People's Republic

Cornel West theorized the "Santa Clausification" of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a process by which his radical politics were co-opted into a more respectable veneer for the consumption of patriotic white liberals. The official history of Dr. King has been largely whitewashed away from his anti-imperial, socialist, and at times even communist roots. Joining us to provide a fresh perspective on Dr. King's radical politics is Dr. Gerald Horne. Dr. Horne is a distinguished professor of history and African American studies at the University of Houston, and has written well over 30 books and 100 scholarly articles on racism, history, labor, militarism, war, and many other issues. We also discuss the larger legacy of black radical politics, which includes understanding the American Revolution to be in essence a counter-revolution by an entrenched colonial slaveocracy. This episode of People's Republic of Austin is the first in a continuing series of discussions on black radical thought that we will be developing in