Naptown People’s Radio
Naptown People’s Radio covers pressing issues facing people in Indianapolis, spotlights stories that go untold by dominant media, and uplifts the voices of workers, organizers, artists, and all people changing our city on a daily basis. Hosted by Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford, at Naptown People’s Radio, we don’t just talk about the news; we make it happen.
Episodes

Oct 22, 2025
Oct 22, 2025
45 min
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called for a General Strike. General Strikes are routinely called for, but what do they entail? There’s a lot of work to be prepare for one but, as Dani Abdullah reminds us by recounting the historic 1919 Seattle General Strike, our ancestors made sure we aren't starting over from scratch.
Our Naptown Breakdown starts with the new battleground over ICE, with Todd Rokita inviting "Border Czar" Tom Homan to push for the "Fairness Act" this upcoming general session. The legislation would tie law enforcement agencies to ICE. Rokita tried getting it through last session under HB 1531, but it stalled in the Senate after passing out of the House. Rokita also suffered another blow this week after a St. Joseph County judge dismissed Rokita's lawsuit against Sheriff Bill Redman for allegedly violating state law by implementing policies and practices prohibiting staff from cooperating with immigration officials when undocumented immigrants were arrested. We don’t know whether Rokita will appeal or not, but this is a battle that won’t be won only in the courts.
Chicago is a prime example. "Operation Midway Blitz", a campaign launched by the Department of Homeland Security that has so far resulted in over 1,500 arrests in the metropolitan area and multiple deaths in predominantly Latino neighborhoods. Yet the people are fighting back. Business owners are refusing service to ICE and banning them from their restrooms, citizens are following them with microphones and whistles, and school teachers and staff escorting students to and from the building.
On October 13, Mirror Indy opened up another dam exposing the wanton corruption of the Hogsett administration, showing how the Democratic Party has taken on the vibe of a cult. Over a year after indisputable evidence emerged that Hogsett fostered and even encouraged a culture of misogyny and sexual abuse and harassment, we're now learning that when he was finally forced to fire his right-hand man, Thomas Cook, the money kept flowing both ways. Cook got a job at a law firm with close ties to Hogsett and worked with a city agency led by Scarlett Andrews (one of Cook's sexual partners) to secure $80 million in public incentives to projects with ties to Cook’s clients. She even threw her support behind developers against widespread neighborhood opposition – again, showing you who these politicians really serve. And she gave luxury apartments loop holes to get out of provisions requiring affordable housing.
The money is flowing both ways, as Cook's clients became contributors to Hogsett's reelection campaigns.
Meanwhile, only five out of the 25 City-County Councilors have called for Hogsett's resignation. That tells you something: the system, their system, isn’t broken – it’s just slightly embarrassed right now. I’m amazed they’re weathering through it but I am confident that rank-and-file voting Democrats are disgusted and will be open to third-party candidates, ones who don’t bow down to Hogsett or VOP (Voice of the Predators) Osili but stay true to their principles, next election season.
But we don’t have to wait for elections to make changes. Change happens when people come together, unite, and take public space. That’s what happened in two powerful displays this past week. The first was a truly inspiring protest against the Metabloks proposed data center in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood where we shut down the intersection of Sherman and 25th for over an hour.
Then on Saturday thousands of people came out to protest the Trump Administration’s assault on workers. Signs brought to the protest highlighted a number of issues affecting Indiana today, including the attacks on immigrants from ICE, the global climate crisis being exacerbated by AI, and the gutting of essential services. Shout out to Stuart Mora, a former guest on this show and longtime organizer here, for inviting PSL to table at their activist fair. Because the massive outpouring of outrage against the Trump administration is one step, but what to do when the rally is over? How can we keep the energy, enthusiasm, righteous indignation, and collective desire to not only resist but actually transform the conditions under which we’re forced to live? That is exactly why the PSL exists and why we support the Liberation Center.
