Venezuela Needs Your Help

This week, BAP has been on the move to defend the Global South.

National Organizer Ajamu Baraka has been at a historic conference in Venezuela with organizers from all over the world. In the photo below, you see him meeting with Manuel Zelaya, former president of Honduras and a friend of the Left.

Folks, Venezuela needs people living in the belly of the U.S. empire to demand the predatory United States end its interventions and bullying in Latin America and around the world.

Being in revolutionary spaces outside of the United States is vitally important for activists of color. The revolutionary centers left Europe and the United States years ago.

Our collective responsibility must not be forgotten: It is to the struggling peoples of the world and must not be influenced by the class collaborationist, pro-imperialist, arrogant faux-left.

But if you are in the United States, you must join BAP and other anti-war organizations that are planning mass actions against Trump’s military parade. We also hope demonstrations take place at U.S. embassies around the world. You can learn more about this parade by reading this interview with one of the organizers, Margaret Flowers.

And we need these mass organizing efforts because as this piece in Foreign Policy notes, the U.S. empire is in a perpetual state of war over money and power.

One of the places the United States has been invading and militarizing for the past decade is the African continent. Download BAP’s four-page fact sheet on the U.S. Africa Command, aka AFRICOM. Use it to educate your people.

Finally, BAP member Maurice Carney spoke at the 60th anniversary celebration of the All African People’s Conference in Washington, D.C. Check out the Q&A discussion that followed.

No compromise.

No retreat.

Struggle to win,
Ajamu, Ana, Jaribu, Kali, Lamont, Lukata, Margaret and Yolande
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

P.S. Only your support can help beat the U.S. war machine. Contribute today.

The Gun Debate and Military Parades: A Culture Gone Mad

Is it really possible to debate gun control and the violence that is supposedly the result of unregulated guns without connecting it to the public’s acceptance of the global U.S. arms industry and the normalization of war? Certainly, Donald Trump believes the two are not connected. Judging from the absence of any real opposition to the U.S. war machine over the last few decades, one might think he is correct.

BAP Coordinating Committee member Margaret Kimberley provides one of the few analyses that links the gun debate to militarism in U.S. culture.

BAP was part of a national call Wednesday night to strategize on how the people can reject Trump's mad call for a military parade. Look out today for a media statement from the anti-war and peace community in the United States.

Beyond mobilizing to stop the latest madness, we continue pushing out the work with our meager resources and volunteer labor.


National Actions Against Guantanamo Occupation

February 23, BAP along with dozens of other organizations that are part of the Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases organized public educational events across the country calling for the closure of the U.S. base and torture dungeon in Guantanamo, Cuba, and its return back to the rightful owners of that land—the Cuban people.  

BAP conducted a national conference call on the topic that can be heard here.


Divest from the War Machine

We encourage members and supporters to support the Divest from the War Machine campaign, of which BAP is a co-sponsor.

The campaign seeks to educate the public on the incestuous relationships that make up the military-industrial complex (MIC). CODEPINK is providing materials and direct support for organizations that want to target the corporations, Congress, colleges and universities, churches, and local and municipal governments that generate their profits from the war industry.

With more resources, BAP would target city governments run by Black folks, members of the Congressional Black Caucus who are supported by the MIC, and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that are invested in the war industry.


Korea

While the contradictions between the economic and social systems of the two Koreas are real, it is clear that absent the colonialist interventions and agitation of the United States the two Koreas might be able to reduce some of the tensions that are providing pretext for U.S. intervention.

BAP supports South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s efforts to avoid military conflict by attempting to encourage talks between the United States and North Korea. The Trump administration demanded North Korea disarm itself before entering talks, which means no discussion will take place at this point.

We say no war with the peoples of Korea.


Venezuela

The United States continues to make moves that indicate it is committed to a policy of armed intervention against the government of Venezuela. BAP National Organizer Ajamu Baraka provided a critical analysis of the efforts by the Obama and Trump administrations to undermine the Venezuelan experiment at socialist construction.

The work is only getting more difficult and BAP is stretched to our limits. We would really appreciate it if you were able to help us with a generous donation. This is our first ask of the new year but it won’t be the last because we are depending on the people to support our work.

No compromise.

No retreat.

Struggle to win.

In struggle,
Ajamu, Ana, Jaribu, Kali, Lamont, Lukata, Margaret and Yolande
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

P.S. Only your support can help beat the U.S. war machine. Contribute today.

Keeping the Focus on Real-World Oppression

“Only in the world of comic-book fantasies is the United States a friend to the oppressed in Africa or anywhere else on the planet. In the real world, the U.S. is a predator, colonial/capitalist nation.”

We don’t have luxury of mindless diversions while the United States is aggressively using the awesome power of its military and financial weight to subvert, destabilize and destroy nations and people’s movements around the world.

Our responsibility—as we always emphasize—is to remain clear that we, the members and supporters of BAP, stand in fundamental solidarity with peoples and nations of the world against U.S. imperialism and aggression.

Here are a few efforts we would like you to support this week.


U.S. Out of Guantanamo!

BAP is organizing a national teleconference call 7 p.m. tomorrow (February 23) to commemorate the 115th anniversary of the capture of Cuba and Guantanamo. On this call, we will discuss efforts to close the torture chamber being run by the U.S. state on the island, as well as the militarization of the Caribbean and Latin America. You can register here. Speakers will include BAP member Netfa Freeman of the International Committee for Peace, Justice & Dignity and Pan-African Community Action (PACA) and James Patrick Jordan from the Alliance for Global Justice.


Defend Venezuela, No to U.S. Destabilization and Military Intervention!

