BLUN Statement: Toward A Black Manifesto Against Racism and For Human Rights

Malcolm X of the Muslim Mosque, Inc. and Shirley Graham DuBois, Director of Ghana National Television, at her villa in Accra, Ghana during Malcolm's visit in May 1964. DuBois had thrown a reception in his honor.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Black Left Unity Network

http://www.blackleftunity.org

Toward A Black Manifesto Against Racism and For Human Rights!

There are increasing acts of racism impacting the Black masses throughout the U.S., from police executions to high unemployment.

This is coupled with cuts and attacks on public education, housing foreclosures.

Our youth face incarceration while the administration of the first Black President refuses to initiate, and has suppressed, any real national discussion about racism in United States.

However, the Obama administration and the U.S. Congress which is controlled by the Democratic Party, feels a great need to respond to and disprove the bogus charges being made by the racist Tea Party movement that “Black racism” now exists, because there is a Black U.S. President.

This orientation has contributed to the forced resignations of Van Jones as Advisor to the Council of Environmental Quality and Shirley Sherrod of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and to the unfortunate and later corrected kneejerk reaction to the Sherrod firing by the NAACP.

The masses of Black people, 95 percent who are working class, employed and unemployed, are the most impacted by racism in America, suffering attacks almost on a daily basis.

The economic crisis has intensified the onslaught of white supremacy, making the Black masses in particular, and Latinos, the main scapegoats.

The racist Tea Party movement and other white supremacist and fascist organizations are demanding that the U.S. government pay no special attention to the deep and structural racist inequalities faced by the Black masses in its so-called recovery programs.

The lack of a serious discussion about racism in America, leaves the Black masses disarmed and without direction.

All of this is taking place at a time when white supremacists organizations and movements are becoming a major force influencing and shaping the political and social agenda of the US.

A national discussion on Racism in the US must be initiated and organized by the many Black working class organizations.

Activists and networks confronting racism on all levels and in all forms and fashions must initiate this discussion and we must also build from the grassroots on the local level.

These discussions must take place throughout the country and be linked to a goal of developing a Black Manifesto Against Racism and For Human Rights, as a program of action for the Black masses and all opposed to racism.

The Black Left Unity Network (BLUN) is calling on Black activists, mass organizations and networks to convene Black Unity Forums in their cities to bring forth the grassroots issues and anti racist demands and actions as a phase toward developing a Black Manifesto.

We see coming out of these forums and initial phase, an Open Letter to the Obama Administration, calling for the development of a national commission on Racism, with a majority of the representatives coming from the Black Unity Forums being held throughout the U.S.

The BLUN is prepared to facilitate conference calls of forces willing to organize Black Unity Forums.

We are ready to help promote the forums and to publicize the issues.

All decisions and actions growing out of these forums will go toward forming a national organizing committee to convene a conference to develop a Black Manifesto Against Racism and For Human Rights.

A first conference call for people willing to convene Black Unity Forums, including the local initiatives already undertaken, will be held on August 30, 2010.

Please contact Brother Sam Anderson if you want to be on the conference call.