The Black is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations must be given maximum support by African people and especially activists, because it has been a critical development in our movement since the 1960s.
Based on principles of self-determination, the Coalition has succeeded in uniting a wide and diverse group of African people stretching across the various ideological and political differences that left our movement fractured in the past.
In the midst of the ideological confusion and political immobilization resulting from the election of Barack Hussein Obama as president of the U.S., the Coalition took leadership in demanding reparations and social justice for African people and peace and democracy for the people being victimized by U.S. war and terror.
On November 7, 2009, less than two months after it was founded, our coalition held a national demonstration against the U.S. wars, the first demonstration since the inauguration of Obama and the only national mobilization against the Obama White House since his election.
In January 2010 we held a national conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the coalition was firmly consolidated, and the deep anti-imperialist character of our organization was confirmed through resolutions voted on by coalition representatives from South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, D.C., New Jersey, Maryland, Texas, Tennessee, Nassau and New York.
The conference was viewed and listened to through the internet by people throughout the world.
Mobilizing against imperialism
On February 20, 2010, we held a national demonstration in Miami in defense of our people in Haiti after the earthquake resulted in the deaths of more than 200,000 Africans.
Our coalition went beyond the simple cry for charity and demanded that the U.S. and France pay reparations to Haiti for centuries of slavery and exploitation.
We also demanded the restoration of democracy, the return of former President Aristide, who was overthrown and kidnapped by the U.S. in 2004, and the removal of both U.S. and U.N. military occupation forces.
One month later, we participated in the national ANSWER-sponsored anti-war mobilizations held in D.C. and San Francisco, where our presentations taking the issue beyond the call for peace to a declaration of solidarity with the oppressed victims of U.S. imperialism made the difference in the character of the mobilizations.
Currently, the Coalition is gearing up for an event in New York in defense of jailed defense attorney Lynne Stewart, Mumia Abu Jamal and Diop Olugbala of the Uhuru Movement.
We also are planning a regular series of events throughout the U.S. and other areas of BIB influence, like Nassau, which will build up to a national anniversary mobilization in November 2010.
The Black Is Back Coalition has been able to accomplish much more than most would have thought possible in its short existence, and with very little resource assistance beyond the stage and sound equipment that was provided the D.C. Peace Center for our November 7, 2009, mobilization.
Raising resources for colonized struggles
However, we have not yet succeeded in developing a resource-generating capacity of our own, and this is problematic. We must make monthly rent payments for the office space in D.C., and we incurred debt from the Miami mobilization.
This is a call on all members and sympathizers of the Coalition to step up to the plate and make serious financial contributions.
If you believe, as we do, that our people must intervene in the critical, current issues of an imperialist system in deep crisis, it is hoped that you also will see the significant impact you can make by supporting the coalition with money and other resources.
Our intervention in the anti-war discussions have made it impossible for a discussion of peace to be held by those in the U.S. without talking about social justice for Africans and other people; we have demanded to go beyond a call for peace on the imperialist plantation and to instead unite with the resistance of the people against whom the U.S. is making war.
The Coalition also has introduced into the struggle for peace the demand for reparations to our people and has called for recognition of the struggles of Africans and others colonized groups in the U.S. Our resistance to imperialism must be supported.