In our next segment, Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford discuss the history and details of a General Strike. Dani tells the story of the multi-national 1919 Seattle Strike, explaining the particular factors that produced it, how it even resulted in producing pro-Bolshevik sentiment among the masses, and more. Together, Dani and Derek show the General Strike is a powerful weapon because it shows that we have power not only in our ability to withhold our labor but, more importantly, to directly engage in production without the bosses. In this sense, general strikes are socialism in embryonic form.
Finally, this week's Circle City Shout Out goes to our comrade Eduardo Luna, who founded Arte Mexicano en Indiana in 2020. As part of the Liberation Center, Arte Mexicano en Indiana powers to Fonseca Du-Bois Gallery and ensures our city's oppressed and marginalized have a dedicated space to show their work and build community.

Oct 17, 2025
Oct 17, 2025
20 min
The Black Panther Party, formally founded on October 15, 1966, is often romanticized, subjected to disproportionate scrutiny, or viewed only as an activist organization. In this week's episode, we hear a speech Dakota Fronterhouse—the producer of Naptown People's Radio—delivered on 59th anniversary of the Party's founding.
Fronterhouse provides the historical and material context that birthed the organization, defined its context, and posed immediate obstacles in its pursuit of achieving "Black Power," or "All Power to the People." Placing the group's rise and fall within the international context of the decline of the era of global revolution, Fronterhouse delves into the ideological and political contributions to the struggle while drawing out lessons we can learn from their experience today.

Oct 8, 2025
Oct 8, 2025
1hr 13 min
Jada Trainor and her husband, Jonathan, join the show this week to discuss their October 1 trial where they defeated trumped-up felony charges of attempting to disarm a police officer and battery against a cop.
Last week's Naptown Breakdown mentioned how Joe Hogsett's Indiana Economic Development Corporation was serving corporate interests and actively opposing the people's. This week, Co-Hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford discuss a recent audit that found rampant luxury travel expenses, undisclosed conflicts of interest, no-bid contracts worth millions of dollars, a lack of transparency, and more. Next we turn to BlackRock's bid to buy energy monopoly AES through a subsidiary named Global Infrastructure Partners they bought last year for $12.5 billion. Minnesota and other states are also under the gun. Why should the world's largest asset manager with $12.5 trillion in the bank control our energy, instead of the people who actually need and use it? In our last section, we turn to higher education. While Pamela Whitten has rightfully been scrutinized for plagiarizing significant portions of her dissertation, poor academic work characterizes the majority of higher education administrators. We focus on DePauw University's Sarah Steinkamp, who serves as Vice President for Communications and Strategy and Chief of Staff. Her 2017 dissertation from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, argues that improving success rates for pregnant students requires "devoting resources to preventing pregnancy in 18-19 year olds, and students of color in particular."
Next, Derek interviews Jada and Jonathan Trainor just days after Jada and her family won a significant and rare victory against the police and their prosecutors. They unveil what happened that day, why the Jury didn't buy it, how the prosecutor's witnesses contradicted each other, why Prosecutor Mears dragged the trial on for over a year, how Eskenazi lied about having video footage pertinent to the event, and how the most aggressive officer, Anthony Sisco, was later fired from Eskenazi. Unfortunately, he is now an ICE officer and a cop with the Southport Police. While the was acquitted on the most serious felony charges, she was convicted of resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor. Her attorney immediately filed a motion to appeal that bogus charge. So the victory is secured but we will remain by the Trainor's side as they squash this final bogus charge.
This week, Dani Abdullah gives the Circle City Shout Out goes to Minister Jamil Campbell. A Haughville native and a Minister at Light of the World Christian Church. Minister Campbell has been a friend of the party and involved with the Indy Liberation Center since August 2023 in which he spoke at our Black August liberation forum. Minister Campbell’s life work centers on liberation not just through the bible but also through his actions. He shows up for the community not just on Sundays but every day of the week through volunteer work in the community and takes special note of working with and for the youth of our community. Most recently he was a participant at our Youth Safety in Indy Town Hall Meeting at the Liberation Center. Minister Campbell is a great example of what it looks like to show up for the community and how liberation looks different for everyone depending on what your calling is.
