The official blog of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement, an organization of Euro-American and other allies who organize in material solidarity with the African Liberation Movement
Day in Solidarity campaign raises $9,000 in reparations - only $1,000 more needed to meet goal
This fall's Day in Solidarity with African People campaign has been outstanding!
The Uhuru Solidarity Movement has been busy talking with people - on the street, at their homes and at events organized all around the country. At the Day in Solidarity events, we heard from powerful leaders in the Uhuru Movement, the organization putting programs on the ground for African self-reliance. This movement is changing the world, laying the foundation for a society where everyone has what they need to live.
Nearly 200 people have publicly taken "The Pledge" to say "Yes, I support African people's struggle for justice, liberation and self-determination!"
See who has taken The Pledge and read some of their statements here.
Those people have backed up their statement with concrete support, contributing $9,000 toward African self-reliance programs of the Uhuru Movement. This is reparations in action!
One of several community gardens organized by the All African People's Development and Empowerment Project (AAPDEP)
Penny Hess, Chairwoman of the African People's Solidarity Committee and author of Overturning the Culture of Violence, speaks at A Day in Solidarity with African People, Saturday, November 12, 2011 in Philadelphia.
If you believe that there will never be peace without justice, reparations, and liberation for African and other oppressed peoples inside the US and around the world, go to uhurusolidarity.org and take the pledge of solidarity with African people with a minimum contribution of 10 dollars towards the African liberation programs of the Uhuru Movement.
Philly’s upcoming Day in Solidarity with African People event calls on white people to resist our financial and political rulers by joining in solidarity with the resistance of African, Indigenous and oppressed people's 500-year resistance against slavery, genocide and colonialism.
As millions of people around the world take to the streets against oppression, we stand in unconditional solidarity with justice, liberation and reparations for African people.
We cannot find justice and peace inside this country and around the world without overturning the historic wrong on which this country and economic system was built.
As mobilizations bring out millions around the world and here in this city, we see the movement for African liberation challenging the powers that be.
And we can be a part of it!
The Day in Solidarity with African People comes just days after the most historic election in Philadephia history--Diop Olugbala, an anti-imperialist candidate and leader of the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM) challenged neocolonial Michael Nutter for mayor of the city.
Diop for Mayor!
This past week was perhaps the most historic election in Philadelphia history, with an anti-imperialist candidate, International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement President Diop Olugbala, running on a solid revolutionary national democratic program to challenge the incumbent, neocolonial mayor Michael Nutter, for leadership of the city.
Over 6400 people (out of only 197,000 voters, a 19 percent turnout) went to the voting booth and cast their vote for Diop. The political landscape in the city of Philadelphia and throughout the U.S. will forever be changed, as the white ruling class will never again be able to run another neocolonial, politician for office without having to address the fundamental issues that the Uhuru Movement successfully raised through the campaign to elect Diop for mayor of Philadelphia.
The issues of police containment vs. economic development and African community control of housing, police and schools have been placed in the center of political debate in Philly due to Diop's campaign. The struggle for Diop for mayor is a struggle against neocolonial white power and imperialism.
The work done on the ground by Diop, campaign manager Chimurenga Waller, and all the amazing African forces working on the campaign was nothing short of incredible. With few resources but a strong ideological campaign, everyone struggled hard on the ground to get the word out, bring out African working class communities to vote on election day, and to win new arenas of political struggle through Diop’s campaign.
Everyone knows that this campaign represents a victory for the people -- not just in Philadelphia, but throughout the world! In a time when political struggle is the growing trend from Egypt to Oakland, St. Petersburg to Philly, the program of Diop’s campaign, won over in the streets and even brought to the cover of bourgeois newspapers like Philadelphia Weekly, the Philadelphia Inquirer and on major television networks like NBC and CBS, reached the masses of African people and many white allies in ways we had never imagined. When we struggle, we win!
Watch Wali “Diop” Rahman’s presentation from the Black is Back rally HERE:
Black is Back mobilization
A Day in Solidarity With African People comes one week after the dynamic Black is Back “Stop the Wars and Build the Resistance!” mobilization in Philadelphia.
This march, rally and townhall meeting brought forth concrete demands from African people struggling to be free from imperialism and neocolonialism. Hundreds of people turned out on the corner of Broad and Susquehenna in North Philly to take a solid stand against the wars of Obama, Nutter and all representatives of imperialism.
A strong contingent of Euro-Americans, from Uhuru Solidarity Movement, Occupy Philly and other anti-war and anti-imperialist organizations, came out to stand in solidarity with the mobilization, which featured Black is Back and African Socialist International Chairman Omali Yeshitela, InPDUM President and mayoral candidate Diop Olugbala, MOVE and Free Mumia leader Pam Africa, Black Agenda Report Executive Editor Glen Ford, and People’s Organization for Progress Chair Larry Hamm.
See Chairman Omali Yeshitela’s presentation from the rally HERE:
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Why A Day in Solidarity with African People is essential for us
A Day in Solidarity with African People gives us as white poeple the opportunity to learn the true history of this country built on slavery, plunder and wars of occupation. The Day in Solidarity will present a powerful keynote presentation by Chairman Omali Yeshitela and workshops educating us on the truth about America and U.S. violence.
