No Peace Under Imperialism: Black August in the Shadow of Empire
With the 46th commemoration of Black August, we confront the paradox of a month that binds our mourning and our militancy. The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) asserts that this is not a time for performative reflection, but for sharpening our commitment to the living tradition of resistance forged by our ancestors such as Nat Turner, George Jackson, and the Haitian people as they began their revolution. This month also marks the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a stark reminder of Western imperialism’s capacity for genocidal destruction, as well as the continued siege on colonized and oppressed people domestically and across the globe.
From the ongoing genocide in Palestine to the brutal suppression of resistance in Haiti, Congo, and Sudan, the U.S. empire proves, yet again, that its notion of “freedom” is reserved only for the oppressors. From the ongoing genocide in Palestine to the brutal suppression of resistance in Haiti, Congo, and Sudan, the U.S. empire proves, yet again, that its notion of “freedom” is reserved only for the oppressors. Meanwhile, within the belly of the beast, Black communities face state-sanctioned terror: police killings, mass incarceration, economic warfare, and the erasure of our history through reactionary education policies. Now, under the Trump regime’s escalating authoritarianism, we witness the open colonial occupation of Washington, DC—a majority-Black city denied self-governance and now subjected to a federally imposed police state. The same empire that arms Israel’s genocide in Gaza deploys the National Guard to suppress dissent and entrench racial control at home, proving that imperialism’s violence is both exported and domesticated.
The U.S. and Israel’s impunity must end. This lack of meaningful action against the Zionist occupation’s genocidal acceleration, enabled by U.S. funding, corporate media collusion,, and protection at the United Nations and other international forums, motivates BAP’s call to ban both states from international sporting events. While this is one tactic, what’s clear is that anti-imperialist multilateralism must intensify: through movement efforts like the Friends of The Hague Group (FOTHG), state-based pressure by The Hague Group, and unwavering solidarity with the Axis of Resistance. It is this very impunity that has allowed Gaza’s genocide to continue for nearly two years, the violent occupation on the West Bank to intensify, the militarized occupation of DC to unfold under Trump’s “Safe and Beautiful” task force, and activists like labor leader Chris Smalls to be brutalized with silence from liberal elites.
BAP rejects the hollow commemorations that reduce historical atrocities to performative gestures. We refuse to let August pass without exposing and confronting the bloody legacy of U.S. militarism and colonialism. This month, we honor the martyrs victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki not with empty apologies, but by linking their struggle to our own, against the same empire that drops bombs and starves colonized and oppressed people abroad while slowly killing our people at home.
August is not a time for passivity. It is a month to remember that our struggle is intertwined with the struggle of all oppressed peoples. The same system that dropped nuclear bombs on Japan today arms Israel with weapons to slaughter Palestinians, funds death squads in Haiti, and militarizes police in Black neighborhoods. There can be no peace under imperialism, only resistance.
No Compromise! No Retreat!
The Black Socialist Formation (BSF) hosted a demonstration on Haitian Flag Day (May 18th), which called for "U.S. Out of Haiti". The event was hosted in the Hill District, a historically Black neighborhood in Pittsburgh, and it raised awareness around the crisis of imperialism in Haiti while making connections between issues of imperialism and displacement from Haiti to Sudan to the Hill District.
On July 4th, the Black Socialist Formation (BSF) hosted "What, to the Afrikan, is the fourth of July?" in Pittsburgh's Hill District. The event offered a space of reprieve from the celebrations of empire, white nationalism, and imperialism going on elsewhere as well as a space for open discussion and reflection. We potlucked, played board & card games, listened to music, and invited participants to share creative expressions, thoughts, and stories in response to our prompt, referencing Frederick Douglas, "What, to the Afrikan, is the fourth of July?"
"On July 26th, 2025, BAP-DC members facilitated a discussion of the text: No Cop City, No Cop World, at Sankofa Video, Books & Cafe in Washington, D.C. The talk featured Kamau Franklin of member organization, Community Movement Builders, and engaged topics of counterinsurgency, militarization and elements of BAP’s key campaign: No Compromise, No Retreat. Furthering calls for community control and united fronts, the gathering brought out over 40 attendees, including comrades of Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Pan-African Community Action, and participatory contributors of Black Liberation Media.
Jump in and check out the Dulce Imperialism Teach-In hosted by BAP Baltimore in June! Connecting Puerto Rico and Baltimore through Domino Sugar Company! Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS29aXyfP0o
BAP- DC co-coordinator Evan Wright in conversation with Kamau Franklin of Community Movement Builders at Sankofa Books in DC. Watch here: https://youtu.be/I0Bu805_Yk0
As the first phase of their new program for community control over health, the Pan-African People’s Wellness Front (PPWF), DC based BAP member organization Pan-African Community Action (PACA) had its first door knocking training on Saturday July 12th.. Inspired by the revolutionary legacies of the Black Panther Party’s People’s Free Medical Clinics and the Cuban healthcare model, PPWF is a community-based, grassroots program that seeks to build community power for self-determination among the African/Black working-class communities in Southeast Washington, DC.
Then on July 26th and on August 10th PACA led members and supporters to go door to door and put the training to use. In addition to building community power, the PPWF simultaneously aims to provide immediate relief through health and education services to confront the widening health disparities between DC’s Ward 8 and the broader city of Washington.
