“Women should be part of the revolution. So they know their rights. And what to look for when it comes to them getting brutalized, raped and many more by police, men. That’s why women should be part of the revolution.”
— A Black women who came with her kids who took part in the “blow the whistle” march
“It’s an inspiration in life and thoughts in what’s happening in society today. Reality is real and life is real. Women are kept down. Some can’t relate until someone is incarcerated or killed. So many have lost their lives and have been incarcerated who shouldn’t be. We need for all of us to come together. I have a son who is locked up and I’ve been locked up and I can relate.”
— A Black woman from the hood
“Everything is true. We are oppressed as women. And we should unite as people and not separate by gender. And women need to start using their voices to stand up and let people know we are here and deserve to be treated as equals.”
— Black woman new to the neighborhood
“We are the glue. We are the ink to the pen. It is impossible without the woman. Like life itself.”
— Black woman from the neighborhood
Bud Billikin Parade
On Saturday, August 11, tens of thousands of black people at Chicago’s Bud Billiken back-to-school parade, the largest African-American parade in the U.S, were introduced to this revolution and Bob Avakian through a dynamic contingent that came together around the Basics quotes 1:13 that no more generations of our youth — here and around the world — be condemned to the horrors this system imposes on them.
The response from the crowd was electric. People’s faces lit up and there were cheers, applause and some raised fists as they read the 6-foot signs with BA’s quote “no more generations”, many people reached out for cards and took extra to distribute in the crowd or to take home to spread to their neighborhoods. People in the crowd joined in on the chants “When the revolution comes” and “We say no more.” One young woman was so inspired by the contingent she repeatedly tried to scale the fence to join and only gave up when the police stopped her.
Responses from the Bay Area:
Burning Man Artist #1:
“…Cooperation is as basic and strong as competition”
Burning Man Artist #2:
“…Americans in General contribute less and consume more in the global community”
Burning Man Artist #3:
“…Art extends beyond all borders”
![Successful fundraiser in the park needs your support to make its goal.
The idea for the fundraising barbeque came around a dining room table as we discussed the new synthesis of communism and how to get BA Everywhere. The guy who suggested the barbeque saw it as an opportunity to spread the message of BA, raise the needed funds for the bus tour and get more people involved. This person said, “I buy copies of BAsics and I give it to people, because if people would just read this book, then they would understand things so much better.”
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The plan was to get people to donate sides and then cook ribs and wings in the park. A number of people made sides to donate. A local well known restaurant who has hosted Cornel West and Tavis Smiley donated trays of green beans and corn muffins. A woman whose son was killed by the police and active in the campaign to get BA everywhere made potato salad. Other donated sides included baked beans, greens, coleslaw, mac and cheese, watermelon, and cookies and mini-cupcakes.
We decided to take pre-orders for plates and then have the barbeque in the park, fill the orders and deliver the plates and invite new people to come make a donation and check out BAsics, the displays about the bus tour, and this movement for revolution. While we were in the park, people checked out the displays and signed up to learn more and spread the word of BA Everywhere - this included two physics majors from universities who were very intrigued with what we were doing and a guy who had much to say about the situation of mass incarceration, police killings, and finding a way out of the madness.
The day before the barbeque, two artists from an old warehouse full of artists’ lofts bought meals because they really want to have connections with the more impoverished residents on this side of town. They were very happy to hear that people in the neighborhood were becoming part of a serious effort for the emancipation of all humanity. They said that even if they didn’t make it over to the park, they would come by Revolution Books.
During the barbeque, a team went to a local shopping area nearby to sell more plates. A couple of the storeowners who were fasting for Ramadan decided to donate to the barbeque. Two other vendors bought plates with wings and chips to show support.
As word of the barbeque spread, people phoned those on the job to get more orders. Family members contacted each other to come out and get a plate.
We set a goal of $1000 for this event which would include matching funds from people of means. We are pleased to announce that after expenses the barbeque raised $589. We are now seeking matching funds to meet or even exceed our goal of $1000 which is part of the reaching the national goal of $50,000 by August 1.
Support BA Everywhere and to donate matching funds go to basicsbustour.tumblr.com/donate.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7ofvyOIRy1rowtzko1_1280.jpg)
Successful fundraiser in the park needs your support to make its goal.
The idea for the fundraising barbeque came around a dining room table as we discussed the new synthesis of communism and how to get BA Everywhere. The guy who suggested the barbeque saw it as an opportunity to spread the message of BA, raise the needed funds for the bus tour and get more people involved. This person said, “I buy copies of BAsics and I give it to people, because if people would just read this book, then they would understand things so much better.”
The BAsics Bus Tour rolls into Philadelphia.
Correspondence from the New York and Beyond Leg of the BAsics Bus Tour
By Alice Woodward
The volunteers were busting up laughing at another volunteer mocking in a shrill speechified satirical voice like BA does in his REVOLUTION talk after walking through the reality of how this country has been founded on slavery and genocide with the horrific oppression of Black people an integral part of it, he walks through the visceral reality and systemic nature of this and then poses that all the while as this system and its enforcers carry out these brutal crimes they proclaim, “This is the greatest country in the world. This is the homeland of freedom and democracy!” The volunteers continued in this vein, “You can be anything you want in this greatest of all countries, pull yourself up by your bootstraps!”
Another volunteer started in, “If you don’t like this country, go live somewhere else.” More laughter.
“You wouldn’t even be able to have this conversation in a communist country, that’s what makes America great! Freedom of Speech! God Bless America!”
The next joined in the mockery. “Communism! That was a nightmare, don’t you know Mao killed one billion people!” We were literally rolling on the ground of our crash pad for the evening in an area of Brooklyn with a lot of Caribbean immigrants donated by a local small business that supports the revolution. This crew is seriously dripping with contempt for this system, they’re irreverent towards illegitimate and arbitrary authority, and they’re seriously funny.
(anti-)July 4th Picnic These pictures and statements are from an (anti-)July 4th outing to a large park where a lot of Latino and Black people mainly from downpressed neighborhoods come to have their picnics on holidays and weekends. The statements were all written on large sheets of paper that had the two quotes from Bob Avakian’s BAsics printed at the top: American Lives are Not More Important than Other People’s Lives. and Internationalism - The Whole World Comes First., then the word BECAUSE with a space at the bottom for people to write their responses.
En el mundo entero sí deveriamos de mirarnos todos con igualdad. Sin importar raza ó color. Ni estatos migratorio ó social. Usando por supuesto el sentido común.
La vida de un poderoso no es mas importante que la de un niño inocente. Acabemos con esa poder que asen daño. Unamonos.
Theirs only one planet and everyone should be treated equally no matter in what country you live.
July Plans: Key dates and places- The BAsics Bus Tour and Making Big Leaps with BA Everywhere
Building on what’s been done with this campaign thus far, we aim to make a big leap in July… with the organized strength, impact and
influence of all this. Here are the plans…
