The recent death of Freddie Gray while in police custody in Baltimore, Maryland has, along with other similar incidents, put the spotlight on racism, discrimination, and police brutality in the United States. In today's edition of Interviews from Washington, host Jorge Gestoso discusses these issues with Marshall "Eddie" Conway, a former leader of the Black Panther Party in Baltimore. Conway talks about his own experiences growing up with racism in Baltimore , his participation in the Black Panther Party, and his frame up in the courts and imprisonment. At the same time, he argues that capitalism is at the root of the problem of poverty and racism and that the exploitation of people of color and their resources worldwide is what has enabled the United States to become the richest nation on Earth. Continuing with his class and economic analysis, Conway says racism persists because of the economic interests involved in perpetuating it, but at the same time the same conditions that hold back the African American communities also exist in the Latino communities and among poor Whites as well. He offers a radical critique of the Barack Obama presidency and U.S. hypocrisy on human rights and explains his admiration for Fidel Castro and Ernesto "Che" Guevara and their fight for a better world. teleSUR
