black august

the funeral for george jackson took place right down the street from here in late august 1971, at st. augustine's episcopal church (corner of 27th & west) in oakland. a black panther party field marshall, george jackson had discovered marx, mao, & fanon in san quentin, and had taught them to other prisoners. he had organized on the inside and his letters to the outside became best-selling books. he was shot in the back by guards on august 21st. when his mother georgia jackson arrived at the prison, she was told by a guard at the gate, "last year we killed one of your sons, today we killed another. if you aren't careful you'll have no sons left." she replied, "i have sons throughout the world, wherever people are fighting for freedom."

thousands of people filled the streets around st. augustine's on the day of the funeral to pay their respects.





these fotos & bpp member bill jennings' account of that day are posted at it's about time:

Because the church only held about 200 people, there were speakers placed outside for the thousands of people to hear the service. There wasn't a dry eye in the church, yet everyone also felt empowered by the spirit and strength of George. We rose to pick up George's body and everyone raised their fist in the air as we filed passed them. When the doors opened, and we stepped outside with the body, I saw that the crowd had grown tremendously. There were people on rooftops, hanging from telephone poles and filling the streets. Everyone raised their fists in the air and chanted "Long Live George Jackson."

It was a sight that could set a fire in your heart.

**

he wouldn't take shit from no one
he wouldn't bow down or kneel...

bob dylan wrote a song for george jackson, released as a single the following year. it's difficult to imagine something like this happening now, but it actually hit #33 on the u.s. pop charts.

george jackson : bob dylan






george jackson
23 september 1941 – 21 august 1971

¡presente!

¡invencible! desde el detroit, hasta la palestina...

the role of left cultural workers, as toni cade bambara put it, is to make revolution irresistible ...



art isn't really ever neutral, it always takes a side. because of hegemony.

cultural & intellectual work uphold, in the ideological realm, the interests of the ruling class. that's hegemony. or they oppose and undermine them, help to build the culture of resistance. hurray!! that's counter-hegemony! not a mirror, as brecht says, but a hammer... ¡éso!

**

so how do you then? make the revolution irresistible? well, you could start with some nice beats & solid rhymes, couldn't you? like this! here is detroit emcee invincible. check her out...

sledgehammer : invincible




and here's her latest. this video takes material from the al-jazeera commons & film of the lockdown at the israeli consulate in sf earlier this year (bien hecho, vanessa!). also includes design work from favi, jesus, & melanie. and hey! mp makes her music video debut as well, appropriately, agitating at a protest :)

the emperors clothes : invincible



these are the liner notes:

In January 2009, Israel launched an assault on the Gaza Strip, causing massive damage to civilian infrastructure, killing more than 1,300 Palestinians and wounding 5,300. Israel has held Gaza under siege, controlling the borders, air and water space, preventing even the most basic humanitarian goods from entering.

The Emperors Clothes is a call to action. One of the most effective strategies we can pursue right now is boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns (http://bdsmovement.net/) against Israel, as we demand an end to Israel's 60-plus years of occupation and war on Palestinian life.

**

... and here are a few fotos from that morning at the consulate:









¡abajo el apartheid! ¡arriba la resistencia del pueblo!
¡¡viva viva palestina!!

the young lords

yo quiero que mi borinquen sea libre y soberana
yo quiero que mi borinquen sea libre y soberana
porque la estrella de mi bandera no cabe en la americana
porque la estrella de mi bandera no cabe en la americana

i want my puerto rico to be sovereign and free
i want my puerto rico to be sovereign and free
because the star of my flag doesn't fit on the u.s. one
because the star of my flag doesn't fit on the u.s. one

la estrella sola : andrés jiménez



ah, lovely! the puertoriqueños have some of the best anti-colonial music!!

