Hard Knock reaches back to the voices of past freedom fighters and independent thinkers for words of wisdom and inspiration.
Democracy at Work is thrilled to support and proudly present to you The Build & Fight Formula! This groundbreaking multi-part educational series is designed to critically explore how to build eco-socialism from the ground up through the self-organized efforts of the working class and oppressed peoples. This presentation is presented in partnership with Rootwork. Build … Continued
On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sits down with award-winning tech journalist Karen Hao to unpack her book Empires of AI—a sweeping critique of how today’s AI boom concentrates power while eroding public agency. Hao traces OpenAI’s arc from a purportedly altruistic nonprofit to a profit-driven juggernaut shaped by the egos and ambitions of its … Continued
**Anti-Fascism in Portland: A Conversation with Luis Enrique Marquez** When the streets of Portland lit up between 2016 and 2020, the world saw nightly battles between protesters, far-right groups, and federal officers. But for longtime organizer and writer Luis Enrique Marquez, those years were less about spectacle and more about community defense. His new book, … Continued
In the wake of the campus-rally killing of Charlie Kirk—and the immediate media sanctification that followed—Hard Knock Radio host Davey D sat down with media critic and author Jennifer L. Pozner to connect the dots between shock headlines, corporate deals, and a chilling new phase of state pressure on speech. The conversation opened with Davey D framing the moment: … Continued
Hard Knock Radio marks the passing of Assata Shakur with a tribute anchored by former political prisoner, Black Panther, and Black Liberation Army member Dhoruba Bin-Wahad—her close friend and comrade. The conversation blends memory, movement history, and present-day geopolitics, and features the voice of Assata herself through archival excerpts: segments from the late journalist Gil … Continued
Jeff Chang joins Hard Knock Radio to break down his new book, Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America. We start with a truth many of us in Black and Hip-Hop communities feel instinctively: Bruce isn’t just “an Asian hero,” he’s a global underdog icon—postered up next to Ali and Marley, sampled and name-checked … Continued
On Hard Knock Radio, host Dave “Davey D” Cook sat down with Oakland-raised investigator and former CPRA executive director Mac Muir, co-author (with Greg Finch) of Cop Cop: Breaking the Fixed System of American Policing. The conversation moves from New York’s entrenched resistance to oversight to Oakland’s imperfect but real gains, and lands on practical reforms that could … Continued
In this powerful and timely conversation, Dr. Akinyele Umoja joins us to discuss The Memoirs of Robert and Mabel Williams: African American Freedom, Armed Resistance, and International Solidarity. Umoja, a scholar of African American history and co-editor of the memoirs, explores the legacy of Robert and Mabel Williams—radical Black freedom fighters who advocated for armed … Continued
Community activist Tony Coleman joins Davey D to discuss the trial of Johannes Mehserle, the former BART police officer convicted in the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant III. Coleman shares the community’s deep frustration and pain surrounding the trial and the broader issues of police violence and accountability. In a second audio clip, Coleman expresses … Continued
In this timely episode, Davey D speaks with civil rights attorney and author Alec Karakatsanis about his new book, Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News. Alec explains how police departments use strategic storytelling and media partnerships to shape public perception of crime, reinforce fear-based narratives, and justify inflated police budgets. The conversation … Continued
