Caribbean Thought 2026 Lecture Series: Welcome and Introduction

Faith, Healing and Prayer, Featuring Bishop Lipton McKenzie

"Time with God is wealth". That's according to Bishop Lipton McKenzie who had a conversation with me about the power of prayer and shared a testimony about a woman in his church who blind and whose sight was restored. Bishop McKenzie is the Pastor of the National Church of God, Washington Park Florida. This is a production of The Neoliberal Round, part of The Neoliberal Corporation. Visit us at https://theneoliberal.com and Https://renaldocmckenzie.com Donate to us at: https://donate.stripe.com/7sYcN48uybAA2OEb9V93y06

Life is What You Make It or Allow Others To Make Of It For You

I have written and come to a realization, which has become a motif of sorts for me. Perhaps “motif” is not the perfect word, but it returns again and again. Nevertheless, I have written and come to the realization that life is about people and how people relate to one another. Yet life is what you make it, or allow others to make of it for you. I have come to discover that reality. Kierkegaard once said, “Once you label me, you negate me.” Hmmm? This is a profound point. This echoes true then, that life is about people and how people relate, yet life is what you make it or allow others to make of it for you. We are talking about the dynamics of it. Yet we are caught in a dynamic. The life that we have created is one that involves a dynamic—a dynamic that affects the relationship that exists between people based on one’s position. Yes. But nevertheless, life—and so therefore, it becomes true then—that life is about people and how people relate. Yet life is what you make it, or make of it, or allow others to make of it for you. So the dynamic that you are in is a creative space. Yes? By who? By people themselves, who continue to make something of life that God has given us. God has given us life to make something of it. Life is to be lived. But how it is lived—you can either... you can either live it, or live in it, or live the life others want you to live. And I said, life is about people and how people relate. Yeah. Life is what you make it. What you make it. Or life is what you make it, or allow others to make of it for you. Others. I mean, I want to be a thermostat, not a thermometer. What about you? Rev. Renaldo C. McKenzie is the Author of the Neoliberalism Book Series. Book 1: Neoliberalism, Globalization, Income Inequality, Poverty and Resistance, 2021 Book 2: Neoliberal Globalization Reconsidered, Neo-Capitalism and The Death of Nations (Out in 2026) Visit us at Https://theneoliberal.com, https://renaldocmckenzie.com

“Cleaner, Greener Philadelphia” — But at Chester’s Expense?

In this special two-part conversation on The Neoliberal Round Podcast, Dr. Nolan Fontaine joins Renaldo McKenzie to discuss two urgent struggles unfolding in America today: environmental justice in Chester, Pennsylvania, and the fight for Indigenous recognition and visibility. In Part 1, (this episode) Dr. Fontaine discusses the growing movement opposing Philadelphia’s practice of sending its trash to Chester to be burned at the Reworld/Covanta incinerator — one of the largest incinerators in the United States. He speaks about the recent protest at Mayor Cherelle Parker’s budget meeting in West Philadelphia, allegations surrounding political and corporate interests, the health impacts on Chester residents, and why activists describe the situation as environmental racism. The conversation explores decades of organizing by Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL), community resistance, youth activism, and the broader struggle over power, pollution, and accountability. In Part 2, which is scheduled to release on Memorial Day, May 24th, Dr. Fontaine shifts to his role as President of the Urban Indian Heritage Society (UIHS), where he discusses updates surrounding the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and its movement toward federal recognition as the 757th federally recognized tribe in America. The discussion explores Indigenous identity, urban Indigenous communities, cultural survival, political recognition, and the importance of visibility in a society that often treats Native peoples as relics of the past rather than living communities. This is a powerful conversation about resistance, identity, justice, survival, and the communities America too often ignores. Dr. Nolan Fontaine is a member of the CRCQL and is the Coordinator of the YouTh Arm. Dr. Nolan is also the President of the Urban Indian Heritage Society. Dr. Nolan Fontaine is also a brother of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Rev. Renaldo McKenzie is the Creator and Host of The Neoliberal Round and The Neoliberal Round YouTube Channel, Founder and President of The Neoliberal Corporation, and Author of Neoliberalism, Globalization, Income Inequality, Poverty and Resistance. Renaldo has a second book coming out soon entitled Neoliberal Globalization Reconsidered, Neo-Capitalism and The Death of Nations. Renaldo is a Professor in Caribbean Thought and is a Visiting Professor at the Jamaica Theological Seminary an international 4-year college in Religious Education and Social Work. Subscribe to The Neoliberal Round Podcast and visit The Neoliberal Journals for more interviews, commentary, and analysis. The Neoliberal Round is available on any stream. Find your stream at https://anchor.fm/theneoliberal. Visit The Neoliberal main site at https://theneoliberal.comor https://renaldocmckenzie.com. Renaldo's book is available at https://store.theneoliberal.com Donate to us at https://donate.stripe.com/7sYcN48uybAA2OEb9V93y06 Email us at info@theneoliberal.com.

