Terrell J Starr Official

I sat down with Maksym Butkevych, a human rights activist who spent more than two years as a POW in Russian captivity. Hearing him describe the torture and starvation he endured was heartbreaking.What moved me most was Maksym's transformation—from a pacifist with no military experience to someone who took up arms to defend his homeland immediately after the Russian invasion. He fought bravely until he and his unit were captured in June 2022.During his captivity, Maksym was starved and fed stale food, like his fellow POWs. He thought he wouldn’t make it out alive. He was released in October 2024.Today, Maksym continues to advocate for war veterans, defend refugee rights, and push for a diverse, inclusive Ukraine.To watch the full interview go to www.youtube.com/@terrelljstarrofficialExecutive producer and host: Terrell J. StarrEditor and producer: Mike HullGuest: Maksym ButkevychSpecial Thanks: Philip Ittner and On The Edge studioFollow us on Instagram, Twitter and Blue Sky at @terrelljstarr. Support our work on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Terrelljstarr...#ukraine #ukrainewar #ukrainenews #trump

Regardless of how the talks in Alaska end between Russian President Vladimir Putin And U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian-American soldier Yaroslav Ponomarov believes it will not end in Ukraine’s favor. Yaroslav moved to Brooklyn with his parents when he was five and grew up American. But when Russia invaded his homeland he decided to return, join the military and fight the colonizers. He said his commander gave him some sage advice. ”’Let them play their games. We don’t have a choice but to play along,’ he recalls his superior officer advising him. ‘In a way it's good that Ukraine is playing along because it’s showing the rest of the world that Russia doesn't want peace.’”Dubbed as a “listening session,” Trump says any hopes for Ukraine to join NATO are off the table, but he’s open to offering Kyiv security guarantees once peace is brokered. However, virtually no one in Ukraine feels peace will follow Trump’s meeting with Putin. Go to Terrell J Starr Official on YouTube to see video of this interview!Executive producer and host: Terrell J. StarrEditor and producer: Mike HullGuest: Yaroslav PonomarovSpecial Thanks: Philip Ittner and On The Edge studioFollow us on Instagram, Twitter and Blue Sky at @terrelljstarr. Support our work on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Terrelljstarr...#ukraine #ukrainewar #ukrainenews #trump

Terrell was invited to be on a panel at the Hay Festival in Lviv in October. It's a wide ranging conversation that places the current war in the kind of historical context that is rarely a part of legacy media reporting. The work of Myroslav Shkandrij, professor emeritus at the Department of German and Slavic Studies, University of Manitoba, and author of Revolutionary Ukraine, 1917-2017: Flashpoints in History and Contemporary Memory Wars, prompted Ukrainians to reflect on serfdom as a form of slavery that existed in Ukrainian territory. Terrell Jermaine Starr is an American journalist and activist who writes about Ukraine, foreign policy and race. Chaired by Bohdana Romantsova, editor at Tempora Publishing House.

Have you heard of Project 2025? If not, you better learn fast. It's the GOP's 900-plus page conservative manifesto aimed at dismantling the federal government and the Democratic Party has no answer for it. Here to talk about 2025 is Anne Nelson, who read the entire document and is traveling the country to educate communities about the dangers that lie ahead if Trump wins in November. Host: Terrell Jermaine StarrGuests: Anne NelsonProducer: Mike HullSupport us financially!Venmo: @BlackDiplomats CashApp: $BlackDiplomatsPayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod About the guestAnne Nelson is a prize-winning journalist and author who has published extensive work on human rights and resistance to dictatorship. Her most recent book is Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right. She is a graduate of Yale University and a research scholar at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs.  Suggested readingHere is a Project 2025 breakdown in case you don't have time to read the whole document (Washington Spectator)Watch the Bad Faith documentary that delves into Project 2025 (interview with documentary filmmakers in Mother Jones)Project 2025 Is An Attack On Black People (The Seattle Medium) How a Second Trump Term Will Redefine Foreign Aid (Foreign Policy)

