A gathering of revolutionaries
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida—I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of joy and pride at seeing so many dedicated revolutionaries gathered together in one space. I sat near the back of Unitarian Universalist Church of St. Petersburg, Florida so that I could take in the view of the event before my time to perform; I saw so many Party members of the Southern Region who took the time out of their day to either drive long distances from places like Jacksonville, Florida all the way to St. Pete just to assist or attend the event. Not only that, but I also saw all of the African, Palestinian, Mexican, and LGBTQ+ flags displayed along with the Uhuru Solidarity Committee banners on the walls promoting the Artists Against Genocide event.
Anti-colonial free speech is the future
Uhuru Solidarity Movement’s (USM) Artists Against Genocide hosted a plethora of artists who offered their gifts of either poetry, spoken word or music up to the cause of anti-colonial expression. And it was this emphasis on anti-colonial freedom of speech that truly made this event a one of a kind that was not only necessary in this day and age, but also imperative to be repeated.
In tandem with the material revolution that we are fighting to bring into this world, there needs to be a cultural revolution, but that will never happen if we are not dedicated to having joyful events where we beckon and call out for our fellow revolutionary artists to come forth. Allowing the colonial-capitalist State to maintain a monopoly on our minds as well as our material conditions is unacceptable. Why should our brothers and sisters be forced to sell their services to the highest bidder just to watch their work become commodified and sanitized? The revolution demands space for artists to be able to blossom and speak the language of the colonized without any fear of repercussion or the stress of colonizing commodification.
The night at a glance
The Artists Against Genocide event was a glimpse of this future and more. There were rock bands such as DISSENTORS and Flag Burner singing about resistance and the end of this system, a spoken word poem from African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) Director of Media and Communications Akilé Anai mourning the loss of African and Indigenous freedoms and the reparations owed to oppressed peoples around the world, and R&B solos from local artist Tone I.E.
There were USM forces working diligently around the clock to ensure that the event was proceeding smoothly and properly, such as Jeminy Pierce, who ran the logistics of the event with unparalleled professionalism, and USM Southern Regional President Jaime, who oversaw the event to ensure that there were no hiccups and who himself greeted me at the door with the utmost warmth.
The people who were guests to the event also deserve a shout-out. For even though there were a few sets where it took some minutes to transition to the next set, no one ever complained. Instead, they found other ways to occupy their time, such as admiring the artwork of James “Freeman” Kitchens, thanking the artists for their time and purchasing their merchandise, stopping by the table set up by USM to acquire flyers, Burning Spear newspapers, and books (of which I myself was a purchaser) or indulging themselves at the long snack table set up for their convenience.
The event was so splendid that even though I myself live in Orlando, I did not leave until nearly 11 p.m. simply because the joy that I felt by sitting in that space surrounded by the future of our world was intoxicating.
No one feared for their lives or stressed about whether or not their works would yield a profit. Instead, I was able to witness raw and undiluted passion and joy, which in this system is a miracle, but in the one we are building, is a feature. I salute the Southern Regional leadership and all the USM and APSC forces who put this event on for the good of the people and in dedication to all those currently suffering or have suffered genocide at the hands of the colonial capitalist imperialist State.
Uhuru!
