This article, first published in August 2022, includes some slight edits, updated information, and added citations. Introduction In August 1619, enslaved Africans touched foot in the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States. The...
Watts 1965: From spontaneous uprising to revolutionary force
With the 60th anniversary of the Watts rebellion upon us, many still point to the arrests of Marquette, Rena and Ronald Frye as the embers that set Watts ablaze in 1965. On Aug. 11, the police pulled over Marquette’s car supposedly responding to reports of drunk...
The revolutionary origins of Memorial Day and its political hijacking
A day celebrating Black liberation utilized for white supremacy Editor's note: This article was previously published on Liberation News in 2012. What we now know as Memorial Day began as "Decoration Day" in the immediate aftermath of the U.S. Civil War. It was a...
Harry Haywood’s contributions to the national question and the fight for class unity
In honor of the 126th anniversary of Harry Haywood's birth, we're reposting this article originally published on Liberation School in 2014. Harry Haywood was a long time member and leader of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) and other communist organizations from the...
The life and legacy of Harry Haywood
The following article was originally published on Liberation News in 2011 and accompanies this Liberation School article on Haywood's contributions to the "Black Belt" thesis. Introduction There is an old saying that “history is written by the victors.” While subject...
The long history of Black and Palestinian solidarity
International solidarity in the face of racism The acquittal of racist murderer George Zimmerman sparked outrage and demonstrations not only in the United States, but all around the world—including in Palestine. Many Palestinians circulated pictures of themselves...
Estudia, ayuna, entrena, lucha: Las raíces del Agosto Negro
Nota del equipo editorial: Esta es una traducción del artículo “Study, fast, train, fight: The roots of Black August“, puede encontrar la versión original aquí. Introducción En agosto de 1619, africanos esclavizados tocaron suelo en el primer asentamiento inglés...
“George Jackson: Revolucionario Negro,” por Walter Rodney
Esta es una traducción del artículo “George Jackson: Black Revolutionary“, puede encontrar la versión original aquí. Nota del editor El siguiente artículo fue escrito por Walter Rodney para un número de 1971 de Maji Maji, la revista trimestral del ala juvenil del...
The revolutionary origins of Memorial Day and its political hijacking
A day celebrating Black liberation utilized for white supremacy Editor's note: This article was previously published on Liberation News in 2012. What we now know as Memorial Day began as "Decoration Day" in the immediate aftermath of the U.S. Civil War. It was a...