Atlanta, GA – The Atlanta Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression hosted a May Day panel May 4 focused on fighting back against political repression.
Over 40 people attended to hear speakers from the Atlanta Alliance, Black Alliance for Peace, AUC (Atlanta University Consortium) Students for Justice in Palestine, AUC Student Intercommunal Coordinating Committee, GSU (Georgia State University) Students for Justice in Palestine, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
Thomas “Blood” McCreary is a veteran of the Black liberation movement of the 1960s and 70s, having been a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), then the Black Panther Party (BPP), and then the Black Liberation Army. Today he continues to press for release of the former Panthers who are still in prison, many for 45 years. He also advocates for the dropping of the cases against the Panthers abroad, including Assata Shakur.
Chicago, IL – The memory of murdered Illinois Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton, Sr. was marked at a “Streetz Party,” August 30, at 2337 W. Chairman Fred Hampton Way (also known as Monroe Street), the site of his martyrdom. Chairman Fred Hampton, Sr. would have been 70 years old on August 30 of this year.
Chicago, IL – Every year on August 30, the Black Panther Party Cubs and Chairman Fred Hampton, Jr. (the son of martyred Illinois Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton, Sr.) throw the Chairman Fred Streetz Party, a commemoration of his father's 1948 birthday. Chairman Fred, Sr. was assassinated on Dec. 4, 1969 in a 4 a.m. Gestapo-style raid carried out by the Chicago Police Department, Illinois State's Attorney’s Office and the FBI.
Baltimore, MD – “Afeni Shakur Davis,” otherwise known as Afeni Shakur, passed away late Monday night, May 2, at the age of 69. The mother of the late great artist Tupac Shakur, she was a revolutionary leader in her own right, serving as the Harlem Section Leader of the Black Panther Party during the 1960s and 70s. She joined the party as a teen in 1968.
Brunswick, GA – Forty people rallied here, Oct. 29 to demand that the people of Brunswick, Georgia be given the right to vote for Elaine Brown. Brown, the Green Party candidate was removed from the ballot and barred from voting following a residency challenge. The calculated attack came after six months of campaigning and after the period for Brown to be allowed as a write-in candidate. Beyond all reason, the Glynn County Board of Elections disqualified Brown. The decision was upheld without explanation by Senior Superior Court Judge Tom Pope.
Brunswick, GA – In a dramatic turnaround, Elaine Brown is back in the mayor’s race here. Brown’s re-entry as a write-in candidate was announced on the eve of election day, following a judge’s court ruling in her favor. Brown, a former leader of the Black Panther Party, is running a campaign to see the development of Brunswick’s port to benefit all the residents. Brunswick is a majority Black town where there has never been a Black mayor. Candidate Brown was kicked off the ballot in an election fraught with dirty tricks, reminiscent of the Old South. Rich white developers and Republican Party hacks are working overtime to keep Brown from being the people’s choice.
Brunswick, GA – Mayoral candidate Elaine Brown vowed to continue the fight for a fair and free election and to empower black people. Republicans and rich white developers stole this election here. Elaine Brown, a former Black Panther Party leader, now running with the Green Party, faced a calculated campaign of electoral intimidation and personal disenfranchisement.
In the wake of the controversy over the racist remarks by radio personality Don Imus, Fight Back! did the following interviews with grassroots leaders of the Black community in Newark, New Jersey.
