India Insight

Hello to my friends, family, and audience in America, India, and abroad please stay tuned for a wonderful and eye-opening political discussion from a very involved political organizer who I worked with in the Movement for a People's Party in Georgia. If you enjoyed this podcast please take a look into my podcast on several platforms called “India Insight with Sunny Sharma.” I will be posting this discussion to that podcast as well as my YouTube channel“SunnySharma@IndiaInsightMovement.”            David Meadows is my guest: he was a phone banker for Bernie Sanders, was the head organizer for the Movement for a People's Party's Georgia Chapter, and subsequently worked as an organizer to petition to get Dr. Cornell West on the ballot in Georgia for the 2024 presidential election. We discuss the role and relationship of government with mediating institutions and how this effects freedom of speech especially protesting as well as a host of other political issues such as the relevance and place of different political parties including the Democrats. We also discuss the need for a united left, the potential space for a new party to galvanize the public behind a leader and a set of issues, the importance of trade unions to remain independent and democratic, and heeding the warnings of Ralph Nader concerning how we use language such as tackling corporatism rather than capitalism and being precise about how we talk about the left and a new coalition to offer a public policy agenda to tackle the myriad of problems our society faces. Although we differ slightly on our perspective of the democrat party (he feels they have lost track of their message and role as a party of the working class and I support them and feel they still can and will be reformed and reoriented in their stance with enough leadership and imagination) this was a very fruitful discussion where I learned a whole lot from David's organizing and political education experience. We conclude that we need both grassroots reform and politicians in power to foster meaningful change and reform in Washington and locally in the communities of American citizens. I hope this discussion is just as elucidating for you as it was for me.

In this podcast I summarize some of the main ideas from my 10 part examination of Let Nobody Turn Us Around: An African American Anthology while describing briefly why America needs a new left or must form a new coalition, like it did in the past, to confront the political and economic crisis it is facing today. If you are interested in a particular period please refer to the 10 part series including an introduction and conclusion remarks in my playlist "Black History Month February 2025- Let Nobody Turn Us Around: An African American Anthology (10 part series)"Black History Month February: The 10 part podcast on Let Nobody Turn Us Around: An African American AnthologyJoin me in my ten part series on YouTube, my channel is Sunny Sharma@IndiaInsightMovement (and coming to my audio podcast soon called “India Insight with Sunny Sharma”) to examine the history of black intellectual, social and political thought since 1768, around the founding of the American Republic in 1776, through 5 periods of history outlined below extending all the way up to the seminal election of Barack Obama, who boasted a rainbow coalition, to the presidency in 2008.1. Introduction2. Section 1- Foundations: Slavery and Abolitionism, 1768-18613. Section 2- Reconstruction and Reaction: The Aftermath of Slavery and the Dawn of Segregation, 1861-19154. Section 3- From Plantation to Ghetto: The Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, and World War, 1915-1954 Part 1 and Part 25.  Section 4 Monday February 24- We Shall Overcome: The Second Reconstruction, 1954-1975 Part 1 and Part 26. Section 5- The Future in the Present: Contemporary African-American Thought, 1975 to the Present Part 1 and Part 27. Part 10 Concluding Remarks on Let Nobody Turn Us Around: An African American Anthology8. Bonus: Major Themes and Lessons from Black History and President Barack Obama

YouTube channel: Sunny Sharma‪@IndiaInsightMovement‬, podcast: India insight with Sunny Sharma.I briefly discuss President Barack Obama's legacy at the end!The contemporary era 1975-the present is characterized by an explosion of the black middle class, black electoral politics, the bourgeoisie, and black academic scholarship. Even with the proclivity towards capitalist entrepreneurship and the gospel of wealth of Booker T. Washington gaining precedent in this era, there were still some critical Marxist perspectives concerning the problems of black crime as expressed by Jarvis Tyner, who also ran for president two times under the Communist ticket in the 1970s. Moreover, despite critical condemnation of wasteful spending of the criminal justice system there was an inability to stop these developments. There was a consensus that Americans needed schools, healthcare, and infrastructure development not more prisons. Furthermore, there was still immense discrimination in the judicial system towards African Americans especially former Black panther members who were considered to be political prisoners. The Sing Sing prison acknowledged along with Dr. Cornell West that prisons are easier to build than to give hope (it is easier to incarcerate than to rehabilitate and educate). However, these were not the only essential organizations to reform America, change world perception,  and alter political structures. The Black Radical Congress (BRC) sought such provisions as public education improvements, economic justice, and the realization of political democracy for all Americans. The Racial Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa in 2001 sought not only to connect class oppression, racial discrimination, and xenophobia, but also to make critical research into black history and why reparations are a necessity for the descendants of slaves. On the other hand, Michael Dyson realized prisons and the history of lynching of the later 1800s and early 1900s was politicized in many ways most blacks don't understand. The consequences of the Iraq War, the disaster of the relief effort for Hurricane Katrina which marginalized primarily black people, and a need to transcend political divides for the realization of a higher politic resulted in the ascendency of Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008. President Barack Obama's ascendency to the presidency in 2008 and 2012 was not just an explosion of hope, it was characterized by a resounding defeat of his critics through his ability and example of navigating complex difficulties in which he shaped public opinion in favor of his perspective and agenda. He was certainly criticized for certain actions and rhetoric, but it was shown through his genuine compassion and communication of the fundamental issues American were facing that he not only cared for the average American, but that he had a plan to respond to their fundamental grievances. President Obama understood the dangers of tribal politics, something he discussed widely at the end of his presidency, but his social media campaign demonstrated that technological advancement can be used in favor of positive political programs rather than become a divisive tool. He advocated peace domestically and abroad in a world in turmoil especially in the Middle East contributing to his 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Award. More than anything, President Obama not only boasted a very progressive, radical, and transformative agenda, he stood as a symbol of black excellence and meritocratic success that showed anyone with an education and strong sense of purpose can benefit from the American Dream.Tune in for my summary of these 9 episodes covering black history since 1768. All these 10 episodes are in my playlist Black History Month February 2025 - Let Nobody Turn Us Around: An African American Anthology (10 part series).

The contemporary era of black intellectual thought 1975 to the present is characterized by a growth in black feminist thought, an expansion of rainbow coalitions by prominent black leaders, an explosion of the black middle class and a black bourgeoisie, and an extension of black political, social, and cultural ideas by influential scholars and academics. In opposition to the New Left Movement, there was a significant rise in conservatism not just in America but throughout the globe. This led to a drastic decrease in liberal welfare programs as well as a decrease in the practical reliance on socialism: Booker T. Washington's ideology specifically concerning education became the norm in the contemporary era. This period also witnessed the rise of the New Jim Crow: a system of mass incarceration and control of millions of primarily poor black and brown people as evidenced by millions of dollars governmental investment in for-profit prisons throughout America. The eventual election of President Barack Obama was not only a call to transcend the partisan bickering of Washington, but his presidency stood as a symbol of black excellence against traditional social hierarchies of white supremacy. The feminist Barbara Smith at the 1980 Combahee River Collective argues that world changing revolution don't have to just redistribute resources, but they also must be pro-feminist and antiracist to be comprehensive enough to include the most historically marginalized people in the modern era, black women. Many feminist and male freedom fighters such as the black panthers, were political prisoners who have garnered immense support for freedom in the modern era. Furthermore, the seminal first black mayor of Chicago Harold Washington through his reform of the segregated city revealed its racist structure and sought to undermine it. Intellectual feminists such as Audre Lorde indicated the necessity of identifying the elements of the oppressor in the oppressed, while Dr. Bell Hooks sought to illustrate the hierarchies of race, class, and gender and how we can overcome them. This era also saw massive opposition to the South African Apartheid state that lasted for four decades by such black icons such as Randall Robinson and Reverend Jesse Jackson. Jesse Jackson's rainbow coalition from his run for presidency in the mid 1980s would foreshadow the rise of Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008, 20 years later. However, education perspectives would transform more than politics. Academic scholars would shift the consciousness of minority student towards a greater appreciation of education by moving away from Eurocentric models of learning. What scholars like Dr. West and politicians like President Obama would recognize is that political advancement is more seated in understanding the need for hope, meaning, and purpose rather than identifying elements of subjugation against black America. These ideas would be drawn from many black figures of the past such as academics like W.E.B. Du Bois and social reformers like Dr. King and President Abraham Lincoln.