The United States has openly called for a coup in Venezuela and has encouraged neighboring countries to move military equipment and troops to the border of Venezuela. Popular Resistance, one of BAP’s organizational supporters, developed actions that we should support.


New York Regional Planning Meeting for a Spring Action

Thursday, February 22, 2018, 7-9 p.m.
CWA Local 1180, 6 Harrison Street, New York, NY 10013

If you are a member of an organization with members in the New York City area, please ask them to attend this meeting to plan for a massive anti-war action to be held this spring.

For more information on the New York meeting, email springactions@gmail.com.


Reject AFRICOM

BAP’s Africa Team is working hard to develop our campaign to counter the military recolonization by the U.S./EU/NATO axis of domination. BAP already has a factsheet for you on the AFRICOM encroachment. We are also seeing disturbing reports that Germany has returned to Africa as part of the expanding European presence in Africa. Stay tuned for more information from the team.

Read BAP National Organizer Ajamu Baraka’s take on the impending crisis in Venezuela as a result of U.S. intervention in the region.

Rolling Stone published an article that makes the connection between gun violence in the U.S. and militarism. This is one of just a few articles in the media that draws the link.

No retreat.

No compromise.

In struggle,
Ajamu, Ana, Jaribu, Kali, Lamont, Lukata, Margaret and Yolande
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

P.S. Only your support can help beat the U.S. war machine. Contribute today.

We Stand in Solidarity with a Venezuela in Crisis

Friends,

The Black Alliance for Peace has received troubling news of an impending military assault on the sovereign nation of Venezuela by states and forces allied with the United States.

The objective is to remove the elected government of Venezuela and turn over the country to the right-wing oligarchy. This move is in line with the strategic objective of the last two U.S. administrations that identified Venezuela as a threat to U.S. national interests, which means the Venezuelan process is seen as a threat to the interest of the Euro-American colonial/capitalist project.

We are calling on folks to closely monitor this situation. We will provide as much information on this as possible. Please alert the forces you work with about the situation as you receive it from us or acquire it for yourself, and let’s assist in raising the level of awareness on this situation. We are all part of the “Americas” and as our BAP principles reflect, we stand in solidarity with the struggling peoples of the global South who are resisting U.S. imperialism.

The Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases—which BAP helped found—is organizing actions Feb. 16-23 for the 115th anniversary of the United States occupying Guantanamo. We demand the United States return Guantanamo to Cuba.

If you or your organization coordinate an action next week, please reply to this message with that information so we can include it in the weekly blast and on our event page.

As for BAP, we are organizing a national teleconference call for 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Feb. 23 on the U.S. presence in Guantanamo. We will announce our featured speakers in the next email blast. Tap this link to register for the call.

You will find value in this podcast episode of “Clearing the Fog Radio” that discusses amped up U.S. militarism—going from targeting so-called “terrorists” to outright war with nations. Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, founders of Popular Resistance, also interviewed BAP members Margaret Kimberley and Maurice Carney about the significance of the U.S. military invasion of Africa and what you can do about it.

BAP recently co-sponsored an event in New York City called “Militarization of African Communities at Home and Abroad.” Get insights you won’t hear in the corporate Western media in Part 1 and Part 2 of the recorded livestreams.

If you’re in Washington, D.C., join BAP National Organizer Ajamu Baraka and BAP member Maurice Carney on Saturday for the “All African Peoples Conference 60th Anniversary”. This event was coordinated by BAP member Netfa Freeman.

Finally, we appreciate the African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS) recognizing BAP’s work as part of the larger radical Black anti-war movement.

No retreat.

No compromise.

In struggle,
Ajamu, Ana, Jaribu, Kali, Lamont, Lukata, Margaret and Yolande
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

P.S. Help BAP bring together Black organizers and organizations to beat the U.S. war machine. Contribute today.

Militarized Police... Everywhere

Trump’s new idea for a $22 million military march is a big, flashy way to normalize militarization.

However, let’s not be fooled.

We see more militarized police and soldiers in airports, train stations and bus stations. We see videos like this one of people on an Amtrak train being asked to produce “papers.”

That’s why it’s all the more important you join us in opposing the increased show of militarization.

The Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases—which BAP helped found—is organizing actions Feb. 16-23 to demand the United States return Guantanamo to Cuba as well as a national action April 14-15 to demand the United States end all of its illegal wars abroad. A national conference call held Saturday attracted dozens of organizers who are ready to coordinate massive events.

Now onto domestic concerns: The FBI set itself up for a snarky comeback.

 

And here’s a piece on the federally subsidized terror group’s “Black-Identity Extremist”  program. Now, we had mentioned Rakem Balogun's arrest in December. Any Black person who thinks the FBI is working in their best interest is delusional. That's why we rail against the Congressional Black Caucus as much as we do. The CBC is the Black mis-leadership class that votes in favor of illegal wars on Black and Brown people and fawns over the FBI.

Speaking of totalitarianism, read what BAP National Organizer Ajamu Baraka has to say in his latest illuminating piece about the ruling class using Trump as a diversion.

Now, onto another racist, settler-colonial state: Israel. It is merely fulfilling its mission of creating an ethno-state by placing a bounty on African migrants.

Take a moment to read about the linked oppressions of the Vietnamese and Blacks in the United States in this piece by our friend, Abayomi Azikiwe of the Pan-African Newswire.

You can find many events being held around the country on our Events page, including a talk by BAP member organization Friends of the Congo titled, “Militarization of African Communities at Home and Abroad” at 7 p.m. today in New York City.

In struggle,
Ajamu, Ana, Jaribu, Kali, Lamont, Lukata, Margaret and Yolande
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

P.S. Help BAP organize its national gathering to bring together key Black organizers and organizations. Contribute today!

