Egypt Election: Muslim Brotherhood Candidate Could Face...
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"Booker’s Place": Documentary Tells Story of Black Mississippi Waiter Who Lost Life by Speaking Out
In 1965, Booker Wright, an African-American waiter in Greenwood, Mississippi, dared to be interviewed by NBC about racism in America, a decision that forever changed his and his family’s lives. Wright said during the interview, "I always learned to smile. The meaner the man be, the more you smile. Do all your crying on...April 30, 2012 | Story -
NAACP Head Benjamin Jealous in Geneva Seeking United Nations Help to Protect Voting Rights in U.S.
Since last year, 15 states have passed new voting laws that critics say suppress the votes of the poor, students and people of color. This is the topic of a major speech set for today by NAACP head Benjamin Jealous before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. The NAACP wants a U.N. delegation of experts to monitor...March 13, 2012 | Story -
Rep. Donald Payne (1934–2012): Remembering New Jersey’s First African-American Member of Congress
Representative Donald Payne, the first-ever African-American congressman from New Jersey, died Tuesday at the age of 77 from complications of colon cancer. The former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus was in his 12th term in the House. In 1988, Payne explained his desire to break the color line in Congress, saying, "I...March 07, 2012 | Story -
Despite Rep for Integration, TV’s Iconic "American Bandstand" Kept Black Teens Off Its Stage
Last month the pioneering TV broadcaster Don Cornelius died at the age of 75. As the host of "Soul Train," many obituaries described Cornelius as the "African-American Dick Clark," the legendary host of the popular TV show, "American Bandstand," from 1956 to 1989. Clark claimed the show, which was...March 02, 2012 | Story -
Redefining Black Power: Pacifica Archives & City Lights Books Reflect on the State of Black America
Amy Goodman interviews Joanne Griffith, the editor of "Redefining Black Power: Reflections on the State of Black America," a new book partly inspired by some of the Pacifica Radio Archives’ historic recordings. [includes rush transcript]February 29, 2012 | Blog Post -
Whitney Houston Remembered for Unprecedented Crossover Success
The music world continues to pay tribute to pop superstar Whitney Houston following her death on Saturday at the age of 48. She was honored at last night’s Grammy Awards by host LL Cool J and Jennifer Hudson. "She is part of a generation of what I called 'black pop crossover artists,' that would include Eddie...February 13, 2012 | Story -
Black Power on TV: How "Soul Train" Host Don Cornelius (1936-2012) Reshaped Independent Black Media
Whitney Houston is just the latest cultural icon to pass away during this year’s Black History Month. On February 1, "Soul Train" host Don Cornelius was found dead at his home in Los Angeles, in what appeared to be a suicide. Cornelius brought black music and culture into America’s living rooms through his...February 13, 2012 | Story -
SPECIAL : Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in His Own Words
Today is the federal holiday that honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was born January 15th, 1929. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was just 39 years old. While Dr. King is primarily remembered as a civil rights leader, he also championed the cause of the poor and organized...January 16, 2012 | Story -
"Memory is the Active Agent of Collective Social Progress": Randall Robinson on His New Novel Makeda
"Makeda," the new novel by TransAfrica founder Randall Robinson, is set at the dawn of the civil rights era. The book follows a young man coming of age in segregated Richmond, Virginia, who discovers his roots in Africa through his blind grandmother. "Sometimes when we think of slavery, we calculate the economic...January 13, 2012 | Story -
On Eve of MLK Day, Michelle Alexander & Randall Robinson on the Mass Incarceration of Black America
On this eve of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, we host a wide-ranging discussion with TransAfrica founder Randall Robinson and author Michelle Alexander about the mass incarceration of African Americans that has rolled back many achievements of the civil rights movement. Today there are more African Americans under...January 13, 2012 | Story -
How New Hampshire Became Last U.S. State to Recognize MLK Day Holiday
Ahead of the Monday holiday celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr., we speak with two people key to establishing the day as a paid state holiday in New Hampshire—the last state to do so—replacing its optional Civil Rights Day in 1999. "I look at Mitt Romney talking about saving the soul of America and recall that the motto...January 11, 2012 | Story -
Deportation of U.S. Teen to Colombia Latest Failure of Immigration System
