. In addition to this there is a syllabus for this course which we will link in the show notes, that includes all of the readings we asked course participants to complete along with participating in the classes themselves. We encourage folks to do this course on their own time ideally with folks they organize with or work on radical media work with or maybe both.  Our guests for this series include: Jared Ball from IMIXWHATILIKE and Black Power Media,  Too Black from Black Myths Podcast, Black Power Media, and The Last Dope Intellectual Erica Caines from Black Alliance For Peace & Hood Communist Kelly Hayes from Truthout & Movement Memos Brian Nam-Sonenstein from Shadowproof and Beyond Prisons Brandon Soderberg (coauthor of I Got A Monster: The Rise & Fall of America's Most Corrupt Police Squad) And Jared Ware (MAKC) and Brooke Terpstra (Oakland Abolition & Solidarity) In this conversation there’s a little bit of an introduction from myself and Brooke just giving you some background on the series, and then you will hear Jared Ball’s presentation Journalism, Internal Colonialism, and Emancipation. In this session, Jared Ball will cover a summary of internal colonialism theory as context for emancipatory journalism. He will define and exemplify emancipatory journalism and he will discuss the rise and current state of the media/journalism environment in these so-called United States. At the close of his presentation, there is a Q&A session where Jared Ware, Brooke Terpstra, and coco ask Jared Ball some introductory questions. coco the comrade who joins us, is a conscious New Afrikan who engages in prisoner solidarity work along with political education & New Afrikan resistance, currently they host the Nkrumah study group we’ve been running. For folks looking specifically for Jared Ball’s presentation it starts at 29:45 seconds. The first roughly 30 minutes here are Brooke and me discussing the Journalism For Liberation & Combat series as well as this episode. This was a collaborative process and so I encourage you to contribute to, join or follow any of the organizations involved in putting this together - whether they do media work or organizing work - for us the easiest way to do that is by becoming a patron of the show at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism

In this episode we interview Robbie McVeigh and Bill Rolston, authors of the book Anois ar theacht an tSamraidh: Ireland Colonialism and the Unfinished Revolution, a work that may be unparalleled in its analysis of the history of colonialism and modes of anti-imperialist struggle across Irish history.  It covers 800 years of history of colonialism in Ireland, and pays particular attention to the various colonial forms British Imperialism imposes upon the people of the island.  It also takes a deep dive into examining the contradictions of each of the Irish states that emerge from partition, an undemocratic and colonial imposition that the Irish people have yet to dismantle. Along the way the book also deals with important questions of race, gender and the position of Ireland in relation to the British Empire. At its core the book demonstrates that Ireland has not achieved decolonization even in the 26 counties in the South, but argues that self-determination for Irish people is within reach, perhaps closer now than it has been in a century. In our conversation we explore many of these topics as well as An Gorta Mór, the British starvation of Ireland often misnamed/misunderstood as the "Potato Famine." We talk about the unexpected possibilities and contradictions created by the UK’s reactionary Brexit maneuvering. We talk about resonances between Ireland and other sites of settler colonialism, and discuss how racism and religious sectarianism are interwoven in the Irish context. We also ask Robbie & Bill about the legacy of Irish anti-imperial struggle, which is significant and innovative, but is also checkered by a history of figures who failed to demonstrate solidarity to other anti-colonial struggles and marginalized peoples. They also discuss the complexity of Irish involvement in colonial management, and racial regimes outside of the Irish context. We want to give a special shout-out to Liberated Texts (you can order volume 1 here) and Chris Beausang for the review which alerted us to the existence of this book.  And just note that you can order it directly from Ireland at Beyondthepalebooks.com. And if you’re listening in North America I’ll just add that the good people at leftwingbooks.net have ordered some copies so you should be able to order it there soon as well. One more note, Dhoruba Bin Wahad is mentioned in passing during the show. Dhoruba who has lived a life in struggle for Black Liberation is currently battling stage 4 cancer and has a gofundme to support his treatment and care. We have contributed and we encourage you to do the same. Lastly, if you like what we do and want to hear more conversations like this, please support us on patreon. Our listeners are our sole source of income for the show, and you can become a patron for $1 a month or whatever you can afford to contribute.