Image credit: Brian Smialowski/Getty

The Truth About Cuba and North Korea

If you had watched the U.S. president’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, you would have noticed one thing: Victim blaming.

Trump has done what U.S. presidents have engaged in since the 1950s.

After attacking the Korean peninsula until millions of people were killed and the landscape decimated, the United States continued to wage war in the form of sanctions on imports and exports, and simulated invasions on North Korea’s border.

Meanwhile, Cuba is being attacked for successfully resisting U.S. imperialism. While folks in the United States struggle to pay hospital bills, Cuba provides free, comprehensive healthcare and trains doctors from around the world. Again, Cuba exists while facing pressure to keep its people free from U.S. harm.

That is why the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) stands in firm opposition to Trump’s announcement to keep the Guantanamo dungeon open on captured Cuba land. As a founding member organization of the Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases, we say the United States must get out of Cuba, close the inhumane prison and return the land back to the Cuban people.

BAP invites those of you in the New York City area to attend an emergency demonstration organized by Witness Against Torture and Justice for Muslims Collective at 12 p.m. today in Grand Central Terminal.

We at BAP—being Black internationalists—understand we must stand with oppressed peoples around the world, particularly those who are facing the horror of being attacked and exploited by the U.S. ruling class and its state.

Our coalition against U.S. foreign military bases is organizing actions Feb. 16-23 to demand the United States return Guantanamo to Cuba as well as a national action April 14-15 to demand the United States end all of its illegal wars abroad. Register for this conference call to learn how your organization can get involved.

While we’re on the subject of military bases, the anti-bases movement is strong in Latin America, according to James Patrick Jordan.

A few weeks ago, the United States Africa Command—better known as AFRICOM—blacklisted journalist Nick Turse. He’s been a major source of coverage on the U.S. military invasion of Africa. This is a predictable response from the empire, given its time as a superpower is coming close to an end in this multi-polar world. So of course, now he’s not a “legitimate journalist.”

Take a moment to sign up for World Socialist Web Site’s newsletter. It and many left-leaning websites have seen their website visits tumble since Google began collaborating with the U.S. ruling class.

Another Black activist, Luis Fernando Ramos Carabali, was murdered recently in the nation of Colombia, which has been rocked by racial and gender violence for years. This brother was a member of Proceso de Comunidades Negras (Black Communities Process).

Caribbean nations are demanding European nations pay reparations for centuries of enslavement, genocide and exploitation. A declaration was authored by Pan-Africanist and socialist popular forces in Barbados January 13 and submitted to the people and civil society organizations of the Caribbean for their endorsement and adoption.

Congo expert and BAP member Maurice Carney will present a talk titled “Militarization of African Communities at Home and Abroad” on February 8 in New York City.

BAP National Organizer Ajamu Baraka will be interviewed live by Real Progressives tomorrow at 9 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on Facebook. Sign up to be reminded to watch the show.

Of course, you can find events held by other organizations on our Events page.

Let’s continue to build the resistance we all have been waiting for!

In struggle,
Ajamu, Ana, Jaribu, Kali, Lamont, Lukata, Margaret and Yolande
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

P.S. Help re-build the Black anti-war movement. Contribute today!

U.S. Out of Africa!

We don’t know if we made it clear in last week’s message, but we’d like to thank you for supporting the Black Alliance for Peace. Your financial contributions helped us cover the cost of transporting several BAP members to the Conference Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases. Here’s a photo of us at our dinner that weekend!

Folks attending our conference plenary on AFRICOM say it was perhaps the best plenary of the weekend (we’re merely reporting their enthusiasm!). In fact, we were able to successfully follow through on our organizational mission: Help re-develop and re-capture the anti-war, anti-imperialist position of the Black radical tradition. That includes bringing a Black internationalist perspective to these conversations about the U.S. empire.

Independent journalist Eva Bartlett interviewed BAP National Organizer Ajamu Baraka on the impact of the conference. This week, BAP Coordinating Committee member Margaret Kimberley’s plenary talk on U.S. involvement in Africa and the so-called resistance propped up by the Democratic Party was featured on Black Agenda Radio.

Here’s a great piece in The Nation that covers the conference. KPFA in Berkeley, California, reported on the conference, too. You also can check out our Twitter moment, a compilation of tweets about our presence there.

In case you were looking for videos of all conference speakers, our friend Will Griffin at The Peace Report has got you.

Moving on from the conference, on the first anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration, Ajamu said it is a mistake to only focus on Trump’s behavior in critiquing him and the U.S. state in this segment of “Loud & Clear with Brian Becker.”

In case you couldn’t get enough of Congo expert and BAP member Maurice Carney, he will present a talk titled “Militarization of African Communities at Home and Abroad” on February 8 in New York City. Make sure to notify your friends.

We’d like to invite you to take a look at Black4Palestine’s year-end newsletter and follow this revolutionary, intersectional formation. And check out the U.S. Human Rights Network’s “2017 Status Report on Human Rights in the United States.”

You may have noticed Telesur English’s Facebook page was missing early yesterday morning. It suddenly re-appeared after enormous outcry on social media. We must remain vigilant as various corporate players collaborate with the state to limit the amount of information we can access. Being in the center of this empire, it’s on us to do the work of decolonizing this land and stopping the U.S. war machine.

As a reminder: If you’re not a BAP member and you are of African descent, you can apply here for membership. Being a BAP member means you can participate on one of the following action teams.

