A statement of support and a poem
To The Revolutionaries,
You are:
Riders for Justice
Energetic
Visionaries Brought To Light
Open Minded
Love Not War
Understanding of Peace
Tough
Important
Outstanding
Noble
Being a woman who is mixed with black and white myself knows first
hand what it feels like to be discriminated against, not only for who
I am but by simply living in a world full of injustices. Who really
makes the rules? Can’t we all just get along. Will I ever own my own
home? Or is it only for the rich? I work hard everyday, taking care of
people and my own, on my own barely making ends meet because of how
everything is priced. So does that mean I don’t deserve a home for my
kids? My voice is also the next single mother or father’s voice. Some
of us were not lucky enough to be able to go to college given certain
circumstances from their upbringing. No money, parents on drugs. Not
enough words of encouragement from surroundings growing up or growing
up in poverty thinking there is no way out. With that said, does that
mean that people should feel less than, not have a roof over
their head or be warm at night. My point is too many people are trying
to survive financially these days and to be discriminated against for
your races is absolutely wrong and needs to end. Love thy neighbor,
help thy neigbor and let’s all genuinely come together as one. Much
respect to you revolutionaries always, stand up for what’s right.
Believe, Stay Strong. Love yourself and be kind to one another. Be
blessed on your journey in life.
It was a gorgeous day and a team from Revolution Books in Honolulu set up a booth at the June 4th Gay Pride Festival at a local beach park. The Pride Parade had just ended, and the atmosphere was festive. Most of the people with booths were selling clothing, jewelry, and health products. A few promoted political candidates and some represented GLBT organizations. Our tent was decorated with red stars and mobiles with the cover of BAsics, from the Talks and Writings of Bob Avakian mounted on silver posterboard that caught the sun as they turned. We brought a banner BAsics 1:13, the “No more generations…” quote from the book, and laid it down inside the booth and displayed copies of BAsics next to it. People were immediately drawn to the banner, in the pictures above. We’ve had tables at Pride events in the past, but this was the best ever!
Bay Area, June 5: Boldly spreading “No more generations of our youth…” on the day of protest for Justice for Trayvon Martin
June 5 was a day of defiance and struggle for those standing up for justice for Trayvon Martin—-beginning at high schools during the day, carrying over to Oscar Grant Plaza at 5 pm and rolling back to the ‘hood’ where people of all ages joined in reading quote 1:13 from BAsics, marching for justice for Trayvon Martin, and finding ways to be part of the day even if they couldn’t stand out on the street corner.
“No more generations of our youth, here and all around the world, whose life is over, whose fate has been sealed, who have been condemned to an early death or a life of misery and brutality, whom the system has destined for oppression and oblivion even before they are born. I say no more of that.”
— Bob Avakian, BAsics 1:13
At the high school
At a high school in the ‘hood’ many students were wearing stickers for the June 5 Day of Justice: We Are All Trayvon Martin! Wear Hoodies Everywhere Day! A young guy came and stood by the banner for Trayvon which he had already signed earlier that week. A revolutionary urged him to step forward. He agreed to hold the banner but was silent. Then some young women students walked up and took charge. In a short time they had the situation under control, leading chants on the bullhorn: “Revolution is what we need, to liberate humanity.” “Justice for Trayvon Martin.” Three young women read the “No More generations” quote from BAsics on the bullhorn. Two other young women posted up in the street in front of the school, thrusting a flier with a picture of Trayvon and a card with BAsics and the quote “no more generations” into the window of every passing car. Soon there was a small protest of a couple dozen students, an adult who worked at the school, and a handful of revolutionaries. The people in the cars liked it.
On June 5th, 100 days after the modern American lynching of Trayvon Martin, Harlem youth and others declare “We Are All Trayvon Martin” and respond to the message of BAsics 1:13. They added their names and messages to a poster bearing this quote:
“No more generations of our youth, here and all around the world, whose life is over, whose fate has been sealed, who have been condemned to an early death or a life of misery and brutality, whom the system has destined for oppression and oblivion even before they are born. I say no more of that.”
— Bob Avakian, BAsics 1:13
Continue to Advance: Build off the BAsics Bus Tour Through the South
This editorial has been reposted from Revolution newspaper, revcom.us:
The second leg of the BAsics Bus Tour, which went through parts of the South in May and rolled into Sanford, Florida, had a big impact. It spoke to and captured the imagination of thousands… in the South and throughout the country—and many hundreds of people across the country were part of making something very important happen. In doing so, those people around the country and those who the Bus Tour met in the South have been part of beginning to cohere a national movement around the mass fundraising campaign to project Bob Avakian’s vision and works into every corner of society: BA Everywhere… Imagine the Difference It Could Make!
Above: In May, the BAsics Bus Tour volunteers spread revolution, communism and the work of Bob Avakian in Sanford, Florida. They were also building for the We Say “No More” speakout at the Sanford police station, which took place Friday, May 25th.
“No more generations of our youth, here and all around the world, whose life is over, whose fate has been sealed, who have been condemned to an early death or a life of misery and brutality, whom the system has destined for oppression and oblivion even before they are born. I say no more of that.”
