April AARM Newsletter OUT NOW!

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From The Editors:

Greetings! Thank you for checking out the latest issue of the Activists Against Racism Movement (AARM) Newsletter. We are committed to keeping the Rochester community informed of anti-racist activity in the city and surrounding areas on a regular basis. Look for this newsletter each month.

We have kept ourselves extremely busy over the past couple of months, focusing most closely on organizing against mayoral control of the RCSD. There have been countless public demonstrations, door-to-door canvassing, and consistent outreach to students, parents, teachers, and community members in an ongoing effort to effectively overturn our mayor’s destructive proposal. We would like to commend all those involved in the organizing efforts—far too many and too much to list here. You all are doing incredible work. For those interested in getting involved in the struggle to stop Duffy’s plan to further disenfranchise city residents, the Community Education Task Force holds open meetings every Wednesday evening from 5:30-7pm at the Freedom School at 630 N. Goodman. Or for more information, please contact us at aarm@rocus.org or visit http://stopmayoralcontrol.rocus.org/

THIS ISSUE of the AARM Newsletter is our most extensive yet, offering some of the most honest and direct writings we’ve yet to print, making strong connections between the theoretical and the practical in anti-racist struggle. Taking a look at U.S. History, A.K. Williams offers his insight to the legacy of MLK, who was gunned down 42 years ago this month (p. 3), while Jarred Jones writes on the importance of distributing independent publications in times of social and political upheaval, focusing specifically on the people’s resistance in Germany during Hitler’s regime (p. 4).

Next, Howard Eagle and Ben Dean-Kawamura focus closely on the racism that exists within Duffy’s plan for mayoral control itself (p. 5), as well as discussing how the framing of mayoral control in the mainstream press often reflects and perpetuates white supremacist values (p. 7). And in a response to some disturbing statistical data recently released concerning the Rochester Police Department, Tim Adams writes of some real solutions to the so-called “diversity” problem in the department (p. 9).

Also included in this issue is a preview of what’s to come in future editions of the AARM newsletter, paying homage to historical revolutionary thinkers and doers with a brief excerpt from Frantz Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth (p. 10), and a beautiful image of freedom fighter Assata Shakur, with her quote: “A wall is just a wall and nothing more at all. It can be broken down” (back cover). We believe strongly that this notion of breaking down the figurative (and physical) walls and barriers that surround us is something all serious activists and proponents of social change need to internalize and incorporate into their organizing efforts.

As an action-oriented anti-racist organization, we are consistently spreading ourselves thin; however, we believe that one of the most important aspects of our work is keeping the Rochester community informed, for history has demonstrated time and again the “power of the pen” in liberation struggle. So please look for new editions of this newsletter in the same place you found this one—we will have them available and distributed every month. If you can't find a copy, just let us know, and we will get one to you. And of course, if you experience racism and want support, or if you want to get involved in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

The struggle continues…

Leadership Team
Activists Against Racism Movement

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