Pan-African News Wire editor, Abayomi Azikiwe, delivered a major address to the US Imperialism & Africa Conference sponsored by MECAWI on Feb. 23, 2008 in Detroit. (Photo: Cheryl LaBash).
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
Published Mar 6, 2008 9:50 PM
A standing room only crowd attended a Black History Forum hosted by the New York branch of Workers World Party on Feb. 29 at the Solidarity Center.
The two main speakers were Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Detroit-based Pan African News Wire, and Larry Holmes, WWP secretariat member and a national organizer of the Troops Out Now Coalition. The forum was chaired by Tyneisha Bowens, a leader of the Fight Imperialism, Stand Together (FIST) youth group, who also spoke on the significance of Black history.
The forum took up the important topics of the meaning of the Obama campaign and the impact of the economic crisis on the Black community. Podcasts of the three talks can be heard at http://www.workers.org.
Workers World will carry excerpts of the three talks in upcoming printed editions as well as online.
—Monica Moorehead
Boston Black History forum
Obama campaign, economic crisis analyzed
Published Mar 6, 2008 9:53 PM
A multinational crowd filled the room at the Cultural Cafe in Boston March 1 for Workers World Party’s Black History Month forum. The crowd was warmly welcomed to the space by Clemencia Lee from the Cultural Cafe, a gallery and workspace for African-American artists.
The meeting was co-chaired by Boston school bus driver Robert Traynham and Dorothea Peacock of the Women’s Fightback Network. The featured reports were given by Abayomi Azikiwe, a founder of the Michigan Emergency Coalition Against War and Injustice, on the current phase of capitalist globalization and the growing fightback against foreclosures and layoffs; Larry Holmes, WWP secretariat member and former presidential candidate, on the significance of the Barack Obama campaign; and Miya Campbell of Fight Imperialism, Stand Together (FIST) on the impact of the war on women at home and abroad.
A cultural performance was provided by hip-hop artist Natural Bliss.
Azikiwe’s talk included a deep historical view of the Black liberation struggle focusing particularly on the leading role of Black women in fighting back against slavery and racist repression.
Holmes analyzed the Obama phenomenon in relation to the profoundly deep economic crisis. He called on the activists to grapple with how to establish an independent pole of struggle to fight back against the bosses’ drive to dump their economic crisis on the backs of the workers. Holmes also made a call to the activists to stand ready to defend the Obama campaign against racist attacks and backroom deals to block it in order to deprive Black people of the democratic right to representation.
Josué Renaud presented a solidarity message from New England Human Rights for Haiti, celebrating its fourth anniversary on March 29.
—Frank Neisser
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