Hard Knock Radio

Hard Knock Radio

4:00 PM PACIFIC TIME: MONDAYS - FRIDAYS

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. Hosts Davey D and Anita Johnson give voice to issues ignored by the mainstream while planting seeds for social change.

Hard Knock Radio

Its Not You, Its Capitalism: Malaika Jabali Breaks Down Economic Gaslighting, Black Liberation, and the Illusion of Wealth (ENCORE)

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On this episode of Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sat down with lawyer, journalist, and author Malaika Jabali to unpack her new bookIts Not You, Its Capitalism. Drawing on her legal background and years of political reporting,Jabalichallenges the myths surrounding capitalism and reframes our relationship to money, struggle, and systemic inequality. Jabali explains that … Continued

Hard Knock Radio

The State of Workers’ Rights

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On today’s show, we look at the state of workers’ rights in 2025 with Jennifer Esteen, a nurse and SEIU labor leader. Esteen reflects on the shifting landscape of labor rights in the U.S. and beyond—from new protections for workers in places like California, to the growing attacks on unions and collective bargaining nationwide. We … Continued

Hard Knock Radio

Hurricane Katrina 20 Years Later

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On today’s show, we mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with journalist and organizer Jordan Flaherty. Flaherty, who has reported extensively from New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast, reflects on the storm’s devastating impact and the decades-long struggle for recovery and justice that followed. We look at how communities—especially Black, working-class, and immigrant … Continued

Hard Knock Radio

Build and Fight Formula 7 for Self-Defense

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Today on Hard Knock Radio we bring you a special edition of Rootwork on KPFK, Thandi Chimurenga of Black Liberation Media sat down with Kali Akuno of Cooperation Jackson to discuss bold strategies for grassroots survival and resistance. Part of the ongoing Build and Fight Formula series, their conversation explored the urgency of self-defense in … Continued

Hard Knock Radio

Progressive Victories and America’s War on the Poor

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On today’s program, Thandisiwe Chimurenga hosts a conversation with Dylan Rodríguez, scholar, teacher, and longtime organizer. Rodríguez has been a professor at the University of California, Riverside since 2001, where he teaches in the Department of Black Study. His work interrogates state violence, policing, and the carceral system while amplifying collective strategies of resistance and … Continued

Hard Knock Radio

ACLUs Emerson Sykes on Book Bans, Free Speech, and Government Overreach (Encore)

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Fighting Back Against Censorship On this episode of Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sits down with Emerson Sykes, senior staff attorney at the ACLU, to unpack the growing wave of book bans and attacks on free speech sweeping across the U.S. The conversation spotlights the federal governments removal of nearly 600 books”includingCant Stop Wont … Continued

Hard Knock Radio

Fresh for School and Free Them All: CURYJ’s Town Nights & Mumia Abu-Jamal Speaks

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On today’s show, we begin with Frankie Ramos, Director of Campaigns and Organizing at CURYJ (Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice), joined by Mike Muscadine, Community Peace Manager. They share details about this Saturday’s Town Nights event, themed “Fresh for School.” The gathering continues CURYJ’s work to build safety through community, not punishment, with resources, … Continued