In Search of Black Power

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The political impacts of marginalizing Black/Pan-Afrikan Nationalism Nov 02, 2022

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In part two of our examination of Black nationalism, we look at the political implications of the marginalization of Black nationalism. We analyze the limitations of current progressive Black political formations through the lens of not learning the lessons of Black nationalism and Pan-Afrikan nationalism. Finally, we use examples of work we do at LBS as examples of how the insights of Black/Pan-African Nationalism can address the material needs of Afrikan people.

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In Search of Black Power is a Black-owned internet show and podcast. This podcast is sponsored and produced by Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle (LBS).
The internet show is published in collaboration with Black Liberation Media (BLM)

Revolutionary Black/Pan-Afrikan Nationalism: Beyond the Caricature Oct 26, 2022

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In the first of this two-part episode, we take a look at some of the historical successes of Black nationalism as a political methodology. We then juxtapose those successes with the caricatures and stereotypes used to marginalize Black nationalism.

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The Colonial Imagination's impact on African People (Part 2) Oct 19, 2022

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In part two of our interview with Dr. Cleo Manago - we discuss the dynamics of intra-racial violence amongst Black people, particularly sexual and gender minorities.
Cleo Manago is an African American activist and social architect who coined the term “same-gender-loving” (or SGL) as an alternative for African descended or black people who do not wish to identify as gay or lesbian due to the perceived European-centered nature of the terminology and community practices.
Cleo is the founder and CEO of AmASSI Health and Cultural Centers and Black Men’s Xchange (BMX) and is a mentor to many Black SGL people working to improvise their families, communities and the country. Along with his activism, Cleo is also a blogger and columnist.
Learn more:
https://www.amassi.com

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The Colonial Imagination's impact on African People (Part 1) Oct 12, 2022

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On this episode, we sit down with Dr. Cleo Manago - founder of the AmASSI Center in Baltimore, Maryland. We discuss the impact of colonialism and white supremacy on the collective attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of people of African descent.
Cleo Manago is an African American activist and social architect who coined the term “same-gender-loving” (or SGL) as an alternative for African descended or black people who do not wish to identify as gay or lesbian due to the perceived European-centered nature of the terminology and community practices.
Cleo is the founder and CEO of AmASSI Health and Cultural Centers and Black Men’s Xchange (BMX) and is a mentor to many Black SGL people working to improvise their families, communities and the country. Along with his activism, Cleo is also a blogger and columnist.
Learn more:
https://www.amassi.com

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The Legacy of the Black Arts Movement Oct 04, 2022

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We sit down with Ernest Shaw Jr. to discuss parallels between the Black Arts Movement and contemporary Black arts and Politics. Shaw is a globally renowned painter, teacher and mural artist from Baltimore City.
He’s currently an artist in residence at Motor House.
Learn more about his work:
https://www.eshawart.com/

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Were Unions a Form of White Affirmative Action? Sep 28, 2022

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A common argument among the left is that cross-class multi-racial organizing is the key to defeating capitalism and inequity in general, with unions being the most potent tool to accomplish this task.
In Part 2 of our examination of Ira Katznelson's book "When Affirmative Action Was White", we analyze his argument that Northern unions and the political allies acquiesced to Dixiecrat demands for the exclusion of southern Blacks during New Deal expansions of union rights. This created an environment where white benefitted more from unions and thus furthering the racial wealth and power gaps. This jives with other scholarship which challenges narratives of interracial unionism as inherently progressive and reframed it as a tool of potential social control of Black workers by White led unions.
Finally, we conclude with recommendations on how Black communities can build political infrastructure to support address unemployment and underemployment given the limits of interracial unionism and the likely curtailing of Affirmative Action.

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When the "New Deal" was White Affirmative Action Sep 21, 2022

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Universalist social policies like Social Security and Unemployment Insurance are praised as key to eliminating racial inequity. However, Ira Katznelson's book, "When Affirmative Action was White", challenges this argument. He explainins how Northern Democrats conceding to Dixiecrat desires to exclusion of Blacks from critical support provision led to White benefiting more than Blacks, serving as a form of white Affirmative Action.
In the first of two conversations on the topic, we compare the history and impacts of the New Deal for White with the history and impact of Affirmative Action for minorities. This comparison reveals the New Deal's support of white communities was more impactful than affirmative action's support of minority communites, which is likely to be severely curtailed by a conservative Supreme Court.

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The Successes and Challenges of Criminal Justice Reform Sep 14, 2022

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Samantha Mellerson is with the W. Haywood Burns Institute, a national Black led organization that works to dismantle structural racism. We discuss the mainstream criminal justice reform movement and its successes and challenges. She also brings a depth of knowledge around nonprofit capacity building and is a certified empowerment and diversity coach.
Sam has worked across public and private sectors in various capacities such as non-profit direct service and management, local and state government and philanthropy.
She is a graduate from the University of Toronto, and is an active community volunteer and serves on several committees and boards focused on giving young people greater opportunities to thrive.

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How the Child "Welfare" System destroys Black families (Part 2) Sep 07, 2022

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In the second part of this conversation, we discuss some of the critical political elements, including:

The power dynamics within interracial adoptions
The politics of the Democratic party and an over-reliance on the Supreme Court
Potential legislative solutions to build Black power in the child welfare space

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How the Child "Welfare" System destroys Black families (Part 1) Aug 31, 2022

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Many well-meaning folks, in the name of "protecting children" support the idea of "child welfare/protective services" - believing government services that surveil families for signs of mistreatment are the only way to prevent child abuse. However, in a special two-part episode, we analyze how the reality of this system does not live up to its promises. Far from protecting youth, the system criminalizes poverty, targets Black families for family separation, and serves as a vector of policing and structural violence.

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