The rise of such proponents of black nationalism and black power as Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael was seated in deep frustration with the inability to change the fundamental economic conditions of blacks even with the passing of political protections to the vote and legal protections against discrimination. Moreover, there was deep seated opposition to police brutality which resulted in the creation of the Black Panther Party. Along with the rise of Black electoral politics which expressed many of the demands of previous black organization agendas like that of the Marcus's Garvey's UNIA, W.E.B. Du Bois's Niagara Movement, and the Black Panthers 10 point program, the rise of these black nationalist ideologues, cultural nationalism, and black power did not just contribute to creative movements of the future they also sought to regain political ownership of their community. However, even if many agreed on the need for a grassroots approach as a means of forcing political, legal, and economic change, black moderates such as Bayard Rustin felt black nationalism detracted from a unified and strategic effort to overcome inequities and inequality in America. The main nonviolent Civil Disobedience strategists insist that their approach in hindsight led to meaningful change especially as evidenced by the movements to desegregate Alabama in Selma, Montgomery, and Birmingham. Dr. King became much more radical after 1966 sympathizing with Democratic Socialism and a radical proposition called the revolution of values to overcome the evils of racism, militarisms, and racism. This shift in outlook was in many ways inspired by Malcolm X approbation towards capitalist exploitation of black communities. There was also a rise in black electoral politics seeking independent black politics that was person centered and sought to develop political consciousness to overcome the failure of an entrenched system of institutional racism and barriers to political and economic equality. The Marxist theorist Henry Winston was one of the first people to combine a critique of capitalist inequality undermining race relations with imperialist oppression in such places as South Africa. Like the many organizations and conferences of this periods there were not just strong criticisms of systemic racism, capitalism, and a call for essential rights like health, education, housing, and a decent paying job, there were movements towards a more revolutionary politics seated in the development of class consciousness. What would be witnessed in future periods 1975 to present is a rise in rainbow coalition movements under leaders like Jesse Jackson and Harold Washington paralleling the rise of a black bourgeoisie which would speak to many of the fundamental concerns of the African American community. However, impeccable orators like Louis Farrakhan, though not involved politically, would resonate with the masses due to his fundamental examination of race relations; rhetoric that would mirror that of many past leaders like Malcolm X. There would be an effort to create a social contract that would eventually manifest with the rise of President Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008; a man who would speak to the need for liberal progress, aspirational hope in a changing America, and a rhetoric which would transcend partisan bickering and racial animosity. He would not only lead America out of the worst recession since the Great Depression while speaking to the dangers of inequities in power politically and economically, but he would also provide an ambitious agenda that managed to lead America through an era of great technological advancement while also providing reassurance to the American people that their basic needs would be endorsed and enhanced by governmental support.Next: Contemporary era- 1975 to the Present Part 1 and Part 2

If you enjoy these history lessons please follow, like, share, and subscribe for future videos. My YouTube channel is Sunny Sharma‪@IndiaInsightMovement‬ and my podcast is “India Insight with Sunny Sharma”This short era of immense change began with the critical case of Brown vs Board of Education in 1954 that established separate but not equal is unconstitutional. This marked a significant constitutional victory in favor of an integrationist approach which led to the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement which was launched through the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama in 1955-1956. The revolutionary approach, depending upon who you ask, of active nonviolent Civil Disobedience led by such figures as Rosa Parks, Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, Dr. King, Ralph Abernathy, Reverend James Lawson, and Bayard Rustin was the leading philosophical and practical approach to integrate public institutions in America including restaurants, schools, and public transportation. This period was characterized by immense grassroots movements led by coalitions of very diverse groups of people welcomed by a more inclusive approach. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) founded by Dr. King in 1957 revolved around nonviolent civil disobedience as a protest strategy and the goal of achieving full democratic participation through legal protections for the vote. The young John Lewis and Ella Baker, major leaders in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), demanded not just more radical change and group centered leadership while also endorsing Dr. King's methods, but they also represented a cognitive and philosophical shift that many leaders such as Dr. King would take after 1966. These shifts occurred due to frustrations from the inability to change the fundamental political and economic conditions of African Americans despite legislative victories such as the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. This tension resulted in the rise of black nationalism, cultural nationalism, and black power movements which influenced many young people to leave the integrationist fold. However, the two most influential black power groups the Black Panthers and partly Black Electoral Politics were not as comprehensive systems compared to the moral tactics and philosophy of Dr. King. Nonetheless, these black power movements, along with Malcolm X who will be discussed in part 2 of We Shall Overcome, have certainly captured the imagination of many young people while inspiring a black artistic and cultural movement to contribute to black expression and excellence even if their approach was somewhat limited when compared to integration. Still, integration was meant for the meaningful realization of full equality and equity with whites and it was clear that Western civilization not only has structural political and economic barriers to the advancement of colored people, it was also in a crisis. This is why, after 1966, Dr. King viewed that black people were in danger of “integrating into a burning house.” However, his Letter from a Birmingham Jail of 1963 stood the test of time as still relevant today to freedom fighters around the globe of the need to break unjust laws, force the moderates into action against perceived injustice, the reclamation of the social justice function of institutions or to see their degeneration, and so much more. In the next section, I will discuss some of the major movements to shift black consciousness later in the period from 1954-1975 such as Malcolm X, the black panthers, and the movement to elect black political figures many of whom were freedom fighters in the 1970s. The question is why did Malcolm X shift to a black nationalist international perspective and were these movement's goal to protect, enrich the black community, and form an independent black politics successful in hindsight?

This period is characterized by an intense push for equal occupational opportunities that would yield economic prosperity for all people. This would be realized after World War II where due to the efforts of a variety of labor organizers, many influenced by Marxist theories, America would enter an era of the pinnacle of its union cooperation which would correspond to a great degree of prosperity. However, there was not just a push for jobs through legal and political protections there were efforts to create a variety of new civil rights and educational legislation. Women educator and scholars also became more involved in labor organizing as time went on contributing to the massive membership of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union to 300,000. The involvement of students in this era would foreshadow future involvement of student participation in the Civil Rights movement that would be crucial to ending segregation in the south. Asa Randolph and others relate a growing global sentiment as countries around the world urged for freedom against the chains of fascism, authoritarianism, and communism that a society is only democratic when the weakest members can exercise not just political rights but has the economic means to fend for themselves. President FDR relates to this global sentiment through his aspirations for greater equity and equality through his 1945 Economic Bill of Rights near the end of his life demanding health care, housing, a decent paying job, and more. As will see at the end of these podcasts, the political agenda of President Barack Obama, especially his passing of Universal Healthcare to provide insurance to millions of poor people and his advocacy against inequality, and efforts to end the 2008 national recession, was in many ways a fruition of this 1945 Economic Bill of Rights.This period from 1915-1954 saw a significant growth in political consciousness not just of the masses, but also the place of black women whose recognition of the identity of black, woman, and worker is critical in recognizing a heightened political consciousness and achieving rights for all people. Moreover, the rise of Thurgood Marshal saw the translation of the social and moral principles of passed luminaries especially the abolitionists in legislation. The Harlem Renaissance was an immense cultural phenomenon which was an incubator not just for artistic expression, but also for the race question. This would influence future cultural icons like Amiri Baraka and other intellectual who would be entering a more open academic space as the McCarthyism movement subsided, allowing them to influence a whole new generation of young people. The question is what methods, which overlap, would win out not just during the Second Reconstruction of 1954-1975, but also today: nonviolent civil disobedience and the realization of the Beloved Community, conservative black nationalism, cultural nationalism, revolutionary black nationalism, or black electoral politics?Tune in for the next video podcast to delve more deeply into these ideas.Next Podcast Monday February 24- Section 4- We Shall Overcome: The Second Reconstruction, 1954-1975 Part 1 of 2Next Podcast Monday February 25- Section 4- We Shall Overcome: The Second Reconstruction, 1954-1975 Part 2 of 2Next podcast February 28 Thursday:Section 5- The Future in the Present: Contemporary African-American Thought, 1975 to the Present Part 1 of 2Next podcast Finale March 1 Friday:Section 5- The Future in the Present: Contemporary African-American Thought, 1975 to the Present Part 2 of 2

