NASSAU, BAHAMAS—Approximately 20 young people attended the African People’s Socialist Party's African Martyr Day event on Friday, February 21st, 2014, at the College of The Bahamas.
February 21st marked the 49th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X, who was arguably the most significant leader within the United States since the heyday of Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association, in the first quarter of the 20th century.
Within the African Socialist International, the organization that provides leadership for the African People’s Socialist Party-Bahamas, there is a tradition of marking the significance of African freedom fighters like Malcolm X, Fred Hampton, Mark Clark, Nat Turner, Steve Biko, Patrice Lumumba, Walter Rodney and many others who have died fighting for the liberation of African people.
In fact, at the First Congress of the African People’s Socialist Party-USA in September 1981 a resolution was passed that marked the significance of Malcolm X, in the struggle for the liberation of our people.
In that 1981 resolution, the African People’s Socialist Party-USA called on “all African revolutionaries of all countries to raise high, in a revolutionary manner, the heroic memory of all of our fallen martyrs, of all those in every city, village, community and country where they fell as evidence of the determination of our people to fight every battle on every front until liberty has been won.”
The African Martyr’s Day event, held at the College of The Bahamas, was done in that tradition, to actively work to institutionalize February 21st as the Day of the African Martyr worldwide.
The movie “The Murder of Fred Hampton” was screened, followed by discussion about the capitalist social system and its attack on our leaders who have fought to overturn it.
At just 21 years of age, Fred Hampton, who was the Deputy Chairman of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party, was assassinated on December 4, 1969.
Over a dozen policemen burst into Hampton’s apartment, while he and other occupants were sleeping, killing Hampton and fellow Panther Mark Clark and brutalizing the other occupants.
After the movie screening, it was obvious that everyone was not only moved by the movie but that they understood the movie. During the discussion afterward, the students spoke critically about capitalism.
The movie had such an effect on people that several persons wanted to know how we could effectively organize like the Black Panthers did in the movie. There was also discussion about cooperative economics and the role that education plays in the struggle of Africans.
Students were reminded that the revolution has not been completed and that it is their responsibility to complete the revolution of our people.
“The main point we want you take from the movie is the revolution needs to be completed…that revolution is your responsibility. And that’s the revolution for real change, for real social transformation.
"For us, that real social transformation is going to come when African people unite…building a unified Africa, building a socialist Africa.
"Brother Fred Hampton was part of that movement of the 60s; Malcolm X was a part of that movement of the 60s; Walter Rodney was a part of that movement and that movement is your movement,” said Alex Morley, Chairman of the African People’s Socialist Party-Bahamas.
The African People’s Socialist Party-Bahamas calls on all young people to join our ranks to build our growing organization—a revolutionary political party that is fighting for the total liberation and unification of Africa, under an all-African socialist government.
The next meeting of the African People’s Socialist Party-Bahamas is on Thursday, March 6, 2014, at 6:30pm.
Like our Facebook page, (https://www.facebook.com/apsp.bah), for more details about our meeting and to keep informed about our work.
