The Lives and Legacy of Martin Sostre (with Garrett Felber)

This week, we’re sharing an interview with Garret Felber, author of the book A Continuous Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Martin Sostre, which is due out May 5 from AK Press. Garret speaks about the life of Martin Soster, famed jailhouse lawyer who successfully won cases related to the constitutional rights of prisoners, was politicized in prison by the Nation of Islam in the 1950’s, ran radical Afro-centric bookstores in Buffalo NY to radicalize the youth, embracing anarchism during his time imprisoned on a frame up during which he was a celebrated political prisoner resisting cavity searches through the courts, went on to organize after his release for tenants rights and rehabilitating disused buildings for community centers and helping run a childcare. Sostre was a mentor to Lorenzo Komb’oa-Ervin and Ashanti Alston and laid important foundations for modern Black Anarchism in the US.

• Transcript
• PDF (Unimposed) – pending
• Zine (Imposed PDF) – pending

There’s a lot in here and we hope you enjoy the book and that the story inspires complex, creative and combative resistance to all forms of domination. The transcript for this chat is currently on the post and soon we’ll have a zine and pdf up on our zines page. A longer version of this chat can be found at our website: https://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org/post/2025/05/18/the-lives-and-legacy-of-martin-sostre-with-garrett-felber/

• MSI: https://www.martinsostre.com/
• Study and Struggle: https://www.studyandstruggle.com/
• Those Who Know Don’t Say: The Nation Of Islam, the Black Freedom Movement, and the Carceral State
• Free the Mississippi Five: https://www.studyandstruggle.com/ms5
• Free Society People’s Library: https://www.instagram.com/freesocietylibrary/
• Justice for Geraldine and Martin: https://www.instagram.com/justiceforgeraldineandmartin/
• In the Belly: https://www.bellyzine.net/
• In the Mix: https://inthemixprisonerpodcast.libsyn.com/
• video of JEEP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwmELJwEsk8

Some past episodes touching on Black anarchism:

• Black Autonomy Reader: https://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org/post/2024/09/29/mutt-on-the-incomplete-black-autonomy-reader/
• Ashanti Alston at ACAB2024: https://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org/post/2024/09/01/solidarity-spirituality-and-liberatory-promise-on-a-turtles-back-with-ashanti-omowali-alston/
• Matt Meyer on Kuwasi Balagoon: https://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org/post/2019/06/04/free-them-all-matt-meyer-on-kuwasi-balagoon/
• Lorenzo Kom’boa Ervin: https://thefinalstrawradio.noblogs.org/post/2013/04/03/memphis-organizes-against-police-and-the-kkk-a-conversation-with-lorenzo-komboa-ervin/
• William C Anderson (first & second)

Announcement

Kevin Rashid Johnson

From the SFBayView Newspaper:

Rashid was “compacted” on May 1 to the Perry Correctional Institution in South Carolina, 430 Oaklawn Rd., Pelzer, SC 29669. His ID number in South Carolina is 397279.

In the transit van, he was severely injured – probably a broken bone – in his left leg. He has not been given any treatment for it.

He is in solitary confinement, with only a concrete slab to sleep on. He can make only one phone call per week. A comrade is helping him get onto the “GTL Getting Out” app so that he can communicate with everyone.

Meanwhile, he has been on hunger strike since he got there. He lost 17 pounds during the first week.

He appeals for maximum publicity and pressure.

The phone numbers listed for the prison are: 864-243-4700 and 803-737-1752.

Make calls and spread the word. Kevin “Rashid” Johnson, ID number 397279, must be treated humanely, given good medical care and a decent place to sleep and allowed full access to communicate with his lawyers and supporters. Tell the authorities to meet his demands so he can end his hunger strike.

