This past Saturday - July 4th in Portland, Oregon - some of the most revolutionary and progressive forces in the Pacific Northwest gathered in Peninsula Park. The grill was cookin and the music was blaring, but unlike most of the other people in the park that day, and around the U.S., we weren't celebrating America's independence. Instead, this group of African, European, Asian, and Indigenous revolutionaries and allies came together to commemorate the fourth of the lie. Our message was clear. America as a nation was founded, and is maintained, on exploiting the human and material resources of Africa and the rest of the world. Therefore, it is impossible to say you are on the side of justice and humanity while also calling yourself an American. European (white) speakers preached that the American identity and white supremacy are one and the same. African speakers promoted the concept that since America's industrialization was based on seed money acquired through the chattel slave system, and this capitalist system operates by exploiting every mineral resource Africa (and other places) have to offer, it's therefore impossible for any African to be an American. We are Africans in America fighting against capitalism. And by extension, any European settler descendant is properly defined as a working person (with German, British, Nordic, Italian, etc. ancestry) who is 100% opposed to capitalism and committed to the struggles of all people's to overthrow this decadent system and replace it with a system where people are more important than money.
This is a critical message for White people in particular because this message, by and large, is absent within white communities. African people, and most people of color, are reminded daily that we are not a part of the established order of this society. In fact, it's not at all uncommon to find Africans who do not feel comfortable using the designation of "American" to describe themselves. African people experience systematic racism daily and we talk about it daily, whether as academics, activists, or working class people, it's talked about all the time in our culture. Children are raised to understand this is a racist society and how to behave accordingly. So, the message of being Africans against capitalism is only difficult because of the constant propaganda directed at our people, but five minutes of truth exposes the contradictions we experience (as opposed to what the capitalist system tells us), so that in no time, once our people hear it and understand it, they have no problem accepting this analysis. Europeans on the other hand have much more invested in America from a psychological standpoint. You are trained that this is your country. You say "we" even when describing the most disagreeable practices of this government. Millions of Europeans not only watch FOX and listen to people like Limbaugh, but support the simple minded views those entities express. There isn't a European reading this who doesn't have relatives close by who support these backward views. History has taught us that even some of the most radical Europeans can easily be tempted to side with capitalism. The case of Tom Watson is an example. He was a popular grassroots activist around the turn of the 1900s who ended up joining the KKK. These are not problems we have in the African community. This is the reason such concentrated work by European people with European people is necessary. Dyann Roof, the young man who killed nine Africans in South Carolina recently, was said to be influenced by European racist writings. White supremacists, many of them violent to the core, are working daily to recruit young people like Dyann Roof. Where are the scores of European revolutionaries who are working to combat those backward ideas with counter ideas of white solidarity with peoples of color and themes of justice and liberation for the entire planet? This is the reason we come out and have the fourth of the lie event. So, that we can talk to people about getting involved to build greater capacity to do this work in all communities. This is why we invited the most serious of the African, Asian, Indigenous, and European communities so that we can continue to support one another and build strong solidarity. Of course, your ability to understand any of this is rooted in how you see America. If you see it as a great country that has flaws, you will miss this entire analysis. On the other hand, if you see it as we do, as a country founded and maintained on injustice - an empire - than whatever nationality you are, you will join up with people from your community to organize for a better world, without capitalism. It has to go without saying that those who endorse the former point of view are the "Americans" - the problem. Those Europeans who are open to learning and participating in the latter point of view are our allies. For Africans, if you see yourself as an American I shouldn't have to say anymore because the same goes for you. This is the criteria. It's non-negotiable. What side are you on?
"
This is a critical message for White people in particular because this message, by and large, is absent within white communities. African people, and most people of color, are reminded daily that we are not a part of the established order of this society. In fact, it's not at all uncommon to find Africans who do not feel comfortable using the designation of "American" to describe themselves. African people experience systematic racism daily and we talk about it daily, whether as academics, activists, or working class people, it's talked about all the time in our culture. Children are raised to understand this is a racist society and how to behave accordingly. So, the message of being Africans against capitalism is only difficult because of the constant propaganda directed at our people, but five minutes of truth exposes the contradictions we experience (as opposed to what the capitalist system tells us), so that in no time, once our people hear it and understand it, they have no problem accepting this analysis. Europeans on the other hand have much more invested in America from a psychological standpoint. You are trained that this is your country. You say "we" even when describing the most disagreeable practices of this government. Millions of Europeans not only watch FOX and listen to people like Limbaugh, but support the simple minded views those entities express. There isn't a European reading this who doesn't have relatives close by who support these backward views. History has taught us that even some of the most radical Europeans can easily be tempted to side with capitalism. The case of Tom Watson is an example. He was a popular grassroots activist around the turn of the 1900s who ended up joining the KKK. These are not problems we have in the African community. This is the reason such concentrated work by European people with European people is necessary. Dyann Roof, the young man who killed nine Africans in South Carolina recently, was said to be influenced by European racist writings. White supremacists, many of them violent to the core, are working daily to recruit young people like Dyann Roof. Where are the scores of European revolutionaries who are working to combat those backward ideas with counter ideas of white solidarity with peoples of color and themes of justice and liberation for the entire planet? This is the reason we come out and have the fourth of the lie event. So, that we can talk to people about getting involved to build greater capacity to do this work in all communities. This is why we invited the most serious of the African, Asian, Indigenous, and European communities so that we can continue to support one another and build strong solidarity. Of course, your ability to understand any of this is rooted in how you see America. If you see it as a great country that has flaws, you will miss this entire analysis. On the other hand, if you see it as we do, as a country founded and maintained on injustice - an empire - than whatever nationality you are, you will join up with people from your community to organize for a better world, without capitalism. It has to go without saying that those who endorse the former point of view are the "Americans" - the problem. Those Europeans who are open to learning and participating in the latter point of view are our allies. For Africans, if you see yourself as an American I shouldn't have to say anymore because the same goes for you. This is the criteria. It's non-negotiable. What side are you on?
"
RSS Feed