In Section 3, I discuss some of the prominent movements and themes occurring in between two World Wars, particularly the Great Migration characterized by the movement of millions of blacks from the rural agricultural south to the urban industrial north as well as highlighting some important proponents of the Harlem Renaissance like Zora Neale Hurston, Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes (the Shakespeare of Harlem), Paul Laurence Dunbar (who inspired the movement after passing away in 1906) and others. The Harlem Renaissance influenced the Great Migration just as the Great Migration influenced the Harlem Renaissance. Not only was there a growth in a black intelligentsia or bourgeoisie, there also was an increase in the black urban worker described in past podcasts. Denied not only political protections and equality but also entry into certain occupations, housing, credit, and capital, there would be immense organization for rights. The Declaration of Rights of the UNIA, established in Harlem, would be spearheaded by perhaps the greatest black organizer in American history Marcus Garvey, who sought not only economic advancement for blacks, but support and self help through his organization for African Americans and the black diaspora around the world. Garvey, heavily influenced by Booker T. Washington yet being way more expansive in his demands for education and political opportunity, would be skeptical of the NAACP and W.E.B Du Bois limited political actualization. However, some community organizers would take it a step further than Garvey, demanding not only a radical redistribution of wealth but world revolution. In part 2 of the Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, and World War 1915-1954, we will see an increased proclivity, prevalence, and sympathy towards communist ideology, influenced by the 1917 Russian Revolution. Not only would blacks recognize race exploitation as tied to wider class exploitation, but in doing so they would seek solidarity with other working class whites in the fight against what Cyril V. Briggs would term "Private Capitalism."Is such an ideology conducive to accommodating a liberal integrationist perspective of the future Civil Rights movement? In some ways yes and in some ways no. Without a doubt, this period saw not only a bursting of literary creativity and a fundamental critique of white oppression and caste democracy, it would also provide the seeds for marxist theories advocated by future leaders and intellectuals like Fred Hampton, Dr. Angela Davis, and Dr. Cornell West. The failures of the economic system, as evidenced by the Great Depression, only heightened a sentiment towards more radical and alternative economic perspectives. Is the problem corruption, capitalism, or political inequality? This would be a question that many people of this period from 1915-1954 would engage with as American after the Great Depression and World War II would enter an era of immense prosperity. However, within two decades it would be short lived.Next video and podcast coming out Friday February 21:Section 3- From Plantation to Ghetto: The Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, and World War, 1915-1954 Part 2 of 2Monday February 24 will come out:Section 4- We Shall Overcome: The Second Reconstruction, 1954-1975 Part 1 of 2Tuesday February 25 will come out:Section 4- We Shall Overcome: The Second Reconstruction, 1954-1975 Part 2 of 2Friday February 28 will come out (either in 1 or 2 parts):Section 5- The Future in the Present: Contemporary African-American Thought, 1975 to the Present

Link to YouTube video:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=StdiCf4rIFI&t=56sIn this part 2 of a 6 part series including an introduction, I discuss some of the foundational ideas behind the struggle for black liberation, economic involvement, education, and political aspirations. Leaders like Booker T. Washington rose to prominence during this period advocating self help, economic reliance, business development, and racial accomodation. Others more critical of his outlook arose demanding not just political equality, but an entire referendum on a system that denied the most basic of rights whether that was equal health, education, or housing. These discussions, held at such forums as the Niagara Movement and spearheaded by numerous leaders such as most notably W.E.B. Du Bois, would boast a whole host of educators, clergy, and intellectuals. This would provide the genesis not only for future movements whether that was movements to end occupational discrimination in the next section or even further down the road where demands for participatory democracy would be pushed during the height of the Civil Rights movement, but also were critical to the formation of the most important African American advocacy organization of the 20th century the NAACP.Frederick Douglas and others didn't just demand the right to vote, but full political equality, foreshadowing that if blacks were unable to push for it now they would have to wait for a century for the same disposition and circumstances. Clergy such as Alexander Crummell would speak to the importance of fraternity and morality underlying the push for fundamental rights inspiring later ideas of W.E.B. Du Bois. Groundbreaking educators that demanded inclusivity in more elite institutions, following Washington's sentiment, would push blacks to reach new heights academically while also getting more involved in the Civil Rights Movement.Lastly, many blacks would set the foundation for black perspectives on socialism that would be very prevalent in the next section 1915-1954 such as Hubert Henry Harrison who would recognize through deep study that race exploitation not only is seated in class exploitation, but also that the controllers of the means of production benefit from the division of the proletariat. Of course, the renowned reporter Ida B. Wells would set the gold standard for investigative journalism and whistleblowing concerning the systemic and institutional racism of the Jim Crow South and establishment. Critique of the white establishment as well as inspiration for immense creativity in the arts and music through the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s would be inspired by such figures as the poet and intellectual Paul Laurence Dunbar.These ideas would set the foundation for a whole new generation barred from political involvement in 1901, seeking the vote, socio-economic development, political protections, and purpose in a world that sought their subjugation. As we go into the next section, it is clear that there aren't only new educational opportunities, but also that organized labor was not going to give up the fight. The repression of blacks would not only force people to take on more radical agitational outlooks, but also resulted in swaying many towards socialism. However, for doing so there would be immense consequences. It was clear that as the divide grew, more radical black revolutionary nationalism would surface and there would be a paradigm shift among many leaders in the future just as it occurred through the most prominent black leader of this period Booker T. Washington.3.  Next podcast Thursday February 20: Section 3- From Plantation to Ghetto: The Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, and World War, 1915-1954

Hello to my audience, friends, and family this is India Insight with Sunny Sharma. If you enjoyed this podcast please follow, share, like, and subscribe for future episodes.Link to YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QukxoY3KSJAMy channel is called Sunny Sharma@IndiaInsightMovementIn honor of black history month and President Lincoln's birthday today (February 12), I discuss the significance of President Lincoln's legacy from my point of view as well as many of the most important black intellectual social and political ideas and thoughts from the period the Foundations: Slavery and Abolitionism, 1768-1861  in the book Let Nobody Turn Us Around (LNTUA): An African American AnthologyPresident Lincoln's exercise of executive authority and war powers as well as his ability to navigate the complexity of political postering in the Legislative Branch allowed him to successfully abolish the institution of slavery as a military necessity and use this action to rally thousands of black troops to his side to definitively win the war. He was a humanitarian who spoke to internal harmony and coexistence between nations as well as, most importantly, the importance of the perseveration of the project of self government. Despite making many speeches, we remember President Lincoln as being a man of action; a figure who was pivotal in our understanding of the American republic's struggle to become more inclusive politically and economically. There were many prominent black intellectuals and abolitionists from 1768-1861 who were not just spiritually inspired and motivated to end slavery, but also to live up the the aspirations of the constitution. Many of the prominent black women of this period set the foundational ideas for black feminist thought that future intellectuals would engage with. The men on the other hand would set the fundamental ideas of black nationalism that such figures as Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X would bring to the forefront of their discourse. As a whole, most of these figures were not asking for a revolution and respected private property, they merely wanted a seat at the table. Those more disappointed with America's hypocrisy spoke of the need to return to Africa such as Martin Delany who advocated "Africa for Africans." The repercussions of the more dominant integrationist perspective over black nationalism would influence future leaders, at least for the beginning of their life, like Dr. King and Booker T. Washington to dominate the public discourse in favor of education and hard work as the vehicle for advancement vs more radical political and economic redistribution.However, many of these figures would shift their paradigm as time went on not just to demand political equality, but more economic opportunity for those generationally disadvantaged.In the next podcast episode, we see some of these tensions such as W.E.B. Du Bois perspective for a radical contract of political, economic, health, education,  the end of Jim Crow Segregation, and more through the Declaration of the Niagara Movement vs. Booker T. Washington's advocacy for self-help, business development, and racial accommodation while ignoring political advancement.Black History Month February Coming up: The five part podcast on Let Nobody Turn Us Around: An African American Anthology1.     Section 1- Foundations: Slavery and Abolitionism, 1768-18612.     Next podcast: Section 2- Reconstruction and Reaction: The Aftermath of Slavery and the Dawn of Segregation, 1861-19153.     Section 3- From Plantation to Ghetto: The Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, and World War, 1915-19544.     Section 4- We Shall Overcome: The Second Reconstruction, 1954-19755.     Section 5- The Future in the Present: Contemporary African-America

Youtube video link: https://youtu.be/VD2hV906mP8In honor of Black History Month in February, I want to share some of the most important insights I have learned from the book Let Nobody Turn Us Around: An African American Anthology (collection of essays and short speeches on black social and political thought primarily pertaining to the black struggle for liberation). This is part one, the intro, and the following 5 parts highlight 5 periods of American history since 1768 around the founding of the republic in 1776 all the way up to the seminal election of Barack Obama (who boasted a rainbow coalition) to the presidency of the United States of America in 2008. This almost 250 year history represents the black struggle for freedom and political advancement such as fulfilling the maximum privileges of participatory democracy as was the final goal of the democratic project (encompassing the previous fulfillment of political democracy in the 1850s through the first Reconstruction era and the aspirations for social democracy in the 1930s and 1940s). I point this out in the podcastThe book argues that we must reexamine the place of black women in the black liberation struggle, insisting that their contribution to the advancement of liberty for all people is severely understated. Nonetheless, there are many unsung male and female heroes including presidents who helped or thwarted democratic aspirations for all people.Black History Month February Coming up: The five part podcast on Let Nobody Turn Us Around: An African American Anthology1.     Stay tuned for next podcast Wednesday February 12 Lincoln's birthday:    Section 1- Foundations: Slavery and Abolitionism, 1768-18612.     Section 2- Reconstruction and Reaction: The Aftermath of Slavery and the Dawn of Segregation, 1861-19153.     Section 3- From Plantation to Ghetto: The Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, and World War, 1915-19544.     Section 4- We Shall Overcome: The Second Reconstruction, 1954-19755.     Section 5- The Future in the Present: Contemporary African-American Thought, 1975 to the Present