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Featured Track

• Standing At The Crossroad by Eddie and Ernie from Lost Friends

This week, an interview with Clifton Ariwakhete Nicholas and Franklin Lopez about about the film currently in production via Amplifier Films, A Red Road To The West Bank: An Indigenous journey of resistance and solidarity. The conversation covers some about relationships between the people of occupied Palestine and Kanehsatà:ke in so-called Canada, histories of settler colonialism and resistance of it.

Franklin also talks about his recently published kids book “The mega-adventures of Koko Sisi & Kiki Pupu” that he co-created with his son.

Then, you’ll hear Črna Luknja from Radio Študent in Ljubljana, Slovenia, with an interview about the upcoming Balkan Anarchist Bookfair with organizers of the upcoming Balkan Anarchist Bookfair that will take place from May 15-18^th, 2025 in Thessaloniki. More information, the call and the program for the bookfair can be found at BAB2025.espivblogs.net/. This interview was featured in the April 2025 episode of B(A)D News: Angry Voices from Around The World. More info on that project and it’s participants can be found at a-radio-network.org

Links:

• Karistatsi Onienre: The Iron Snake (film by Clifton)
• Elsipogtog: No Fracking Way! (film by Clifton)
• Trouble #1: Killing The Black Snake (narrated by Clifton)
• Anarcho-Indigenism: Conversations on Land and Freedom (Clifton contributed an essay)
• A 2011 interview with Franklin we conducted
• Franklin’s interview with Clifton on the Mi’kmaq Warrior Society and Oka
• Mahmoud Darwish’s poem, The Penultimate Speech of the Red Indian to the White Man

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Featured Track:

• L’enfant Sauvage by Gojira from L’enfant Sauvage

Did you miss it? Then catch the replay of what’s going on during Asheville Beer week on the archive section of Asheville FM and look for the May 13th “B Sides, Brews and Blues” show.

Mark your calendar for the YouTube premier of the Bouncie House tomorrow night! Pre-recorded from Heavener, Oklahoma out of a VW van!

Link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDL17gVXBVY

This week, we’re sharing two segments.

First up, an interview with Angel, an ICE detainee currently incarcerated in Otero Detention Center in New Mexico. Angel is a trans-masculine lesbian of Mapuche heritage, whose family moved hir to the US from Chile at the age of 7 and has lived undocumented since, attaining DACA status under Obama. During the 2020 George Floyd Uprising she pled guilty to charges related to arson of police vehicles in Little Rock, serving 15 months before moving to Chicago and where she was detained by ICE. Approaching 30 years old, the majority of which has been in the so-called USA, Angel made the hard choice to waive the right to fight deportation and has been in detention centers since on her way to being sent to Chile to join her mother and family now living there.

For three quarters of an hour, Angel speaks about conditions at Prairieland and Otero detention centers, the conditions of her fellow prisoners, the hurdles they face in access to healthcare, quality food, clean facilities, legal resources, access to communications with their families, ability to communicate needs and demands with staff and guards who only speak English, and other topics. Check our show notes for a link to her go fund me, and some other interviews she’s given during detention.

If you want to learn more about 2020 Uprising prisoners (from 2022 & 2023), you can find our interview with one of the people running the website UprisingSupport.org

Following Angel we’re sharing an interview by Crna Luknja from this month’s episode of BAD News: Angry Voices From Around The World about social centers and squatting in Portugal with members of Disgraca collective, a 10 year old social center fundraising to buy it’s location. Check our show notes for pertinent links.

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Featured Track:

• Óyeme by Ana Tijoux from Vida

This week – join DJSmittymon  as he welcomes Jesse Valcich of the band “Strictly Liquid” on the Positive Vibes’ Early Morning Music Sessions..  Happening this Tuesday, May 6th, 2025 – starts around 9am..               tune in / turn it up!..  enjoy…   smittymon

Jesse will be performing live in the studio and talking about their new music / single (Eye-Opened Man), latest tour,  upcoming shows and much more..  ..

ABOUT THE ARTIST:  Strictly Liquid

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