‘Mutual Aid’ as both concept and practice was reignited under the conditions of the pandemic that called for collective approaches for survival. However, as the years have continued, mutual aid has been redefined continuously and is now synonymous with ‘charity’ (which is not a bad thing, but is quite different). Crowdfunding links are flooding the internet by the hundreds, but as time continues, pushing more people into the margins and squeezing them financially, that method seems to be increasingly becoming less and less effective. And for whatever reason requests for funds are made, the fact that it is overwhelming, continuous . . .
Socialism
There is No Such Thing as Black Capitalism
51 years ago on 4th Dec 1969, Fredrick Allen Hampton Sr then chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party (BPP), and deputy chairman of the national BPP was assassinated by the Chicago County police in an unlawful raid. Hampton was only 21 years old when he was killed alongside Marl Clark another BPP member who was 22 years old. The anniversary to remember the life of Fred Hampton was quiet in 2021 without much celebration and recognition, obviously the mainstream media for known reasons do not have a history of celebrating radical revolutionaries. Although, maybe mistakenly one . . .
Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela: Class Warfare and Socialist Resistance
Why do Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela pose such an existential threat to the U.S.? Why are they able to unite all the wings of the democrat party and the republican party against them? It boils down to two factors. First, the power of their example in attempting to build independent, self-determining projects that center the material needs and interests of the people over those of capital. Second, the class warfare politics of the U.S. state. . . .
Do or Die: Black Liberation and the Climate Apocalypse
The history of the European World, the history of the West, is a history of colonization and exploitation. Wherever they go, destruction, dehumanization, and degradation follow. As Indigenous and African civilizations have shown us, we are the land, and the land is a part of us. When the land dies, we do as well. . . .
Joe Biden and the ‘Passive Revolution’
Though it appears that Biden has pulled off a revival of centrism amid an ‘organic crisis’, his honeymoon period will be short-lived as there is a crisis of legitimacy of the ideas, institutions, and coalitions that undergird U.S. neoliberal capitalism. During moments like this, the ruling class may attempt what Gramsci called a ‘passive revolution’ – implementing symbolic or limited change from above without fundamentally transforming social relations – to restore its hegemony and stave off challenges to its position within society. Key parts of this process include the co-optation of demands from below, new political coalitions, paying lip service . . .
ABCs of Socialism
It’s not a stretch to say that during the last one hundred years, the words socialism and communism have been two of the most controversial words and concepts on the planet. It’s equally true that those two words/concepts are also widely and tragically misunderstood. You don’t have to go very far to see and hear someone talking about how the fall of the Soviet Union and fluctuations in China are proof that “Karl Marx was wrong.” So, in order to clear the air, let’s start by saying beyond “The Communist Manifesto”, Marx wrote very little about socialism/communism. The bulk of . . .
The Role of the Black Bourgeoisie in Coopting Our Movements
This past week there was an extraordinary demonstration of bold militant action from professional athletes to speak out against police terror against the African masses. The National Basketball Association (NBA) called off its playoff games. Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), Major League Soccer (MLS), individual tennis players, and even the National Hockey League (NHL) called off games, matches, and practices. As Sekou Ture told us years ago, these things happened because the athletes, being nothing more than conduits of the desires of the masses of people, felt compelled to act because the masses of people are . . .
The Cuban Drug Fighting Coronavirus
Here’s what you need to know about about the Cuban interferon alfa-2b (aka Heberon Alfa R) that is helping fight against the coronavirus all around the world. . . .