Link to youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UulsDFqqqXQHello to my audience, friends, and family this is India Insight with Sunny Sharma. I am super excited to have one of the most prominent Indian intellectuals of the modern era on my podcast As you have must have heard some of my audio podcasts that I have been doing for the past 4 years, I'm privileged today for my first ever video visual podcast to have an intellectual trendsetter in the areas of quantum computing, linguistic connections between ancient cultures, ancient Vedic ideas of cosmology, physics, and science, history revisionism, and so much more. Dr. Subhash Kak is Regents Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. His legacy speaks for itself.He has authored and co-authored at least 20 books on a variety of topics.  He was awarded the Science Medal of the Indian National Science Academy in the autumn of 1977 at the Indian Science Congress given to him by Prime Minister Morarji Desai. Moreover, he was awarded the title of Vishwa Hindu by Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swami, the spiritual head of Avadhoota Datta Peetham, a major center for Vedic studies and spiritual life on May 20, 2007. In 2019, Dr. Kak was awarded the very prestigious Padma Shri for his immense contributions in multiple areas of expertise.I highly recommend for my audience to learn a little bit more about his intellectual legacy and trajectory throughout his career to read his book In the Circle of Memory: An Autobiography.Also in stores is his most recent book this year is The Age of Artificial Intelligence.

Season 8 Episode 3The true spirit of industry and capitalism is emblematic of choice and to reflect that idea means there must be a multiparty system in America and the world.The growth of special interests means there must be a counteracting force to serve the interests and grievances of everyday workers and taxpayers. This is the genesis of the need for new parties to come on the seen to serve the many different needs, perspectives, and ideologies of a diverse community of people. There must be a movement of organized labor to petition for not just for better standards of living and economic opportunity but also to secure our fundamental rights and liberties in every generation. Students of Indian, American, and other national histories know this too well.The problem in America, is that the average citizen not only does not know the essential importance of new parties throughout US history, but they have also been conditioned to believe and rely upon a lie; the two party system is the only means to achieving their fundamental needs and wants. Third parties have served essential functions in garnering support for new policy agendas and perpetuating them to the forefront of federal and local discourse. Like many social movements, they have shifted the moral narrative to include more and more people to get involved in the political process.Madison understood that party spirit would be inevitable, but he wasn't a fortune teller. Nonetheless, he was one of the only founders to be involved with both major parties during his day, the Federalists and the Democrat-Republican Party. He saw the necessity of parties to offer diffing points of views and emphasis on particular goals in what President Barack Obama calls the "arena of ideas" so as Madison understood the most popular ideas would come to the forefront. Many questions still remain. Did Madison believe such types of popular democracy were more effective than age old ideas of the primacy of aristocracy and oligarchies? Many people would say no; the founding fathers did not believe in such types of democracy, rather those most knowledgable and entrusted with the reigns of power should steer the course of a nation.That is for our generation to figure out: Does democracy function better when more people are involved or should those more "capable" decide how political decisions are made? I for one believe a multiparty system both gets more people involved while simultaneously, in President Obama's words, encourages more capable individuals to enter the political arena and discourse as too socially and culturally reform society for the better.

The dangers of political parties, why we are so partisan in the modern era, and potential solutions to the problem.I further extrapolate on what the American founding fathers, especially James Madison, knew about political parties including the costs and benefits and why their 18th century arguments are still relevant today. I also point out that in hindsight that they were not able to predict all of the historical outcomes in American history including the growth of multinational corporation, special interests, bureaucracy, technocratic overreach, and the expansion of executive power, but nonetheless Madison set the constitutional framework of society to regulate the passions of men and injustice so reason prevails. For an aside not mentioned, Madison's decision to outline the Bill of Rights as mere Amendments was a debatable decision that was perhaps rooted in the potential danger of people utilizing and abusing their rights to oppress others or target government institutions. He thus had to balance the needs for the stability of government with the rights of the everyday citizen just as Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar had to do as the first law minister of India in the mid-1900s.The essential question for our era (as well as other eras in American history) is can the power of money be overcome by public sentiment and free men and women? Can organized power in the hands of certain people counter organized tyranny and what are the potential dangers of this?Please follow, share, and subscribe to my podcast for future episodes whether that is standalone podcasts or group discussion I do with my elder, informative, and insightful cousins Vinni and Tinku who live in Bangalore, India.Following my podcast encourages me to make new episodes to educate the public, but especially to educate myself on American, Indian, and other relevant historical and political ideas. Please tune in for my next podcast Season 8 episode 3 which I will release on Saturday January 11 called Why America and the world need a Multiparty System. Now let's get started on this part 2 discussion on Political Parties:

For the first episode of season 8 I explain that despite the fact that the American founding fathers were not party men, the Constitution in many ways facilitates the rise of parties and factions. This was the genius of Madison; creating a system of checks and balances whereby special interests would inevitably develop, but "ambition would counter ambition" ensuring that enterprising men would not take advantage of the majority nor the majority take advantage of the minority.I examine many of the most relevant warnings the American founding fathers, especially the Architect of the American Constitution James Madison, gave about factions and political parties and why they are certainly still relevant today.If you enjoyed this episode please follow and subscribe to my podcast for future standalone episodes on Indian and American history, news, and politics as well as discussions I have with my two elder, insightful, and informative cousins who live in India Vinni and Tinku. I will be releasing a part 2 to complement this discussion on the dangers of factions and political parties where I outline some of the reasons why modern-day society has become so partisan while also advising some potential solutions to the problem of parties in America.Supporting my podcast encourages me to make new episodes so if you enjoy what I'm producing please follow and share with others.

In this season 7 finale episode 10 podcast to close out the New Year and usher in 2025, I want to bring to attention the key ideas President Obama explicated at the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum of 2024 on Pluralism and why they are relevant today. The principal question is can diverse groups of people with different perspectives and ideologies live together in a free, open, and integrated society? I also talk briefly about some of the ideas from the three panelists from this Democracy Forum consisting of young people who are a part of the Obama foundation. Please follow and subscribe to my podcast for future standalone podcasts and discussions with my cousins Vinni, Tinku, and other people. Now lets get started:

Exalting upon high the principle of liberty to smash the pedestal upon which the principle of avaricious profit lays.Tune in to hear my case for the need for our society to dedicate itself to the principle of liberty in an era of growing inequality. I take inspiration from many of the greatest human rights icons, educators, and leaders of the modern eras such as President Obama, Nelson Mandela, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Georges Bernanos, Michelle Alexander and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR).It was becoming increasingly apparent to many people that America was slowly becoming a plutocracy in the late 19th century. Today that is a definite truth. I try to make the case that a society can be dedicated to either liberty or profit, not both at the same time. I also discuss the problems with vested economic interests having power over ethical implications as well as the dangers of tyranny of the majority/mobs, and increased polarization being directly correlated with increased income inequality. Moreover, job insecurity makes it more difficult to people to unionize as people are dissuaded by their bosses who own the means of production. Since the American New Left Movement 1950-1975 there was a strong student and minority movement demanding rights and a more egalitarian society. Today, there is a strong corporate backlash to this movement that has resulted in a shift in power towards big business also fueled by the growth in multinational corporations and globalization.It was not only the original 1st Amendment from the Bill of Rights and 14th Amendment founded at the beginning of Reconstruction that provided protections and judicial precedent there were also the consumer protection laws passed by FDR to provide a social safety net well into the 1960s. Much of this apparatus was dismantled and some of it was recovered under the Obama administration in response to the 2008 recession. The 2011 Occupy Wall Street Movement was sparked by the disillusionment by young people faced with college loans, unemployment, and a housing crisis. I discuss these issues in the podcast and how the spirit of youth in our generation will exalt the principle of liberty to act on our conscience through a grassroots movement to regulate the spirit of avarice due to our societies material decadence and dedication to profit in the current era.