**

this summer is 40 years since the creation of the new york chapter of the young lords party. founded by revolutionary nationalists in the puerto rican diaspora, the young lords were a street gang which became a political organization first in chicago, then in new york and elsewhere. they ignited a proud moment in the legacy of the continuing fight for puerto rican self-determination, and liberation for all oppressed people.

if you're in new york, find the anniversary gathering today, sunday @ first hispanic methodist church @ 111th st and lexington in el barrio (for more on this church, aka "the people's church" see the second clip below).

these are clips from el pueblo se levanta which were excerpted & collected in commemoration of the ylp 40th anniversary:











and these are from the 1970 young lords party 13 point program & platform

1. We want self-determination for Puerto Ricans--Liberation of the Island and inside the United States. Que Viva Puerto Rico Libre!
2. We want self-determination for all Latinos. Que Viva La Raza!
3. We want liberation of all third world people. No Puerto Rican Is Free Until All People Are Free!
4. We are revolutionary nationalists and oppose racism. Power To All Oppressed People!
5. We want community control of our institutions and land. Land Belongs To All The People!
6. We want a true education of our Creole culture and Spanish language.
7. We oppose capitalists and alliances with traitors. Venceremos!
8. We oppose the Amerikkkan military. U.S. Out Of Vietnam, Free Puerto Rico!
9. We want freedom for all political prisoners. Free All Political Prisoners!
10. We want equality for women. Down with machismo and male chauvanism. Forward, Sisters, In The Struggle!
11. We fight anti-communism with international unity. Viva Che!
12. We believe armed self-defense and armed struggle are the only means to liberation. Boricua Is Awake! All Pigs Beware!
13. We want a socialist society. Hasta La Victoria Siempre!

**

and to go out ... a little ray barretto. la sangre nuestra ... indestructible! / our blood ... indestructible!

indestructible : ray barretto



richie pérez ¡presente!
pedro pietri ¡presente!
pa'lante ¡siempre!

fasinpat (ex-zanon) workers win their factory!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡felicitaciones, fasinpat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
¡que vivan los trabajadores! ¡que viva el poder del pueblo!



foto: expropriation now! banner at 2006 world cup in germany.

fired workers at zanon ceramics in neuquén province (argentina) took over their closed factory in 2001. they have operated it under worker control ever since. they have faced eviction attempts, police, and a repressive conservative provincial government and over & over again the factory has been ardently defended by the workers and the surrounding community. they have inspired solidarity from people all over argentina & the world. finally finally finally the expropriation has gained legal recognition!

this posted at no sweat by marie trigona :

The workers at Argentina's occupied ceramics factory, FASINPAT (Factory Without a Boss), won a major victory this week: the factory now definitively belongs to the people in legal terms. The provincial legislature voted in favor of expropriating the ceramics factory and handing it over to the workers cooperative to manage legally and indefinitely. Since 2001, the workers at Zanon have fought for legal recognition of worker control at Latin America's largest ceramics factory which has created jobs, spearheaded community projects, supported social movements world-wide and shown the world that workers don't need bosses.

"This is incredible, we are happy. The expropriation is an act of justice," said Alejandro Lopez the General Secretary of the Ceramists Union, overwhelmed by the emotion of the victory. "We don't forget the people who supported us in our hardest moments, or the 100,000 people who signed the petition supporting our bill."

Hundreds of workers from the FASINPAT factory waited anxiously until the late hours of the night for the legislature's decision. The expropriation law passed 26 votes in favor and 9 votes against the bill. Thousands of supporters from other workers' organizations, human rights groups and social movements, along with entire families and students, joined the workers as they waited outside the provincial legislature in the capital city of Neuquén. Enduring the Patagonian winter weather, activists played drums and shouted: "here they are the workers of Zanon, workers without a boss."

this trailer for corazón de fábrica (heart of the factory) about fasinpat gives some background:



and this is video of the vote in the legislature & workers' reaction. they also pay respects to their comrades who have died in the struggle. oohh, so beautiful!



and this is a speech on the occasion at the factory by one of the mothers of the plaza de mayo, claiming the victory for the workers and also for all people who fight for justice. ¡zanon es del pueblo!