Social Media and Communications Team
Provide support for BAP press and social media work. Coordinate with staff to develop and maintain press list, update media sections of website. Press component of team will assist with producing press releases and pitch BAP actions, spokespersons and events to press, with special emphasis on developing contacts and pitching to alternative press. Social media component of team will gather news links for circulation, work with Communications Advisor to maintain our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube accounts, and coordinate BAP livestreaming.  

Web Team
Maintain BAP webpage and develop creative ways to optimize the site to support BAP work. Other duties will be determined in consultation with Communications Advisor.  

Research Team
Work collaboratively with BAP action teams and National Organizer to provide relevant information and analysis related to BAP programmatic work. Team will analyze data and write research findings for BAP public educational and advocacy materials, including policy briefs, blogs, toolkits, petitions and special issue reports.

Conference Organizing Team
Work with National Organizer and BAP Coordinating Committee to plan, coordinate and implement all aspects of the BAP national gathering. Specific technical responsibilities will include assisting with travel/lodging logistics, menu and meal process, volunteer recruitment and management, developing monitoring & implementing conference organizing plan and timeline, and registration process. Will be looking for individuals with experience with a web-based registration process and political experience with democratic, participatory decision-making processes.

Let’s continue to build the resistance we all have been waiting for!

In struggle,
Ajamu, Ana, Jaribu, Kali, Lamont, Lukata, Margaret and Yolande
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

P.S. The people cannot depend on the oppressors for quality information. That’s where BAP comes in. Contribute today!

AFRICOM and the Invasion of Africa

This past weekend was epic.

Several BAP members attended the Conference Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases, bringing a Black internationalist perspective that has long been absent in the anti-war movement.

You can watch a conference plenary on AFRICOM and the invasion of Africa featuring three BAP members—Maurice Carney, Netfa Freeman and Margaret Kimberley—and National Organizer Ajamu Baraka. In fact, Maurice Carney’s talk on the Democratic Republic of Congo came at a good time: Yesterday marked the 57th anniversary of the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first democratically elected prime minister of the DRC.

Other BAP members such as Nellie Bailey, Mekdes Ferguson, Asantewaa Mawusi Nkrumah-Ture and Efia Nwangaza offered insights from the audience that shed light on the antiquated mentality still present in this space. The conference marked a significant departure point for building the anti-war, anti-imperialist movement and makes clear the importance of focusing on Africa, especially as the Trump administration expands the work of the U.S. empire in exploiting the continent of our ancestors. It is our responsibility—being in the center of this empire—to do the work of decolonizing movement spaces and stop the U.S. war machine.

We invite you to watch videos of other plenaries from this past weekend on YouTube. Below you’ll find links to articles that discuss the conference. You also can find insights from the conference by searching for the #NoForeignBases hashtag on Twitter.

Be on the look out in an upcoming edition of these email blasts for a call for volunteers to join a committee. Take note that only BAP members can do this kind of work. If you’re not a BAP member and you are of African descent, you can apply here for membership.

If you’ve been to our website lately, you’ll notice we’ve posted videos of our members providing the Black internationalist perspective at various events. We also invite you to subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we are organizing our media interviews and other videos into playlists for easy perusal.


NEWS

1. "War is an instrument of class rule,” BAP National Organizer Ajamu Baraka said in his keynote address at the Conference Against U.S. Foreign Military Base. Listen to his talk.
2. Ajamu writes the people of the world have a right to protect themselves… from the United States. Read the article.
3. A new poll shows the U.S. public is overwhelmingly opposed to endless U.S. military interventions. Read the article.
4. “The United States cannot be a moral or ethical country until it faces up to the realities of US empire and the destruction it causes around the world,” writes Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese in Popular Resistance. Read the article.
5. Ann Garrison writes about the United States’ “full-spectrum arrogance,” a play on “full-spectrum dominance.” Read the article.
6. United Nations-backed police kill Haitians with impunity. Read the article.
7. The urge to dominate Haiti dates back to its founding in a mass slave revolt. In fact, the United States refused to recognize Haiti as a nation from its independence in 1804 until 1862 because U.S. leaders worried a Black republic run by former slaves would inspire its own slave population. Then from 1915 to 1934, the United States enforced a violent and bloody military occupation on Haiti. Read the article.

Let’s continue to build the resistance we all have been waiting for!

In struggle,
Ajamu, Ana, Jaribu, Kali, Lamont, Lukata, Margaret and Yolande
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

P.S. The oppressors won’t dismantle the U.S. war machine—that’s our job. Contribute today!

$11,111—thanks to you!

The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) raised $11,111 during our year-end fundraiser—all because of you!

We also welcomed 22 new monthly sustainers.

BAP is planning to make huge strides this year—co-hosting a conference a week from tomorrow to close U.S. foreign military bases, continuing our organizing work as a co-sponsor of CODEPINK’s war-divestment campaign and hosting our first national gathering in April.

This is an ambitious agenda.

It can only happen if justice-seeking people like yourself continue to support this effort.

Please help us start 2018 strong by making a tax-exempt contribution or sign up to be a monthly sustainer.


EVENTS

1. January 12-14, Baltimore: Conference on U.S. Foreign Military Bases. BAP co-founded this new coalition.

NEWS

1. BAP Coordinating Committee member Margaret Kimberley asks “Who killed Erica Garner?” Read more.
2. Political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal desperately needs medical care at a hospital. Find out how to take action to help him.
3. CNN was caught covering for U.S. imperialists in a piece that doesn’t link to a report it claims to cite. In fact, CNN twisted what a Wired article exposed—the United States is the prime source of weapons being used in West Asia and North Africa. Read the propaganda.
4. The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) is asking the United States to denounce Colombian Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas’ recent remarks insinuating the majority of human-rights defenders and social leaders in Colombia are targeted and killed because of issues in their personal lives, instead of their activism. WOLA would like the United States to ask Colombia to protect activists. Read more.
5. Coups and history: An interview on Zimbabwe. Read more.