Do HBCU students care about what’s happening in Gaza? Of course they do, but there are some distinct social-economic factors that play a role in how Black kids who attend HBCUs are protesting—or, in many cases, not at all. Two-time HBCU president Dr. Walter Kimbrough joins the podcast this week to talk about how he’d handle some of the challenges HBCU presidents face when it comes to student protests regarding Gaza, the right-wing congressional attacks on college presidents over Israel, as well as Biden’s commencement speech at Morehouse and Xavier University’s rescinding U.S. UN Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield’s invitation to deliver the school’s commencement address. Host: Terrell Jermaine StarrGuests: Dr. Walter Kimbrough Producer: Mike HullSupport us financially!Venmo: @BlackDiplomats CashApp: $BlackDiplomatsPayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod About the guestA native of Atlanta, Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough was his high school salutatorian and student body president in 1985 and went on to earn degrees from the University of Georgia, Miami University in Ohio, and a doctorate in higher education from Georgia State University. He has enjoyed a fulfilling career in student affairs, serving at Emory University, Georgia State University, Old Dominion University, and Albany State University. In October of 2004, at the age of 37, he was named the 12th president of Philander Smith College. In 2012 he became the 7th president of Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and served for ten years. Both institutions are HBCUs.Kimbrough served as the interim executive director of the Black Men’s Research Institute at Morehouse College during the 2022-23 academic year. He was also named executive in residence for the University of Southern California Race and Equity Center. In early 2022 he was appointed by President Joseph Biden to the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs. 

This week, Black Diplomats Podcast speaks with Christopher Shell, a fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment. At Carnegie, Christopher’s work studies how Black Americans feel about foreign policy issues. We talked about how Black folks feel about Ukraine, Gaza and other foreign policy issues, based on his researchHost: Terrell Jermaine StarrGuest: Chris Shell Producer: Mike HullSupport us financially!Venmo: @BlackDiplomats CashApp: $BlackDiplomatsPayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod Patreon: patreon.com/blackdiplomatsRead Some of Christopher’s work The West Should Engage With Reparations for Slavery and Colonialism (World Politics Review) Most Black Americans Want a More Active U.S. Role in Ending the War in Gaza and Protecting Palestinian Lives (Carnegie Endowment) How Black Americans Feel About the Possible Use of Military Force in Ukraine and Taiwan (Carnegie Endowment) 

Today, I speak with two young Georgians under 30-years-old who have been hitting the streets every day in protest of their ruling government’s introduction of a “foreign agent” law that critics say will restrict the work of organizations and independent media that safeguard free and fair elections and other services that depend on foreign financial support. Read more about the controversial bill here.Ana Lazariashvili, 24 and Giorgi Vachnadze, 28, told Black Diplomats that it has mostly been young people who’ve been facing off aggressive police officers that target them with tear gas and rubber bullets. Both Ana and Giorgi say they will continue protesting even if the bill is signed into law.Host: Terrell Jermaine StarrGuests: Ana Lazariashvili and Giorgi VachnadzeProducer: Mike HullSupport us financially!Venmo: @BlackDiplomats CashApp: $BlackDiplomatsPayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod About the guestsAna Lazariashvili and Giorgi Vachnadze are young Georgians who have been protesting for a European future for their country.More on this topic:Georgian Opposition See Opportunity in Tbilisi Protests (Black Diplomats Newsletter)

This week, I spoke with two Ukainians who support Palestine and why they feel it is important for their countrymen and women to understand colonialism in other parts of the world. Rita Adel, a humanitarian analyst, and Vladyslav Starodubtsev, a socialist leader and historian, and I talked about Ukrainian socialism, what progressives in the west don’t get about Ukraine and NATO and why Ukrainians aren’t privileged because they are “white.”Host: Terrell Jermaine StarrGuests: Rita Adel and Vladyslav Starodubtsev Producer: Mike HullSupport us financially!Venmo: @BlackDiplomats CashApp: $BlackDiplomatsPayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod About the guestsVladyslav Starodubtsev is a left-wing Ukrainian activist and historian. He specializes in the history of Central Eastern Europe. Rita Adel, a humanitarian analyst. Rita is both of Ukrainian and Palestinian origin, having lived in Ukraine and Jordan. Currently based in Amman.

