Nine Years of Black Alliance for Peace: Turning Imperialist War Into Organized Resistance
What we are witnessing is escalation. Across multiple fronts, the United States and the broader U.S./EU/NATO axis are abandoning even the minimal restraints that once obscured the violent logic of imperialism. The illegal abduction of Venezuelan leadership, the bombing of civilian infrastructure, and the continued intervention in sovereign nations are expressions of a system that governs through open force.
At the same time, the genocidal blockade against Cuba continues to impose deprivation as a method of control, demonstrating that economic warfare is not separate from military aggression, but one of its primary instruments.
Nowhere is the underlying logic of this moment more clearly revealed than in the war on Iran, which represents a contradiction imperialism cannot tolerate: a state that has asserted control over key resources, pursued national development outside the dictates of foreign capital, and resisted its role as an open enclosure for extraction.
The response has been systematic: sanctions, economic strangulation, military threats, and now open escalation. This is a structural necessity. The war on Iran is a front in a global class war, where the dictatorship of capital moves to discipline any nation or movement that attempts to break from its control.
For nine years, the Black Alliance for Peace has insisted that imperialist war abroad and repression at home are not separate phenomena, but interconnected expressions of a single system in crisis. What we are seeing now confirms that analysis. The same state that kidnaps heads of state and bombs sovereign nations is expanding its domestic counterinsurgency apparatus through ICE raids, militarized policing, surveillance, and the criminalization of dissent.
As we reflected in our 9th anniversary statement, the system’s violence, while intended to demobilize and fragment us, clarifies the stakes and sharpens the necessity of organized resistance.
The pretense of international law has largely been abandoned. The system can no longer maintain legitimacy through consent and increasingly relies on coercion, globally and domestically. But repression is not a sign of strength. It is a sign that the contradictions of imperialism are sharpening beyond its ability to manage them.
Over the past nine years, BAP has moved from analysis to coordinated action: building campaigns, coalitions, and internationalist frameworks that link struggles across continents. We have helped to begin the process to reforge anti-imperialist unity, deepen political clarity, and advance a People(s)-Centered Human Rights framework rooted in self-determination and collective struggle.
But this work requires resources, infrastructure, and sustained commitment.
As we mark our ninth anniversary, we are calling on our members, supporters, and all those committed to peace and liberation to contribute to this work. Your support helps us continue building the organizational capacity necessary to confront imperialism through political education, coalition-building, campaigns, and direct organizing on the ground.
The broader task is to transform imperialist war into organized resistance against imperialism itself.
Support the struggle. Contribute to BAP’s 9th Anniversary Fundraiser.
No Compromise. No Retreat.
BAP Atlanta hosted a political education event, "The History of Black Atlanta: Myth vs Reality" on February 28th at The Shrine of the Black Madonna. The myth of Black Atlanta as a Mecca leaves much to be desired. This Black History Month event explored the true reality of Atlanta and debunked historical myths with community members.
BAP DC participated in the Stop War on Iran Rally on March 2, held in front of the White House. Jacqueline Luqman, BAP Coordinating Committee Chair, spoke on behalf of BAP DC.
On March 13, BAP NYC/NJ and BAP Haiti/Americas Team co-organized a teach-in and fundraiser as part of the NY/NJ Action for Cuba Committee Week of Action in Defense of Cuba. This was followed on March 15 by a rally and march starting at the Hotel Theresa in Harlem in honor of the anniversary of the Protest of Baraguá.
On March 14, Pan-African Community Action (PACA) launched a three-pronged outreach initiative in Southeast D.C. to promote its Community Control DC Platform and boost visibility for the People’s Pan-African Wellness Front (PPWF) program. PACA members and supporters worked in teams of 4-5 to conduct door-to-door canvassing, metro station outreach, tabling at a high-traffic grocery store, and wheat pasting PPWF posters in the area.
In March, PACA held two Assata Shakur Study Group (ASSG) sessions, “Building Global African Solidarity With Cuba” on March 11, and an ASSG on March 25th to examine their Community Control DC: A People's Platform for Collective Power. PACA has already put into action part of what the platform calls for in the form of their monthly People’s Pan-African Wellness Front (PPWF).
On Saturday, April 4th, BAP DC held a speak-out at the Shaw/Howard U Metro Station commemorating 9 years of BAP and reflecting on 59 years since Martin Luther King Jr.’s first public speech against the Vietnam War, and on the current state of the anti-war movement and the anti-imperialist struggle within the belly of the beast. Evan (BAP DC) and Rafiki (A-APRP) spoke during the event.
On March 21, 2026, BAP-Baltimore and the AAPRP participated in the second town hall in the Collaborative Resistance series: In Defense of Our Communities at Payne Memorial AME Church. Organizations, organizers and members of the community discussed the ways African/Black, poor, and working-class neighborhoods can protect themselves from existing threats of intentional policy, militarized occupation, and interconnecting systems of neglect and disinvestment.
On March 22, PACA held its second PPWF program to confront health disparities impacting African/Black working-class communities in Southeast D.C. The March PPWF had a great turnout, and featured special recurring sessions from our resident doctor on breathwork as a way to manage stress and improve overall health.
From March 20-23, BAP Haiti/Americas Team members participated in the Nuestra América Convoy to La Habana, Cuba. In addition to supporting the delivery of humanitarian aid to the island as part of this convoy, members reconnected with the Red Barrial Afrodescendiente for an exchange. Upon returning, they co-organized a reportback held on April 1, along with the U.S. Peace Council, the National Lawyers Guild, and Americas Without Sanctions.