This is the future! We must participate through mobilizing other white people in our community and winning resources as genuine material solidarity – reparations – to support the programs and work of the African People’s Socialist Party, InPDUM and the All African People’s Development and Empowerment Project (AAPDEP).
We must organize solidarity with campaigns like Diop for Mayor, Black is Back, and other genuine calls from the African community for justice, self-determination and liberation!
A Day in Solidarity With African People is where this all comes together.
Come to the event on Saturday, November 12 from 1pm – 6pm at the First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut Street in Center City Philadelphia.
We must hear from leaders in the African Liberation Movement – Chairman Omali Yeshitela, Diop Olugbala, AAPDEP leader Ayesha Fleary, Diop for Mayor Education Commission Chair Rhone Fraser, MOVE survivor Ramona Africa, and Penny Hess – the Chairwoman of the African People’s Solidarity Committee.
When we are organized in solidarity with African people leading their own struggle to be free, we transform ourselves!
And immediately following the Day in Solidarity event, Chairman Omali Yeshitela will make a keynote presentation at the “Free Land” festival at Occupy Philly at City Hall.
Don’t miss this incredible day of events, with a necessary teach-in for all of us who want to transform our parasitic relationship to African and other oppressed people and move forward towards building a new world!
Come to the Day in Solidarity With African People!
Reparations in Action!
UHURU!
Take the Pledge today! Donate $10 or more to support the programs of the Uhuru Movement:
"Run Hard! It's Our City and We Want it NOW!" The Campaign to Elect Wali "Diop" Rahman Mayor of Philadelphia
The past 120 days in Philadelphia, PA have been a whirlwind of hard work, struggle and intense organizing similar to the very recent Uhuru Freedom Summer Project in St. Petersburg FL. The Campaign to Elect Wali "Diop" Rahman Mayor of Philadelphia is a grassroots campaign that skyrocketed off the ground almost immediately from the first moment the idea was raised that Diop Olugbala, International President of the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement, run for mayor to directly challenge Michael Nutter, the neo-colonial African incumbent mayor of Philadelphia -- the same leader who ordered Diop's arrest for protesting the city's War Budget in 2009 -- for leadership of this city.
Diop has organized and won support in nearly every sector of this city. The campaign has taken Diop from the Broad Street subway trains selling Burning Spears -- a critical aspect of the ongoing organizing work InPDUM does regularly in Philly -- to the School Reform Commission, to City Council Chambers during the hearing on the newly passed extended youth curfew bill, to candidates forums facing Republican "also-ran" candidate Karen Brown (Nutter has yet to show up for any candidates forums), to the cover of Philadelphia Weekly and TV appearances on NBC 10 @Issue and CBS 3 "Newsmakers" (see below).
Standing on a solid platform consistent with the principles of InPDUM and the African People's Socialist Party, Diop is running for economic development, community control of police, education, housing and food access for the oppressed and impoverished African and Latino communities as a path to shared prosperity -- where one community doesn't live at the expense of any others in this city.
Occupy Philadelphia -- nearly a month old in its occupation of City Hall against the Wall Street "1%" -- has endorsed Diop as THE candidate to vote for on November 8th, along with the organizations International Action Center, PEACE Coalition, People of Color Committee, and of course, Uhuru Solidarity Movement. Diop has spoken several to Occupy Philly (see here, and here), expressing unity with the anti-imperialist actions and posing a challenge to the activists to take a deeper stand in solidarity with liberation and justice for African and other oppressed peoples. The General Assembly broke protocol by applauding Diop with a rousing response to his appeal to endorse and build for the November 5th Black is Back Coalition "Stop the Wars and Build the Resistance" mobilization.
The city now knows that Wali "Diop" Rahman will be on the ballot on Tuesday, November 8th. His ballot number is #417 -- make sure you find #417 and vote for Diop!
We standing in unconditional solidarity with Diop's campaign and we know that victory will be won!
Members of Uhuru Solidarity Movement have participated for the past 3 weeks in the Occupy St Pete General Assembly gatherings.
As part of the Occupy St Pete General Assembly, we have struggled to raise up the demand for reparations from Wall St and the US government to African and Indigenous peoples and to stand in solidarity with the African community inside the US and around the world.
We have met several friendly and supportive people at our outreach table where we have called on other North Americans to take a principled stand in solidarity with the African community's struggle for economic development and self-determination.
The General Assembly meeting on October 22 culminated with a march on Downtown St Pete. We led several of the chants during this march, including "Occupy Wall St, Not the Middle East" and "Down with Wall St! Reparations Now!"
Jesse Nevel, local chair of St Pete branch of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement, speaks at Occupy St Pete General Assembly October 22, 2011
If you stand against Wall St and US imperialism, join Uhuru Solidarity Movement and take the pledge of solidarity with African people with a minimum 10 dollar contribution towards the work of the Uhuru Movement for African liberation and self-determination.
One of several community gardens organized by the All African People's Development and Empowerment Project (AAPDEP)
