3 chapters across the catalog
Karen Hunter discusses the historical and modern attempts by Russia to infiltrate Black American social circles. She notes that while the USSR supported civil rights figures like A. Philip Randolph and Paul Robeson to highlight American hypocrisy, modern Russia allegedly uses "bots" to create division. The hosts critique Hunter's 180-degree turn from praising historical Russian support to warning against "Russian checks" in the 2016 election as a partisan narrative.
A dramatic reading by James Earl Jones depicts Paul Robeson's 1956 testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Robeson invokes the Fifth Amendment while loudly defending his right to associate with communists who fought against fascism. The segment illustrates how the government used public hearings as a form of "railroading" to destroy the reputations of serious Black figures who challenged the American system's status quo.
The hosts introduce Paul Robeson, an NFL player, actor, and activist who was blacklisted during the McCarthy era for his communist sympathies. In archival audio, Robeson explains that the "primary wealth of America" was built upon the backs of enslaved Black people. Mo Facts defines reparations not as a handout, but as "money paid for services rendered" to correct this historical theft of labor.
