The Comrades Classroom Podcast

Episode 25: Haunani-Kay Trask speaks at the ’Onipa’a event at ‘Iolani Palace, Honolulu, on January 17, 1993

Welcome to another episode of the Comrades Classroom Podcast! We are finally back.  Our team has been hard at work trying to keep our two core programs running. In this episode, we listen to a speech from Haunani Kay Trask, a scholar poet, and champion of sovereignty for the Hawaiian people. Her life's work was dedicated to the liberation and self-determination of the Indigenous people of Hawaii.

This month, our curriculum is centered around her best-known book, "Notes from a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawaii." We thought it would be fitting to study her, best-known speech which she gave at the 'lolani palace in Honolulu on January 17th, 1993, which was the centennial of the illegal, overthrow of the Hawaiian people.

If you fuck with the work that we do and you want to help us keep our programs running, there are $1, $5, and $20 dollar donation levels on our Patreon, which is crucial to our core programs. Joining and sharing is the best way to help us keep our programs stable for the long term. Everything for everyone. Nothing for ourselves. Free the land.

(Book Launch Replay) Atmospheres of Violence: Structuring Antagonism and the Trans/Queer Ungovernable

Welcome back to another episode of the Comrades' Classroom podcast. This month, our community took time to study concepts and frameworks that have emerged out of queer the liberation movement and especially those that are grounded in the revolutionary tradition of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.

On this episode, we play back a brilliant book launch of Eric A. Stanley's book Atmospheres of Violence: Structuring Antagonism and the Trans/Queer Ungovernable. The discussion was put on by the Othering and Belonging Institute and you can find the full video on youtube through this link. We are asking our listeners to show support for this episode by donating to the LGBTQ Books to Prisoners program. Thank you for your support!

Everything for everyone, nothing for ourselves. Free the land!

A Conversation with the OC Rapid Response Network

On this episode, we sit down with members of the Orange County Rapid Response Network (OCRRN). OCRRN is an interconnected system of non-profit and grassroots organizations, civil rights attorneys, law school clinics, and individuals working together to respond to dehumanizing immigration enforcement activities and policies in Orange County.

Throughout the discussion, we talk about the purpose of their organization and we also talk about why it's necessary to connect immigration issues to the larger systems of power like carcerality, criminalization, and the broader US Prison Regime that's rooted in racial capitalism.

If you would like to support the OC Rapid Response Network as a volunteer or donor, please visit their website ocrapidresponse.org. If you are looking for support in a legal case or you need to report ICE or Police Activity in your neighborhood please call their hotline at 714-881-1558.

Neighbor Newspaper Live Report w/ Dr. Cornel West

Welcome to another episode of the Comrades' Classroom Podcast! On it, we playback for you a live interview done by Neighbor Program with Dr. Cornell West (watch the full video here).

In this interview, Dr. West talks about growing up in Sacramento, the History of the Black Panthers in Oak Park, and the Importance of the Malcolm X Academy being developed by members of Neighbor Program. To support the school, please donate using this link. Their team is hard at work fundraising to get the school open this Fall.

 

As always, if you wanna support the Comrades' Classroom Podcast and our work at the People's coalition you can visit our website.

Building a Liberation School (w/ Neighbor Program & Agape Mvmt)

What up everybody! We're back and trying to get on schedule for some weekly content for our listeners. On this episode of the Comrades Classroom Podcast, we sit down with members of Neighbor Program and Agape movement to discuss their development of a community center called the Shakur Center for Health and Wellness. If you haven't yet, go back and listen to our previous episodes with each of these organizations.

The Shakur Center will be located in Oak Park, Sacramento and it will house various decolonizations including but not limited to a Daily Grocery Program, a Community School, a Legal Clinic, a Medical Clinic, an Arts and Cultural Center, a Farming Program, and more.

 

In this conversation, we sit down to talk about the development of the center, its purpose, and the many ways it was influenced by the Oakland Community School developed by the Black Panther Party. We focus most of our attention on the Malcolm X Academy and the development of a community school which has received a gracious blessing of approval from former Black Panther Party Member Ericka Huggins.

 

We are so excited to host this incredible conversation and we hope our listeners will help us to spread the word about the Malcolm X Academy so we can raise funds and open its doors in the Fall of 2022. To find out more information please visit the GoFundMe page here and the Neighbor Program website here. Free the People, Free the Land.

The Aqueduct Between Us (audio documentary)

On this episode of the Comrade's Classroom Podcast, we've turned one of our favorite documentaries into an audio episode for our listeners. 'The Aqueduct Between Us' is a film project that documents radical oral histories about water in los angeles county as told by the Indigenous people of tovaangar (los angeles) and payahuunadü (the owens valley). This documentary was directed by Annie Mendoza, a Ph.D student in Urban Planning at the University of california, los angeles and is guided by the knowledge, histories, and futurities of Indigenous elders of the Tovaangar and Payahuunadu regions.

