From democratic rights to national liberation The decade of the 1950s is known for the dramatic rise of reactionary politics, especially the virulent anti-communism of the McCarthy era. Amidst and against this period of great reaction emerged the civil rights...
Revolutionary revolt etched in workers' consciousness "We the inmates of Attica Prison, have grown to recognize beyond the shadow of a doubt, that because of our posture as prisoners and branded characters as alleged criminals, the administration and prison employees...
Review of "Want to Start a Revolution?" (NYU Press, 2009) For centuries, history was taught as the history of great, powerful, elite men. While historical writing has become far more diverse in recent years—entire fields focus on cultural and social transformations,...
The second Monday of October is Columbus Day, celebrated as a federal holiday in the U.S. since 1971. This day marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's 1492 landing in the Americas, his "discovery of the New World" for the benefit of the Spanish monarchy....
150 years ago: first Black soldiers recruited into Civil War Exactly 150 years ago, on February 16, 1863, Boston, Mass. residents opened their newspapers to find an unprecedented advertisement in the daily newspaper. It called for “Good men of African descent” to...
A Black History Month tribute On the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, it is obligatory to pay a special tribute to the Black soldiers who served in the Union Army. When the war first started, it seemed as if Black soldiers would never be allowed to fight in the...
An updated study by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement revealed that every 28 hours, on average, law enforcement officers in the United States killed a Black person in 2012. The pandemic of police violence is largely concentrated against Black communities, but the...
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, thousands had to fend for themselves to find water, food and ice. Your mayor ain’t your friend, he’s your enemy Just to get your vote, a saint’s what he pretend to be If you don’t hustle, don’t use your energy You gonna be a...
Racism and social unrest The police killings of New York 23-year-old Sean Bell in a hail of 50 shots on Nov. 25 and of Atlanta 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston on Nov. 21 were jarring reminders of the reality of racist police terror, especially in Black and oppressed...