Africans on the Move and the Pan-African Revolutionary Socialist Party invite you to our Kwanzaa celebration on Friday, December 28th, at the Wisconsin African-American Women’s Center, 3020 W. Vliet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 6-8 p.m. Free, Fun and Food–Bring the entire family and help us to celebrate Ujima: Collective Work and Responsibility.
“The ‘West’s’ political economies are spent forces, incapable of either keeping up with China’s phenomenal domestic growth or of competing with China in what used to be called the Third World.”
Donald Trump last week trotted out his war dog, National Security Advisor John Bolton, to growl and snarl over China’s attempts to “gain a competitive advantage” in Africa through “predatory” practices that supposed include “bribes, opaque agreements, and the strategic use of debt to hold states in Africa captive” to Beijing’s global schemes.
Bolton gave his speech at the right-wing Heritage Foundation, a place that specializes in crafting social policies that appeal to white supremacist majorities within the U.S. domestic order. He could be confident that the Heritage audience knows little about the actual state of the world, holds facts in low regard, and gives less than a damn about Africa. There was no need for Bolton, the man with the comic mustache, to make sense with this crowd, so he didn’t even try.
The net effect of China’s investments in Africa, said the nonsensical Bolton, has been to “stunt” Africa’s economic growth. Only blocks away from the Heritage Foundation, in Washington, the staff and officers of the International Monetary Fund — the guys that actually do hold much of Africa and the developing world “captive” with loan structures and political conditions that stunt the ability of governments to serve their people — had quite a different assessment of China’s impact on the African continent, whose dramatic growth coincides with Beijing’s rise to number one investor.
“China actually increased its contribution to the growth of sub-Saharan African exports, which helped cushion the impact on sub-Saharan Africa growth during the Great Recession.”
https://www.blackagendareport.com/
18th Annual MLK Jr. Justice Program & March
1927 N Vel Phillips Avenue (4th & Brown), Milwaukee, 1 2:30 P.M.
Free and open to the public
The MLK Jr. Justice Coalition invites You & Your Family to Celebrate the Life & Movement of Dr. King Jr. – Honoring community members who have put into practice King’s call for non-violent civil disobedience.
Guest Performers: Singer Pansy Williams, Musician/Artist David Nunley, Jazz Saxophonist Juli Wood, & Actor DiMonte Henning.
Speakers: Ald. Milele Coggs – Joyce Ellwanger – George Martin
(March to the King Statue – 3 blks. – 2:30pm – Open Mic)
By Cassandra Devereaux
On November 30, the City Council of Oakland, California, voted to approve a raise of 12.5 percent for the officers of the Oakland Police Department. They did this quickly and without soliciting feedback from the public, in advance of a turnover in city government that will soon swear in more progressive candidates elected in November. Tellingly, this also happened seven months before the expiration of a current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that set the wages of this heavily militarized force. The councilmembers attempted to accomplish this in secret, but the vigilance of community members and organizations such as the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP) got the word out. The community mobilized at the eleventh hour, rallying community members to protest.
The Oakland Police Department has until now been awarded a staggering 41 percent of the city budget, the highest percentage tracked in a report created in collaboration between The Center for Popular Democracy, Law for Black Lives and the Black Youth Project 100. This study examined 10 major metropolitan areas in the U.S., including New York City, Los Angeles and Detroit. It concluded that investment in mental health, housing, youth programs and living wages are more effective in establishing thriving communities than police funding. Notably, this raise was approved the same week the Oakland PD broke up the Housing And Dignity Village camp for homeless women. A United Nations report condemned Oakland and San Francisco for committing human rights violations against their homeless populations. While police continue to leech these cities’ financial resources, there have been no meaningful attempts to correct the U.N.’s damning findings… https://fighting-words.net/
Oakland residents gather to protest the killing of Alan Blueford by an Oakland police officer. (March 5, 2013) | Photo: Daniel Arauz
Free Cyntoia Brown Phone Zap/E-Blast
At the age of 16, sex trafficking victim Cyntoia Brown was convicted of first degree murder. Earlier this year, she had been granted a clemency hearing, but her petition was denied by the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole. According to The Root, ” Although the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that life sentences without the possibility of parole for juveniles are unconstitutional, the Tennessee Supreme Court later said that Brown would have to serve at least 51 years of her sentence before she is granted parole.”
We are asking that you join Black Lives Matter Nashville in their ask for public support to demand that Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam grant Cyntoia Brown immediate clemency. Black Lives Matter Nashville has provided the contact number and email address for Governor Haslam along with sample scripts for your call or email at https://blacklivesmatternashville.wordpress.com/2018/12/10/call-gov-haslam-and-demand-clemency4cyntoia/
In addition, we are asking for you to invite your Facebook friends to join in the effort. You can send invites directly through this event page by clicking the “invite” button. Once you click that button, your friend list will appear and you can select the friends you’d like to invite.
Waukesha: Licencias para Todxs / Driver Licenses for All
ENGLISH BELOW
Viernes, enero 4, 6pm
La Casa de Esperanza
410 Arcadian Ave, Waukesha, WI 53186
Seguimos en la lucha para pasar legislación para restaurar las licencias de conducir a los inmigrantes y gente de bajos ingresos. Daremos informes sobre nuestro progreso durante este foro y organizaremos nuestras próximas acciones. ¡Sí se puede!
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Friday, January 4, 6pm
La Casa de Esperanza
410 Arcadian Ave, Waukesha, WI 53186
Join us as we continue our efforts to pass legislation to restore driver licenses to immigrants and low-income individuals. We’ll be sharing updates on our progress so far and planning our upcoming actions. ¡Sí se puede
Walworth County Membership Meeting/Junta de Membresía
918 W Main Street, Lake Geneva, 6 -8 P.M.
Hablaremos sobre la campaña de Licencias Para Todxs y cómo el Condado de Walworth puede participar en este esfuerzo crucial para nuestra comunidad. Se proporcionarán botanas festivas!
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We’ll be discussing the Driver License for All Campaign and how Walworth County can participate in this crucial effort for our community. Holiday refreshments will be provided!
This program is not sponsored or endorsed by Lake Geneva Public Library and may not reflect the views of the Library.
Thank you so much to everyone who made phone calls, sent emails, or shared social media posts in solidarity with Honduran farmworkers over the past three weeks. Together we exposed the flawed “fair trade” certification of multinational fruit company Fyffes’ melon plantations in Honduras. Because all of you demanded justice for Honduran workers, Fair Trade USA had to take notice and de-certify, after over six months of inaction.
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Last week, I met with Honduran melon workers who told me of the verbal harassment they get from their supervisors for being a part of the union. Dozens of these workers have not been re-hired this melon harvest for being unionized. Several women workers also told me of the extremely high production quotas and the refusal of management to let them wear gloves to work. Many women showed me the resulting cuts and lesions on their hands.
Fyffes is the #1 supplier of winter-season melons to U.S. supermarkets. You may have seen them in your local grocery store sold under the “SOL” sticker. Fyffes in Honduras employs up to 8,000 temporary workers between November and May, who endure backbreaking conditions and wage theft.
The next step in this campaign will be to pressure U.S. supermarkets to stop buying from Fyffes until the company recognizes the STAS union and negotiates a collective bargaining agreement with them. This is what the workers demand in order to remedy over a decade of human and labor rights abuses.
In 2019, I will continue to work closely with STAS to build a strong campaign in the U.S. to pressure the supermarkets – the only actors that Fyffes really cares about. This week’s victory with Fair Trade USA shows that international pressure and cross-border organizing makes a real difference!
Many thanks for your support.
Adelante,
Gabby Rosazza
Campaigns Associate
