The anti-imperialist and anti-war movement suffered a great loss early Sunday morning with the sudden passing of activist Kevin Zeese.

Margaret Flowers, his life partner, captured the sentiments of many of us who knew Kevin and were shocked by his passing, when she said to know Kevin is to know how ”... amazing, kind and selfless a person Kevin was. He never asked for anything, but was always there for others. He had such great knowledge and wisdom. He was a gentle giant and his death is a huge loss for me personally and I know for many people who are a friend or who worked with him over the years.”

It was that kind of solidarity and commitment to people that compelled Kevin, along with Margaret and all of the activists who became known worldwide as the Embassy Protection Collective, to hold the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, D.C., for 37 days to prevent it from being taken over by the unelected, right-wing forces who aligned with Juan Guaido. It was an amazing and heroic act of internationalist solidarity that will go down in the annals of the people’s history.

Another country Kevin was especially concerned about that now finds itself in the crosshairs of U.S. criminal aggression is Nicaragua. The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) shares those concerns and pledges to the memory of Kevin to raise the visibility inside the United States of the heroic struggle of the Nicaraguan people to preserve the integrity of their project.

Central to Kevin’s concerns was respecting the will and sovereignty of peoples around the world. That is why he adamantly opposed U.S. and European sanctions. Kevin recognized sanctions were acts of war, and that they usually target the civilian population with inevitable death, suffering and destruction. We at BAP will go even further and say sanction regimes are acts of state terrorism when they are applied unilaterally by rogue states, such as the United States.

So, while our hearts are heavy, we know Kevin would tell us not to mourn too long and get back to fulfilling our duty to organize and fight at the center of the U.S. empire. That is how Kevin will be present—as our inspiration, both as we struggle and once the people win! 

 

PRESS AND MEDIA


Last week's episode of WPFW’s “Voices With Vision,” hosted by Netfa Freeman, who represents Pan-African Community Action (PACA) on the BAP Coordinating Committee, featured familiar voices. BAP member Jacqueline Luqman exposed how the new March on Washington obscured the problems that have continued to be ignored since the first march held in 1963. The show featured music by Dahk Matter (aka PACA's Ahmed Malik Braxton) and BAP Coordinating Committee member Margaret Kimberley explaining why "Democrats are officially Republicans.”

BAP member Mark Fancher questions the value of marches and protests after police murder Black people in his latest piece for Black Agenda Report.

The U.S. crisis of legitimacy has been on display as millions have lost their jobs and homes amid an economic crisis exacerbated by the lockdowns. BAP member Asantewaa Nkrumah-Ture was featured in a Philadelphia Inquirer article on Pennsylvania’s statewide eviction moratorium coming to an end.

Press TV’s “The Debate” interviewed Netfa about ongoing racial tensions in the United States. Meanwhile, Press TV interviewed Margaret on Trump’s latest move to ban anti-racism training. Plus, Margaret spoke to Radio Sputnik's “Political Misfits” and “The Critical Hour”, as well as Al Mayadeen (only available in Arabic), about the uprising in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the 2020 election. BAP National Organizer Ajamu Baraka also discussed Kenosha on Al Mayadeen (only available in Arabic).

Ajamu wrote in Black Agenda Report that the U.S. human rights record—domestically and internationally—is filled with hypocrisy, deceit and denigration.

BAP’s August 23 webinar, “How the International War Against Black People Is Being Waged Locally and Unifying Our Fight Against It,” is now available on YouTube and Facebook. 

A video that explains BAP’s mission can be viewed on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This video wouldn’t have been possible without BAP member Jelani Fraser, who scripted and produced the video, and BAP Coordinating Committee member Jaribu Hill, who lent her voice as narrator.

 

EVENTS


September 9: PACA's Assata Shakur Study Group will be held at 7 p.m., EST, online. Non-Africans who wish to attend are asked to bring an African.

September 19-20: Labor and Community for an Independent Party is organizing a two-day online conference, “Break the Grip of the Two-Party System Program Agenda.” Registration is required.

September 24: Mark your calendars for 4 p.m., EST, for BAP’s next webinar, “Full Spectrum Dominance: From AFRICOM to the Indo-Pacific Command.” Registration information will be available in an upcoming newsletter.

November 7-8: The Black Is Back Coalition calls on all to march, rally and convene in Washington, D.C., during the “Black People's March On White House.” Registration is required.

 

TAKE ACTION

  • The Black Latina Girls and Women Fund was created by BAP member organization AfroResistance, a Black Latina women-led organization in the service of Black Latinx women in the Americas. This fund offers financial support by giving money directly to Black Latin womxn, girls and femmes who are experiencing severe financial need across the region, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether in Brazil, Colombia, United States or Panama, Black Latina girls, women, and femmes are organizing in their local communities in the fight against several forms of state violence. You can donate here and people are encouraged to use the hashtag #BlackLatinaGWFund.

  • Ask your local, state and federal candidates to sign BAP’s 2020 Candidate Accountability Pledge. If you are a candidate, distinguish yourself from the other corporate warmongering candidates by signing the pledge.

  • Sign up to join BAP’s U.S. Out of Africa Network to receive the bi-weekly AFRICOM Watch Bulletin in your inbox.

  • Make sure you keep up with us throughout the week by subscribing to our YouTube channel, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Instagram and Twitter.

  • We are raising $30,000 to help expand our membership support capacity and revamp our website. Donate and share our GoFundMe campaign with your networks today.


No Compromise, No Retreat!
 
Struggle to win,
Ajamu, Dedan, Jaribu, Margaret, Netfa, Nnamdi, Paul, Vanessa, YahNé

P.S. Freedom isn’t free. Consider giving today.