Show Notes:
"IEDC Audit Details Undisclosed Conflicts, 'Potential for Favoritism,'" Lauren Chapman, Indiana Public Media
"BlackRock Unit Close to $38 Billion Deal for US Energy Firm AES," Martina Markosyan, Renewables Now
"The Effects of Pregnancy on Student Progress," Sarah Steinkamp (Dissertation), Southern University of Illinois - Carbondale
"Jada Trainor Wins Victory against Medical Racism and Police Terror," Dani Abdullah, Indianapolis Liberator
"U.S. Veteran Speaks after Startling Police Attack," Destiny Glover, Indianapolis Liberator
"Attacked by Cops in 2024, Jada Trainor Waits for Day in Court," Derek Ford, Indianapolis Liberator
"Black August and Black Liberation Theology," Jamil Campbell, PSL Indianapolis
"Free Darius (Hakim) Printup from Unjust Solitary Confinement!" Indianapolis Liberator
"October Levitt LIVE Music Series," Arte Mexicano en Indiana, Indianapolis Liberator
"As the Summer Ends, Let's Take the Fight to New Heights!" Indianapolis Liberation Center Volunteers, Indianapolis Liberator

Sep 30, 2025
Sep 30, 2025
44 min
After discussing how Indianapolis Development Inc., a creation of Joe Hogsett, was actively lobbying elected representatives on behalf of Google while the people united to keep their data center out of Franklin Township, this week's Naptown Breakdown focuses on a stunning silence in local mainstream media. Not one single local news outlet published an article or story about the passing of Black communist Assata Shakur.
Co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford spend the episode discussing this major international development, beginning with their relationship to her autobiography. They cover her radicalization and eventual commitment to communism, her journey through the Black Panther Party to the Black Liberation Army, and from prison to exile in Cuba, where she lived for decades before passing away on September 25. Throughout, they draw lessons Assata can teach us about how we can all get free.
This week's Circle City Shout Out goes to Umeed-Hope, a coalition of marginalized communities committed to dismantling systems of oppression and fostering a world grounded in justice, collective care, and liberation. They are a Sikh-led organization but serve all marginalized people. Founded in 2022, they initially operated as a nonprofit organization, but in 2024, transformed into a mutual aid group to more effectively address the interconnected issues affecting our communities. Their mission is rooted in the belief that true change comes from collective action and solidarity among those most impacted by systemic injustices.
Rest in Power to Assata Shakur and Chuniece Patterson!

Sep 24, 2025
Sep 24, 2025
42 min
Dr. Akili Shakur, an organizer, retired professor, and wife of Shaka A. Shakur joins the show to discuss the expansive impacts of mass incarceration.
This week's Naptown Breakdown begins with a glimpse of our ability to transform our city-when we're organized. On September 22, after months of struggle, our power was on full display we forced Google to withdraw their plans for a new data center. As we celebrate this victory, we stay ready to fight new potential proposals and continue to fight the monopoly energy corporation's latest request for a rake hike, one that would impact residents more than businesses. Co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford discuss the arrest of a Herron student for bringing a gun to school, how the students acted to protect their fellow classmates, and why cops and metal detectors are not the answer.
Akili Shakur stopped by the studio while she was in town for the preview of the new Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign documentary, "Soul in Exile." Akili and Derek cover the significance of Shaka's forthcoming book, Manifestations of Thought: When the Dragon Comes (2025) and Akili details the devastating and inhumane impacts of the Interstate Corrections Compact.
This week's Circle City Shout Out goes to Indianapolis-based artist Gina Lee Robbins, a visual and teaching artist who creates sculptural objects and installations that currently shed light on the prison system. Her exhibit, "On the Count," is on display alongside "Prison Reimagined: Presidential Portraits" at the Indy Art Center until October 5. Over the weekend, she helped bring together incarcerated curator Caddell Kivett, Death Penalty Action Executive Director Abe Bonowitz, local art-ivist Vernon T. Bateman, and Derek for an action panel on prisons, art, and transformative justice. Dani closes out by reminding us again that organizing and engaging in activism look different for everyone.
