Atlanta organizers host Black Radical Organizing Conference
Atlanta, GA – Hundreds of Black organizers from across the country convened in Atlanta, June 23-25, for the “National Black Radical Organizing Conference” organized by Community Movement Builders. With the theme of “Unity in Our Lifetime,” the conference linked the struggle for self-determination to the Pan-African movement, uniting organizers both old and new around the demand for Black liberation in our lifetime.
During opening remarks and libations, Mama Efia Nwangaza, an elder and leader in the movement said, “When I come here, I see so many of you, with big hair and big hearts. I feel like I can rest easy that the movement is going to go forward when my journeys over.”
Panel discussions ranged from fighting back against political repression to the role and impact of younger organizers within the movement. One panel was dedicated to the New Afrikan movement and covered the release of Jalil Muntaqim – a political prisoner, former member of the Black Panther Party and a founding member of the national Jericho Movement. Muntaqim was released in 2020 after spending nearly 50 years in prison. He spoke about the fight for national liberation and said, “the world will never be free until we are free”, uniting the struggle for Black liberation within the U.S. and the fight for liberation of oppressed nations across the globe against U.S. imperialism.
The conference ended with organizers, fighters and revolutionaries reinvigorated and ready to continue the fight for liberation in their respective cities. Addressing the younger activists in the crowd, Rafiki Morris, a member of the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party said, “Y’all gotta take the baton. Pick it up. Run. I ain't running with you but I'll meet you there. This is your responsibility to finish what we started.”