Anti-racism / Racism

On Monday July 23rd, four anti-fascists from the Philadelphia, PA area were arrested at what was supposed to be a Ku Klux Klan rally in Center City Philadelphia. Jared Schultz, Tom Keenan, Jason Robbins - all of Philadelphia Anti-Racist Action - as well as a member of the Progressive Labor Party - were all arrested and charged with a series of trumped up misdemeanors in a situation that - for all practical purposes - was straight up entrapment.

The following is the first in a series of ten articles I have written answering the top ten myths being circulated by those who advocate execution or continued prison for Mumia Abu-Jamal.

"I told General Lee on March 19 to stop lying to the [Hawaiian] Legislature. And, I told him I would get him and I did on April 21 in south Kona with those high radiation monitor readings from Pohakaloa. And it wasn't just me, the citizens who have supported and followed through are the real strength of all of this. The media has to deal with these global voices now because they are the 'shot heard round the world.'"

Accompanying state repression against immigrants in post-9/11 America, racist vigilantes have escalated violent anti-immigrant attacks. The most prominent of these sinister groups is the so-called Minuteman Project which has staged armed "border patrols" hunting "illegal aliens" along the Mexican border. We have warned: "The Minutemen are shot through with fascist outfits.... These are not just racist bigots: they are armed and dangerous." Last October Minuteman founder Gilchrist fled the stage when student protesters unfurled a banner defending immigrant rights. Now the Spartacist League says students should not "disrupt" or shut down Minuteman events on campus. The SL pretends these racist vigilantes are not fascist, only "fascistic," and denies that they advocate or carry out deadly violence against the oppressed. The SL's whitewash of the racist vigilantes is a repudiation of Trotskyism and its own past actions, and an act of sabotage of the struggle to defend immigrants against government and vigilante terror. The Internationalist Group calls for organized immigrant/worker defense to sweep away these deadly immigrant hunters.

Randi Rhodes of Air America is still wrong when she claims that “the” issue (insisting there is only one issue) is no more than white people blaming rap music for words like “ho” when used in the derogatory sense. Don Imus question: “What about rap music?” is a legitimate question—even if “pseudo-liberals” (real liberals consider fairly all relevant points of view before getting judgmental) are quick to dismiss it. In fact dogmatic certitude that there is “one” significant way (my way or the highway) to interpret the debate is itself a red flag.

Moving Beyond Racism Book Discussion: "Read or Not"

Our selection for reflection:

"Pigs in Heaven" by Barbara Kingsolver

Monday, May 7th - at 7:00pm -
Barnes & Noble - Pittsford Plaza - Upstairs Community Room

Next selection: "Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
Monday, June 4th - Barnes & Noble - Pittsford Plaza - Upstairs Community Room

Rochester NY: Rally for Immigrant Rights at the Federal Building
5:00 pm, 100 State Street
*Stop the raids and deportations

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In addition to the crimes of Ghouliani listed by 9/11 firefighters below, Ghouliani is best remembered by Muslims for his racial scapegoating and as the defender of the 1999 police martyrdom of Amadou Diallo on his doorstep in a hail of 41 bullets.