In this episode we talk to Olúfẹmi O. Táíwò. Táíwò is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University. In this episode we talk about his recently published book Reconsidering Reparations, which examines arguments for reparations historically and offers a philosophical argument for a constructive vision of reparations.  Along the way Femi looks at the linkages between slavery, racism, colonialism, imperialism and climate change.  In looking at this world system which he articulates as Global Racial Empire, Táíwò offers a vision for reconfiguring this world system in a more just way. Along the way he tackles issues of racial justice, economic security, and also a global vision of disability justice. We talk about systems of global distribution. And Femi examines arguments related to Rawlsian visions of justice, questions of identity and reparations, and certain critiques of reparations arguments. Táíwò also shares concerns about symbolic notions of reparations and advocates a materialist world-making project as a political horizon. Mentioned in the episode is a debate between Adolph Reed Jr. and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor on the issue of reparations, you can listen to it here.  And just a reminder that we do need support to be able to run this show. If you like what we do, want us to be able to keep doing it, particularly as frequently as we do, please give a little money to our patreon. It’s through your support that we are able to do the show, keep the show free, keep it ad-free, and deliver you conversations like this unfiltered and unfettered by corporations or foundations.

In this episode we interview António Tomás. Tomás is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. He is a native of Angola, and holds a PhD in Anthropology from Columbia University. He has worked as a journalist in Angola and Portugal and has written extensively on issues related to Lusophone Africa.  Back in early December we published an interview with Tomás on his book Amílcar Cabral: The Life of a Reluctant Nationalist. In that conversation Tomás delved into the struggle of the PAIGC, various dynamics of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, and an analysis of Portuguese colonialism and counterinsurgency. Tomás also examined Cabral’s theory and practice in relation to Marxist thought and techniques of guerrilla warfare popular at the time. Discussing some of Cabral’s unique theoretical and practical interventions along the way. As we mentioned at the time, there were others aspects of Cabral’s life we wanted to delve into more deeply. Such as his time with the MAC or Movimento Anticolonial (Anticolonial Movement) his relationships with, and the influence of, figures like Frantz Fanon, Sekou Touré, and Kwame Nkrumah and his thinking on issues of Pan Africanism and internationalism. In this conversation we explore those topics and also further discuss how Cabral’s speeches must be read in the context of audience both intended and unintended. As well as in relation to the concrete needs of the PAIGC’s liberation struggle in that moment. We also talk specifically about the relationships Cabral had with Léopold Senghor and Sekou Touré the heads of state of Guinea-Bissau’s neighbors, who each provided different forms of solidarity, allowed different types of activity from the PAIGC within their state, and embraced a different tactics in relation to the PAIGC’s struggle against Portuguese colonialism. Finally, Tomás discusses what he considers Cabral’s greatest contributions to African anti colonial struggle.  It’s important to remember that many of the questions asked here remain open, but Tomás’s insights are very useful in reading Cabral’s thought and understanding the practices of the PAIGC in context. This is our fourth episode of the month of February, and currently we’re still down 3 patrons for the month. So if you’ve been thinking about becoming a patron, now is a great time to show your support. You can do so for as little as $1 a month at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism References in the show: Part 1 of this conversation Amílcar Cabral: The Life of a Reluctant Nationalist by António Tomás António Tomás' forthcoming book In the Skin of the City: Spatial Transformation in Luanda Cabral's "Facts About Colonialism" also known as "Facts About Portugal's African Colonies" can be found in Unity & Struggle. Return To The Source (and mulitiple speeches within it) is also referenced in the show. Cesaire's Notebook of a Return to the Nativeland Fanon's Wretched of the Earth  