Show Notes:
Southsiders Prevail in Fight Against Google Data CenterManifestations of Thought: When the Dragon Comes, by Shaka A. ShakurGina Lee RobbinsPrison ReimaginedFree VernonVernon's VersionsShaka Shakur Freedom Campaign
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Sep 16, 2025
Sep 16, 2025
27 min
New Afrikan Revolutionary and political prisoner Shaka A. Shakur joins the show this week to break down the ongoing fight for the liberation of the Black/New Afrikan nation within the U.S.
Introduced by producer Dakota Fronterhouse, this episode features a longer segment of “Dispatches from Behind the Wire” is part of our build-up to the release of the new documentary, “Soul in Exile: Shaka Shakur,” produced by the Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign and Directed by Derek Ford and TheKingTrill. This segment provides important background to Shaka’s political evolution and the New Afrikan Independence Movement of which he is a leading theoretician and organizer.
Derek and Shaka cover the origins of New Afrikans as a people, why the question of land is so central to their fight, the evolution of the fight for a national territory, and the distinction between national oppression and racism.
In honor of George Jackson’s birthday, the Indiana chapter of the Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign, PSL Indianapolis, and others are hosting at the Indianapolis Liberation Center on September 23 at 6:00 pm. Those present will hear from the filmmakers and special guest speakers, including Akili Shakur, Nairobi X, and Maurice Robinson.
Show Notes:
Exclusive Preview of “Soul in Exile:” https://www.shakashakur.org/shaka-doc-preview-indy/
Citizens Action Coalition Campaign: No Data Centers! https://www.citact.org/ai-data-centers
Circle City Sangha Mindfulness Meetup: https://indyliberationcenter.org/ccs-2025-09/
Hope Packages Monthly Assembly: From Indy to Palestine, Food Apartheid is a Crime: https://indyliberationcenter.org/indy-palestine-hp2509/
“On the Count,” Art Exhibit by Gina Lee Robbins: https://indyliberationcenter.org/on-the-count/
Prison Reimagined: Action Panel Discussion on Art and Justice: https://indyliberationcenter.org/prison-reimagined-panel/
Liberation Center Store: https://www.IndyLiberationCenter.org/Store
Support Naptown People’s Radio: https://www.support.PSLIndianapolis.org

Sep 10, 2025
Sep 10, 2025
34 min
Kristopher Nelson, aka FTF KD, joins this week's show to share the reality of life in a city with a data center. Nelson is from West Memphis, Arkansas and speaks not only about the negative impacts it had on his community but about what we can do to Indianapolis to stop Google's data center before September 22.
In the Naptown Breakdown, our co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford get beyond the headlines of Gov. Braun's confirmation he's deploying National Guardspeople to help carry out ICE's terror against immigrants. They show Braun wants to strike more fear into the population and show his submission to Trump's agenda in what is mostly a symbolic act. It is an act that isn't inevitable, as veterans an active-duty soldiers recently met in Martinsville, IN to strategize about their role in the movement. The day before the announcement, community members gathered at the Guru Nanak Sikh Society for an event organized by Umeed-Hope and the Indianapolis Liberation Center. Covered by the Associated Press, they wrote letters to detainees in English, Haitian Creole, and Punjabi while building community and strengthening their ties.
Affirming we have more in common with each other than the ruling class, we cover the latest revelations of the atmosphere of intimidation and silencing Mayor Hogsett is still cultivating and most City-County Councilors are still defending.
But the Councilors are still contending with the power of the people, particularly regarding the growing struggle to stop Google's data center. Kristopher Nelson joins the show to supplement the facts of data centers with his own experience living by one. Most crucially, he and Derek chop it up about the need for unity in struggle without setting aside our differences.
