PHILADELPHIA, PA—The program of the August 16-17 Annual Conference of the Black is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations (BIBC) scheduled for this city has enlisted the participation of some of the most important figures in our freedom struggle from the U.S. and Europe.
The conference will be held under the slogan: “Resist U.S. wars and occupations in the U.S. and Abroad! Reparations Now!” and will be held at Uhuru Furniture and Collectibles, a movement institution located at 832 North Broad Street.
In addition to Omali Yeshitela, Chairman of the Coalition, participants in the U.S. will include Pam Africa of the MOVE Family and the Friends and Family of Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Also, from neighboring New Jersey, Glen Ford, a founding member of the Coalition and Executive Editor of Black Agenda Report, will be joining with Lisa Davis, Vice Chair of the Coalition from Newark and Ayodeli Kofie from Memphis, Tennessee who heads the Coalition Program Committee.
The frenzied, reckless behavior of the white power imperialist powers of the world is just a reflection of the crisis they are experiencing while watching their privileged position in the world disappear before their very eyes.
As this article is being written the Jewish white nationalist settler State of Israel is invading the tiny strip of Gaza that is home to nearly two million suffering Palestinian Arabs.
The Israeli white settler State invasion is occurring in public view as part of an attempt to rescue and stabilize U.S. and white hegemony in the Middle East.
Reports of a Malaysian airline being shot down in the disputed East Ukraine, killing 298 people, are being celebrated by the U.S. ruling class media as evidence of a blatant disregard for human life by Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin.
These reports are clearly designed to shift favorable world public opinion away from Putin in the dispute with the U.S for control over Ukraine, which has an historic relationship with Russia.
This is just the surface of some of the critical issues confronting the world as the coalition approaches its International Annual Conference.
These are the kinds of issues that made the coalition necessary as a force that not only demands peace, but does so while demanding social justice.
This position places the coalition squarely on the side of the Palestinians and other oppressed peoples whose resistance results in the wars and threats of wars that characterize the world at this moment.
Participation in the conference by Kamm Howard of Chicago, chair of the coalition’s Reparations Working Group, helps to keep the historical struggle of African people in the U.S., Africa and the world squarely on the peace and social justice agenda.
There will also be presentations from members of the Coalition in Africa, most of whom are organized as the We Are Patrice Lumumba Coalition with deep connections to the Congolese combatants organizing to raise consciousness of the need to support the resistance of our people currently occurring in Congo.
Luwezi Kinshasa in London, England and Makda Johannes in Stockholm, Sweden will also expose the conditions of our people in Europe with their presentations at the conference via live stream.
Even culture at the conference demonstrates the deep connection of African resistance to the issue of peace.
This is particularly true of the presentation by acclaimed actor Ron Bobb-Semple with his Spirit of Marcus Garvey, done in full, familiar regalia that have become iconic over the years.
The August 16-17 International Annual Conference of the BIBC is occurring on the 127th anniversary of the birth of Marcus Garvey and the 5th anniversary of the founding of the coalition, the organization that has become so essential in building a non-sectarian unity within the anti-imperialist sector of our dispersed African nation.
Program Agenda
August 16
- Welcome and introduction – 10:00 a.m.
- Why we are here by Chairman Omali Yeshitela
- Marcus Garvey presentation by Ron Bob-Semple – 10:15
- Historical significance of Coalition’s founding in era of Obama and critical tasks confronting Coalition and progressive black movement by Glen Ford–10:45
- Fundraising-membership appeal – 11:15
- Lunch – 12:45
- Panels
- Wars and rumors of wars – 1:45
- The meaning of Ukraine, U.S. “Asian Pivot” and the crisis of imperialism Chairman Omali Yeshitela & Glen Ford
- There is no peace, Africa and Africans are at war
- Free Mumia and all political prisoners – 2:45 Pam Africa
- Cultural performance – People’s Vanguard – 3:15
- Black Resistance in white Europe – 3:30 (Paris, London, Sweden)
- Resist War and Occupation 4:30
- Mexicans
- Native People
- Africans
- Arabs and Muslims
- General presentations – 5:00
-
Adjourn 5:45
August 17
- Welcome and introduction – 10:00 a.m.
- Explain day’s rules of procedure
- Why we must build and support the BIBC – 10:15 a.m. Chairman Omali Yeshitela
- Membership appeal – winning organizations to the Coalition – 10:30
- Presentation of Coalition Steering Committee and adoption of Coordinating Committee 11:00
- Reports – 11:30
- Finance
- Membership
- Outreach/media
- Workshops 12:00
- Health Working Group Lisa Davis
- Political prisoners
- Mass incarceration
- Police murders
- Reparations – Kamm Howard
- Working with the Caribbean resistance
- Plenary – 2:00
- Local presentations by representatives from throughout U.S. 3:30
- Closing remarks – 4:30 Chairman Omali Yeshitela
- Adjourn 5:00
Attend the Black is Back Annual Conference
Sat-Sun, August 16-17, 2014 in Philadelphia, PA
For information and to register visit blackisbackcoalition.org.
For information and to register visit blackisbackcoalition.org.
