The Black Liberation Movement in the United States has reached an almost unprecedented level of ideological confusion. Unlike in the 20th century, significant sections of the contemporary Black Left openly embrace an understanding of ‘identity politics’[i] that is based in philosophical idealism.[ii] A somewhat resurgent US Left has, correctly, begun to critique these perceived political errors. Unfortunately, social democrats such as DSA, Jacobin and Cedric Johnson in his award-winning article[iii] add to the ideological confusion. This essay asserts that contrary to the claims of advancing democracy and freedom, social democracy has consistently undermined the struggle for national liberation and socialism. In 1896, Eduard Bernstein, the . . .
Black Power
Its Time For Us to Reclaim Juneteenth
The militancy of the Black Power movement and the overall emerging militancy of African and other colonized people signaled a change in our enemy’s approach. If you’ve been paying close attention to the tactics of the capitalist system over the last 25 years, you can see the trend. The mass movements of the past taught the capitalist system that their go-to reliance exclusively upon brutality and ironclad control is no longer a viable strategy. Make no mistake about it, of course, they still utilize brutality, and they always will, but they have made adjustments. They have learned the meaning of . . .
From Black Power to Pan-Africanism with Mukasa Dada
Transcript Mukasa Dada, formally known as Willie Ricks, when he was a member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC – pronounced SNICK), was a frontline organizer who faced naked terror in the 1960s engaging in organizing work against white supremacy. In June of 1966, Mukasa played a pivotal during the “March against Fear” in Mississippi. Moving away from much of the philosophy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. which, up to that point, dominated the ideology and actions of the U.S. civil rights movement, SNCC saw itself further embracing the militant ideas of Malcolm X and nationalism as . . .
Black Women Organizing for Liberation
This piece is to give the flowers and honour to the Black women that have gone before us who using principles rooted in Black Feminism, futures, freedom and justice to imagine a world where we could be free while using a range of organising tools – from legal aid to direct action – to support radical movements. . . .
Why Did Kwame Ture Move to Africa?
On November 15th, 1998, Kwame Ture (formally Stokely Carmichael) made his physical transition. I remember where I was when we received the news. We were at Sacramento State University, early on a Sunday morning, preparing to begin our work study meeting when one of the members came in and made the announcement. None of us were surprised. Kwame had been ill with the prostate cancer that eventually took his life for quite some time. I remember thinking things were about to change for all of us. [Over] Twenty years later, we have gone through major growing pains as an organization . . .
The Black Panthers, the NRA, and the Contradiction of Guns in the U.S
May 2, 2021, marks the 54th commemoration of 29 Black Panther Party members and supporters converging on the California State Capitol in Sacramento, armed with guns, to protest the pending Mulford bill legislation to make carrying guns in public illegal. Don Mulford, a racist state senator from racist Mill Valley in the Bay Area, sponsored this bill, with full backing from the National Rifle Association (NRA). . . .
Remembering Romaine “Chip” Fitzgerald
On March 30, 2021, the African Liberation Struggle gained a new ancestor, Romain “Chip” Fitzgerald. Chip, a former member of Black Panther Party for Self Defense, was a 50 year hostage of the California prison system, making him California’s longest serving Black Panther. . . .
Ruby Doris Smith-Robinson: A Tower of Strength
Despite the loss of her physical presence, there is not an African alive anywhere on earth who has not been touched by the legacy of her movement work. Her courage, determination, and commitment to lifting us higher are principles that will continue to inspire our movement for justice and forward progress. . . .