— Bob Avakian, BAsics 1:13
As one who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., both in support of civil rights and in opposition to the war in Vietnam, I want to go on record in support of the BA Bus Tour into the southern USA and in my strong admiration for the courage of those who are making this witness to the deepest values of this great country and all its people.
Dr. S. Scott Bartchy, Professor of Christian Origins and the History of Religion, UCLA; former Director of the Center for the Study of Religion
Be a part of a movement to spread the vision, voice and work of Bob Avakian, everywhere.
- Donate right now to start funding the next leg of the BAsics Bus Tour and spread its message. Go to http://basicsbustour.tumblr.com/donate
- Write your own statement of support. Write your response to the focal point of the Tour, BAsics 1:13, and why you support the Tour. E-mail baeverywhere [AT] gmail.com
“No more generations of our youth, here and all around the world, whose life is over, whose fate has been sealed, who have been condemned to an early death or a life of misery and brutality, whom the system has destined for oppression and oblivion even before they are born. I say no more of that.”
— Bob Avakian, BAsics 1:13
Bringing a message to Sanford with BAsics and 100s of voices from across the country
This following piece has been reposted from Revolution newspaper. It was first published HERE.
by Sunsara Taylor
Down in Sanford, Black people are still seething over the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on February 26 on his way home from a 7/11 convenience store. It is NOT “old news.” Neither is the fact that the police refused—for 45 days—to arrest his killer, George Zimmerman. More, they are following the case closely and recognize the preparations underway to exonerate Zimmerman.
When we rolled in on the BAsics bus, projecting the leadership of Bob Avakian and calling on people to get into the movement for revolution to put an end to the system that has foreclosed the lives of so many generations of Black youth through the entire history of the USA and of millions more throughout the world, it didn’t take any work to get people to open up with their outrage or their own bitter experience at the hands of the police, in the prison system, or in their dealings with the thick white supremacy which permeates the entire country but is more openly trumpeted in this part of the confederate-flag-waving South.
Black mothers told of having had to bury their teenage sons due to violence the police didn’t even bother to investigate, of having lost their sons to police murder where there was never even a case opened up, of struggling to be strong for other sons as they were sentenced by racist judges for crimes they didn’t commit or which were too petty to merit years of hard prison time, and of fearing for the indignities and brutality that was destined for the grandbabies they were now raising whose fathers had been stolen.
Everywhere we went, outrage poured forth. Bitterness. Anger. Heartbreak. Fear for the future. What took work—in many cases it took repeated and sharp struggle—was for people to really hear and get the meaning behind the word REVOLUTION. Not just protest. Not just “marching till our feet bleed” or “screaming until our voices are hoarse,” which is what many people told us was good but would never change things. But REVOLUTION. An actual victorious struggle for power and the defeat and dismantling of the oppression institutions of the old state power, when the time for that is on the agenda—when the system is deep in crisis, when millions of people are ready to put everything on the line to bring the system down and with the necessary leadership and strategy.
“Next Stop… Revolution!” captures the scenes when Bob Avakian’s Revolution talk hit the streets on L.A. city busses. Get a taste of the impact BA makes.
TUESDAY: Watch this video with a special video from the BAsics Bus Tour, released online along with a special announcement about the Tour. You’ll hear first-hand and in some depth about the progress of the Tour thus far, what the volunteers are learning and what the response has been up to this point. This is an opportunity for you to come together where you live, bringing in people in your neighborhood, people you know, etc. Gather in people’s homes or a local community center, church, barber shop, housing project’s rec room or restaurant. Be part of a multitude of collective and informal gatherings across the country.
Stay tuned for the the special update and announcement video to be uploaded Monday night. Share this widely online today, and download from Vimeo.
One of the things that I see, something that I haven’t lost sight of, is this: I see all the strength of the ruling class, but I also see all the way through all this shit, all the contradictions in society—I actually see a force in this society that, if it were developed into a revolutionary people, actually could have a go at it, could have a real chance of making a revolution, or being the backbone force of a revolution, when the conditions were ripe. I see a force of millions and millions and millions—youth and others—for whom this system is a horror: It isn’t going to take some cataclysmic crisis for this system to be fucking over them. The ruling class, ironically, sees them too. It is those who once had but have lost—or those who never had—a revolutionary perspective…it is they who can’t see this.”
—Bob Avakian’s BAsics, Chapter 6 Supplement: “The Revolutionary Potential of the Masses and the Responsibility of the Vanguard
On the way to an outing two people stopped to ask for directions early in the morning. They pulled up to a corner where migrant workers were waiting. People from Mexico and Africa waiting for work saw the car and approached thinking it was an opportunity for work. “These guys are pushing each other and fighting each other to open the door,” The volunteer described through tears, “waiting to be exploited.”
It was hard to find the words to describe this, but very clear that a system that creates these kinds of situations needs to get the fuck out of the way of humanity. And the fact that we have a leader like Bob Avakian, that sees all the way through all this shit, means the masses have a chance.