In this episode we interview two members of the Certain Days Collective.  Josh Davidson has been an activist for nearly two decades, focusing on prisoner support and the abolition of the carceral state. He is involved in numerous social justice projects, including the Certain Days collective and the Children’s Art Project with political prisoner Oso Blanco. Josh is currently editing a book detailing the struggles of current and former political prisoners, and also works in communications with the Zinn Education Project. Daniel McGowan is a member of the Certain Days collective, and former political prisoner from Queens, NY. He works with NYC Books Through Bars, the Anarchist Black Cross Federation (ABCF) and supporting political prisoner Eric King.  The topic of today’s discussion is the Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar which is a joint fundraising and educational project between outside organizers in Montreal, Hamilton, New York, and Baltimore, and political prisoner Xinachtli (formerly known as Alvaro Luna Hernandez).  All of the outside collective members are involved in day-to-day organizing work other than the calendar, on issues ranging from refugee and immigrant solidarity to community media to prisoner justice. They work from an anti-imperialist, anti-racist, anti-capitalist, feminist, queer- and trans liberationist position. In this episode they talk about welcoming founding members Herman Bell and Robert Seth Hayes (Rest in Power) home from prison in 2018, and founding member David Gilbert home from prison just a few months ago at the end of 2021.  Daniel and Josh talk about the nuts and bolts of putting the calendar together, working with political prisoners on the project, and supporting prisoners against state repression. Along the way they both talk about tensions they feel in political prisoner support in the present moment. Both embracing prison abolition, understanding the inherently political nature of all imprisonment, and holding firm on the critical importance of movement defense to the creation of a better future. Daniel also shares many insights from his own time as a political prisoner on the vicious and arbitrary nature of carceral power and the role that political prisoners try to play teaching and sharing radical knowledge but also seeking to legally combat the most repressive facets of the prison system both inside and out. Josh and Daniel reference a ton of great projects and ways people can get involved, we will include all of them in the show notes so make sure to check them all out and get involved. One in particular we want to draw folks attention to uprisingsupport.org which was created to support people facing political repression for their involvement in the uprisings in response to the executions of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others in 2020. And of course make sure you pick up a copy of the Certain Days calendar if you haven’t yet, they’re now on sale for $10 at burningbooks.com and the other outlets listed in this episode and in the show notes. Finally, a reminder that if you appreciate the work that we do, we also need support. Become a patron of the show for as little as one dollar a month at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism  Other links and projects discussed in the episode: 2022 Artists- Carrot, Comrade Z, Jesus Barraza, Leila Abdelrazaq, Oso Blanco, Peter Railand, Roger Peet, Wendy Elisheva Somerson, Windigo Army, Virginia Lee, Xinachtli and Xue. 2022 Articles- Alanna Kibbe, Cory Charles Cardinal, David Gilbert, Daniel McGowan, Eric King, Hanif Bey, J.“g.”J., Martha Hennessy, Montclair Mutual Aid, Mwalimu Shakur, Sean Adams, Shukri Abu-Baker, Tauno Biltsted. PPs- editors are/were David Gilbert and Xinatchli Prisoners- Comrade Z (Julio Zuniga)- Texas,  Fed: Eric King, Hanif Bey, Oso Blanco, Shukri Abu Baker, Martha Hennessy. Sean Adams (released from Texas state),  Mwalimu Shakur (CA)   PP News Current campaigns- Dr. Mutulu Shakur (clemency, parole, compassionate release) Sundiata Acoli  Political Prisoners Near Release- Doug Wright  Josh Williams (12.22)   New(er) Political Prisoners - Jessica Reznicek Dan Baker Daniel Hale Floyd Uprising defendants (Uprisingsupport.org)   More orgs: Books Through Bars NYC Anarchist Black Cross Federation  Support Eric King (March 14th trial date) Daniel's consulting  Proceeds 2021 · RAPP (Release Aging People in Prison)  · Barton Prisoner Solidarity- .  · Tucson Anti-Repression Crew  · Prison Health News  · Austin ABC  · Solidarity Across Borders  · Buffalo Books Through Bars  · Mongoose Distro-  HOW TO ORDER -  US orders Burning Books  AK Press  Stores that sell the calendar Canada Kersplebedeb/Leftwingbooks  Canada bulk orders (10+)  UK order:Active Distribution  Prisoner orders- only $8 and you can buy it from Certain Days directly, and they will send the calendar to them. Deaths in or after custody- 2021 Chip Fitzgerald- 3.29.2021 death in custody (RIP) Russell Marroon Shoatz- 10.25.2021 Releases 2021: Michael Markus (Rattler)- Father Steve Kelly- Jaan Laaman- Martha Hennessy- Joshua Stafford- Carmen Trotta- Clare Grady-  Patrick O’ Neill    Mark Colville- 9.11.2021 David Gilbert- 11.4.21    