Caribbean Thought 2026 Part 2: On Afrocentricity

This lecture was delivered on May 18th 2026by Rev. Renaldo McKenzie at Jamaica Theological Seminary to students in the Caribbean Thought course. Today we explored the concept of Afrocentricity and developing an Afrocentric Paradigm to the study of the Caribbean or o Caribbean Thought. Towards the end we reviewed the Course Outline.Notes:_________________I. Why This Inquiry MattersBefore we define these concepts, we must recognize one important point:Perspective shapes thought.The way we are taught to see the world determines how we understand history, religion, race, culture, and even ourselves. Caribbean societies emerged out of colonization, slavery, displacement, and resistance. Therefore, many of the ideas we inherit about civilization, morality, religion, and identity are rooted within colonial structures.The Caribbean person often lives within competing worlds:• African heritage, • European institutions, • Christian theology, • colonial education, • and postcolonial realities. Thus, Caribbean Thought requires critical examination of the foundations of knowledge itself.________________II. Defining Key Terms1. AfrocentricityAccording to Molefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama, Afrocentricity is a way of seeing and interpreting the world from the perspective of African people as subjects rather than objects of history.Afrocentricity seeks to:• center African agency, • restore African humanity, • reclaim African history, • and cultivate what Dr. Mazama calls a “consciousness of victory” rather than perpetual oppression. Afrocentricity does not necessarily reject other cultures. Rather, it insists that African people have the right to define themselves and interpret reality from their own historical and cultural experiences.In simple terms:Afrocentricity asks: What happens when African people become the center of their own narratives instead of existing only through European interpretations?ConclusionToday’s lecture introduced the conceptual foundations for our study of Caribbean Thought.We examined:• Afrocentricity, • Afrocentrism, • Eurocentrism, • ethnocentrism, • colonialism, • and the Afrocentric Paradigm. We also explored how colonial consciousness continues to shape Caribbean identity, religion, culture, and historical understanding.Next week, we will move into African civilizations and early African contributions to world history as we continue developing an African-centered understanding of Caribbean identity and consciousness.Bibliography / Source ListMolefi Kete Asante. Afrocentricity: The Theory of Social Change. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 1988.Ama Mazama. “The Afrocentric Paradigm: Contours and Definitions.” Journal of Black Studies 31, no. 4 (2001): 387–405.Frantz Fanon. The Wretched of the Earth. Translated by Richard Philcox. New York: Grove Press, 2004.Edward Said. Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books, 1978.W. E. B. Du Bois. The Souls of Black Folk. Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co., 1903.Marcus Garvey. Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey. Edited by Amy Jacques Garvey. Dover Publications, 1986.Bob Marley. Selected interviews, speeches, and lyrics on African consciousness and Rastafari.Homi K. Bhabha. The Location of Culture. London: Routledge, 1994.Course Papers and Lecture MaterialsRenaldo McKenzie. “Presentation on Afrocentrism and Afrocentricity: How Does Sarah Balakrishnan Approach Afrocentrism and Afrocentricity?” Class Paper, Temple University, October 31, 2024.Renaldo McKenzie. “Reflection Paper: The Afrocentric Paradigm.” Temple University, September 10, 2024.Sarah Balakrishnan. “Afrocentrism Revisited: Africa in the Philosophy of Black Nationalism.” Souls 22, no. 1 (2020): 71–88.___________Renaldo is President of The Neoliberal Corporation, Author of Neoliberalism, Globalization, Income Inequality, Poverty and Resistance, and Lecturer at Jamaica Theological Seminary.JTS: https://jts.edu.jm The Neoliberal Corporation: https://theneoliberal.com

Foundational Black Americans

There's no such thing as "Foundational Black Americans", I explore this briefly on a podcast episode of The Neoliberal Round Podcast season 18, Episode 2.