3.28.2023 The Political activist who introduced America to Mandela's struggle

Today on ST we recall Randall Robinson who died on March 24th at 81 years old. It was just last week on ST that I played a clip of Randall Robinson during a show focused on Haiti. Randall Robinson was the founder of TransAfrica, he led the organization from its founding in 1977 until 2001. During his tenure there he led protests opposing the SA apartheid regime, thousands were arrested during these protests including notables such as Stevie Wonder.

And when President Aristide was deposed in the 1991 US coup vs his Presidency of Haiti, Randall went on a hunger strike in protest and to demand Aristide’s return and for asylum for refugees fleeing Haiti following the coup. He also strongly opposed yet another US backed coup vs Aristide which took place this time in 2004 on the anniversary of the Haitian Revolution. Randall, alongside Maxine Waters and others in tandem with a massive grassroots movement on the ground in Haiti, worked tirelessly for Aristide’s return to Haiti. He was the author of several books including “The Debt: What America Owed to Blacks”.

Today we will share the words of Randall Robinson taken from speeches he gave on Haiti including from events at Marcus Books, a Black owned bookstore in Oakland California. These speeches are not generally known, and we want to thank Marcus Books for allowing us to share this sound with you.