Let’s continue to build the resistance we all have been waiting for!

In struggle,
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

P.S. The oppressors won’t fund our liberation. Help us start 2018 strong. Contribute today!

Russiagate Is Peaking

It’s clear what the U.S. ruling elite is doing.

These oligarchs are using Russiagate to tighten control over the scope of information the U.S. public is exposed to.

Hence, the crackdown on Russia-based news outlet RT, with the U.S. government threatening to freeze RT’s financial assets if it didn’t register as a “foreign agent.”

Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) National Organizer Ajamu Baraka criticized that move on Twitter.

These elites understand war and repression are the only weapons they have left to ensure their global dominance—and they will try to muffle any force agitating for peace.

But BAP has the moral authority to question U.S. war policies.

That’s because of Black folks’ historic opposition to this settler-colonial state.

Our expressions of solidarity will always transcend race, class and national boundaries. That’s why we also stand in solidarity with Yemenis as they face U.S.-funded genocide.

Have you seen our members speaking at recent events and in front of the United Nations Security Council? BAP’s mission has been resonating across the country because of their work.

We now must expand our ranks and elevate our presence over the next few months. BAP is prioritizing educating activists on how the war agenda impacts issues we face in our communities.

As we close this year, we hope you see the value of BAP’s global presence by contributing.


EVENTS

1. November 18, Philadelphia: BAP member Asantewaa Nkrumah-Ture will speak at “Living Legacy of the Soviet Revolution,” a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution.
2. December 7-10, Atlanta: U.S. Human Rights Network's annual conference, Advancing Human Rights 2017
3. January 12-14, Baltimore: Conference on U.S. Foreign Military Bases. BAP co-founded this new coalition.

NEWS

1. This article is written in Spanish, but we wanted to bring attention to BAP member Charo Mina-Rojas talking about building support for peace in Colombia, where African descendants have been fighting for their rights.
2. Listen to BAP member Netfa Freeman’s talk as he represented BAP at "The Ballot & the Bullet: Elections, War & Peace in the Era of Donald Trump”, convened by the Black Is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations.
3. The U.S. Army lifts the ban on accepting recruits with a history of some mental health issues. Of course, we don't expect this to backfire.
4. The United States claims it's in Syria to fight al Qaeda, but the al Qaeda affiliate in that country has disappeared from the U.S. terrorist list.
5. Watch this video where historian Vijay Prashad says the Trump presidency may be the last one.

Let’s continue to build the resistance we all have been waiting for!

In struggle,
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

P.S. Keep us going with a generous year-end gift!

Photo credit: Oliver Cooper/Twitter deq451/Instagram (Fair Use)

The Oligarchs Are Scrambling

They keep trying to undermine us.

Corporate and state apologists are scrambling to keep the propaganda wall up that separates the violence of mass shootings in the United States from the militaristic spirit that has infected U.S. culture and has translated into support for war abroad.

BAP is up to the task to make that connection for the U.S. public.


EVENTS

1. November 11, Baltimore: National Mobilization to Stop War on North Korea And End Nuclear Weapons, organized by Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility and MD Peace Action Network, and co-sponsored by BAP
2. November 18, Philadelphia: BAP member Asantewaa Nkrumah-Ture will speak at “Living Legacy of the Soviet Revolution,” a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution
3. December 7-10, Atlanta: U.S. Human Rights Network's annual conference, Advancing Human Rights 2017
4. January 12-14, Baltimore: Conference on U.S. Foreign Military Bases. BAP co-founded this new coalition

ARTICLES

1. Linking Russia to Black/African people’s struggles is not new, writes BAP National Organizer Ajamu Baraka.
2. People in the U.S. who trust the CIA are not in solidarity with humanity.
3. Senate bill aims to stop Trump from attacking North Korea with nuclear weapons.
4. Anti-communism had a devastating impact on the lives and activities of black radicals, yet they remained intersectional.
5. Huey Newton connected the police occupation of the Black community for white capitalist profit to the wars waged by the U.S. military abroad.
6. U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a warmongering criminal, basically supports an attack on North Korea. Others will be standing with her, ready to once again send the working class and poor off to die for nothing.

Let’s continue to build the resistance we all have been waiting for!

In struggle,
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

P.S. Please continue to send information to be included in these updates. Don’t forget to donate to keep us going!

Photo credit: Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images

What Is African/Black Internationalism?

Have you wondered what African/Black internationalism is?

It’s means being in solidarity with oppressed peoples throughout the world and specifically with African/Black peoples.

That’s the center of the Radical Black Tradition.

It’s also the heart of the Black Alliance for Peace’s (BAP) de-colonial project.

We’re positive BAP’s efforts are unlike what you would normally encounter in the United States. Scroll down to see our members’ internationalist work!


STATEMENT

1. BAP member Charo Mina-Rojas addressed the United Nations Security Council on gender violence and peace. Read her complete statement.

EVENTS

1. November 4-5, Washington, D.C.: BAP member Netfa Freeman will represent at the eighth-annual Black Is Back Coalition rally, march and conference.
2. November 18, Philadelphia: BAP member Asantewaa Nkrumah-Ture will speak at “Living Legacy of the Soviet Revolution,” a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution.
3. January 12-14, Baltimore: Conference on U.S. Foreign Military Bases. (BAP helped co-found this new coalition.)

