Leid Stories

Today is Part 3 of 4 of Dr. Jeffrey B. Perry's Black History Month special presentation on internationalist and radical thinker Hubert Henry Harrison. 

Perry will take questions from callers.

 

Dr. Jeff Perry, author of a 1,588-page, two-volume work on Hubert Henry Harrison, the "Father of Harlem Radicalism," explains why Harrison (1883-1927), though marginalized by the academic and intellectual establishment, is a necessary and enduring scholar on the black experience and struggles worldwide.

The Jive Samba: In Congress, They Just Love the Tune

Today is Part 2 of a four-part Black History special presentation on Hubert Henry Harrison, the "Father of Harlem Radicalism."

The presentation continues on Thursday and Friday.

Yesterday, Jeff Perry chronicled the trajectory of  Harrison's early life -- from 

his birth into poverty in St. Croix, to the beginnings of his intellectual and radical consciousness, and his public exposure of America's internal contradictions of race and class.

 

Today, Perry takes us deeper into Harrison's stunning intellect and fearless activism.

 

Perry is the author of a just-released, two-book compendium (Columbia University Press, 1,588 pages combined) on Harrison.

Today begins a Black History special on Leid Stories that will continue on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday this week. 

Our esteemed guest is historian and labor activist Dr. Jeffrey Perry, who has just published a more-than-1,000-page work (Columbia University Press) on Hubert Henry Harrison, the "Father of Harlem Radicalism" and indisputably a leading, though marginalized, intellectual of his time. 

It's "Free Your Mind Friday" on Leid Stories, our weekly open forum in which callers may talk about any topic they wish. 

But look out, someone might take you on!"

Here's what we're discussing on Leid Stories today:

Are freedom, justice and equality for and among all attainable in the United States? How close are we to getting there?

What do you think? Call 888-874-4888 and share your view live on air. 

Here's what we're discussing on Leid Stories today:

Between A Rock and A Hard Place: Has the U.S. Two-Party System Thwarted Democracy?

American politics essentially is a power contest between two national political parties -- the Democratic Party and the Republican Party -- for power and control over the strategic resources of our society. 

Where are the people in all this? They get to "vote," even though it's mostly to elect preferred candidates to office, and not a referendum on the party's response (or lack thereof) to voters' major concerns.

It's called democracy.

Considering that the system consistently falls woefully short of voters' expectations, why does the two-party antidemocratic model remain the American political standard?

Leid Stories listeners tackle the contradiction.

What do you think? 

Fifty-one years ago, the nation began observing Black History Month. 

It was neither a quick nor easy victory; Black educators and college students began pressing for the national Black History Month designation long before President Gerald R. Ford made it official in 1976.

What did Black History Month mean then? What does it mean today?

Leid Stories listeners provide perspective.