The family of a Dallas teenager Jakadrien Turner is demanding answers after she was deported to Colombia, despite the fact that she is a U.S. citizen and speaks no Spanish. Turner, a 15-year-old African-American runaway, was living in Houston when she was arrested for shoplifting and gave police a fake name that belonged to a...January 06, 2012 | Story
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"Deadly Monopolies": Medical Ethicist Harriet Washington on How Firms are Taking Over Life Itself
One of the major themes raised by the Occupy movement is the increasing power of large corporations over more and more aspects of our lives. We spend the hour looking into the issue of the corporate control of life itself. Our guest, Harriet Washington, is a medical ethicist and has just published a book that examines the extent...October 31, 2011 | Story -
"The Arc of the Moral Universe, From Memphis to Wall Street" By Amy Goodman
The national memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. was dedicated last Sunday. President Barack Obama said of Dr. King, “If he were alive today, I believe he would remind us that the unemployed worker can rightly challenge the excesses of Wall Street without demonizing all who work there.” The dedication occurred amidst the increasingly popular and increasingly global Occupy Wall Street movement....October 19, 2011 | Blog Post -
Amidst Soaring Poverty, New MLK Monument Should Be Seen as "Testament to [His] Unfinished Work"
A new report by the University of New Hampshire reveals that nearly 22 percent of America’s children live in poverty. Another study by the the Pew Hispanic Center found that Hispanics now make up the largest group of children living in poverty: 6.1 million Hispanic children are poor, compared with five million non-Hispanic...October 19, 2011 | Story -
"News for All the People": Juan González & Joseph Torres on the Epic Story of Race & the U.S. Media
After seven years of research, the groundbreaking new book, "News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media," examines how the media has played a pivotal role in perpetuating racist views in the United States. It recalls lives of the unsung pioneering black, Latino, Native American and Asian-American...October 13, 2011 | Story -
Part 2: John Carlos, 1968 U.S. Olympic Medalist, On the Response to His Iconic Black Power Salute
In part two of our interview with 1968 Olympic medalist and international civil rights icon, John Carlos, he talks about the shocked response of the audience in the stadium when he raised his fist in the now iconic Black Power salute, and much more. [includes rush transcript]October 12, 2011 | Blog Post -
John Carlos, 1968 Olympic U.S. Medalist, on the Revolutionary Sports Moment that Changed the World
Almost half a century after his famous raised-fist salute at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, John Carlos has authored a new memoir with sportswriter Dave Zirin, "The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment that Changed the World." Olympic medal winners in the 200 meter race, John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their...October 12, 2011 | Story -
Rev. Jesse Jackson Honors the Late Civil Rights Stalwarts Fred Shuttlesworth and Derrick Bell
This week, the civil rights movement lost two of its torchbearers. Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth died at the age 89, and Derrick Bell died at the age of 80. Rev. Shuttlesworth led the struggle to end segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. He was the last of the civil rights movement’s "Big Three," founding the Southern...October 07, 2011 | Story -
Michael Moore: Man Interviewed by Democracy Now! on Troy Davis Execution Inspired My Georgia Boycott
Filmmaker Michael Moore was a part of the global audience tuning in for Democracy Now!'s live coverage from outside the Georgia prison where death row prisoner Troy Davis was executed on September 21. Moore describes how he was inspired by one of the people Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman interviewed on the scene after news...September 29, 2011 | Story
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By Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan
Gen. John Allen, commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, spoke Wednesday at the Pentagon, four stars on each shoulder, his chest bedecked with medals. Unlike Allen, many decorated U.S. military veterans left the streets of Chicago after the NATO summit without their medals.
Web Exclusives
In an extended interview, David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, discusses the history of the company, why they put sustainability and social justice ahead of profits, the organic and GMO labeling movements, the U.S. war on hemp, and why they refuse to sell out. [includes rush transcript]
Human Rights Watch’s Kenneth Roth examines why the U.S. has not pressured Bahrain to release pro-democracy activists. He also discusses Syria and the conditions in Israeli jails and courts that prompted 1,550 Palestinian prisoners to go on a hunger strike. [includes rush transcript]
