San Jose, CA – Dozens of San Jose community members attended San Jose Against War’s educational mini-series for Black August, honoring Black resistance and liberation struggles around the world. The series consisted of two educational programs, one focusing on Haiti and the other focusing on the Confederation of Sahel States.

The educational event about Haiti was on August 24. Guest speakers from Haiti Action Committee gave a presentation covering an extensive history of Haiti from its colonial exploitation by Spain and France, to the current role that the U.S. has played in toppling progressive governments.

“[Haiti] is poor, but like many countries, it’s been made poor,” said Judith Mirkinson from Haiti Action Committee. “At the time when they overthrew the French, it was France’s richest colony in itself. It generated more wealth than all the other colonies. It’s estimated that like 20% of the French economy came from Haiti.”

“When we look at the situation in Haiti today, it has its genesis in the long history of colonialism, but specifically it has its genesis in the 2004 coup,” said Mirkinson, referring to the coup against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

“This was the most progressive government that Haiti ever had,” Mirkinson stated about Aristide’s time in office. “More schools were built in Haiti than in its entire history. He did literacy campaigns; he introduced hospitals and clinics.”

“Aristide was overthrown and a U.S.-UN occupation came in,” said Mirkinson. “The U.S., Britain, France, and Canada have bankrolled paramilitary death squads. This is a strategy to destroy society. They want the gold, they want minerals. They just want people to leave or die or whatever.”

On August 27, over two dozen community members gathered for the educational event about the Confederation of Sahel States, an anti-imperialist alliance between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The event featured guest speakers Inem Richardson of the All-African Women’s Revolutionary Union and the Thomas Sankara Center, and Akubundu Amazu Lott of the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party.

“The first coup that led to the Alliance of Sahel States happened in Mali in 2021,” said Richardson. “For several years before the coup happened there was this emerging budding anti-imperialist movement that kept growing. The people first called for the alliance. In July of last year, the three countries became the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States.”

“For the first time in a long time Burkina Faso is nationalizing its gold reserves,” stated Richardson. “Niger is nationalizing its uranium deposits. Africa’s largest solar power field is being built right now in Mali. It’s this massive transformation.”

“These countries ended a lot of different forms of collaboration with countries in the NATO bloc and started to move towards collaborating more with countries like Russia, Iran, China, Venezuela and Cuba,” Richardson continued. “Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger share a lot in common with these countries in terms of how they’ve been targeted by imperialists.”

“There are U.S. sanctions on Mali right now. The European Union is sanctioning Mali and Niger,” Richardson said. “The propaganda war is enormous, adding that Western media “has come down really hard against these three countries.”

“There’s been reports stating that AFRICOM, the U.S. military, now that it’s been chased out of Niger, is working to create a drone base in the Ivory Coast. The U.S. is trying to move to the border of the Alliance of Sahel States,” stated Richardson. “In this moment, we really need to focus on protecting and defending these revolutions.”

#SanJoseCA #CA #International #Haiti #Sahel #Africa #OppressedNationalities #HAC #AAWRU #AAPRP

Tacoma, WA – Community members gathered at the South Tacoma Library on Tuesday, February 25, for a “Black Liberation and Scientific Socialism” panel hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (AAPRP).

The program featured speakers from both organizations and lively discussion on the oppression faced by Black people in the U.S. and on the African continent, as well as the road ahead under the Trump administration.

“Under neocolonialism the masses toil under stagnant and worsening conditions but must produce substantially more,” said Terrence McCall of the AAPRP.

McCall gave a history of the development of Pan-Africanism, noting the contributions of leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois from the United States, and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana.

Next, Mathieu Chabaud of the FRSO presented on the history of the Black Liberation Movement in the United States. Drawing from the book Marxist-Leninist Perspectives on Black Liberation and Socialism by Frank Chapman, Chabaud started with an analysis of the economic driving forces behind the American Civil War, stating, “The reason the South lost was not because of the noble efforts of white abolitionists, but because 186,000 former slaves revolted in general strike and joined the Union Army.”

Chabaud continued with a history of Reconstruction in the South, and the development of the Black Belt thesis by Black communists such as Harry Haywood.

Lastly, Talison Crosby of the FRSO analyzed the continuation of the Black Liberation Movement into the 21st century and the tasks ahead for the people’s movements. “During the George Floyd Rebellion of 2020, something happened that had never happened before,” said Crosby. “Millions of people in all 50 states took to the streets. It was a Black-led uprising, but the majority of people who participated in it are not Black.”

“I remember hitting the streets during the uprising in 2020. I remember volunteering at the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,” said Gemini Gnull. “I’m a member of the Osage Nation. Full indigenous sovereignty and liberation for my people is not possible without socialism. And socialism in the United States is not possible without Black liberation. We’ve all got a common enemy. Black people and Indigenous people are natural allies in the fight against oppression.”

In general, attendees were angry about Trump’s attacks on the people and in agreement that a clear-eyed analysis of the conditions were necessary in order to achieve their political goals and defeat Trump’s agenda.

Concluding the event, Crosby quoted Frank Chapman: “As Frank says, ‘We stand in the rosy dawn of a new movement.’ It’s our responsibility to finally complete the unfinished revolution of the Reconstruction era. The tasks ahead are tremendous, but the future is certainly bright.”

