Author Archives: Biko

Stand with Them!

Sisters’ Call to Action in Solidarity with “The Squad”

 “And still we rise.” —  Maya Angelou

The Sexual Predator on Pennsylvania Avenue in his recent vicious attacks on “The Squad”: Ilhan Omar, Ayana Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Rashida Tlaib, told these women of color to “go back to their crime-infested” countries. All of these women are American citizens. All of these women are proud of their heritage and work for their respective communities. All of these women are being attacked because they fight for the working class, challenge white supremacy, and patriarchy because they are women. They dare to be women who have political conviction around their support of Palestine, their support of Venezuela, and their denunciation of border camps.

We call on all women and their communities to join us in solidarity with “The Squad” by signing this letter, asking others to sign this letter, and joining us on August 31st (3 days after the anniversary of the murder of Emmitt Till and in honor of his courageous mother, Mamie Till.) These women who are Somali, Black American, Puerto Rican, Arab, Muslim, and non-Muslim women have fought together for the interests of all communities: workers, women, Latinx, Black, Muslim, LGBTQ, straight, indigenous/First Nation and immigrants against the rich and powerful. If we allow any one of our communities’ human rights to get picked off and pitted against each other, we will all lose. An Injury to one is an injury to all!

Trump has tried to erase their legal status as U.S.  citizens and tries to make them “the Other.” As we have seen with racist U.S. policy “The Other” dies in prisons. “The Other” suffers in cages. “The Other” is shot down in the street. “The Other” dies face down drowned in raging rivers seeking the asylum that the Statue of Liberty promised. 

But it goes deeper than that. The economic system of the United States and the fascist policies that maintain it were built into how the black population has been controlled and contained from the inception of the U.S. in order to guarantee the labor of African people from slavery in the 1700s  to Jim Crow, during the 1960s, and through today. During slavery, Black women were forced to re-produce the labor force. This is the foundation of this country. Trump is attacking women like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib because they dare to question and fight against America’s unjust economic past and present.  

Trump also attacks reporters and undermines a free press. It is dangerous when one man wants the public to believe that he is the only person to be trusted. This is a hallmark of fascism. Blaming “the Other” as the cause of low wages, unemployment, high rent, high utility bills, high deductibles is what Mussolini and Hitler in WWII and is what Trump is doing now. Blaming “The Other” is what fascism does. 

We stand with them in solidarity and show our collective outrage by signing this letter, asking others to sign this letter, and joining us

SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, NOON

THOMAS FOREMAN PARK (5th & Nash), GREENVILLE, NC

White Nationalist Terror Attacks and the Black Community

The shootings and killings at the Mother Bethel AME Church in Charleston, SC, at the Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA  and the recent shootings in Texas and Ohio among others, are terrorist acts by racist white nationalists. We must be concerned and prepared for this repressive political climate.

Black, Latinx and Indigenous peoples should be very concerned about white nationalist terrorism because we are targeted as non-white communities and populations, blaming us for the economic and social crisis facing the millions of people across the US.

Racist white nationalism has continued following the Civil War and has been looking for opportunities to emerge as a national movement to unite the various racist tendencies and groups. They are hoping to influence the direction of the white working-class. This included intimidating them to silence any support for demands of Black and other oppressed sections of US society.

The police killings of Black and Brown people and the mass incarceration has been a major factor in criminalizing Black people, turning us into the crime source and describing immigration of Latinx and African descendants as an invasion into the US.

The Obama administration inherited and continued the economic and international policies of previous administrations without major changes. However, as a Black man in the highest office of the land his presence provided an opportunity for the emerging racist white nationalism. 

The Tea Party and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) began implementing a corporate financed and driven strategy to take over state governments. and formed a Tea Party Caucus in the Republican Party to further consolidate the most reactionary sections of the US ruling-class influence and control of US imperialist state power. These state governments used gerrymandering, forms of voter suppression, cut vital social programs and passed laws that reduced legal options for challenging corporations that violate workplace health and safety and community environmental justice conditions. The Trump Labor Board is establishing policies that not only place restrictions on unions, it is attacking the very right of workers to use concerted actions to engage in repeated strikes against employer injustices.

Trump took the political changes made by the Tea Party and previous administrations and added the racist rhetoric targeting any semblance of Black political power and Black resistance to the capitalist crises. His birther campaign claiming that Obama was not American born was an opening shot of his racist white nationalist campaign. 

When Trump became president, he provided a platform for the emergence of racist white nationalism as his social and political base and a fascist social movement.  Some of Trumps initial cabinet appointments and aides, were fascist who helped to shape his presidential campaign and first term in office.

Over the years since the Civil War various white supremacists groups have formed. Most were armed and they had some divisions among themselves on how to establish white political, economic and cultural power. White nationalism became a framework for uniting the various white supremacist tendencies under the Trump slogan of Make America Great Again (MAGA) and his continuing racist attacks on Black and Brown people.

Trump’s presence in the white house helps to further promote this racist and fascist white nationalism. Demanding the impeachment of Trump before the 2020 presidential elections is critical for the Black and other oppressed peoples.  Impeach Trump Now!  should be our political mantra to put pressure on the Democratic Party. Defeating the fascist demagogues in the white house that give legitimacy to the rising and consolidation of white nationalism should be viewed as part of the struggle against rising US fascism.

This will not only have national significance it will have international significance. It will help to build national confidence among the Black masses, organize pressure on Black Congressional representatives and expose those not speaking out in favor of impeachment.

All major periods of struggle against the forces of oppression, must consider the state of the Black liberation movement and what they mean for unifying the various organizations toward resolving the fragmentation that stops us from becoming an organized and powerful force with strong bases in working-class areas to challenge critical aspects of capitalism and state power.

Racist white nationalist terrorism appears to be targeting social, religious and movement institutions.  In the case of Walmart this is a location where the majority of working-class and poor people of color shop.

Community security is a must, including knowing who is entering our communities, religious and social institutions and political programs.

Every Black family should have a legal firearm they can use in their homes. There should be security at community meetings and at our social and religious institutions.  Above all we need a united and strong Black liberation movement that aligns with other movements of the oppressed, including white working-class and poor people ready to oppose white nationalism.

We Need a Black United Front and Broad Peoples Front Against White Nationalism!

680 Immigrant Workers in Mississippi Taken off their Jobs by ICE: An Injury to One is an Injury to All!

A Call to Labor and Community Organizations from the Southern Workers Assembly

On August 7, the US Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted raids on Workers in 7 food-processing plants in six Mississippi cities. 

These workers came to the US to try to earn an honest living, because conditions in their home countries prevented them from living in peace and supporting their families. They faced danger from military and social violence and climate change impacts.  US foreign policies in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa contribute to the conditions faced by the majority of these immigrant workers.

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Condemning the Massacre of 49 Muslims in New Zealand

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We are outraged at the horrific murders of 49 Muslims at the Masjid Al Noor and Linwood Masjid in Christchurch, New Zealand. This cowardly attack on innocent worshippers is the latest attack perpetrated by those in service of an international movement of white supremacy and white nationalism. We mourn for their families and community. Continue reading