Warning: This week’s episode will focus on sexual violence committed by Russian soldiers. Reader, listener and viewer discretion is advisedThis week, I talk about Ukrainian civilians who survived sexual assault from Russian troops during the war. Ukraine is investigating  nearly 300 cases of sexual assault, but that number is likely much higher. Today, I am talking with Nadiia Volchenska, co-founder of the Sylni foundation, which was founded soon after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 202s to support survivors of sexual assault. Translating for Nadiia is Vira Stadnyk - communications manager at the Sylni Foundation. FINANCIALLY SUPPORT Sylni’s work here.Host: Terrell Jermaine StarrGuest: Nadiia VolchenskaProducer: Mike HullSupport us financially!Venmo: @BlackDiplomats CashApp: $BlackDiplomatsPayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod Patreon: patreon.com/blackdiplomatsRead about this subject Reparations to be paid to survivors of wartime sexual violence in Ukraine (The Guardian)Ukrainian survivors of sexual violence, torture say country will have to share burden of their trauma (CBC)Exclusive: Ukraine accuses Russian snipers of abusing child, gang raping mother (Reuters) 

This week’s episode is about the ongoing protests in Georgia in response to the country’s ruling political party, Georgia Dream, moving forward with its “foreign agent.”Officially titled “On the Transparency of Foreign Influence," the bill, if passed into law, would require organizations in the country receiving more than 20% of their funding from overseas to register as “foreign agents” or face large fines. Protesters say it is similar to laws spearheaded in Russia by Vladimir Putin.Here this week to talk about the protests and why the bill is driving so many people to the streets around Georgia is Katie Shoshiashvili, Senior Corruption Researcher at Transparency International Georgia, who focuses on democracy reporting and research on democratization in the EU's Eastern Partnership region. Host: Terrell Jermaine StarrGuest: Katie ShoshiashviliProducer: Mike HullSupport us financially!Venmo: @BlackDiplomats CashApp: $BlackDiplomatsPayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod Patreon: patreon.com/blackdiplomatsLinks to read about this subject:Georgia presses on with Putin-style ‘foreign agent’ bill despite huge protests (CNN)2024 Is a Year of Opportunity for Georgia (National Interest)Georgians Call for Ex-Leader's Release on Revolution Anniversary (VOA)Georgians dream of EU membership as their leaders move closer to Putin (The Guardian)

#ukraine #russia #putin #warinukraine #blackdiplomats #ukrainianhistory #history #harvard Terrell J. Starr spoke with Havard Professor of Ukrainian History Serhii Plokhii about Putin’s obsession with fake Ukrainian history, Ukrainian resistance against Russian colonialism, Stepan Bandara, fighting Kremlin disinformation and more.Host: Terrell Jermaine StarrGuest: Serhii PlokhiiProducer: Mike HullSupport us financially!Venmo: @BlackDiplomats CashApp: $BlackDiplomatsPayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod Patreon: patreon.com/blackdiplomatsTime stamps00:00: Welcome03:15: Mental Health Check-In10:40: Teaching Ukrainian History At Harvard 15:32: Putin's Fake Ukrainian History20:08: Similarities between Putin and Trump26:00: Ukrainian Resistance Against USSR31:40: Stepan Bandera 43:40: Russification Of Ukraine49:20: How 2014/2022 Invasions Changed Ukraine

#crimea #crimeantatars #ukraine #russia #ukrainianhistory #historyTerrell spoke with Tamila Tasheva, the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea about liberating Crimea, human rights violations on the peninsula, Crimean history and what people get wrong about what’s happening there. Host: Terrell Jermaine StarrGuest: Tamila TashevaProducer: Mike HullSupport us financially!Venmo: @BlackDiplomats CashApp: $BlackDiplomatsPayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod Patreon: patreon.com/blackdiplomatsTime Stamps00:00:Welcome00:51: Mental Health02:28: Who are Crimean Tatars?05:15: How Ukraine Monitors Crimea During Occupation 14:14: Human Rights Violations Against Crimean Tatars19:40: Disinformation Over Crimea28:38: What Happens To Transferred Russians In Liberated Crimea 31:25: Why Khrushchev Transferred Crimea To Ukraine35:28: Crimean Liberation Will Happen41:50: Message To House Speaker Mike Johnson

