Last December 14, with Barack Obama's inauguration more than a month away, CEMOTAP and the Friends of Dr. Mtulu Shakur presented a debate at Harlem's Salem United Methodist Church, centered on the question: "Was the election of Barack Obama good for Black People? Yes or No?" The church was packed and the exchanges were heated, although the 8-minute limit on presentations proved woefully insufficient, and created as many problems as it was designed prevent.
On Sunday, June 28, the question will be posed: "After six months, is President Obama good for Black people?" We have been assured that the "roundtable discussion" will provide a more effective and fair format for debate. We at BAR believe our side made the better case ("NO") back in December, and are confident we will do so again, on June 28. See you there!
Nick Encalada-Malinowski is Director of the Civil Rights Union campaign at Vocal-NY.
The climate emergency won't end because of heartfelt pleas to the people and the interests who created the crisis. Ecocide will stop when capitalism ends.
To mark the last days of Black August, we reprint below Freedomways’ 1975 editorial about Joanne Little, a Black woman indicted for killing her white prison guard and would-be rapist.
Somali nationalists claim victory and raise the Somali flag above the city of Las Anod.
Counter-insurgency and Black Studies: An Interview with Tea Troutman
