Getting to the Root of it with Venus Roots

Aug 27 2024 37 ep. 54 mins 43
Getting to the Root of it with Venus Roots Podcast artwork

join niki franco (venus roots), a community organizer, writer, and facilitator of spaces for collective study, as she leans into conversations of radical truth-telling with artists, theorists, and organizers living in a world of rigid binaries and multiple truths. she navigates the urgency of solidarity, ancestral preservation, and dismantling systems of oppression that inform and deform our lives. @venusroots www.venusroots.com

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Audre Lorde and June Jordan's Black Feminism and Palestine, with Marina Magloire

Aug 27 2024 49 mins  
In this episode, Niki interviews Marina Magloire, Atlanta-based Black Feminism scholar, professor, and author of We Pursue Our Magic: A Spiritual History of Black Feminism. In this conversation, the two discuss the complicated relationship between two iconic queer Black feminist poets, Audre Lorde and June Jordan, and their opposing views on Zionism for the majority of their lives.

US Out of Korea, with Jamie Tyberg of Nodutdol

Jul 26 2024 39 mins  
In this episode, Niki interviews Jamie Tyberg, organizer with Nodutdol to discuss why the Korean War is so unknown amongst Americans, why there are "two" Koreas, the US' continued and increasing aggression against the Korean peninsula and what that means for the region and the rest of the world, why a ceasefire is not enough, and the fight for reunification of Korean families. Nodu

Why Is The US Calling China Imperialist Towards Africa? with Mikaela Nhondo Erskog

May 31 2024 50 mins  
In this episode, Niki interviews Mika Erskog, South African researcher with Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and host of the podcast The Crane: An Africa-China Podcast Dongsheng Collective. They discuss the relationship between China and the African continent, while dispelling the accusations that China is "imperialist," and what young progressive people in Africa are

Why Is The US Smearing Mexico's President, with Kurt Hackbarth

May 06 2024 54 mins  
In this episode, Niki interviews journalist Kurt Hackbarth, the two discuss Mexico's upcoming historic election, why the US insists on smearing the Mexican president with media lies, and how the future of Mexico has major impacts across the Latin America and the globe. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Why Mass Protests Don't Equate to Revolution, with Vincent Bevins

Apr 19 2024 57 mins  
In this episode, Niki interviews acclaimed journalist and author, Vincent Bevins. In this conversation, the two discuss the trend of mass protests across the globe often resulting in the opposite of what people were demanding in the streets in the first place. They weave the history of anti-communism, US-backed right-wing coups, the weaking and demobilization of leftist organizatio

The Legacy of Cuban Medical and Healthcare Solidarity, with Dr. Samira Addrey

Apr 08 2024 71 mins  
In this episode, Niki interviews Ghanian-American doctor, Dr. Samira Addrey, Graduate of the Latin American School of Medicine in Cuba. In this conversation, the two discuss the legacy of not only the Latin American School of Medicine, but how Cuba has managed to develop some of the world's best doctors, biotech innovations, and their commitment to medical solidarity, despite the U

Organized Labor, Unions, Strikes and Palestine, with Zaina Alsous

Feb 28 2024 51 mins  
In this episode, Niki interviews Palestinian labor organizer and author, Zaina Alsous, where the two discuss the history of Palestinian and Arab worker-led revolts, the significance of the largest US labor unions calling for an immediate ceasefire, and the limitations of our current ability to hold general strikes in the US and what is required to make this more possible. You can r

On Palestinian Resistance and Why the US Can't Win Wars, with Vijay Prashad

Jan 22 2024 48 mins  
In this interview, Niki interviews historian and journalist Vijay Prashad, where the two discuss the history of Palestinian resistance throughout Zionist occupation, why the US may have the power to destroy countries but cannot win wars, and where the seeds of hope lie in this revolutionary moment. Vijay Prashad is the Executive Director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Rese

Neither Democrats nor Republicans Save Us, So Now What? With PSL Presidential Candidate, Claudia De la Cruz

Oct 29 2023 46 mins  
"The lesser of two evils politic has not served working class people." In this interview, Niki interviews presidential candidate for PSL (Party for Socialism and Liberation), Claudia De la Cruz. The two discuss the unfolding crises in the US - unemployment, inflation, housing/rent crisis, climate collapse, the threat of war, among other issues and how both Democrats and Republicans

One Year Ago, I Went on Hiatus!

Jul 19 2023 67 mins  
In this episode, Niki is interviewed by their best friend and comrade, Sabrina Beydoun. Niki reflects intimately on what themes have been anchoring her this past year of sabbatical and hiatus - the challenges of what it means to leave home and build anew, being in a place of transition and uncertainty, and unprecedented personal challenges, while reckoning that the only path forwar