Thursday, November 26, 2015

Thanksgiving in 2015 Part 4


 JOIN Blackout for Human Rights and Countless Activists Around the Country on Black Friday for Our Second Annual #BlackoutBlackFriday Initaitive. The Time Has Come for All of Us to Stand United in the Face of Racism, Sexism and Other Forms of Hate. We Invite You to Stand Up With Us Against Police Brutality, Racist Public Policies and Other Oppressive Forces and Boycott All Major Retailers on Black Friday. We #BlackoutBlackFriday for Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Oscar Grant, and the Countless Other Victims of State Sanctioned Violence. Instead of Shopping on the Biggest Consumer Day of the Year, We’re Transforming Black Friday Into a Coordinated Day of Action with Demonstrations and Events Nationwide. For Details on Our Official Events, Please See Below!As Part of Our Annual #BlackoutBlackFriday, We Will be Hosting Events Around the Country Including Los Angeles, Oakland and New York City. Check Out the Details Below and Come Out to One of Our Events on 11/27:#BLACKOUTBLACKFRIDAY LOS ANGELES EVENT DETAILSVenue: Downtown Independent Theater; 251 S Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90012Event Time: 2:30 PM - 8:30 PMAdmission: FREE; Strongly Encourage Toiletry/Toy Donation (RSVP Here: http://bit.ly/BBFLA15)Film #1: The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, Directed by Stanley NelsonFilm #2: Justice or Else DocumentaryFilm #3: Imperial Dreams, Directed by Malik Vitthal Additional Features: Featured Panel, Spoken Word Performance, Artist Showcase and Toy/Toiletry Drive#BLACKOUTBLACKFRIDAY OAKLAND EVENT DETAILSVenue: The New ParkwayEvent Time: 2:30 PM - 9:00 PMAdmission: FREEFilm #1: The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the RevolutionFilm #2: Imperial DreamsAdditional Features: Two Panels, Food Drive and More#BLACKOUTBLACKFRIDAY NEW YORK CITY EVENT DETAILSVenue: Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, Film Society of Lincoln CenterEvent Time: Film Screening 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM; Concert from 7:50 PM - 8:50 PMAdmission: FREE; Capacity about 100: Tickets Available Starting 30 Minutes Before Event Start TimeMusical Performances: Samora Pinderhughes, Chris Turner, Kris Bowers, Pudge, Bilal SalaamSpoken Word Performances: Young Poets from Urban Word NYCFilm #1: Selected ShortsFilm #2: BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez




Conclusion


The powers that be certainly don’t desire for us to have true liberation. True liberation means that the War on Drugs ends and that there is no gentrification (which is happening in communities of D.C., Oakland, New York City, etc.) in our communities. For decades and centuries, the oligarchy has harmed the lives of black people, the poor, the indigenous, and other human beings the world over. History is all about change too. The same injustices of class oppression, racism, and privatization of education exist in Chicago too. On the other hand, we also find that many human beings are tired of injustice and they want a change. Chicago is the home of the efforts of Ida B. Wells, Lorraine Hansberry, Fred Hampton, and other black people who saw evil and sought to fight it and advanced black solidarity in our world. Neoliberalism leaves the poor out in many instances and there is a book about Rahm Emanuel called, "Mayor 1%: Rahm Emanuel and the Rise of Chicago's 99%" (authored by Kari Lydersen) that talks about him. Gentrification is a calculated move without question. Back during the 1950’s, many cities used urban renewal policies to harm the social fabric of black and poor families. Also, this came in the midst of the peak of the Great Migration where African Americans left agricultural Southern locations to go into Northern, Western, and Midwestern cities (many of our people worked in the factories of Chicago, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Detroit, Pittsburgh, etc. as a product of the Great Migration). Yet, many black people faced the same discrimination they found in the South as they found in the West, the North, and the Midwest. Even in the North and the Midwest including the West Coast, black people faced discrimination, struggling schools, police brutality, bad housing conditions, and economic exploitation. Some middle class and rich black people left black communities (especially by the late 1960's) to live in more affluent areas while doing nothing to help poorer black people. We know how classist gentrification is. Many big corporations use gentrification for the purpose of driving poor residents out of communities intentionally and that’s wrong. We want the growth of our black communities and our enterprises. We want an end to the surveillance state and the end to mandatory minimum sentencing. We also want a stronger environment. Dr. King and Malcolm X made it very clear that middle class including upper class black people have a responsibility to help out their poorer Brothers and Sisters. Fighting is part of our DNA. Regardless of how much they advance redlining, discrimination, and gentrification, we will fight for freedom and justice regardless.


By Timothy

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