VIDEOS

1. BAP National Organizer Ajamu Baraka discussed U.S./North Korea relations at an event hosted by the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition.
2. Pan-African Community Action organizer Ben Woods spoke on behalf of BAP at the sixth-annual Thomas Sankara conference. And here’s Thomas Sankara's brother, Paul.

ARTICLES

1. The United States says no need to understand what happened in Niger. Just open fire.
2. The New York Times did a disservice in not mentioning the oil and mineral reserves, as well as the weapons makers and military contractors who will profit from the U.S. pledge to invest $60 million to “fight terrorism” in Africa.
3. Keep in mind while you watch this video that public housing funds might be cut because a $700 billion military budget was approved—and the majority of the Congressional Black Caucus voted for it.
4. Abby Martin explores how the petrochemical industry dominates Houston and why its low-income, Black and Latino areas are in the highest-risk areas for flooding and pollution.
5. When soldiers kill and die in fruitless wars we don’t know about and can’t end, we’re not a democracy anymore—we’re an empire.
6. The federal 1033 program that puts deadly military gear in the hands of state and local police is being justified by Hurricane Harvey rescue efforts.
7. Political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal on what it means to be an abolitionist.
8. BAP Coordinating Committee member Margaret Kimberley on the “Black-Identity Extremist” label: “... Just as the (Congressional Black Caucus) did nothing useful about fighting police murder, they now assist the same people who would deprive their constituents of their lives and their rights.” Read more.
9. The attack on U.S. troops in Niger is the gift that keeps on giving.
10. A Black woman who refused to peddle Russia hysteria was permanently banned from Twitter.
11. The scale of the military expansion that began under the Obama administration is part of a renewed 'scramble for Africa', comprised of a reckless drive for dominance over Africa’s vast resources, which threatens to transform the entire continent into a battlefield.
12. A tale of how the United States uses militias and terror groups.
13. The consequences of U.S. withdrawal (from Africa) will be similar to what happened in Vietnam, Lebanon, Angola and other geo-political regions: The people will unite to resolve their own problems and challenges.
14. U.S. senators were stunned to learn of the 1,000 U.S. troops in Niger.

Let’s continue to build the resistance we all have been waiting for!

In struggle,
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

Image credit: Atlanta Black Star

Secret Military Operations in Africa

After U.S. troops were killed in Niger, Black activists and the public raised critical questions the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) is uniquely placed to respond to.

In fact, working to expose U.S. operations in Africa (AFRICOM) has been our priority.

But to do that, we must develop the capacity of our alliance. BAP’s Coordinating Committee will share plans to do so over the next few weeks.

In the meantime, please send information to be included in these BAP weekly updates.


EVENTS

1. October 30, Boston, Ma.: Suffolk University’s Students for Justice in Palestine is hosting BAP national organizer Ajamu Baraka to discuss the state of human rights in the contested region.
2. November 4-5, Washington, D.C.: Eighth-annual Black Is Back Coalition rally, march and conference.

VIDEO

1. Ajamu spoke at CODEPINK’s summit in Washington, D.C., about why BAP endorsed CODEPINK's campaign on divesting from war profiteers.

BOOK

1. Ajamu wrote a piece in a new book, “Jackson Rising: The Struggle for Economic Democracy and Self-Determination in Jackson, Mississippi”.

ARTICLES

1. U.S. Army General Donald Bolduc shamelessly told NBC News: “America is not at war in Africa. But its partner forces are.” But even a soldier can recognize the farce.
2. State repression, once only leveled on rebellious working people and racialized groups, has been extended to the entire population.
3. Charo Mina-Rojas, of Black Communities Process (Proceso Comunidades de Negras, PCN) and Black Alliance for Peace, says the Colombian government has no intention of making sure Black and indigenous peoples’ right to collective land ownership will be protected under the peace agreement with FARC rebels.
4. Unrest in Togo is taking place alongside other developments in West Africa, including the secessionist movements in South Cameroon and Southeast Nigeria, and the killing of several U.S. Special Forces troops in Niger.
5. U.S. troops think white nationalism is a larger national security threat than Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
6. The Black elite’s job is to keep the lid on Black protest, so the dispersal, disempowerment and demoralization of Black communities can be accomplished with as little disruption as possible.
7. Obama skirting human rights enabled Trump to be all the more brutal.
8. The debate about colonial symbols heats up across the African continent, much like it has here in the belly of the U.S. empire.

Let’s continue to build the resistance we have been waiting for!

In struggle,
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

Photo credit: U.S. Army photo/Sgt. 1st Class Christopher C. Klutts

Our First Conference Is Coming Up

We’re organizing our first national gathering for April 2018.

As you know, booking the venue, printing conference materials, catering food and transporting folks will add up.

Chip in today—we will need all of the resources we can get!

Now here are articles and events to help you tackle the crises we face:

 
EVENTS

1. October 21, Washington, D.C.: BAP national organizer Ajamu Baraka will discuss the connection between the wars abroad and the wars at home at CODEPINK’s summit to launch its campaign to divest from the war profiteers, of which BAP is a co-sponsor.

 
ARTICLES

1. BAP member and long-time Afro-Colombian activist Charo Mina-Rojas will speak to the United Nations Security Council on the Colombia peace process.
2. Modern-day slavery for Black, Brown and poor folks.
3. The 158th anniversary of the Harper’s Ferry raid that kicked off the liberation of Black slaves.
4. The Black Panther Party celebrated its 51st birthday this week.
5. The Supreme Court rules in favor of government transparency regarding private prisons.
6. The real reason the U.S. wants to remain in Afghanistan.
7. Two doctors who designed the torture program in Afghanistan were paid $80M. The greed for big money drives U.S. wars.
8. U.S. troop deaths in Niger reflect growing Africa mission creep.
9. Too many white leftists ignore their own community's history of betraying Black and Brown folks.
10. European governments return nearly 10,000 Afghans to risk of death and torture. Folks, this is genocide.
11. Here's another profit-generating opportunity for U.S. warmongers. Is the next front Lebanon?