#ukraine #russia #putin #zelensky #warinukraine #blackdiplomatsTerrell J. Starr spoke with Ukrainian security expert Maria Avdeeva about Russia’s ongoing missile attacks against civilian targets, Germany’s reluctance to send Taurus missiles, why Russia doesn’t want peace, her own work documenting war crimes and so much more.Host: Terrell Jermaine StarrGuest:. Maria AdveevaProducer: Mike HullSupport us financially!Venmo: @BlackDiplomats CashApp: $BlackDiplomatsPayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod Patreon: patreon.com/blackdiplomatsTime stamps00:00: Welcome01:30: Mental Health Check-In07:30: Why Russia Targets Civilians10:35: Russia Doesn't Want Peace23:14: Attacks On Ukrainian Energy System 27:20: Why Ukraine Won't Stop Fighting 32:40: Ukrainian Military Surprised The World46:10 Why Germany Won't Provide Taurus Missiles 58:20: Russian Opposition01:04:34: Documenting War Crimes

#ukraine #blackdiplomats #foreignpolicy #un #unitednations #nobelprize Terrell Jermaine Starr speaks with Ukraine’s first Nobel Peace Prize Winner Oleksandra Matviichuk about her work as a war crimes documentor, the broken United Nations system, why it’s not possible to have peace with Russia and building solidarity with Africans and Palestinians. Host: Terrell Jermaine StarrGuest:. Oleksandra Matviichuk Producer: Mike HullSupport us financially!Venmo: @BlackDiplomats CashApp: $BlackDiplomatsPayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod Patreon: patreon.com/blackdiplomatsTime stamps00:00: Welcome01:22: Mental Health Check-In02:43: Path to Nobel Prize09:09: Putin's Genocide Against Ukraine12:55: Hopes For Palestinian and Ukrainian Solidarity22:00: Making "Peace" With Russia25:00: Maidan CIA Coup Myth 27:28: Ukraine's Democracy Since 2014

I spoke with Christopher Shell and Nola Haynes about Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats, why Black people should care about foreign policy, Andrew Tate’s arrest, uncommitted voter movement and more.Host: Terrell Jermaine StarrGuests: Christopher Shell is a fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Nola Haynes is a national security and foreign affairs analyst. Producer: Mike HullSupport us financially!Venmo: @BlackDiplomats CashApp: $BlackDiplomatsPayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod Patreon: patreon.com/blackdiplomatsTime stamps:00:00: Welcome01:48: Mental Health Check-In05:55: Putin's Latest Nuclear Strike Threat 15:20: Black People and Foreign Policy32:36: Biden's Response To Gaza44:04: Romania To Extradite Andrew Tate To UKWatch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZY3_2uQzzrU

#ukraine #russianinvasion #foreignpolicy #trump #natoThis week, Terrell Starr and Ukrainian journalist Olga Tokariuk discuss how Ukrainians are reacting to the possibility of Trump winning the U.S. election, her curiosity over Black support for Trump, NATO’s relationship with its Eastern European members and her trip to South Africa that convinced her Ukraine needs to build solidarity ties with Africa. Host: Terrell Jermaine StarrGuest: Olga Tokariuk Producer: Mike HullCheck us out on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@BlackDiplomatsOfficialSupport us financially!Support us financially on Venmo: @BlackDiplomats CashApp: $BlackDiplomats PayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod Patreon: patreon.com/blackdiplomatsTime stamp:00:00: Welcome00:50: Mental Health Check-In09:22: Ukraine and the 2024 Presidential Election27:00: How Ukrainians Can Build Solidarity With Africa43:36: Trump and Black Support