In this episode Josh interviews Charlie Frank, an independent marxist researcher currently studying the history of AIDS in the United States. He is on the general staff of Cosmonaut magazine, a member of St Louis DSA and a candidate member of the Marxist Unity Group. Josh interviews Charlie about his article in Cosmonaut Magazine, entitled “ACT UP, Fight Back: A History of AIDS in America.” In conversation Charlie talks about the history of AIDS and how imperialist capitalism or international monopoly capitalism fueled the spread of the AIDS epidemic in the US.  The bulk of the conversation is about the development of political resistance to the AIDS crisis, most prominently in the organization ACT UP. Charlie also discusses the weak governmental response to the crisis, and areas where ACT UP was successful, as well as areas in which the response to the AIDS crisis continues to fall short - in eliminating the epidemic among Black and racialized populations in the US, and internationally - due to the problems created by a capitalist health system and an insufficient organizing response.  Along the way Josh asks Charlie about some resonances between the responses to the COVID pandemic and the AIDS epidemic in the political economy of the US. And they discuss their perspectives on some of the issues that come up when socialist organizations try to engage or alternatively don’t engage in mass struggles like the AIDS crisis, or the most recent rebellions after the police lynching of George Floyd. Our episodes are completely funded by our listeners. No ads, no corporate money, no grants. And this allows us the independence to cover history like this from a radical perspective. If you like what we do please support our work at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism. 

In this episode we interview two organizers with O'ahu Water Protectors. O‘ahu Water Protectors is an organization that formed out of a coalition of Kanaka Maoli organizers, Sierra Club members and supporters, Hawai‘i Peace and Justice, and other groups working toward sovereignty, decolonization, and demilitarization. Mikey Inouye is an independent filmmaker born and raised in Hawai‘i, community organizer and member of O‘ahu Water Protectors. Shelley Muneoka is a Kanaka Maoli woman and water drinker from He‘eia Uli on the island of O‘ahu. Her work focuses on the care of past, present and future elders of all kinds --  human, more than human and elements like water. In this conversation Mikey and Shelley discuss the crisis posed by the decrepit fuel tanks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, above the Pearl Harbor Naval Base. They sit just 100 feet above the aquifer which provides the water supply for the island of O’ahu, the most populous island in Hawaii. Just a few months ago, the drinking water of 93,000 residents was contaminated by fuel from these tanks, closing down two wells. Organizers and residents have fought to shut down Red Hill, the Navy currently has until February 2nd to submit its plan to defuel the tanks at the base. Mikey and Shelley discuss the crisis and the multi-pronged organizing they’ve been a part of around this issue. They also spend significant time discussing the history of colonialism, US imperialism, and the US military in Hawaii. This includes conversations on environmental degradation, water contamination, as fundamental byproducts of US militarism. They also discuss the unique history of the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor as a site of militourism, and its ideological role as a site of alleged US victimhood and the need for defense of the US against amorphous and alleged “asian threats.” This in contrast with the reality that Hawai‘i was not even a US state at the time of the attacks, but was itself a colonized territory the US used as an occupied military outpost and that the preservation of these tourist attractions continues to contaminate the natural beauty and resources on the Island of O’ahu. We encourage folks to follow O’ahu Water Protectors on Twitter and Instagram and support their campaign to defend their water. More updates are sure to come soon as this story develops.  We’ll include their social media accounts and some additional links in the show notes. And as always if you like what we do, please contribute to our patreon, we don’t sell any ads, we don’t have any corporate or foundation sponsors, so everything we are able to do here at Millennials Are Killing Capitalism is funded by you. You can become a patron at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism Follow O'ahu Water Protectors on Twitter or on Instagram also follow Puuhuluhulu on Instagram for updates on Mauna Kea  Shelley's speech referenced in discussion Mikey's speech Speech from another O'ahu Water Protector, Tina

