ST. LOUIS, MO—It’s 2021, let’s get it done! You are invited to attend the 2021 Convention of the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM). From September 3-5, InPDUM will be convening a historic convention where we will discuss black problems and black solutions made by black people.
Brothers and sisters, let’s get it done. Let’s unite and let’s build this organization that has fought fiercely for our people and our communities for 30 years.
InPDUM is your organization
The powerful Black Revolution of the ‘60s that brought the demand for Black Power to the world stage was crushed by the U.S. government.
Many of its leaders—like Malcolm X, Patrice Lumumba and Fred Hampton—were killed or locked up, organizations were sabotaged and the masses of our people were cut off from independent political life.
In place of our genuine revolutionary leaders, the government propped up sell-outs who may have looked black and may have talked black but were serving the status quo and deepening the oppression of the black community with every move they made.
This period, immediately following the defeat of the Black Revolution of the ‘60s, was marked by demoralization and fear in the black community, stemming from the lack of genuine leadership.
In response to this, the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP), led by Chairman Omali Yeshitela, created InPDUM in April 1991 for the purpose of re-introducing our people into political, revolutionary life.
Originally, it was named the National People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement (NPDUM). However, with the establishment of branches throughout Africa and Europe, NPDUM became the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM), over 20 years ago.
In 2001, InPDUM organizers attended the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa and too the reparations demand to the world stage. When InPDUM organizers left, we had our first branches in South Africa. InPDUM is still on the ground in South Africa bringing African Internationalism to the uprising of the African Working Class right now!
InPDUM is your organization and fights for your democratic rights when they are threatened by the enemies of our community. For 30 years, InPDUM has been the frontline of defense when the African community is attacked by slumlords, cutthroat gentrifiers, killer cops and crooked politicians. We’ve led campaigns in response to attacks on our community that have taken our struggle beyond protests and marches to an organized struggle for power.
When Mike Brown was murdered by the killer cop Darren Wilson, we responded with organization. We understood the murder wasn’t a question of poorly trained police or the need for body cams but it was a question of power—the police’s power as the first line of defense of the State to kill us with impunity and our community’s lack of power to defend ourselves. We understood that the only way we can defend ourselves is if we get organized.
We didn’t look to this colonial court system to give us justice for Mike Brown. We launched the Black People’s Grand Jury and put the killer cop Darren Wilson on trial by the black community. He was unanimously found guilty of murder.
Our response to the Ferguson rebellion culminated in the construction of the St. Louis Uhuru House and InPDUM’s national headquarters moving to St. Louis.
In 2020, InPDUM responded to the brutal police killing of George Floyd by demanding organization and Black Community Control of the Police.
We organized internationally, from St. Louis to San Diego to South Africa. We sent organizers into Minnesota. The following year we returned to organize in Minnesota.
We know that true justic is not in the conviction of Derk Chauvin. True justice is power in the hands of the African community to make sure that these cops can’t even touch us.
The Black Power candidate
Our commitment to fight for our community has brought us into the electoral arena. In 2021, under the leadership of the APSP, the Black Power Blueprint’s Ticharwa Masimba and InPDUM’s International President, Kalambayi “Herdosia Bentum” Andenet, led historical aldermanic campaigns in North St. Louis. There were two candidates, one movement. We challenged the status quo. The black community was given a voice.
Issues like the rapid gentrification of the black community were exposed. The increased wealth of the white community at the expense of the black community was exposed. The question of the brutal police violence put on our people was brought into city hall and the status quo politicians—previously unchallenged in the electoral arena—were made to sweat, stutter and answer questions they never had to in past elections.
They were forced to answer to the people, and Herdosia Bentum was the people’s candidate. The demands of the people were put on the ballot, and the black community of St. Louis had the opportunity to cast their vote for a politician who actually represented them and their interests.
Throughout this campaign, colonialism was exposed as the root of the poverty, hunger, joblessness and violence experienced by our communities—and the people were introduced to an organization through which they can fight against colonialism.
This is the role of InPDUM leading the fight against the day to day attacks on the lives and dignity of our people, exposing their root, then bringing the masses of our people into an organized process to fight that root.
30 years of this tradition will be continued at our 2021 InPDUM Convention where we will have powerful presentations, dynamic speeches, captivating cultural performances and a host of exciting workshops which will teach us about this oppressive system, the need for the African Revolution to overturn it and give us the tools we need to make it happen. This convention will be about building the people’s army and giving our people the education and organization to fight for our liberation.
Every army needs to have a base, which is why the questions of institutions, black community economic development and claiming territory for the people will be crucial at the convention. In the Uhuru Movement, we say that the political and economic are one—meaning that our political power will come in large part from our independent economic power.
On Saturday, September 4, you will be able to see, smell and touch black community economic development at our monthly One Africa, One Nation Marketplace where dozens of black community vendors will come out to sell their merchandise and buy merchandise.
We as a black community will engage in commerce with each other—good black community development business—that will bring resources into our community and keep them in our community.
This is how we defend our community from greedy land developers. This is how we make our community un-gentrifiable. This is how we bring genuine economic development to our community.
Ready for revolution
Our people are ready to get free. We are sick and tired of living under these conditions, and the growing consciousness of our people has struck fear into the heart of this system. It can be seen in the desperate politicians offering us a bunch of things we never even asked for in an attempt to stop our intensifying struggle in its tracks.
Well, we’re not fighting for a Juneteenth holiday and we’re not fighting for a George Floyd statue. We’re fighting for freedom—complete political, social and economic control over our lives.
Anything short of that is an attempt by this colonial system to pacify us and distract us from our goal. Our people will not be fooled.
So what are you waiting for? The time is now! The time to fight for our freedom is now! The time to create a better world for our mothers, our brothers and our children is now!
We say “It’s 2021! African workers unite, and let’s get it done.” We are calling on all Africans to join us at 4101 W. Florissant Street, St. Louis, Missouri on September 3-5, 2021.
We will also be live-streaming on Zoom, Facebook and YouTube throughout the weekend.
Register today at tinyurl.com/inpdumconvention2021
Brothers and sisters, the time for our liberation is now.
Let’s get it done!