President Barack Obama and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar were not just impeccable social reformers, but they were also unprecedented leaders for their time. It is difficult to compare them, but in every regard they were constitutional experts and trendsetters.They put their theoretical education into practical organizing: President Obama organized the very first true social media presidential campaign in history; Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar created two political parties, one for the labor classes, and one for Dalits (both which represent the subaltern classes). Nonetheless, both leaders stand on the shoulder of giants whether that was Civil Rights icons as Bayard Rustin or Harold Washington or social reformer as the Buddha and FDR.They sought to live up to the values not just of the US Constitution, but also of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity which is commonly derived by many great people in history.Moreover, they predicted and forecasted many of the problems which I outline such as the dangers of tribalism.

Please tune in to hear my case for the need for an organized effort against poverty in America. I expound on some of the ideas below.There have been concerted efforts by political, religious, and non profit organization to combat poverty in America and abroad but there has yet to be significant traction behind a movement to put an end to poverty once and for all in the richest country on earth. Dr. King in 1968, the same year that he died started the poor people's campaign to put an end to poverty in America (a campaign which has started again). Malcolm X before he died railed against capitalists taking advantage of minorities in their community without adequate compensation. It wasn't until the election of President Barack Obama that we saw substantial reform to the healthcare system; a system which insured millions of poor people.The significance of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar is that he integrated the principles of Buddhist morality with the principles of labor organizing. Similar to Dr. King's idea of the Beloved Community and Malcolm X's International solidarity, both with the idea of ending poverty and homelessness, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar generated a philosophy that viewed the liberation of an individual as wholly apart of the community as a whole. Organizing for justice was a community issue and so was spiritual salvation.Finally, President FDR through his introduction of a Second Economic Bill of Rights on radio in 1945 like Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was determined to create a community built upon the principles of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.

Tune in to hear about Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's most famous clarion call and slogan declared at the 1942 All India Depressed Class Conference to "Educate, Agitate, Organize".This phrase has been a motto of labor organizers throughout the world.Dr. Ambedkar was a true servant to the people (Bodhisattva) with a vision to end systemic discrimination not just in India but throughout the world. He indeed was the greatest social reformer of modern day history in India. To him, our fight for liberation transcended labor organizing and intellectual discourse, it was intensely spiritual as well. Obtaining social democracy, that is Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, was only possible when people are educated enough to ask questions through an awareness of laws and rights, agitate themselves to upset the traditional status quo as well as preconceived notions of what is possible, and organize to fight for a better world of social justice.This podcast was also made in reference to the change I made to my logo.

Send us a textPresident Lincoln stayed true to himself till his assassination leaving the grandest legacy by any leader in not only the 19th century but perhaps all of the modern era. Through his leadership and moral example, he gave a renewed meaning to democracy and social justice for America and the world watched America during their time of challenge, evaluating whether America, the first democracy's experiment in self government would endure. President Lincoln outlines not only this challenge in his Gettysburg Address, but reassures the American people that American democracy by the people and for the people shall not perish from this earth. President Lincoln was not the greatest general in history though he taught himself the rules of war and he certainly was not the greatest statesman though he was a practicing politicians, but he indeed was the greatest humanitarian of the modern era, who through his leadership of the Union and emancipation of slaves, was an impeccable icon of freedom. He played the central and most pivotal role in Americas darkest hour and in doing so made justice triumphant to so many who have been exploited and marginalized. Every generation must give renewed meaning to freedom and justice and in doing so President Lincoln gave America the room to breathe again opening the door to a whole new generation of activists and leaders. Thats why he mattered. 

Send us a textOver time the legend of President Lincoln has only grown larger. A man, through his very goodness became great by which he represented the true ideals of democratic self government as outlined by the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence. As the Leader of America, he took it upon himself to impress upon his people, political cabinet, and political general his policy, personality, and force of character. Through the navigation of a complex military and political problem of the Civil War, President Lincoln demonstrated not only his diplomatic ability, but also his stern conviction to forgive the bloodshed so America can have a new birth of freedom. 

Send us a textAt the end of the war, President Lincoln, through the establishment of certain stipulations for the Southern Rebels to be brought back into the Confederacy, made the Emancipation of the Slaves the Cornerstone of Reconstruction in the South. Through his determination and personality, Lincoln he had won the affections and popular support of the American people. Moreover, he took a conciliatory route to resolving the war so as to tamper down any vitriol and vengeance on both sides. This was indeed the most costly war in American history. It is clear that Lincoln was wise and prudent with every step he took and through his love of the people on both sides he wanted all Americans to heal from the conflict.Along with one of the most renowned orators in American history Frederick Douglas and a legacy of freedom fighting abolitionist since the first slaves were brought to the Americas, President Lincoln not only gave meaning to the humanitarian efforts to abolish slavery, he also set the precedent for the true founding of American democracy through the Three Reconstruction Amendments (1865-1870), the 13th abolition of slavery, 14th Equal Protection Clause for all US citizens, and 15th Amendment granting all citizens the right to vote. To this day we are still fighting for their realization not just politically but socially. 

Send us a textThe 16th President of the United States of America Abraham Lincoln Shifted the Moral Narrative of Slavery during the Civil War from being merely a political issue to one of social justice and reform. He did so masterfully through the traits he possessed of a unselfish heart that allowed him not only to be a quintessential humanitarian during a unique time and crisis in American history but also his wielding of a logical intellect which allowed him to administer his capacity of reason to decisively put an end to the evil of slavery that has plagued America for centuries. His cabinet members were critical in helping him do so, but it was Lincoln who through a masterful understanding of popular opinion had the decisive and final say for the most opportune time to capitalize on the advantageous position that the abolition of slavery would yield for the Northern Union victory over the Southern Confederacy. 

Tune in to part 1 of a 5 part series I will be making on the significance of the legacy of Abraham Lincoln the 16th president of the United States who united America during its Civil War, emancipated the slaves, and gave meaning, more so than any American (or even world leader) to America's experiment in self government and humanitarianism.I rely heavily and recommend Doris Kearns Goodwins seminal book on Lincoln called Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.If I reach 20 downloads for every subsequent podcast including this one I will continue to release new podcast episodes on President Lincoln.

The revolutionary Bhagat Singh who lived from 1907 to 1931 was executed by the British for throwing a bomb in Parliament at the age of 23.He was indeed the greatest revolutionary of the Indian Indenpedence movement, likened as the Che Guevara of India. Like Che he was a student of class revolutions and Marxism and use these principles to not only inspire the Indian nation, but a whole generation of young people throughout the globe on the need to break away from traditional dogma and the social tyranny that Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar so eloquently describes in favor of a class consciousness that leads to triumphant social justice. He was not only as famous as Gandhi, but many people view him as the one of the primary reasons so many Indians flocked towards the Independence struggle and ultimately gained independence. Furthermore, he represented the spirit of youth; a strategist with a clear visions of his place in the historical struggle of liberty against despotism. He was aware his life would inspire millions after him, fighting till the very end through tactical hunger strikes while leaving a tangible legacy behind through his writings in jail that provide a glimpse into the mind of a true rebel, revolutionary, lover of poetry and non conformer.It's difficult for us to put ourselves into the shoes of a man who was brought up in revolutionary sentiment of his relatives, but one thing is for certain. Bhagat Singh is the product of renewed vision of the world whereby we continue to question not only prevailing despotic institutions of government, but also the habits, traditions, and dogma that marginalize the working class farmers and proletariat that make up the backbone of global society. He had the courage to not only take action, but to systematically question the prevailing norms and narratives of a world in dire need of social reform. In many respects, India is a success story in large part due to his legacy. If we want true unlimited progress in society, then we need people like Bhagat Singh from Punjab to Bengal, from Kashmir to Kerala, and all across the globe. 

In honor of Indian Independence Day August 15, 2024. Tune in to hear about the founding fathers of India (lost generation) that set the constitutional and institutional foundation for India. These men and women set the foundation for future generations yearning for democratic aspirations and maintaining the pillars of democracy in their society. These men born from 1869 to 1897 called the lost generation included Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose,  Acharya Kripalani, and Abul Kalam Azad (Maulana Azad).Nonetheless, India was also shaped by numerous other men and women from numerous classes and religions during this generation and later on especially because in every generation there are essential and impeccable individuals who could be characterized as founders such as the revolutionary Bhagat Singh.

Please enjoy this Part 2 discussion and continuation of the previous podcast with Sunny Sharma and his two elder cousins Abhishek Kasid (Vinni) and Ranjan Wali (Tinku).I further delve into the ideas of James Madison so as to understand what James Lawson meant by bringing the Constitution to life. 

