Dedan Kimathi holds a cigarette next to his brother in this black and white photo

A Tribute to Field Marshall Dedan Kimathi

The name Kimathi wa Waciuri has dominated the political scene in Kenya for years. In the early 1950s, he was active in the Kenya Land and Freedom army (Mau Mau) as an organizer in the Rift valley. Later, he led the guerrilla army fighting the British colonial occupation army and rose to its highest military rank, Field Marshal. With victories on the battlefield, came the need to consolidate the political authority of the Kenya Land and Freedom Army. This was done by the establishment of the Kenya Parliament which was the first legitimate African Government of Kenya. On 6th March . . .

Steve Biko on the Black Consciousness Movement

Black Consciousness and Steve Biko

In his illustrious life as a Pan-African Historian, Dr. John Henrik Clarke once remarked in the many lectures he delivered that some people are confused about where they belong among us. You can clarify this situation very easily. Your creator, the oppressor, has made no room in his house for you; you either belong among us or you don’t belong in any place.  In September 1977, 45 years ago, Africa lost one of its revolutionary sons, Steve Bantu Biko, who proudly upheld an unshakeable spirit of uncompromising struggle against the Apartheid regime in South Africa. Biko fronted the Black Consciousness . . .

Ahjamu Umi

Ahjamu Umi: Organizing to Win

Ahjamu Umi, AAPRP cadre and Hood Communist editor, and Roberto Sirvent editor of the Black Agenda Report Book Forum discuss revolutionary organizing. . . .

Members of the Venceremos Brigade with Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel

The Venceremos Brigade & the Necessity of Solidarity with Cuba

The Venceremos Brigade (VB) is the youngest and oldest Cuba solidarity delegation in the US. By that I mean the VB, whose name means the “We Shall Overcome” Brigade, is the longest running US-Cuba solidarity delegation in existence with a base of brigadistas who are predominantly African, Indigenous, Chicanx, poor, working class, queer, and trans young people.   The Venceremos Brigade was formed in 1969 by a group of US-based students and activists who wanted to show their solidarity with the Cuban revolution while also challenging imperialist US policy towards Cuba, including the genocidal economic blockade and the US government’s ban . . .

Marcus Garvey at a UNIA, Ho Chi Minh exploring with friends

The Unknown Connection Between Marcus Garvey & Ho Chi Minh

If you possess even a cursory history of oppressed peoples, then you have undoubtedly heard of the great Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh and the outstanding Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey.  Ho Chi Minh, who’s actual name was Nguyen Ai Quoc, was the founder and leader of the Viet Minh Front, which was the organized force of Vietnamese people that led their national liberation against colonial invading forces (including the U.S.) from the 1920s through the 1970s.  Marcus Garvey was the Jamaican born African who helped initiate and lead the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) which grew to be the largest liberation . . .

Albert Woodfox seated in a kitchen, smiling and holding a copy of his book Solitary.

Albert Woodfox, Angola Three Warrior, passes.

Who has not heard of the Angola Three, three young black prisoners who were falsely accused of killing a prison guard in 1972 in the infamous Louisiana maximum security prison cited at a former slave plantation—and named for the place where the African captives came from, Angola. On Thursday, August 4th, attorneys for Albert Woodfox announced his passing at the age of 75. For over 43 years, Woodfox and several other black men were held in brutal solitary confinement, one of the longest held solitary prisoners on earth: 43 years, seven days a week, 23 hours a day. The United . . .

WERD, which became America's first black-owned radio station in 1949, is now used as a space for Atlanta artists to perform on Wednesday nights.

Black Radio & the Struggle for Pan-Africanism

The 1960’s and 70’s proved itself a paramount time for Black Folks. Not since the beginning of the century with mass organization led by Marcus Garvey, had there been such great instituting towards a better future for Africans globally. In North America there was a rise in Black nationalism and racial pride, ultimately emphasizing the need for Power. Africans in the Caribbean and parts of South America participated in active armed struggles and insurrections against colonial supported governments. They fought strategically to dismantle the systems of economic subjugation that were based upon race. In Europe, Africans held mass demonstrations in . . .

Revolutionary African ancestor, Kwame Ture

Reflections on Kwame Ture

Kwame Ture died at the age of 57 of prostate cancer, by that time Ture’s life story had already become history: the history of Africa, of our age- that of the people’s commitment to the winning of their freedoms. By the end of his life, he had cemented a legacy as a master organizer and staunch Pan-Africanist. As a leader of the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (A-APRP), he helped internationalize the Black freedom struggle and inspired countless young people in the process. . . .