this is attaque 77 playing at the factory a couple years back:



cuantos ríos de sangre han de correr,
tanta muerte ya, tanto horror, tanta injusticia
cuanto tiempo para reconocer que la historia es,
otra vez y todo de vuelta

how many rivers of blood have run
so much death, horror, injustice
how much time to recognize that history
is coming around again

...
si estaba en el cordobazo hace tiempo atrás,
y estaba en el rosariazo y en Tucumán

if it was present in the days of uprising in córdoba,
& the uprisings in rosario & in tucumán,

espíritu setentista vuelve hoy,
gente que no puede decir:
hey, hey, no te metas
en neuquén resiste zanon
lucha obrera, movilización
los bastones acechan, también voy yo!

the spirit of the 1970s returns today
people that won't say:
hey, hey don't get involved
in neuquén zanon resists
the workers' struggle, mobilization
batons lie in wait, i too will go!

gracias, mariana y liliana por las buenas noticias :)

la tita, epd

para la tita, que en paz descanse

isabel "chavela" tovar romero
5 de noviembre 1927 - 30 de julio 2009

in early july i asked la tita to tell me the story of how her family came to live in tijuana.

before she was born her parents had moved from the interior of mexico to los angeles. in the 1930s, when she was a small child, the u.s. government started a(nother) massive anti-immigrant campaign against mexican immigrants. armed immigration authorities invaded people's homes, raided their neighborhoods, jailed and deported them, displacing 2 million people by the time they were done. my grandmother's entire neighborhood, along with countless others, were emptied. her family heard the migra was coming, that they were snatching people up just a couple barrios over, and they fled in fear. they settled with hundreds of other families in an emergency settlement in tijuana. tita's mother had asthma; she became sick in all that chaos and died that following year.

i recorded our conversation on my cell phone, and i'm so grateful to have her voice still with me now. eventually i'd like to do something with this audio. like learn to make dibujos animados and illustrate or animate it. or maybe i'll make friends with someone at the design school at the uba or unam who can do that for me ;) for now here is about 45 seconds where i'm asking about her father's name. i had never heard of that name before and she was making me laugh...



me: ¿y cómo se llamaba tu papá? and what was your father's name?

tita: eh? what?

me: ¿cómo se llamaba? what was he called?

tita: se-no-vio tovar.

me: ¿cómo? what?

tita: senovio tovar.

me: ¿senovio?...

tita: ¡senovio!

me: ¿qué clase de nombre es ese? what kind of name is that? ¿senovio?

tita: senovio. ¡no "tu novio"! not "your boyfriend" (tu novio)! senovio.

tita: así se llamaba... that's what he was called.. muy nombre, muy raro. what a name, very strange.

me: sí (laughing). sí.

tita: ...que nunca jamas lo había vuelto a oir. that i never ever had heard of again. senovio tovar.

**

la tita carried chiles wrapped in foil in her purse at all times, always ready. at a restaurant she would often eye the plate in front of her suspiciously, take a bite of something and then say, este no pica nada, and reach for the tiny aluminum packet she brought with her for exactly that moment. she was the last surviving, youngest & most mischievous of a band of sisters (& one brother) who lived on both sides of la línea, in san ysidro & tijuana.

i really like these fotos & she did too. all the sisters are here: la chuy, la cuca, la ani, la efi, & there on the right looking cute & tough as ever, my querida grandmother, chavela.

**

y como a ella le encantaaaba la música mexicana... like this!

a ella : el poder del norte



hermoso cariño : vicente fernández



antes de que te vayas : marco antonio solís



por una mujer bonita : pepe aguilar



alma rebelde : grupo límite




¡¡¡¡¡¡tita, te extrañamos y te queremos!!!!!! gracias por todo, todo, todo.

Playing on La Pachiquita's Ipod......

Here is a little mid-day musica for you all......

Enjoy!