Please enjoy this discussion between Sunny Sharma and his two elder cousins Abhishek Kasid (Vinni) and Ranjan Wali (Tinku).This podcast was in honor of the main nonviolent and Civil Rights tactician Reverend James Lawson who passed away this year June 9 at the age of 95. James Lawson final message to the world was "We need the Constitution to come alive" if we are to honor the legacy of John Lewis.Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called the Reverend Lawson “the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world.” He successfully mobilized students in nonviolent direct-action campaigns against inhumane segregationist laws during the 1950s and 1960s in Nashville, TN, and other cities in the U.S. South. Lawson studied Mahatma Gandhi's strategies of nonviolence and satyagraha, and he used them creatively to confront the violence of racist laws, labor exploitation, xenophobia and gender discrimination. My idea for the podcast came from the notion that to understand what James Lawson meant by the Constitution coming alive I had to look into the ideas of the main Architect of the US Constitution James Madison.James Madison was the fourth president of the United States of America and a serious student of history and politics whether that be grabbing lessons from the years of religious war through Europe, the history of Roman Republics, or the politics of the Greek city states and democracies.

In this podcast, I discuss why the global citizen, constitutional expert, humanitarian, egalitarian, and social reformer President Barack Obama is perhaps the most consequential president of the modern era.

The  discussion is between Sunny Sharma and his elder cousins Vinni (Abhishek Kasid) and Tinku (Ranjan Wali).This is a continuation of the previous podcast concerning the Indian election of 2024.The India election took place through 7 phases of voting in different regions respectively in india lasting from April 19, 2025 to June 1, 2024.How important and difficult is it for our political leaders and others to give real value to the people in the way of economic opportunity, social cohesion, and political liberty?With the new coalition will there be a return to normalcy and a level playing field politically and perhaps even economically? Is it a problem that even though India needs a massive overhaul, reform, and even revolution to ita political and financial institutions, we will have to settle with incremental changes? How can we challenge corruption?

The discussion is between Sunny Sharma and his elder cousins Vinni (Abhishek Kasid) and Tinku (Ranjan Wali).The India election took place through 7 phases of voting in different regions respectively in india lasting from April 19, 2025 to June 1, 2024.Is the fact that the BJP won the election but reduced its seat number to 240 a sign of a referendum on either the BJP, Hindutva, or Modi? Was this a consequence of a changing tide in the youth vote where the average age of young people is 28 or by the vote and agency of energized farmers, Muslims, and the lower classes? Is India becoming more polarized, extenuating tribal lines or will competing interests, like competing factions, cancel each other out like a tempestuous sea of liberty rather than a calm despotism to in the end serve the larger interests of the people in India? Are the basic necessities for a thriving democracy such as independent media, free speech, economic opportunities and meritocracy and political education under threat in India?Was this election a paradigm shift or watershed moment that will witness a revitalization of Indian institutions and renewed faith in our political process? Ultimately will the next generation be able to grasp the opportunity represented by the crisis of civilization occuring for the better?

Join Sunny Sharma with his elder, insightful, and informative cousins in a discussion around some of the themes highlighted by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King's most famous piece of writing from 1963 called Letter from a Birmingham Jail. We discuss such ideas as the need to break unjust laws in a society, moral authority to confront societal despotism, and most importantly whether there is a place for organized religion in the world today when so many young people are leaving religious institutions. Is the modern day world organized in a way to no longer need saints or social reformers?Do the church and other religious institutions only get involved in politics when there are not enough saints?Tune in to hear us engage with these questions.

Whether it was on the Selma bridge, in Cairo, the stadiums of South Africa, the legislative chambers of England and India, or the executive halls of America, President Obama strove to reshape the mores of a globalized society away from separation, extremism, oppression, and bigotry towards a politic that stood for not only human rights, but also an understanding that rights can only be fostered through a sort of collective understanding of agency and responsibility that opened the door to future possibilities. Most importantly, President Obama not only acted as Uniter in Chief during a time of social unrest, racial tension, and turmoil, he also was the main leader for tumultuous social reform that brought the United States of America out of the worst recession from 2008-2011 since the Great Depression. Additionally, President Obama acted not only as a social reformer, but also as an advocate for political and social democracy through the period of the Arab Spring. Through his reform efforts and advocacy, he provided an inherent meaning to millions in the Arab world with aspirations towards self-determination for democratic governance while also navigating and espousing equality for millions in America on the question of economic inequality through the Occupy Wall Street Movement that started in 2011 as well as highlighting racial inequality that was brought to the forefront of American political reality through the Black Lives Matter Movement that was founded during his presidency in 2013.  

Malcolm X not only reimagined the place of black people in America and around the globe, but he also told the truth about the political mechanisms and techniques in society that denigrated the poor and working class. 

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, born in 1891 and died in 1956, was indeed a unique visionary who combined practical advocacy with his education as a Ph.D. in economics and his training as a lawyer. He tested his principals in the fiery chasm of social and political liberty in India through the development of political parties and the testing of his academic scholarship. We have his principals in the Constitution of India and his legacy and experience of starting political parties for the subaltern (underclass) because he chose to try hard and fail hard rather than to not try at all. 

Quotation Themes:  Primary themes: Truth, risk, liberty and justice, morality, personal responsibility, conscience. Secondary themes: Fragility of democracy, reputation/legacy, service, demanding rights, tyranny, duty and patriotism, societal and common welfare, fundamental rights, legality, reform, individual and collective agency or action, and constitutional liberties.In this 11-minute podcast, I highlight informative and insightful quotes by Enlightenment men as well as from Great men who inherit the spirit of Enlightenment values. Some of the men of which I highlight either 1-2 quotes include the Buddha who was born in India, Cyrus the Great of Persia, Frederick II of Prussia, Baruch Spinoza of the Netherlands, Immanuel Kant of Germany, Benjamin Franklin of the United States of America, Samuel Adams of the United States of America, Edmund Burke of Ireland, Thomas Jefferson of the United States of America, Benjamin Rush of the United States of America, and Georges Bernanos of France. Additionally, I highlight multiple quotes by three icons of human rights and constitutional liberty of whom are the 2nd president of the United States of America John Adams, the first law minister of India and creator of its constitution Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, and the 44th president of the United States who established universal health care reform for the first time in American history, ended the War in Iraq, and killed the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks Osama Bin Laden, President Barack Obama. The figures of President John Adams, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, and President Barack Obama are not only a few of my most admired advocates of liberty, justice, and human rights, but they are also all constitutional experts and proponents of constitutional principles: President John Adams wrote the first constitution for a representative republic in modern history for the Massachusetts government in 1780 setting the precedent for all constitutions in the modern era; Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was the first law minister of India and thus was the primary drafter of India's first constitution allowing for the establishment of parliamentary democracy and India's code of ethics for all Indians especially through the institutions of quotas and reservations for the underclass; President Barack Obama not only shaped political democracy, but also American mores, values, and ethics, channeling his experience as a young community organizer in Chicago, Illinois and his expertise as a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago for 10 years into the American presidency where he fostered a new dialogue on race relations by establishing the Brother Keeper's foundation to provide mentorship to young men across the United States of America while also setting the precedent for equality through the implementation of the Fair Pay Act for women and proliferating liberty and justice around the world by fostering future leaders through his Obama foundation. As illustrated by the men who I have chosen to quote, there is a thread in history that binds us all together and a tradition of freedom that we all share. More importantly, as these men have demonstrated, it is only through an understanding of history, political precedents, and cultural norms, that we can even begin to reform the social fabric of society which is predicated on social democracy.  

March 31 theme: Social Democracy (Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity)I have released five podcasts on March 31. The primary theme of these podcasts are the legacy of the French Revolution, and more specifically, the Buddha. Whether it was the first law minister of India Babasaheb Ambedkar, France grassroots reform from the left Jacobins, President John Adams, President Barack Obama, or Malcolm X, all these individuals, through constitutional precedent and social reform sought to make society fall more in line with he principles of social democracy.French Revolution's relevance to India The impact of the French Revolution was a culmination of scientific skepticism, reason, individual liberty, and rejection of the authority of the church and nobility that forever altered the fabric of European society through the abolition of the feudal system by the legislation of Article 1. Although it is uncertain what the ultimate impact of the French Revolution is as it is still characterized by the long chain of events since the storming of the Bastille and the ousting of the “right” Girondis or noble from the assembly, the changes instituted by the French Revolution mean that there is no turning back for European society. As the podcast I conduct is principally centered upon India, it is important to give an accounting of how the French Revolution is linked to Indian society. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the illustrious first law minister of India, imbued in the Indian constitution the principles of the French Revolution and Buddha, that is, social democracy. This was done through the establishment of the reservation and quota system for the underclass and untouchables or Dalits as well as an abolishment of untouchability. However, the reality is that without public pressure, constitutional decisions don't have the effective force or agency to put an end to a system of discrimination imbedded in the social and cultural norms of Indian society which has lasted the past 2000 years. 

