On this edition of Hard Knock Radio, we speak with Cornelius Moore about the groundbreaking documentary Black Rio! Black Power!, a powerful look at Brazil’s Black consciousness movement and the role soul music played in resistance, identity, and liberation. The film explores the Black Rio movement of the 1970s and 1980s, when massive dance parties in Rio de Janeiro became spaces for political awakening, cultural pride, and organizing against racism and dictatorship in Brazil.
Later in the program, we turn our attention to Backtalker by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, the pioneering scholar who coined the term “intersectionality.” In this deeply personal memoir, Crenshaw reflects on the experiences that shaped her groundbreaking work on race, gender, power, and the law. The book traces her journey from growing up in Canton, Ohio, to becoming one of the leading voices in critical race theory and Black feminist legal scholarship.
Backtalker blends memoir, political analysis, and social critique, examining the backlash against teaching race and inequality in America while reaffirming the importance of confronting systems of oppression. Through personal stories and historical reflection, Crenshaw challenges listeners and readers alike to think critically about democracy, justice, and whose voices are allowed to be heard.
Hard Knock Radio is a drive-time Hip-Hop talk show on KPFA (94.1fm @ 4-5 pm Monday-Friday), a community radio station without corporate underwriting, hosted by Davey D and Anita Johnson.