By PATRICK BOND — DURBAN — An historic victory over South African neoliberalism was won on Oct. 23, after the most intense three-week burst of activist mobilization here since liberation from apartheid in 1994. University students have been furious, as their cry “Fees must fall!” rang out on campuses and sites of political power across … Continue reading S. African students win first big victory
Category: Black Liberation
Film: A racist killer on trial
By GAETANA CALDWELL-SMITH British filmmaker Marc Silver’s documentary, “3 ½ Minutes 10 Bullets,” mainly consists of the trial of Michael Dunn, the killer of Jordan Davis, a Black teen. It plays out like television’s “20/20” or “Dateline” production, with no commercials. Despite the current inflamed debate on racial injustice, director Silver offers us a cool-headed … Continue reading Film: A racist killer on trial
Whose Lives Matter?
By BILL ONASCH Netroots Nation bills its live body gatherings as the biggest conference of Progressives—by which they mean liberal Democrats. At their annual conclave, held in Phoenix in July, they featured a presidential candidate Town Hall Meeting that included the two top long-shot challengers to Hillary Clinton for the Donkey Party nod—Senator Bernie Sanders, … Continue reading Whose Lives Matter?
Cops dispense racially defined “justice”
By JOE AUCIELLO “In my career, my only training in the Constitution was how to get around it,” (Sue Rahr, former sheriff, executive director of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, and member of President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing). Drivers on their way to work, zipping by one of the predominantly … Continue reading Cops dispense racially defined “justice”
Newark: The Million People’s March
March against police brutality, racial injustice, and economic inequality: Saturday, July 25, 12 noon. The march begins at the Lincoln Monument, Springfield Ave. & W. Market St., Newark, N.J. Below are articles about the march by Lawrence Hamm, chairman of the People’s Organization for Progress, and Glen Ford, executive editor of Black Agenda Report: By … Continue reading Newark: The Million People’s March
Dominican gov’t expels Haitians
By MARTY GOODMAN In a clear attempt at ethnic cleansing, hundreds of thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent have been rendered stateless under Dominican law. A series of racist court rulings on immigration in 2004, 2010, and 2013 paved the way for a dragnet based on race that might result in mass expulsions. A 2013 … Continue reading Dominican gov’t expels Haitians
Mumia speaks on Charleston
By MUMIA ABU-JAMAL A young white man, barely at the age of his majority, walks into Charleston's most storied Black church and, before he leaves, a new history is written. Attending the Wednesday night Bible study, he sits for nearly an hour, but his mind isn't on the life of Jesus nor his disciples. It's … Continue reading Mumia speaks on Charleston
S. Africa panel at Left Forum 2015
This is the video for a Left Forum panel discussion on South Africa organized by Socialist Action. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, a contributor to Black Agenda Report, chronicled the EPA’s role in covering for an American corporation’s failure to protect South African miners from vanadium poisoning. The presentation of Patrick Bond, professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, … Continue reading S. Africa panel at Left Forum 2015
‘Little has changed in the ghetto’
By BILL ONASCH The following commentary was posted in early May at kclabor.org/wordpress. “Baltimore: We Have Been Here Before”—that is the title of a perceptive piece by the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Of course, every such uprising like the one sparked by the death of Freddie Gray while in custody of the Baltimore police has some … Continue reading ‘Little has changed in the ghetto’
Malcolm X’s ideas still important today
By ERA BURKE The following remarks by Socialist Action member Era Burke were presented at an April 24 Bay Area Socialist Action public forum at the Niebyl Proctor Library in Oakland, Calif., entitled, "Revolutionaries past and present: Their relevance today from Malcolm X, on the 50th anniversary of his murder, to Mumia Abu-Jamal, on his … Continue reading Malcolm X’s ideas still important today
Racist attacks in Dominican Republic
By MARTY GOODMAN There has been a new wave of racist attacks on Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent inside the Dominican Republic (DR). The latest was the racist expulsion of 300 Haitians and Haitians of Dominican origin in the Ortega community in Moca. All Haitians in Moca were blamed for the April 8 death … Continue reading Racist attacks in Dominican Republic
Baltimore protests bring victory — for now
By JOE AUCIELLO Following the death of Freddie Gray, who died from a spinal injury sustained while in Baltimore police custody, almost three weeks of daily protests and marches—plus some incidents of arson and looting—finally culminated in a real and unanticipated break from “business as usual.” This does not refer to the first major league … Continue reading Baltimore protests bring victory — for now
Outrage in Baltimore over Gray murder