Reform precedes revolution and in the words of John Adams the only true revolution is that which occurs in the minds of the people. Similarly in the words of the first prime minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, just as revolution occurs in the mind so does peace as demonstrated by his declaration that, “Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a serenity of soul. Peace is not merely the absence of war. It is also a state of mind. Lasting peace can come only to peaceful people.” In the words of the Buddha our own internal state reflects the external world: “The mind is everything.” Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar relates this principal as the basis for transforming the world through social democracy when he declared in reference to the constitution that, “However good a Constitution may be, if those who are implementing it are not good, it will prove to be bad. However bad a Constitution may be, if those implementing it are good, it will prove to be good.” Progress only happens when we recognize we can only transform the world not only through an understanding of history, but also by the awareness of the mutual struggle we all undergo that happens not only through the struggle to reinvent individual liberty through every generation, but also by the notion that the arbiters of justice in every era are responsible for upholding constitutional liberties. It is through the individual agency of ordinary citizens who understand that responsibility means in the words of the 44th president of the United States of America Barack Obama, “Justice grows out of recognition of ourselves in each other… that my liberty depends on you being free, too… that history can't be a sword to justify injustice or a shield against progress… but must be a manual for how to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.”            There are several key truths to recognize for the preservation of any democratic society: Democracy is reborn in every generation, and this has yet to happen in India, the key to social reform, which leads to revolution, is radical social democracy as described by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, there must be human rights literature to educate people so they are “people alert enough not to constitute masses,” and finally social democracy transcends political parties as my cousins describe in this podcast.Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was the chairman of the constitution's drafting committee. At this position, he had argued for safeguards for Dalits in the constitution. Consequently, article 14 (equality), article 15 (non-discrimination), article 17 (no untouchability) were included in the constitution of India. He has supported the uniform civil code which was included in the Directive Principles of State Policy.Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and President Barack Obama, through both their advocacy for theoretical education for the upliftment of the normally marginalized as well as practical advocacy, stands as a testament to the lesson that judicial oversight must be accompanied by public pressure to truly force vested political interests, tied to money in politics, to implement social democratic reform. Though they were at odds, Dr. Ambedkar must have observed this principle both through his political organizing of both the labor class and Dalits, as seen through his development of two political parties for these groups, but also his close observation of Mahatma Gandhi's civil disobedience or active nonviolent movement. President Obama not only learned this principle from the Civil Rights Movement through such figures as Bayard Rustin, who was the principal organizer and active nonviolent strategist for the 1963 March on Washington, but he also applied this principle through the first truly organized social media Presidential campaign in history in 2008 that eventually led to the establishment of Universal health care reform.

 Just like America served as an example to the world in 1776, America again must be a beacon of hope showing their ability to reform themselves in line with the greater visions of their society.More importantly, we need an antiwar grassroots party and movement to counteract an ever increasingly dangerous world where war becomes more hazardous every day as nations are positioning themselves for a potential global conflict in line with what could only be characterized as a World War III. In all conflicts, it is the people especially the poor who are scapegoated and suffer. We must bear the torch to light the inner conscience of all Americans that says devastating conflicts that lead to massive destruction and death have no place in a progressive society. We have every means to debase all forms of tyranny whether they be totalitarian or that of a majority upon minority populations be they specific or religiously oriented. An globalized world requires an globalized conscious so Americans can understand in the words of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, "A threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice here." I urge American citizens, as well as people around the world, to surge forth with an antiwar campaign, to break them out of the complacency that says we must merely drift along with the tides of conflict until they reach our shores. We can't afford to wait for the escalation of conflict to the point of no return. If I may quote one of the luminaries of the 21st century that have lighted the way for political responsibility for millions across the globe, "We are the change we seek."

In this podcast, we discuss what Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the Dalit (untouchable), illustrious writer of the India Constitution in 1950, lawyer, anthropologist, economist, and political human rights defender, meant by radical social democracy which has its origins from first and foremost Buddhism and secondarily from the Enlightenment era specifically the French revolution (liberty, equality, and fraternity). Moreover, we highlight the institutional barriers to social democracy, progress, and liberation for all people in India especially the underclass.

Mahatma Gandhi was not just a peacemaker, he was a trouble maker. Initially, it was his talents as a social reformer through community organizing and law, not his occupation as a saint that built his career as one of the pillars of the Indian community in Natal, South Africa. He fought a paper war through petitions and new correspondence to highlight the inequities of Indians with the majority white South Africans. Gandhi was pivotal in reshaping the viewpoints and imagination of whites towards Indians concerning their place in the British Empire. In this podcast, I highlight the rise of Mahatma Gandhi along with some of the political, economic, social, and cultural tensions that arose on the side of white South Africans who wanted not only to segregate themselves from Indians and other groups , but also didn't want to compete with them economically or on the business front.

In this video I expound upon some insights and quotes from the book Gandhi before India by Ramachandra Guha from Chapter 2: Among the Vegetarians. I discuss why Gandhi carried the ethos of India, was so radical even in his twenties, and was such a radically intelligent social reformer as seen through his early community organizing, job as lawyer, and being a dedicated student of principles of world religion and compassion in London, South Africa, and subsequently India.

John Stuart Mill had a mental crisis in his 20s in which he began to question his lifestyle and unique utilitarian education that was predicated on his father's teachings. The ideas of Reason, logic, and efficiency divorced him from the ideas of beauty, aesthetics, and poetry. He came to the conclusion that the pleasure pain principle of utilitarianism had to be subjugated under the principle of individuality, society must foster free thinking persons and individualism.In this podcast, I describe my change in thinking during my 20s and draw parallels with John Stuart Mill's transformation. We must end the careless corrupt conformity of student debt and much of our education system in order to allow students to be exceptional, in the words of President Barack Obama, to internalize excellence. We must give students a way to contextualize their education with self exploration on topics they relate too while also pushing students out of their comfort zone.  All together, I wished I took calculated risk our of a quantitative education into a liberal arts education earlier in my life. I certainly had wonderful teachers throughout my life, but it wasn't until I stepped in the direction of my choice hat I began to see the flourishing of my creative output. Moreover, to save students from debt, we must create a Economic Bill of Rights, inject our politics with morality in the process, and imbue students with the values John Stuart Mill wanted to foster for individuality including freedom of thought, conscience, and assembly. In order to reevaluate our education system, we must bring the margins to the center so that our education system better reflects the diversity of our society and doesn't merely reflect a Eurocentric model of education. We must form better narratives in line with the globalized world in which we live in so students of all backgrounds feel empowered. So much of our education system is built off of conformity that breaking down the conditioning of children could take years. One example is that our notion of rights have made many people forget agency and responsibility in society to the point of mass scale complacency in our political process. A capitalist society is predicated on having choices, yet we see the opposite in our political process. James Madison, the 4th president of the United States, understood that differing factions would cancel each other out. In the two party system we have today, both parties are corrupt and don't reflect the diversity of opinions, perspectives, ideas, and choices that is the US today. That is the primary reason, along with general disillusionment towards our leadership, that so few people are involved in our political process today. 

The immigration system has become so entangled with the criminal justice justice system to the point that detainment of families is leading to separation of children from parents. We have a long legacy of our systems of legality and enforcement evolving into greater and more extensive systems of control that no single individual could have predicted. Today that system is the Immigration Customs and Enforcement agency, an organization that has introduced wide scale electronic surveillance to accompany the incarceration and legal system. We must ask ourselves, do we want to live in a system of fear or hope. Enlightenment men such as William Penn of Pennsylvania and James Oglethorpe of Georgia, sought to create ideal societies where people no matter their status and ethnic background could leave freely and prosper. Unfortunately, greed, war, and propaganda led to the failure of these experiments in egalitarian liberty. We must reimagine our immigration system to match our ideals as a nation.