Let’s continue to build the resistance we all have been waiting for!

In struggle,
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

Photo credit: Reuters/Joe Penney

The FBI Targets the Black Resistance

The state is growing more desperate and dangerous.

It faces a crisis, one where its own legitimacy is being questioned.

In a re-play of the repression faced by Black liberation forces in the 1960s and ‘70s, news broke that the Black resistance movement is in the cross hairs of the state. So-called “Black-identity extremists” are now the new FBI targets, a category that can include anyone who believes Black people have the right to resist and deserve self-determination, one of BAP’s grounding principles.

But we will not be intimidated. We will intensify our organizing and educational work and meet this challenge as we have met challenges in the past.

Now don’t forget to give—we need all of the resources we can get!

The struggle continues and we will win. Here are articles, videos and events to help you tackle the crises we face:


EVENTS

1. October 14, Washington, D.C.: BAP member Pan-African Community Action is organizing the sixth-annual Thomas Sankara conference in Washington, D.C., to help develop pan-African strategies.
2. October 14, Columbus, Ohio: Meet BAP national organizer Ajamu Baraka in Columbus, Ohio! You can also hear him speak at a second event about resistance and Black liberation in the age of Trump.
3. October 17, Decatur, Georgia: The Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition is hosting Ajamu to discuss the history of the U.S.-Korea conflict.

VIDEO

1. Despite Trump's bluster, nothing has really changed with how the United States deals with the world, said Margaret Kimberley, BAP Coordinating Committee member, at the United National Antiwar Coalition's rally on Saturday to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan.

ARTICLES

1. BAP member Charo Mina-Rojas discussed the heated Colombian peace process.
2. The state is not playing. Already, a convergence of white opinion exists on the left and on the right in opposition to what they call "identity politics" and what we call racial justice. Now folks are being targeted as “Black identity extremists.”
3. When the social compact is weak, everybody is the 'Other'—and, therefore, a target.
4. In the twisted, racist, profit-seeking minds of U.S. and E.U. leaders, a military buildup mainly using Black and Brown U.S. bodies is designed to create peace.
5. It's important for folks to understand the United States funds terrorists when it wants to take control of a country.
6. Are Russians collaborating with or influencing U.S. Blacks? This allegation is not new.

Let’s continue to build the resistance we all have been waiting for!

In struggle,
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

Your weekly BAP update

As we build and consolidate our community of resistance, we must arm ourselves with the necessary tools.

Every Thursday, the Black Alliance for Peace will provide members and supporters with information from BAP, as well as from the broader movement. This is to revitalize an intersectional, Black-led and -centered movement against war, repression and U.S. imperialism.

Did you know this week marks 16 years of the U.S. war in Afghanistan? Don’t forget to take action to oppose its escalation.

Now here are articles, videos and events to educate you on the crises we face:

BAP CO-SPONSORS LETTER IN SUPPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

BAP, along with dozens of international organizations and human rights activists, signed this letter to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, demanding he provide healthcare and infrastructure improvements to Afro-Colombians and Indigenous peoples.
 

EVENTS

• Join BAP at the United National Antiwar Coalition’s October 7 rally in New York City to oppose the escalation of the war in Afghanistan as well as the 16th anniversary of the longest war in U.S. history.
• Meet Ajamu in Columbus, Ohio!
• Join BAP and several peace organizations that founded the Coalition to Close U.S. Foreign Military Bases at the coalition’s first conference, January 12-14, 2018.

VIDEOS

• Combining movements requires multi-lingualism and oppressed peoples at the table, BAP Coordinating Committee member Rev. Lukata Mjumbe said at World Beyond War's No War 2017 conference.
• BAP attended a welcome party for political prisoner Rev. Edward Pinkney at The Solidarity Center in New York City. Watch the video of his talk.

ARTICLES

• U.S. imperialism continues war in Afghanistan and the destabilization of Africa.
• The U.S. interest in Myanmar is multi-faceted, based on its ever-growing demand for fossil fuels and its ruthless push to re-assert political dominance in Asia at China’s expense.
• The United States shows why it’s really in Syria.
• BAP National Organizer Ajamu Baraka appeared on Black Agenda Radio to discuss the Congressional Black Caucus backing Pres. Donald Trump’s war budget.
• The irony of Israel seeking a seat on the United Nations Security Council.
• White journalists in Saint Louis experienced police violence Black and Brown folks normally confront.

Let’s continue to build the resistance we all have been waiting for!

In struggle,
Coordinating Committee
Black Alliance for Peace

Photo credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

A Killer Cop Walks Free

It’s been a trying week.

Here's a run down:

• Another killer cop walks free in Saint Louis,
• Democrats and Republicans voted overwhelmingly to pass a $75 billion increase in the military budget, and
• Trump threatened to “destroy” North Korea in his address to the United Nations.

It is clear war and repression is at the center of the Empire’s strategy to maintain its oppressive dominance.

And so we must resist with everything we have.

That’s why I come to you again, asking for your support to help us build a resistance movement with the capacity to check the systematic violence that we and the people of the world are subjected to.

Spending more on wars only means more Black, Brown and poor bodies will be sent to the front lines to kill other Black, Brown and poor bodies.

Meanwhile, Black and Brown people will continue to die at the hands of the domestic military referred to as the police.

