Afeni Shakur On Trial: How To Get Away With Drapetomania (featuring MeLa Machinko)

In the midst of the Black Power movement of the 1960’s, the US government launched a campaign of terror against the Black Panther Party. In 1969, the NYPD raided the homes of multiple members. Twenty-one people (The Panther 21) were arrested, including Afeni Shakur. The young, expectant mother with no formal legal background, decided to act as her own counsel and represent herself during trial. Our very own Negro News Network reports on the astonishing trial of Afeni Shakur.

Drapetomaniax is created by Michael Harriot in collaboration between OtherTone, Sony Music Entertainment and Queer Media

This episode features:

Afeni Shakur    Mela Machinko

Special thanks to our voice actors:

Prosecutor    Andrea O’Brien Vives

Trudy Black    Patricia Wongeshi Kihoro

Baliff     Nasheema Webster

Customer    Noleca Radway

Advertisment VO   Rodrick Morrow

Advertisment Ad-lib   Sioban Anderson

Judge     Jason Vives

Ralph White    Charles Ouda

Drive-Thru Employee  Janicia Francis

Executive Producers Pharrell Williams, Scott Vener, Noleca Radway, and Moses Soyoola

Senior Producer Janicia Francis

Managing Producer JoAnn DeLuna

Production Coordinator Homero Radway

Production Assistant Gilianne Roberts-Atkinson

Writers Silas Miami, Dallas Rico, Roderick Morrow, Danielle Solomon and Randolph Terrence

Audio Engineer Marcellino van Callias

Fact checker LaPorsche Thomas

Music Supervisor  Patricia Kihoro

Theme Song  Freedom by Pharell Williams

Music featured in this episode include:

• Presidential by El Flaco Collective 
• Metal Under Tension by Hampus Naeselius
• Things that make you go Hmm by Roy Young
• Slick City Cruising by John Runefelt

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