This week's Circle City Shout Out goes to Edith Conchas, an organizer with Touch Grass Indy, a member-organization of the Liberation Center), an artist, and founder of Good Job Signs. Edith is also a first generation Latina–both parents being from Mexico–who specializes in free-handed chalk art for local businesses including Amelia’s, Bluebeard, Stomping Ground, and others. If you have ever been to the Liberation Center, to your right is a mural of Shirley Graham-Du Bois Edith painted.
Before wrapping up, we draw your attention to a few events. The first is “On the Count” by Gina Lee Robbins, an exhibit at the Indianapolis Arts Center that serves as a meditation on the U.S. carceral system. That's on display until October 11. The second is Wednesday, Sept. 10 at the City-County Council at 5:30 to protest the IMPD-the city's most well-funded and well-armed gang-from getting even more of our tax dollars. The third is a reminder to come to Circle City Sangha this and every Saturday between 9:30-11:00 am at the Liberation Center.
Show Notes:
Data Center Slap in Face to Franklin County: https://indyliberationcenter.org/data-center-zoning/
Kristopher Nelson IG: https://www.instagram.com/ftf_kd/
FTF KD YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ftfkd
Associated Press Covers Umeed-Hope Liberation Center Event: https://indyliberationcenter.org/video-letters-to-immigrants/
Franklin Township Organizes against Unpopular Data Center: https://indyliberationcenter.org/franklin-township-organizes/
Events
"On the Count" by Gina Lee Robbins: https://indyliberationcenter.org/on-the-count/
Circle City Sangha Mindfulness Meetup: https://indyliberationcenter.org/ccs-2025-09/
Exclusive Preview of New Shaka A. Shakur Documentary: https://indyliberationcenter.org/premiere-shaka-documentary/

Sep 3, 2025
Sep 3, 2025
55 min
Stuart Mora, a longtime-organizer currently involved in the immigration justice movement, joins the show this week and helps highlight the joy of building together and resisting in community.
Our Naptown Breakdown begins with Trump's recent cuts to the National Institutes of Health, which are projected to result in the loss of $128 million and 554 jobs in Indiana by 2026. Unfortunately, Mayor Hogsett's proposed $1.7 billion budget will do nothing to offset these losses, with the majority of the money set aside for the cops and courts. Hogsett's claim that gifting more money to the cops will increase "public safety" comes just after ex-IMPD officer Myron Howard was found not guilty of raping a victim of domestic violence. After arresting the woman's boyfriend, Howard immediately returned to the house and turned his body camera off. He's not off the hook yet, as he has a Sept. 25 trial for raping a woman in the back of his police car in 2023. Hogsett's budget also comes after the cops handcuffed a 13-year-old Black girl in Irvington for rough-housing with her friends.
As co-host Dani Abdullah's wide-ranging discussion with organizer Stuart Mora demonstrates, however, there's plenty of reasons to remain optimistic. Mora is a lead organizer of the upcoming Sept. 7 rally at Congressman Jefferson Shreve's Greenwood Office to protest turning Camp Atterbury into Camp Atterschwitz. A leader in the immigrant rights movement, Mora helped start its latest iteration earlier this year by calling friends who shared his concerns and values. Since then, his network and others have continued to engage in a variety of actions to defend our communities that, as he reminds us, we intentionally cultivate with joy and love. Dani and Stuart show how everyone has something to bring to the movement, that it takes all of us working together, and that we can unite without uniformity.
On that note, this week's Circle City Shout Out goes to Pastor Denell Howard of Hovey Street Church of Christ. Pastor Howard is a true community leader who shows up for our people, provides space for organizing, and leads his Congregation in the pursuit of justice for all. For years, PSL Indianapolis has had the honor of building with Howard to struggle for justice for victims of police and prison terror.
This returns us to the necessity of alliances. Naptown People’s Radio is a product of the Indianapolis branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and Pastor Howard is a Republican. One's political affiliation doesn't matter as long as you're willing to fight for the people. Pastor Howard is a wonderful reminder that solidarity comes in all kinds of forms. Salute to Pastor Denell Howard!