Last week, Erica Caines spoke at the People's Summit for Korea! She discussed the shared experience of suppression caused by Western Imperialism. Under the guise of counterterrorism, NATO destabilizes African countries like Libya, Sudan and Somalia in the attempt to prevent a unified socialist continent through strong military presence and instigation. US-NATO is using the same framework in arming the ROK Armed Forces in South Korea. Both AFRICOM and PACOM as well as the internal domination of both African and Korean people in the US serve the same purpose of disrupting collective resistance. Watch here: https://youtu.be/caLj5RhnQT4?si=a5l6wPk9yspUfPwi
North-South Project coordinator Ajamu Baraka and Africa Team Co-Coordinator Margaret Kimberley joined Danny Haiphong to discuss Trump and the EU and threats to Ibrahim Traore, Putin, and BRICS. Watch Here:
Erica Caines interviewed Max Ajl on Black Liberation Media. They discussed the recent events in Syria since the violent takeover by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) last year. This interview occurred on the heels of the recent Asia-Pacific News Update from the Solidarity Network, where they interviewed him on the same subject.
BAP Baltimore Co-Coordinator Sister Sheena and BAP Baltimore Member, Milan Hariis, joined BLM’s Remix Morning Show discussing the “No Compromise. No Retreat!” campaign and their recent petition to demilitarize Baltimore.
BAP- Philly Co-coordinator, filmmaker Chad Murdock, joined filmmaker Mtume Gant to discuss the role of Black Cinema and organizing.
Too Black, BAP Midwest member interviewed BAP So-Cal Co-coordinator, Kim Moore, on the Black Myths Podcast to analyze the myth "This Ain't Our Fight".
BAP member Salome Ayuak joined Revolutionary African Perspectives (RAP), a live-broadcast radio show run by members of BAP Atlanta on WRFG 89.3, to discuss the life and legacy of the revolutionary Frantz Fanon.
On August 1st, Africa Team Co-coordinator, Netfa Freeman and Director of BAP member organization Friends of the Congo, Maurice Carney, tag-teamed in an interview on KPFK's Cut to The Chase with Host Sylvester Rivers. unpacking what is known about the mineral deal between DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and U.S. President Donald Trump.
The article “From COINTELPRO to Project Esther: The evolution of domestic counterinsurgency in the U.S.” by Carrie Zaremba, of the BAP Solidarity Network was published in Mondoweiss, elaborating on the privatization of counterinsurgency and the ongoing campaign to neutralize the Palestine movement is a demonstration of it. And this was the topic of an interview with Carrier on Voices With Vision hosted by BAP’s Netfa. Press TV also interviewed Carrie on the “Crackdown on pro-Palestine students.”
August 16: The Black Alliance for Peace and AAPRP DMV presents 'Political Prisoners in the Age of Empire: From Local Jails to Global Detention. Join us for a critical discussion on the legacy of U.S. political prisoners, Baltimore & Maryland’s prison crisis, and Prison imperialism.
1:00-3:00 pm | Payne Memorial A.M.E. church
September 10: Black August Reflection: Supporting Our Political Prisoners Year-Round. Join us as we reflect on Black August and deepen our understanding of political prisoners as collective resistance. Through dialogue, we'll make connections between the legacy of Black August, the current carceral state, and sustained solidarity with our political prisoners. With any questions, please contact the Prisoner Support Team at solidarity@blackallianceforpeace.com
Wednesday 7:00 PM EST | REGISTER HERE
August 20 and August 27: Black August is near! Join the D.C. Chapter of the Malcom X Grassroots Movement and Pan-African Community Action for Black August Resistance, as we study, fast, train, and fight for healthy bodies, minds, and spirits, and prepare for the struggle ahead against medical genocide. We encourage everyone to join us in person and break your Black August fast with us! Every Wednesday in Black August. Free food and masks provided.
Black Workers & Wellness Center, 2500 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Washington, DC 20020 | Hybrid Registration
August 20 – August 23: The Black Alliance for Peace, Cooperation Jackson, Fantz Fanon Foundation, and New Day Collective will host Honoring Resistance: The Class of 1925 and Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and The Great Flood. 2025 is the 100-year anniversary of many freedom fighters: Robert F. Williams, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, Patrice Lumumba, and Frantz Fanon. This Black August, we are honoring the sacrifices of these Freedom Fighters and the advancements we achieved through their revolutionary impact. Check out the following events:
Eversville (Jackson, Mississippi), Events
Wednesday, August 20th @ 6pm
Public event with Mireille Fanon (Daughter of Frantz Fanon)Thursday, August 21st @ 4pm
Film Festival
New Orleans Events
Friday, August 22nd
Public Event with Mireille FanonSaturday, August 23rd
Film Festival
CurbFest For Political Prisoners: DMV
Connecting organizers, community members, and political education, CurbFest for Political Prisoners raises awareness of political prisoners held captive in the US. Curbfest encourages people to embody self-determination by working together, instead of turning to the state for approval, such as permits or resources we can find among our neighbors. Featuring local DJs, Performers, and Artists, CurbFest brings a much-needed “liberated” community vibe to the struggle towards abolition.
August 30th | 2:00-5:00 pm | Red Emmas Bookstore CoffeeHouse 3128 Greenmount Ave, Baltimore, MD 21218
August 31st | 1:00 -6:00 pm | Black Workers & Wellness Center, 2500 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE Washington, D.C. 20020 | RSVP