The Roots of Black August and Why It Still Matters Today

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Dr. Akinyele Umoja, a Professor of Africana Studies at Georgia State University and author of We Will Shoot Back: Armed Resistance in the Mississippi Freedom Movement to discuss the meaning of Black August and its basis in the struggle of Black prisoners who organized while incarcerated, how the Black liberation movement has continued this tradition and used it as a period of preparation for the movement, how Black August also became an international phenomenon among the global African diaspora, and why Black August continues to matter today as the era of mass incarceration continues.

In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by John Perry, a writer for the Council on Hemispheric Affairs to discuss the imposition of sanctions on two Nicaraguan individuals by the United Kingdom and the lack of evidence backing up claims which were used to justify sanctions, how sanctions on individuals are able to affect the economy of the nation in which those individuals live, and why these individuals in particular may have been targeted considering their achievements at the local level.

In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by independent journalist Rick Sterling to discuss how tensions between the US and Russia over the conflict in Ukraine may be spilling over to Syria, how Russian and American involvement in Syria differ and why the US is still involved in the country despite being asked to leave, and how the connections between the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria demonstrate the dangers of these tensions between the US and Russia.

Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Gloria La Riva, coordinator of the Cuba and Venezuela Solidarity Committee and co-founder of the Hatuey Project to discuss the recently observed anniversary of the assault on the Moncada Barracks by forces led by Fidel Castro, how Cuba is dealing with the effects of the US blockade on the country and why the introductions of some private businesses does not negate the country’s socialist character, and how Cuba has historically shown solidarity with political prisoners in the US.