Show Notes:
Protest: Housing, not Concentration Camps! https://indyliberationcenter.org/shreve-atterbury-protest/
Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance: https://www.facebook.com/undocuhoosier/
Live Free Indiana: https://www.instagram.com/livefreeindiana/?hl=en
Understanding and Building on George Jackson's Legacy: https://indyliberationcenter.org/george-jackson-today/
The Origins and Future of the Republic of New Afrika: https://indyliberationcenter.org/haki-kweli-shakur-rna/
The Haitian Revolution: Lessons for Organizers Today: https://indyliberationcenter.org/cecilia-gomez-haitian-revolution/
Liberation Center Store: https://www.indyliberationcenter.org/store

Sep 1, 2025
Sep 1, 2025
26 min
Now that Black August 2025 is over, Naptown People's Radio starts September with a special episode to ensure we use the additional knowledge, discipline, and commitment we cultivated last month to advance the struggles ahead.
On August 27, Derek Ford, one of the show's co-hosts, gave a presentation that provided the historical context for George Jackson, explaining why he remains an iconic figure today, talking about his political evolution, and detailing his relationship to the different factions of the Black/New Afrikan movement at the time (including within the Black Panther Party that Jackson joined at the end of his life).
They demonstrate the key lessons of Jackson's politics and break down how we can continue building on them today.
You can watch some of the other presentations from the event at the show notes below.
Show Notes:
Haki Kweli Shakur: "The Origins, Development, and Future of the Republic of New Afrika:" https://indyliberationcenter.org/haki-kweli-shakur-rna/
Cecilia Gomez: "The World-Historic Significance of the Haitian Revolution: Lessons for Today:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZN1mdi23zI
Pictured: Derek meeting former political prisoner Eddie Conway as a free man the first time in 2015 in Philadelphia, after working for his freedom campaign years earlier.

Aug 27, 2025
Aug 27, 2025
55 min
Nino Brown of Jericho Chicago joins the show for the last episode of Black August to discuss the prison movement and his recent essay, "The Case for Proletarian Multinational Unity," published recently in From the Academy to the Streets by Iskra Books.
The Naptown Breakdown spotlights how the rich might use charter schools as an avenue to steal more of our public resources before delving into the battle over DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). Co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford place Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita's attacks in their historical context to question whether or not it is even worth trying to "save" DEI.
This week's Circle City Shout Out goes to Circle City Sangha, a group of mindfulness practitioners in the Plum Village tradition of Buddhism founded in 2021. Created by Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh during the Vietnam War a response to violence, colonialism, and oppression, Plum Village practices Engaged Buddhism in an effort to encourage practitioners to apply Buddhist ethics to our communities and the world around us.
Show Notes:
From the Academy to the Streets: Notes from a Working-Class Think Tank (book): https://www.iskrabooks.org/hampton-reader
Bootleg Rehab: Still Laundering Black Rage: https://www.blackagendareport.com/bootleg-rehab-still-laundering-black-rage
Circle City Sangha: https://indyliberationcenter.org/ccsangha/
Chicago Jericho Chapter: https://www.thejerichomovement.com/chapters/chicago-jericho
State Targets "Discriminatory" DEI Practices: https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/08/25/attorney-general-governor-target-discriminatory-dei-practices-as-state-cancels-minority-business-conference/
Events
Until Victory: Black August from the U.S. to the Sahel: https://indyliberationcenter.org/2025-08-forum/
Black August Film Screening: "Free Angela and All Political Prisoners:" https://indyliberationcenter.org/black-august-film-2025/
Summer School for Socialism: What is to be Done? https://indyliberationcenter.org/summer-school-for-socialism-what-is-to-be-done/

Aug 21, 2025
Aug 21, 2025
24 min
The people take the fight against ICE to the military-industrial complex and Citizens Action Coalition leads the struggle to prioritize energy for the people and planet, not for profit.
Our hosts start this week by breaking down the successful struggle that culminated in the first Pride event in Decatur, Indiana. Despite a month of opposition and threats, the organizers stood tall and around 1,000 people came out over the weekend. Next they turn to the ongoing struggle led by Citizens Action Coalition (CAC) against AES Indiana and the steep rate hikes they’re proposing to compensate for their new Google data center, covering a recent CAC organizing meeting.