Plea for Liberty was published in 1944 during World War II. In this book, Bernanos makes a scathing criticism of the French bourgeoisie and hopes that free man and women will save Europe and open the door to childhood as he had done throughout his life. Bernanos famously said, "The modern state only recognizes rights, it no longer recognizes duty." Bernanos felt in his heart that the power of heroism, faith, and child once consecrated by the church would once again come about and defeat the evils of materialism and profit that so many citizens, writers, and social reformers rallied against in history and the 20th century. He also believed the elites failed the French people as they disguised themselves as men of wisdom and doctors of Christian ethics. Bernanos never loses faith that the people would smash the pedestal on which profit lays and would find real principles to stand upon which most people fake. What does it really mean to give power to the people? How have the elites failed Europe and how can this be remedied?Which country will become the inheritor of Liberty, Fraternity, and Equality?Bernanos always believed that spiritual forces would take precedent to social, political, and cultural ones. So, as a monarchist, he envisioned a spirited young prince and king reviving the spiritual principles of Europe and bringing about a restoration of the honor of honor.Final ideas on the saints and heroes in Letter to the Europeans:1. "We must become unconditioned by materiality to recognize our true divinity as free men, of men of love."2. "We must also understand the legitimacy on which our rights are based."

Georges Bernanos voice represented the conscience and spirit of France's coinciding spirit of liberty. As demonstrated by his Christian fiction and political thoughts, Bernanos is certainly one of the greatest writers in human history. He was not just a man of rights, but more importantly was a man of responsibility, duty, and love. Bernanos questioned all complacent ways of thinking making one to questions whether he fits anywhere ideologically. Truly he was a Catholic man against all systems and blind reliance on constitutions and laws. He was first and foremost a man of the people who through his own individual agency and voice rallied against the evils which were all too apparent to a handful of people which few people could articulate. He was one of those chosen few individuals of the 20th century who could articulate the despotism of our society. 

Georges Bernanos, like President Barack Obama, has helped me to understand my responsibility, place as a citizen in America and the power of individual agency to transforming our society. Yet, if I strive to be a social reformer, I can indeed heed the words of Bernanos's writing, but I must understand that Bernanos in no way lays out the blue print for change in society. Yet he knew the next generations, through creativity and imagination would organize a political and spiritual front to combat very real social evils in society.Bernanos knew that even after political independence is achieved rights have to be declared to protect citizens from organized power and tyranny of the majority. Moreover, the power of money and political party dominance corrupts real agency and ideas of everyday citizens who strive to reform society through public policy. Bernanos uses his literary imagination to understand the inherent despotism of the future as well as possibilities of a past not predicated on machine civilization, something he believed would lead to a loss of liberty in society. July 10, 2018Plea for Liberty: I'll share a few ideas from the only two pages that really matter for Americans pg 188-189. In these pages, Bernanos asks Roosevelt to address the leaders of Christian opinion in Europe by saying:“Gentlemen, we are going to establish a Christian society, that is, a society based upon the ideas of Equality, Liberty, and Fraternity.These three qualities are the legacy of the French Revolution and Age of Enlightenment. Even the human rights advocate and writer of the Indian constitution Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar believed society should be made along the lines of this phrase if not stated as Christian per say. This quote I shared is important because it is the meeting of the minds between a man who was the voice of the French resistance and the conscious of the French Declaration of Rights with the mind of the leader of the New Deal and proponent of the Second Bill of Rights. Most importantly, this plea was an imposition of the view that America's destiny was to be the leader in human rights of the entire globe. One can only imagine that Roosevelt read the words of this awkward idealist and that it touched his heart and also coincided with the spirit of the Economic Bill of Rights which was Roosevelt's legacy and dream for the American people at the end of his tenure. We have certainly come a far way from Roosevelt with the passing of Universal Health Care by President Obama and other social programs which contribute to the American Dream of meritocracy, but we still have not fulfilled the ‘Plea for Liberty' by Bernanos to create a society that doesn't just adopt the vocabulary of human rights, but places the notion of human dignity on a pedestal so it may act upon the consciousness of the globe. So Bernanos has one request, that American leaders and politicians say to their public in times of struggle:“We do not ask them to line up respectively behind us; we implore them to go before us, to show us the road.”Bernanos always believed the day would come.In a similar fashion President Barack Obama echoes the same spirit, as a man of change, hope, and responsibility, of this kindred soul:"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

Lived from 1888-1948 Christian Writer, Political Agitator, Whistleblower, WWI Soldier, and Human rights defenderThe French Catholic Novelist and Thinker Georges Bernanos was not just a free man, but he was indeed a man of the people, the greatest representation of France's coinciding spirit of liberty. For Bernanos, writing was indeed a transformative process for him and was emblematic of "individualism without selfishness," a value he wanted to proliferate among his entire audience so people do not merely settle to work out their own salvation without helping others. He was certainly a man with one foot in the past and another in the future, represented by his place as a man of the "Declaration of Rights" a true explosion of hope as well as being a prophetic visionary of the crisis of conscience and civilization that was occurring and just what it was ultimately going to become. Bernanos knew that there was a conspiracy against the inner life of man, on conscience. Moreover, Bernanos knew all too well that to combat the negatives of legality, obedience, and conformity, man needed to take risks in the name of hope and freedom throughout history. Similar to Indian spiritualist Osho, Bernanos echoed the notion that in the Age of Aquarius saints are meant first and foremost to be our friends, something he articulated in one of his last essays. As a man of common sense and reason, Bernanos was not only against systems and placing a constitution on his conscience, but he also understood the importance of the Bill of Rights to protecting individual liberty. Moreover, Bernanos, like Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, knew that constitutions can only truly function with the spirit of man and spirit of liberty (when there are enough free thinking persons in society willing to live up to the aspirations of liberty). 

As Malcolm X evolved throughout his entire life, he stood for self reliance, black nationalism, dignity, and equality for all human beings. Malcolm X knew the power of solidarity through an international coalition to defeat the evils of imperialism which underlined racist institutions throughout the world. He sought to bridge the psychological gap that the underclass, especially black people, needed to overcome to take ownership of their future and transcend their second class status in America. If indeed the union won the civil war, why hasn't there been an end to white supremacy and a proliferation of equity, diversity, and inclusion throughout the south? Malcolm X was aware of the power of the people to redefine the inequities in every generation because as a self made man who knew all too well the history of political revolution and independence from the Enlightenment era all the way up to the 20th century. Was the constitution and bill of rights only meant to really apply to rich white landowning protestant men? How has Malcolm X redefined this notion to include blacks and other citizens normally relegated to lower status? How must we learn from Malcolm X to redefine who we are in every generation inline with the aspirations of what America was meant to become, a land of immigrants?Malcolm X understood the power of education too 'free people's mind' from mental poverty and mental colonialism, to finally put an end to the heavy conditioning of poor people throughout the world. Like other luminaries and social reformers of the 20th century, Malcolm X didn't merely study the literature and history, he also put the theory into practice to enlighten the public to the schemes and evil machinations of 'the powers that be' and empower the people to stand up for their rights through active agency to awake people from their complacency like few other men could do. Malcolm X recognized that throughout America there are poor communities that no politicians are accountable too. This results in the creation of voiceless poor communities throughout America that are disenfranchised in a never ending cycle of poverty and neglect. Throughout the world, there are contingencies of disillusioned people yearning for social development and political empowerment to awake them from their complacencies. Malcolm X was on the verge of doing just that in much of North Africa and the Middle East. It's our duty to finish the job. Are we better off today than in the past? Are our politicians accountable to us today or are we accountable to them? What would Dr. King and Malcolm X says about the state of politics in today's society? How can Liberty, Fraternity, Equality, and Justice apply to all people today, not just white landowning men as was the original drafting? 

In this podcast, Sunny and Tinku discuss the impact and legacy of one of the greatest intellectuals of common sense, self determination, equality, dignity, and self respect in the 20th century Malcolm X.Malcolm X through the power of persuasion and oratory built the nation of Islam and was at the pinnacle of forming an international coalition of African and Middle Eastern nations to transform the issue of civil rights into human rights by bringing the issue of segregation/second class citizenship to the United Nations. Being a self made man, Malcolm was an icon representing the tidal wave of political independence and revolution occurring in the global south as well as the aspirations of Afro Americans in America seeking a better life than their forefathers who were condemned to a life of obscurity, disempowerment, and discrimination normally relegated to the underclass of any society. Malcolm X miraculous rise to stardom in the Nation Islam was met with both praise and approbation by those in his community as well as outside forces hell bent on seeing his platform smashed to pieces. He excited millions of black and brown people across the world to strive for political freedom, social cohesion, economic independence, cultural reform, and justice. Along with Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he gave an inherent meaning of egalitarianism to the Civil rights struggle, but in many ways he transcended the normal perspective of what it meant to be black in America. If as one of the greatest writers of the Civil rights era James Baldwin said, "There is no system of reality for black people in America," Malcolm X may very well have transformed this notion into one of cultural achievement in outlook that even though may not be triumphant is forever imbedded in the collective conscious of blacks and all oppressed people around the globe. For as Malcolm X says "Truth is on the side of the oppressed."