 

To support the Indigenous Elders whose collective knowledge made this project possible, please consider donating to or sharing one of the following fundraising requests.

Here at The People's Coalition, we send our love, gratitude, and thanks to the Indigenous Elders who have continued to lay the foundation for our struggle against settler-colonialism—they are and always will be the protectors of our future generations.

The Comrades Classroom is a political education project put on by members of the People's Coalition in North Orange County, to find out more about the work we do please visit us on Instagram or Twitter. Be on the lookout for our website that will be released in the coming weeks.

Solidarity with our African and Indigenous relatives.

Accomplices Not Allies (an Audio Essay) by Indigenous Action Media

For this episode, we turn the Zine 'Accomplices Not Allies' by Indigenous Action Media into an audio essay for our listeners!

"This provocation is intended to intervene in some of the current tensions around solidarity/support work as the current trajectories are counter-liberatory from my perspective. Special thanks to DS in Phoenix for convos that lead to this ‘zine and all those who provided comments/questions/disagreements. Don’t construe this as being for “white young middle-class allies”, just for paid activists, non-profits, or as a friend said, “downwardly-mobile anarchists or students.” There are many so-called “allies” in the migrant rights struggle who support “comprehensive immigration reform” which furthers militarization of Indigenous lands." 


To donate to Indigenous Action Media, please follow this link to their website!

#WeGotUs

Re-Envisioning the Revolutionary Body, a Talk from Mia Mingus (YouTube)

Welcome to another episode of the Comrade's Classroom Podcast! In this episode, we turn y'all onto one of our favorite Disability Justice resources from our curriculum titled "Re-envisioning the Revolutionary Body" a talk by Mia Mingus.

This talk is about the ways in which ableism and disability impact organizing, organizations, and so much more. In the first part of the discussion, Mia will focus on building our knowledge about disability, ableism, and the medical-industrial complex. In what ways can we better show up for ourselves and our comrades?

During the second half, Mia will explore the connections between disability, reproductive justice, race, queerness, and social justice movements.

To support Mia Mingus and their work financially please donate to them using this link: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/MiaMingus. Or on Venmo: miamingus.

We ask that all donations for this episode be directed to Mia!

[Audio Essay] Autonomous Resistance to Slavery and Colonization (Part Two), by Russell ‘Maroon‘ Shoatz

For Black August, we began by honoring the legacy of Russell 'Maroon' Shoatz and that's how we hope to end this month as well. Shoatz is a dedicated community activist, founding member of the Black Unity Council, a former member of the Black Panther Party, and a soldier in the Black Liberation Army. He is serving multiple life sentences as a US-held political prisoner/prisoner of war.

This is Part Two of our Audio Essay of 'Autonomous Resistance to Slavery and Colonization' by Russell 'Maroon' Shoatz. In addition to our scheduled interviews with community members and comrades, we will begin releasing audio essays to expand the scope of our political education work. 

As always, support our podcast by leaving a review, rating, and sharing with a friend! To support the work we do in the field consider becoming a monthly sustainer on Patreon!

PDF of Text:
https://azinelibrary.org/zines/Autonomous-Resistance-to-Slavery-and-Colonization

 

How to Support Russell 'Maroon' Shoatz:
https://russellmaroonshoats.wordpress.com/

How to support other POWs in so-called, America:
https://thejerichomovement.com/prisoners

Music:

Kozmic Force - 'Shine On' 

[Audio Essay] Autonomous Resistance to Slavery and Colonization (Part 1) by Russell 'Maroon' Shoatz

For Black August, we begin by honoring the legacy of Russell 'Maroon' Shoatz. Shoatz is a dedicated community activist, founding member of the Black Unity Council, a former member of the Black Panther Party, and a soldier in the Black Liberation Army. He is serving multiple life sentences as a US-held political prisoner/prisoner of war.

In the next two episodes, we turn his incredible compilation of writings 'Autonomous Resistance to Slavery and Colonization' into a two-part audio essay for our listeners. In addition to our scheduled interviews with community members and comrades, we will begin releasing audio essays to expand the scope of our political education work. 

As always, support our podcast by leaving a review, rating, and sharing with a friend! To support the work we do in the field consider becoming a monthly sustainer on Patreon!

PDF of Text:
https://azinelibrary.org/zines/Autonomous-Resistance-to-Slavery-and-Colonization

 

How to Support Russell 'Maroon' Shoatz:
https://russellmaroonshoats.wordpress.com/

How to support other POWs in so-called, America:
https://thejerichomovement.com/prisoners