After a workshop the night before, dozens of people drove to Camp Atterbury for a protest outside the military camp on the morning of August 15. The protest against the collaboration between ICE and Camp Atterbury took place the last day of the T-REX (Technology Readiness Experimentation) war exercises and exhibition. William Wagner, an organizer with the Indianapolis Liberation Center and one of the main leaders of the demonstration, joins the show to speak about the demonstration and upping the fight against ICE.
Our Circle City shout out goes to our friends at Indiana AID (Assistance to Immigrants in Detention) who, for years, have been doing critical work—against immense challenges—to build lasting infrastructure to support our immigrant neighbors.
Show Notes:
Indiana AID: https://www.indianaaid.org/
Citizens Action Coalition: https://www.citact.org/
CAC Campaign: https://www.citact.org/aes-rate-hike-2025
Behind Bars, Beyond Borders: Political Prisoners and Global Solidarity: https://indyliberationcenter.org/global-prisoner-solidarity/
Indianapolis Speaks out: Confronting Police Terror: https://indyliberationcenter.org/indianapolis-speaks-out-confronting-police-terror/
Socialism in the U.S. Study Group: https://indyliberationcenter.org/socialism-in-the-u-s-study-group-part-2/
Electric Bills and Data Centers: Who Pays for Corporate Greed? https://indyliberationcenter.org/electric-bills-data-centers-corporate-greed/
Until Victory: Black August from the U.S. to the Sahel: https://indyliberationcenter.org/2025-08-forum/
Haki Kweli Shakur: https://linktr.ee/HakiShakur
Top Gun for Drones: https://breakingdefense.com/2025/07/top-gun-for-drones-pentagon-plans-august-exercise-with-fpv-drone-units/

Aug 13, 2025
Aug 13, 2025
31 min
The struggles for socialism and national liberation cannot be separated. There is no possibility of organizing a socialist revolution in the U.S.—the modern-day prison house of nations—without organizing for the independence, autonomy, and self-determination of all oppressed peoples within and beyond its borders. Black August is a time to double-down on our collective commitment to freeing political prisoners and all Black/New Afrikan and oppressed peoples. In this week’s episode, our co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford engage in a conversation about the past, present, and future of Black August.
Black August was first celebrated in California’s San Quentin prison in 1979 to commemorate the assassination of Black Panther Party Field Marshal George Jackson by San Quentin Prison guards on August 21, 1971 and to celebrate another decade in the fight. While we celebrate Black August every day of the year, during this month we focus particularly on the Black/New Afrikan Liberation struggle.
Tune in to learn about George Jackson, his political ideology and organizing efforts (plus what books they retrieved from his cell), the historical weight August carries for the Black struggle in the U.S., and what you can do to free them all!
Show Notes:
A Common Enemy of the Sun: George Jackson and Samih Al-Qasim: https://indyliberationcenter.org/george-jackson-samih-al-qasim-enemy-of-sun/
Exclusive: Official Inventory of George Jackson’s Prison Cell Library: https://liberationnews.org/09-08-21-exclusive-official-inventory-ge-html/
Black August: Study, Fast, Train, Fight, edited by PSL Indianapolis: https://indylibcenter-shop.square.site/product/black-august-study-fast-train-fight/225
Black August 2025 Bundles to Study, Fast, Train, and Fight: https://indyliberationcenter.org/black-august-2025-bundles-to-study-fast-train-and-fight/
Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign: https://www.shakashakur.org/

Reporting from the People's Perspective
Tune in for:
- Naptown Breakdowns
- Dispatches from Behind the Wire with Shaka A. Shakur
- Circle City Shout Outs
- Ongoing Political Campaigns
- Upcoming Actions
- And More!
Brought to you by the Party for Socialism and Liberation - Indianapolis at our studio at the Indianapolis Liberation Center.








