Block Report’s JR Valrey interviewed the legendary historian and author Dr. Gerald Horne about Biden’s recent trip to Angola, and its relationship to the exploitation by the West of DRC’s mineral wealth. They also discussed the genocide in the Sudan, the DRC’s lawsuit against Apple, and the progress of the anti-imperialist Sahe Alliance of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali.
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In South Africa, artisanal miners are not employed by a mining company; they dig ore with their own tools and sell it to mining companies or, more often, middlemen. Up to 1000 artisanal miners are now occupying an abandoned gold mine shaft in South Africa and the government has denied them food, water and medicine. It says that the miners are violating a law against artisanal mining and that it plans to arrest them.
July Eccles is a South African activist who has been working to support the miners with food and help to end the increasingly desperate situation.
To learn more visit the website of MACUA, Mining-Affected Communities United in Action.
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Hundreds of Amazon workers and subcontractors who are members of the Teamsters union went on a three day unfair labor strike against Amazon and Jeff Bezos during Christmas. In Southern California, one of the striking workers spoke to Peter Ross of KPFK Pacifica Radio.
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In a successful strike, 2500 striking San Francisco Unite Here Local 2 hotel workers ended their strike after 93 days. A major issue was healthcare union benefits. Hilton Hotel workers talked to Pacifica’s Steve Zeltzer about their struggle and the issue of healthcare.
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Next, we hear from Kalonji Changa of Black Power Media and veteran Black Panther Party member Dhoruba Bin Wahad on the transitioning of Black Panther Party member and former political prisoner, their comrade Bilal Sunni Ali, who was also a member of Gil Scott Heron’s Midnight Band. Bilal was also a contributor to this show, Capitalism, Race, and Democracy, sharing his work to free political prisoner Imam Jamil Al Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown).
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We thank all of Pacifica’s sister stations and affiliates who contribute to the production of this show. Today’s program was produced by the Capitalism, Race & Democracy collective, with contributions from Steve Zeltzer, JR Valrey, Akua Holt, and Polina Vasiliev.
You can find this and all previous episodes at our website “capitalism race and democracy dot ORG”. Make sure you click the subscribe button. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @PacificaCRD.
Thanks for listening!
Music:
Stephen Marley, “Mind Control”
Shungudzo – It’s a good day (to fight the system) [official video]
Des Lindberg, “Mountains of Men”
Bilal Sunni Ali performing Look For Me in the Whirlwind live at Burning Books