#TacomaWA #WA #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #BlackHistoryMonth #FRSO #AAPRP #NAARPR

Tacoma, WA – Seventeen coalitions came together January 20, rallying hundreds of people at Fireman’s Park before taking to the streets to protest Trump’s inauguration on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

The coalition addressed a broad array of issues, including immigration, Palestinian liberation, Black liberation, worker’s rights, climate justice, and more. United under three core demands – an end to the attacks on the people, defeat Trump’s agenda, and resist U.S. imperialism – these allied forces marched in solidarity, demonstrating a powerful commitment of the peoples’ movements to resist in the coming years of Trump’s presidency. 

Organizer Miriam Barnett started her speech by stating, “We celebrate the greatness of MLK today and we stand together to vow to fight the evilness of Trump. We will never embrace the Trump agenda.” 

The roars of the crowd echoed the sentiment of resistance to this administration. Organizers also emphasized that their fight transcends any single administration. 

“We would be taking to the streets no matter the outcome of this election.” said Talison Crosby, a long-time organizer with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “The system gave us two rotten choices that resulted in a rotten outcome. Neither party represents the people.”

Terrance McCall, an organizer with the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party stated, “The attacks on the people will not come to an end by interventions made by the Democratic nor Republican Party, they will only be brought to an end by the power of the people.” McCall continued, The time is long overdue for us to unite as poor and working people, with the poor and oppressed of the world, to change every part of the production of the society from serving the interests of private wealth to serving the people. The people will be first.” 

Mylo Lang, a member of the International Association of Machinists Local 751, and a member of the Tacoma Democratic Socialists of America stated, “Trump has made his priorities more clear than most.” 

Lang continued, “When he promises to carry out a campaign of mass immigrant deportations, he threatens the most vulnerable workers among us, whose contributions to daily life so often go unrecognized. When he focuses so much of his rhetoric on cultural bogeymen, he shows how desperate he is to keep the working class divided and distracted.” 

Marilyn Kimmerling, a member of the Climate Alliance of the South Sound said, “We know the corporate ploy that is used to divide us - ‘Jobs versus environment’ - meaning you can’t have both, is a false choice. There are no jobs on a dead planet. And we know that everything is connected, so we stand with any progressive groups doing the work that needs to be done. Mutual aid, solidarity, community building, and working together may be the only way we can effectively fight the perils we now face.” 

When an enemy such as Trump is going to attack the people and escalate on all fronts, it is also necessary that people organize as such. This march met the moment by going from the sidewalks into the streets and occupying the busiest intersections in Tacoma.  

Participants chanted, “Up up with liberation, Down down with occupation” as the march concluded at the Federal Court House. This rally was one of many protests across the nation, marking the beginning of a resistance to this administration. 

Alisun Thompson, with Jewish Voice for Peace, spoke of the power of the march, stating, “This work really shows what we can do when we are united – we are stronger together.” Each speaker concluded with a call to action. “There’s a lot of organizations out here today. If you’re not in one, you need to be in one, we can’t do anything ourselves but together we can change the world,” McCall stated.’

#TacomaWA #MLK #MLKDay #Trump #Inauguration #FRSO #JewishVoiceforPeace #JVP #ClimateAlliance #ClimateAllianceoftheSouthSound #SouthSound #DSA #AAPRP

Philadelphia, PA – Over 70 people took to the streets of North Philadelphia on May 1, International Workers Day. Community members and political organizations rallied together at the Philadelphia Peace Park, an area that has been liberated by the community from the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s racist management. It is now the site of a community garden where Peace Park volunteers are building a structure to hold community and educational events.

Although it is an international holiday and is more widely recognized in some countries than it is in the United States, the origins of May Day stretch back to Chicago in the 1880s. For over 100 years, May 1 has marked a day for the international working class to show solidarity as a class and support the rights of all.

The initial rally at the Peace Park stressed both the solidarity of those present in their fight against the oppressors and the memory of those fighters who live on through their contributions to the struggle.

The crowd formed up in the street and proceeded to the beat of drums to wave the red flag of socialism, the red, black and green flag of Black liberation, and the banners of embattled Palestine and the Philippines. Police shut down the roads three blocks in each direction of the demonstration as it moved. They marched chanting, “What’s the plan? Free the land! What’s the call? Free them all,“ to the office of the Philadelphia Housing Authority to deliver a statement demanding the deed to the land where the park is located. Marchers made it clear that Peace Park isn’t going anywhere and will not be surrendered back to the housing authority to be used for gentrification.

Organizers stopped two more times and took the mic to speak on imperialism, the history of Philadelphia, and the need for organization and solidarity in the international struggle against capitalism and national oppression.

Krystal Strong, representing Black Lives Matter Philly, spoke on the importance of organization and solidarity, stating “If you look at our history when we’ve been our strongest, when we’ve been the closest to liberation there's two things that we’ve done: the first is to join an organization, there is a place for every single member of our community, including the children, in our struggle; and we have connected across our organizations.”

Demonstrators finished their march back at the Peace Park where they shared a delicious and healthy meal.

Many organizations contributed to and supported the day’s events including the Philly Peace Park, We Charge Colonialism, African People’s Socialist Party, Philly Black Worker’s Project, Black Lives Matter Philly, Ubuntu Freedom, All-African People’s Revolutionary Party, Voices of the People Podcast, Anakbayan Philly with many others present including Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#PhiladelphiaPA #PA #Labor #MayDay #FRSO #APSP #WCC #BLM #BWP #AAPRP #Anakbayan