In this episode we talk to Lara and Stephen Sheehi about their recently published book Psychoanalysis Under Occupation: Practicing Resistance in Palestine.  Lara Sheehi is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at the George Washington University Professional Psychology Program.  Stephen Sheehi is a Professor of Middle East Studies and Director of the Decolonizing Humanities Project at William & Mary.  Full bios here Their work in this text is heavily influenced by Frantz Fanon and critically engages theories of decoloniality and Liberatory psychoanalysis. It centers the stories and struggles of clinicians and their clients in Palestine.  In this conversation Lara & Stephen talk about the historical relationship between psychoanalysis and colonialism, and how power relations and epistemology structure those relations.  Upending those relations of course are anti-colonial or decolonial theories of psychoanalysis and in this context relationships forged between Palestinian clinicians and their Palestinian clients. Both are subjected to the same settler colonial apartheid regime that necessitates a national liberation struggle. Along the way they talk about the different forms of every day and extreme oppression faced by Palestinian people, we talk about the work of Palestinian clinicians to confront that harm, and how confronting that requires transgressive acts, organization and ultimately resistance.  We take up problems like ideological misattunement between Israeli clinicians and Palestinian clients, talk about concepts like disalienation, and conscientisation and other key concepts in Fanonian and decolonial psychoanalytic theory. Providing key insights for resisting individuation, alienation and colonial oppression.  Lara Sheehi also mentions that she and others have some networks of anti-colonial and anti-capitalist therapists and BIPOC anti-imperialist therapists for folks who are looking for that you can connect with Dr. Sheehi to find out more information. Also just a note, we realize that this book is priced too high for most people to purchase it for themselves. You can ask your public or school library to purchase a copy - as this was really the publishing model that the publisher chose for this text. The authors are committed however to making sure that anybody who wants to read it can find a way to get access to the text. So if you aren’t able to get your hands on it, please reach out to Lara. If you like what we do please support our work on patreon.  Links & Resources: Palestinian Global Mental Health Network Gaza Community Mental Health Programme Maana Centre  Palestinian Counseling Center The Guidance and Training Center for the Child and Family Cafe Palestine Index Stephen Sheehi's website Twitter Handles: Lara: @blackflaghag Stephen: @zghartawi IG handles: @psychoanalystactivist, @decolonizingphotography, and bipocanalysis

In this episode we interview Andrew J. Douglas and Jared A. Loggins to discuss their recently published book, Prophet of Discontent: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Critique of Racial Capitalism.  Andrew Douglas is a professor of political science and a faculty affiliate in Africana studies and international comparative labor studies at Morehouse College. Douglas is also the author of In the Spirit of Critique: Thinking Politically in the Dialectical Tradition and W.E.B. Du Bois and the Critique of Competitive Society.  Jared Loggins is a visiting assistant professor of Black Studies and political science at Amherst College We talk to Jared and Andrew about the mutually informing theoretical legacies of Martin Luther King Jr and Cedric Robinson. Loggins and Douglas share their insights on Robinson’s theoretical work around racial capitalism, the Black Radical Tradition, and leadership and examine some of King’s most potent radical critiques in dialogue with these concepts. We also ask about King’s legacy as a dialectical thinker, and the authors share their insights on King’s critiques around the materialistic nature of the capitalist system in dialogue with Marx’s critique of commodity fetishism.  Douglas and Loggins also engage King’s thinking around guaranteed basic income, the welfare state, and building and learning through communal struggle. They also explore King’s thought around riots, the organized abandonment coinciding with deindustrialization, and the ways his thinking anticipates the neoliberal turn that comes after his assassination. Finally they share thoughts on King’s anti-imperialism and their own thinking around rebuilding a Black radical counter public, and building the types of formations and institutions that can resist the patterns of capture and cooptation that continue to plague Black movements and Black thought in the 21st Century. You can read a free online copy of their book Prophet of Discontent: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Critique of Racial Capitalism or purchase a paperback copy. We’ll include links to it in the show notes.  And it’s a new year and we really need folks’ continued support to sustain this podcast. So if you appreciate what we do, please chip into support our efforts here. You can become a patron for as little as $1 a month at patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism.