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!