On March 26th, PACA organizer Alex testified before the DC Committee on Transportation & the Environment, breaking down how profit motives are what is really driving rising utility rates. And advocated that until DC residents have real community control and participatory power over utilities, the crisis will continue, lifting up another part of the Community Control DC platform. Alex's testimony can be viewed here, starting exactly at the 50:50:00 mark. Then again, at exactly 01:05:34, he responds to a question posed to him by DC Councilmember Robert Allen.
On March 26, BAP NYC/NJ and sixteen other organizations held a court support rally. Anti-imperialist, anti-war organizations held a court support rally to demand the immediate and unconditional release of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Combatant Cilia Flores. BAP Haiti/Americas Team also participated. This was followed by a vigil and speak out on April 3rd, outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center, where Maduro and Flores are held captive.
On Saturday, March 28th, BAP NYC/NJ, in collaboration with Mas. Rising launched the first session of their Reclaiming Our Sea program, an anti-imperialist teach-in series for the Caribbean diaspora, at Medgar Evers College. The session explored the critical relationship between the Caribbean and Venezuela, and brought together approximately 40 attendees for a powerful afternoon of political education and solidarity.
In observation of BAP's ninth anniversary on April 4, 2026, BAP-Baltimore conducted a collaborative teach-in with Baltimore PSL, “Under Siege: The Militarization of Baltimore Schools and the Criminalization of Our Youth,” which took place at the Baltimore Liberation Center. The call to Demilitarize Baltimore continues to rise, and more people are making connections to the domestic war and the wars against African/Black and all colonized people abroad.
On March 15th, BAP Nashville sponsored an event entitled: "From Revolution to Martyrdom: Unmasking & Dismantling Imperialism", where they discussed the importance of Iran today and why the United States Empire and Israel are threatened by the only power to stand against imperial lies. After the teach-in, attendees got to pray and eat together. We all took the time to remember the Minab schoolgirls killed at the start of the war.
On February 18, BAP Nashville published an article, “Community Control: No to Privatization & No to the National Guard” on Black Agenda Report. They analyzed the militarization of disaster response and the lack of proper public infrastructure.
JP Sloan, Black Alliance for Peace Northeast Regional Co-coordinator, published the piece, “Movement must stay vigilant – Stop the U.S.-Israeli wars now!” about the April 3 Good Friday event demand the release of Nicolás Maduro at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Margaret Kimberley, BAP Africa Team Co-coordinator, was a guest on the Black Power Media program "Black Women Speak Out on the U.S. and Israel's War on Iran!!!" with hosts Charles and Inez Barron and Colette Pean of the December 12th Movement. As Executive Editor of Black Agenda Report, Margaret also interviewed Dr. Gerald Horne for the piece, "Gerald Horne on The Hawaii Coup and the Roots of US Imperialism in the Asia-Pacific Basin."
Netfa Freeman, Africa Team Co-coordinator, was interviewed for and quoted in this April 7th Washington Informer article, "As Mayoral Contest Rages, Zionism Remains Topic of Discussion". Netfa was also interviewed on the March 4th edition of WPFW's What's At Stake about U.S. escalation against Cuba.
PACA organizers hit the airwaves and print news media on multiple outlets, including the Washington Informer, Black Agenda Report, and WPFW. The coverage informs about PACA, its new community control DC platform, and the People’s Pan-African Wellness front. Check out all eight media appearances in March!
April 11 | Join Community Movement Builders and BAP Atlanta as we host a Cuba aid drive featuring a documentary film screening and discussion to deepen our understanding of Cuba's history, resilience, and ongoing struggle under the U.S. blockade.
Time: 2:00-4:00 pm ET | Little 5 Points 1083 Austin Ave NE, Atlanta
April 15 | BAP Bay Area Cluster joins a broad coalition of organizations for "Our Taxes, Their Wars" — a Tax Day action at the Zionist (Israeli) Consulate in San Francisco, demanding an end to the funding of ICE, empire, and genocide. The action connects U.S. military and immigration enforcement spending to the lived costs borne by working people and communities of color. More information.
Time: 4:30 pm ET | Location: 456 Montgomery St #2100
April 22, 2026 | PACA’s next Assata Shakur Popular Education (ASPE, formerly ASSG) is “The High Cost of Utilities; Why the People Should Control Public Resources”. Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Location: Black Workers & Wellness Center, 2500 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Washington, D.C. | More Information
April 26, 2026 | PACA’s April People’s Pan African Wellness Front (PPWF) session to deliver immediate relief while organizing toward long-term self-determination and community control of health. Time: 12 noon to 3 p.m. | Location: Rise Demonstration Center, 2730 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Washington, D.C. | More Information
May 23, 2026 | BAP-Wilmington cluster will participate in the next T.A.C.T.C.S, Critical Lens Popular Education session, themed: Malcolm X Speaks, African Liberation Day & The Significance of Revolutionary (Inter)nationalist Alliances. The venue is wheelchair accessible, with free street parking, just minutes from the SEPTA Regional and Amtrak train station. Registration is required. Register Here | Time: Doors open at 10:30 am ET | Location: Wilmington Public Library 10 E 10th Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 | Virtual option provided