By MICHAEL SCHREIBER Baltimore has become a symbol of rebellion against the rampant police brutality, racism, and poverty that pervades America’s cities. In late April, Maryland’s governor called in the National Guard, and Baltimore’s mayor imposed a “state of emergency” over the city as protesters clashed with police. Outraged citizens, mainly youth, filled the streets … Continue reading Outrage in Baltimore over Gray murder
The American gulag: A call to action
By RALPH SCHOENMAN The following talk was given via Skype at a Feb. 20 meeting at St. Peter’s Church in New York City, called to celebrate the first anniversary of the release of civil-liberties attorney Lynne Stewart from prison. Ralph Schoenman is the past general secretary of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation and a frequent … Continue reading The American gulag: A call to action
Visit with Mumia
By WADIYA JAMAL — With Great Pride — April 11, 2015 — On Thursday April 9, 2015 I visited my husband Mumia Abu-Jamal at SCI Mahanoy, with Rachel Wolkenstein my lawyer and sister. I had seen Mumia in the ICU at the hospital, where he was sitting upright, hand cuffed to a chair. I saw … Continue reading Visit with Mumia
Madison cop kills Black youth
By CARL SACK MADISON, Wis.—On March 6, police officer Matthew Kenney shot and killed 19-year-old Tony Terrell Robinson. The case has galvanized the Black community here and shaken Madison’s self-image as a socially aware, progressive city. Robinson, a recent high school graduate with plans to attend business school, was identified by police as a Black … Continue reading Madison cop kills Black youth
Mumia Abu-Jamal in hospital ICU
By MICHAEL SCHREIBER — UPDATED APRIL 6 — Supporters of political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal are on emergency alert concerning his deteriorated health. Protests have been held around the world demanding that prison authorities grant Mumia his right to proper medical treatment. On March 30, Mumia fainted in prison and was taken to the Schuylkill Medical … Continue reading Mumia Abu-Jamal in hospital ICU
Who killed Brandon Tate-Brown?
By MICHAEL SCHREIBER Why did Philadelphia cops kill Brandon Tate-Brown? Why did police pull over his car, since he had committed no crime? And what were the names of the officers who shot the young Black man? His mother, Tanya Brown-Dickerson, has been searching for answers. “Brandon was a beautiful and spirited young man,” Brown … Continue reading Who killed Brandon Tate-Brown?
Malcolm X’s message to young people today
By JOE AUCIELLO Malcolm X, born May 19, 1925, would have been 90 years old this year had he not been assassinated 50 years ago (on Feb. 21, 1965). Now, decades later, safely buried, Malcolm X has become respectable. This transformation has been some years in the making, but there can be little doubt of … Continue reading Malcolm X’s message to young people today
Struggle to desegregate Boston’s schools
By JOE AUCIELLO — BOSTON — This current academic year marks the 40th anniversary of the struggle to desegregate the Boston Public Schools. No celebrations were held to mark the event; there was no commemoration and little public commentary. Local television stations made no use of the ample film footage they possessed and broadcast no … Continue reading Struggle to desegregate Boston’s schools
MLK Day of Resistance
MLK-Day of Action, Resistance, and Empowerment (MLK-D.A.R.E.) is organizing a march in Philadelphia on Jan. 19. The broad-based coalition hopes to “reclaim” Martin Luther King Day with a focus on political action. The demands of the march are: a $15 minimum wage and the right to a union; an end to the police department’s “stop and … Continue reading MLK Day of Resistance
Anger spreads as killer cops go free
By MARTY GOODMAN In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to deny freedom to Dred Scott, a slave living in Missouri. The decision stated that Black people have “no rights which the white man was bound to respect.” Today, as yesterday, the racist system of capitalism operates much the same in real life—if no longer … Continue reading Anger spreads as killer cops go free
Militarized police aimed at Black America
By MARTY GOODMAN The military weapons we saw on display in Ferguson, Mo., are part of the militarization of police forces across the U.S. Its roots began with the SWAT teams under Democrat Lyndon Johnson, whose war of extermination against the Black Panther Party was continued under Republican Richard Nixon. As Michelle Alexander explains in … Continue reading Militarized police aimed at Black America
Youth on the move!
By JOE AUCIELLO Even a brief look at the racial landscape in America today would convince a reasonable person that, in essential ways through the years, too little has changed. Differences in wealth, income, education, employment, incarceration, etc.—differences that are growing to the disadvantage of Blacks—are still based on race. The election of a Black … Continue reading Youth on the move!
Mumia Abu-Jamal: Making torture legal
By MUMIA ABU-JAMAL In the week of the Senate Intelligence Select Committee’s report on CIA torture of terror suspects, we’re reminded how little Americans know about how the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency rolls in the real world. Predictably, the 500-page summary of a 6700-page report erupted into a political and media firestorm. Networks and cable … Continue reading Mumia Abu-Jamal: Making torture legal