Independent since 2002 Issue No. 1102 Week of November 7, 2026 Get the free email dispatch →

Guest Commentator

Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute

BlackCommentator.com Guest Commentator, Sonali Kolhatkar is the host and producer of Uprising, a popular, daily, drive-time program on KPFK, Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles and co- director of the Afghan Women's Mission, a US-based non-profit organization that works with the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA).

100 pieces

Guest Commentary

False Narratives Shaping Government Spending Legislation

By Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute Guest Commentator

Those seeking to squeeze Americans while boosting corporate profits and the wealth of the richest few have for years poured resources into shaping a false narrative that people don’t want tax revenues to be used to pay for things that people need.

The unfolding drama over a legislative battle within the Democratic Party to pass a massive bill encompassing desperately needed social services has revealed the power of…

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Guest Commentary

Why Are Workers Quitting and Striking in Record Numbers?

By Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute Guest Commentator

A new Harris Poll of people with employment found that more than half of workers want to leave their jobs. Many cite uncaring employers and a lack of scheduling flexibility as reasons for wanting to quit. In other words, millions of American workers have simply had enough.

On September 14, a young woman in Louisiana named Beth McGrath posted a selfie Facebook video of herself working at Walmart. Her body language shows a…

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Guest Commentary

Facebook’s Quest for Profits: Paved With Hate and Lies

By Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute Guest Commentator

It isn't as though Facebook is selling hate because it has an agenda to destroy democracy. It's just that destroying democracy is not a deal-breaker when huge profits are at stake.

Facebook’s former employee Frances Haugen, in an interview on “60 Minutes,” explained to host Scott Pelley that the social media giant has conducted internal experiments that…

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Guest Commentary

Child Tax Credit: Why Are Conservative Democrats Trying To Stop It?

By Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute Guest Commentator

the Treasury Department issued a report admitting that “the existing child care system in the United States, which relies on private financing to provide care for most children… fails to adequately serve many families.”

American families have struggled for decades to make ends meet with wages simply not rising as fast as the cost of living and a government social…

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Guest Commentary

Ocasio-Cortez and Her “Tax the Rich” Dress Sparks Talk

By Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute Guest Commentator

she was aiming her message of higher taxation of the wealthy directly at the faces of those elites, with the press as witness.

New York’s Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s recent Met Gala dress caused a stir for sporting the bold message “Tax the Rich.” The progressive lawmaker, who is…

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Guest Commentary

With Texas Abortion Ban, Only Privileged Get Access to Reproductive Care

By Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute Guest Commentator

For too long, politicians relied on the Supreme Court to uphold the right to an abortion. Now that the Texas law has been allowed to take effect, its prime targets are low-income people of color.

Texas, with the help of conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, has made abortion all but illegal for most pregnant people living within state borders.…

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Guest Commentary

Trump Charges Obscure Bigger Story: How the Rich Legally Avoid Taxes

By Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute Guest Commentator

The far more scandalous punchline is that most elites need not resort to risky efforts such as tax fraud when such generous and perfectly legal giveaways are available.

After many months of anticipation and nearly three years of investigation, the Manhattan district attorney’s office has charged the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer…

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Guest Commentary

Making Juneteenth a Holiday Was Easy – Will Real Justice Follow?

By Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute Guest Commentator

Neither party appears to have the political courage to truly respect the idea of racial justice for Black Americans.

After the United States Senate and House in quick succession passed a federal bill to make “Juneteenth” a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery,…

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Guest Commentary

Do We Really Need Another Oil Pipeline?

By Sonali Kolhatkar, Independent Media Institute Guest Commentator

Pipelines leak. That fact is as inevitable as greenhouse gas emissions fueling climate change. The United States has the largest number of pipelines, both existing and planned, than any other nation on the planet.

A decades-old pipeline called Line 3, run by the Canadian company Enbridge, is in the midst of a controversial upgrade sparking fierce resistance from Indigenous communities…

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