Terrell J. Starr and guest Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon discuss the second year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the African students who faced discrimination while fleeing the war, House Speaker’s Mike Johnson’s refusal to bring the U.S. Senate’s bill to the floor for a vote, how MAGA’s racism is blocking Ukraine military aid and Alexei Navalny’s death.Host: Terrell J. StarrGuest: Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon (Book her here)Producer: Mike HullSupport us financially on Venmo: @BlackDiplomats, CashApp: $BlackDiplomats, PayPal: https://paypal.me/blackdiplomatspod and Patreon: patreon.com/blackdiplomats  Time Stamps00:00: Welcome03:32: Mental Health Check-in04:08: Two-Year Mark of SECOND Russian Invasion of Ukraine08:57: African Students Who Fled the War 23:25: Mike Johnson Refuses Vote on Ukraine Aid44:20: Navalny’s DeathHow stalled U.S. aid for Ukraine exemplifies GOP’s softening stance on Russia (PBS)Foreign students fled Ukraine as war broke out. Some remain in limbo, while others fear deportation (CNN)More than 14 million people fled homes in Ukraine since Russia invasion: UN (Al Jazeera)Navalny's body returned to mother, spokeswoman says (BBC)

Greetings, everyone.  This week, I was a guest on Andrea Chalupa’s Gaslit Nation podcast, where we discussed Alexei Navalny’s death and how we should all be reflecting on it. This recording is from her most recent episode. We also talked about how New York State Attorney General Tish James and Fulton County  District Attorney Fani Willis are defending American democracy from Donald Trump’s attacks on our democratic institutions. Thanks for listening!Show notes:DEFIANT Fani Willis HITS BACK At Misconduct Claims In HEATED Testimony: ‘IT IS A LIE!’--Roland Martin Unfiltered (YouTube)Fani Willis’ testimony evokes long-standing frustrations for Black women leaders (AP)What we know about Alexei Navalny's death in Arctic prison (Reuters)Body of Alexei Navalny to be held for two weeks for 'chemical analysis', family told (BBC)We need to have a talk about Alexei Navalny (The Washington Post)

This week, we’re replaying our May 10 show about Palestine. We’re pretty sure you’re aware of the terrorist attacks Hamas committed against Israeli civilians October 7 and Israel’s response. What is making matters worse is the massive disinformation that is going around on social media. Twitter is a cesspool of disinformation, where even the best and most seasoned reporters are being tripped up by false accounts and videos.Black Diplomats wants to fight against the disinformation by resurfacing the May 10 episode we aired about Palestine.It features Palestinian human rights lawyer Diana Buttu and independent journalist Sharif Abdel Kouddous. We were talking about the then one-year anniversary of Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing, but we got into Israel’s apartheid government and why the West tolerates it.We hope this will add some much-needed context about what’s happening now. Thank you for listening and please stay safe.News articles:A timeline of Israel and Palestine’s complicated history (VOX)This Gaza war didn’t come out of nowhere (VOX)We cannot stand by and watch Israel commit atrocities (The Washington Post)Muslim members of Congress face spikes in death threats (NBC)Verified Accounts on Musk’s X Spread 74 Percent of Israel-Hamas War Misinformation (Rolling Stone)Who was behind the Gaza hospital blast – visual investigation (Channel 4)

The fifth and final episode of “Liberating Iran” features Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda. She talks about being Black in Iran and the racism she and other Black Iranians face under Tehran’s brutal theocracy. This episode is one of the few pieces of reporting that deals with the lives of Black Iranians in any meaningful way. There is pretty much no reporting on Black Iranians, but this episode does address some aspects of how they are experiencing the uprisings in Iran.You can learn more about Priscillia’s work at the Collective for Black Iranians, which may very well be the only place where you can learn about Black Iranians. Please support Black Diplomats! Give us 5 star ratings on Spotify, iTunes or wherever you listen to us. Also support our work financially on CashApp at $BlackDiplomats, Venmo @BlackDiplomats and on PayPal at paypal.me/BlackDiplomats.