That’s why it’s crucial you support BAP today.

BAP has already begun educating the public on the war machine:

• We campaigned against the increase in military spending,
• helped develop a coalition to close U.S. foreign military bases, and
• co-sponsored CodePink’s campaign to divest from war profiteers.

Building the capacity of our members and activist community to resist is how we’ll defend against state repression.

Your financial support in the form of a one-time donation or by joining our monthly sustainer program can help us expand our public education program.

Will you contribute today?

Thanks so much for being part of our journey toward peace and social justice.

In solidarity,
Ajamu Baraka
National Organizer
Black Alliance for Peace

P.S. Let’s build a public education program. Become a contributor today.

Photo credit: Scott Olson/Getty

Your Congresspeople Love War

“I rise today to oppose unauthorized, undeclared and unconstitutional war. What we have today is basically unlimited war, anywhere, anytime, any place upon the globe.”

With these words, libertarian Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has become one of the few voices to oppose the obscenity otherwise known as U.S. war policies.

Only two other Senators joined him: Bernie Sanders and Ron Wyden.

The legislation that Paul is referring to is the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act.

It was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and includes a $75 billion increase in the military budget—well over the $54 billion that the President Donald Trump had originally proposed.

But here is the wrinkle: Paul is not concerned with the size of the military budget. He's pointing his finger at the continuation of the Authorization to Use Military Force Act of 2001, which was the “legal” basis for the U.S. global “war on terror.” He wants Congress to re-assess this legislation that has prompted our endless wars abroad.

BAP supports this position.

Yet, we are not just concerned about the AUMF, but also with the obscene theft of almost $700 billion of the people’s money.

But the two parties aren’t concerned with that.

In fact, 117 Democrats—including most of the Congressional Black Caucus—voted in favor of the spending increase.

And of course, the corporate press would rather focus on the issue of undocumented immigrants than military spending because—like the Democrats and most of the ruling class—they support U.S. militarism and war.

That is why BAP is so important. We have a historic responsibility to oppose the game being played on the people. But to do so, we must organize, we must build, and we must educate our people and the general public.

Here are articles we think you would appreciate reading:

From Ferguson to Palestine: Palestinian Women Connect with Struggling Communities in the United States

United States Threatens World Peace

America’s Wars for Peace

U.S. Imperialism: Militarism and Superexploitation in Africa

We'd also love for you to join us for the Week of Action to oppose the escalation of the war in Afghanistan.

Thanks again for supporting BAP!

In solidarity,
Ajamu Baraka
National Organizer
Black Alliance for Peace

P.S. If you are opposed to the rise in war spending, become a monthly sustainer today.

Photo credit: saddahaq.com

How we’re resisting the drive to war

We are facing an intensifying crisis in the United States.

That’s all as a result of the bi-partisan drive to use military force to prop up the declining power of the empire.

We must be clear and resolute in our opposition to these moves by redoubling our organizing and public educational activities.

Some of the work BAP has taken on over last few weeks includes:


BAP demands U.S. hands off North Korea
The increased aggression toward North Korea is dangerous. We say no justification exists for U.S. government interference on the Korean Peninsula.

Trump’s assault on Black lives
Did you hear President Donald Trump wants to unleash more military grade gear to local and state police? This means the war on Black lives is ramping up.


End the war in Afghanistan
Trump announced the longest war in U.S. history will continue. We ask that the United States admit defeat and end this war and that you join us in organizing local actions in the week of the 16th anniversary.


BAP joins CodePink in divestment program
BAP has co-sponsored CodePink’s initiative to punish those who profit from the war machine. BAP will join CodePink and other organizations during its October 21-22 Launch Summit to kick off the campaign and celebrate the national U.S. television release of “Shadow World,” a film about the global arms trade. Learn more.


BAP helped found the coalition to close military bases
Are you aware of the environmental, social and political impact of American military bases around the world? BAP is. That’s why we have joined the Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases.


Thanks so much for supporting BAP as it grows and makes strides toward a peaceful future.

In solidarity,
Ajamu Baraka
BAP National Organizer

P.S. The Black anti-war movement cannot grow without your support. Become a monthly sustainer!

Photo credit: HBO.com

You wouldn't believe it

We can’t keep up with the demand.

The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) has been inundated with speaking opportunities, and requests that we support actions and participate in community-based discussions.

In order to respond to public demand, support the needs of our member organizations and meet our capacity building objectives, BAP needs to raise $120,000 to develop its organizational and programmatic infrastructure.

Please consider committing to revitalize the Black anti-war movement.

BAP plans to:

• produce educational materials for our members as well as the general public,
• revamp our website to support more direct advocacy and public education,
• purchase a communication platform for our member calls and quarterly public educational calls, and
• create and support a training team.

In the short term, we are opposing Trump’s military expansion proposal while mobilizing against the growing threat of war with North Korea and the expansion of U.S. forces in Syria.

If we meet our fundraising goal, BAP will host its first national gathering on April 4, 2018 in Jackson, Mississippi.

But as you already know, reviving the Black anti-war movement can only occur if we remain financially independent. In fact, we hope 2,000 people commit to sustaining BAP by the end of the year.

Will you join BAP as a monthly sustainer?

As the irrational calls for more war, militarism and domestic repression increase, the mission of BAP becomes even more imperative. But we cannot meet our historic responsibility to resist this madness right here in the belly of the empire without your support. Not only can morality and rationality win, they can help us restore sanity and the rule of the people.

In solidarity,
Ajamu Baraka
National Organizer
Black Alliance for Peace

P.S. The Black anti-war movement is counting on your monthly support.