Los Prisioneros: Estrechez de Corazon


Ska-P: El Vals del Obrero


El Mago de Oz: La Posada de los Muertos


Babasonicos: Y Que


El Tri: Las Piedras Rodantes


Cafe Tacvba: Avientame

Che Guevara..Padre y Revolucionario

The Guardian published an interview with Aleida Guevara, Che Guevara's daughter. One of the great things about Aleida Guevara is that instead of turning away from her father's history, she has embraced it by becoming a doctor, a committed Marxists, and supporter of Cuba's Revolution.

In the interview she discusses how she resents that his image has been commercialized and co-opted by fashion designers, advertising agencies, and other capitalist interests. She very poignantly discusses the last time she ever saw her father, as a disguised guest at a family dinner who tended to her wounds after she fell off the table, ""I was only five. But I knew that this man loved me in a very special way. I didn't know that it was my father, though, and he couldn't tell me."

The stories that get told the least about revolutionaries are of revolutionaries as nerds, brothers, sisters, spouses,lovers. These legendary and iconic people not only inspired masses and generations of people, but also tucked kids into bed, made up fantastic stories for their children, played chess, and courted the person they loved. One of my favorite things Aleida states about her father in this article was that, "To be a proper revolutionary, you have to be a romantic. His capacity to give himself to the cause of others was at the centre of his beliefs – if we could only follow his example, the world would be a much more beautiful place."

You can check out the entire article here

Remembering the I-Hotel

Today is the 32nd anniversary of the fall of the International Hotel. The I-Hotel was an anchor institutions in the once thriving San Francisco Manilatown, home to more than 10,000 Filipino immigrants. The International Hotel provided low-cost for mostly Filipino seamen, farm and cannery workers, houseboys, and single working men, many who came to the US in the 1920's. Many of these men lived at the I-Hotel until their 60's and 70's when they were forcibly evicted by the Sheriff on August 4, 1977.



The I-Hotel and San Francisco's Manilatown were obliterated by gentrification efforts of bussiness interests and City officials, who looked at Manilatown as the site of the "Wall Street of the West." By raising rents, evicting small bussinesses, and using the City's Redevelopment Agency, Manilatown was destroyed until only the I-Hotel and 50 elderly Filipino residents remained, ready to defy any eviction order. Their struggle for worker and low income housing,as well as the fight to save Manilatown drew the attention of thousands of people who used their bodies to block anyone who tried to evict the elderly tenants. Despite the Sheriff going to jail for refusing the carry out the eviction order, on August 4, 1977 300 baton-wielding and horse-mounted police broke the human blockade surrounding the building, and forcibly evicted 50 elderly tenants. Many of the evicted tenants died shortly after from health complications that come with being forced into inadequate housing after an eviction, and many were never able to acquire stable housing after the I-Hotel.



The site of the I-Hotel stayed vacant until October 2005, when a new I-Hotel was completed and now provides over 100 units of low cost senior housing as well as a community center.

Today we remember all those fought for land, life, and housing in San Francisco's Manilatown, especially all those who have passed....

Bill Sorro....PRESENTE!
Al Robles.....PRESENTE!

Pinches Capitalistas...US Edition

As the media basks on the meaningless rising numbers on Wall Street and in declaring victory for capitalism, it is still all too clear that the poor continue to get poorer, and the rich continue to accumulate ill gotten funds to pay for offensively extravagant lives.

Pinche California Governor Schwarzenegger has ordered cuts of over $85 billion from services, including health insurance for children, assistance for people with AIDS, and families with foster children. State workers will be forced to furlough 3 working days of each month, a 14% cut in wages. At the same time, Andres Piedrahita, who helped loose over $6.7 billion through Bernard Madoff's $50 Billion global ponzi scheme, just bought a $30 Million boat to cruise in. The malvados are oblivious to the charities they have pilfered or the pensions they have pillaged. He and Schwarzenegger do not lose any comforts or sleep while millions loose pensions, homes, health care, and their very lives.

Abajos with these pinche criminales who get away and prosper from these atrocious crimes where they ruin thousands of people’s lives, yet do not have to face any repercussions!!

Pinches Capitalista!


A la Mierda: Ska-P


5 Million Ways to Kill a CEO: The Coup


White Riot: The Clash