APSC intensive: an opportunity for white people to stand on the side of African Liberation

As 2008 dawns imperialism is in deep crisis. All over the world African and other oppressed peoples are resisting and struggling for control of their lands and resources. African Internationalism is emerging as a growing global force.

How can white people sitting on the pedestal of this system built on slavery, genocide and colonialism take a stand in genuine solidarity on the side of justice and liberation for African people everywhere?

These were the themes and the backdrop for the fourth annual January conference and study sponsored by the African People’s Solidarity Committee (APSC).

Held at Boyd Hill Nature Park in St. Petersburg FL, the January 5 through 7 APSC-led intensive launched our work in what could prove to be a pivotal new year in the struggle against the blood-sucking system of imperialism. Comrades traveled from Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis, Oakland, Tampa and St. Petersburg to participate.

In this time when the many fronts of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) are building around the world, the APSC-led conference worked to deepen the unity of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement to rise to the demands of this crucial period.

The African People’s Solidarity Committee is the organization of white people formed by the African People’s Socialist Party more than 30 years ago. Under the leadership of the Party, APSC works in white communities to build solidarity and raise resources for the worldwide work of the Party.

President Ivory in person, Chairman Yeshitela on DVD highlight conference

The 3-day intensive convened on Saturday with an APSC conference to sum up the past year and consolidate plans for 2008.

As an organization operating in Oakland, CA; St. Petersburg, FL and Philadelphia, PA, APSC worked to overturn opportunism, liberalism and anarchy in our ranks. Recent struggles exposed a sabotage of APSC’s standards and protocol in our annual holiday pie campaign that has been one of our signature fundraisers and base-builders for the Party’s work for the past 27 years.

The conference resulted in renewed unity of will to carry out all our work on a level worthy of the revolutionary stand and history of the African People’s Socialist Party which leads the African working class.

On Sunday the study intensive session was open for comrades and friends of APSC who participate or are interested in the solidarity work. Traditionally the intensive begins every year with a keynote presentation by Chairman Omali Yeshitela, leader of the African People’s Socialist Party. The Chairman’s powerful presentations always set the tone for the next two days of study and strategizing.

This year the work of the Party demanded that the Chairman would be in Ghana presiding over the meeting of the African Socialist International. As a result, the solidarity conference opened up with a DVD of the Chairman’s brilliant keynote presentation at the recent International Congress on Africa and the West held in Spain.

InPDUM President Ivory Muhammad presented on the harsh conditions facing African people worldwide, and the bold and brilliant strategy of the Uhuru Movement toward liberation.

Representing the Party was Ivory Muhammad, president of the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement who gave a dynamic presentation on InPDUM’s work beginning with the European assault on Africa and the enslavement of African people that built the wealth and power of the Western world.

President Muhammad placed the work of InPDUM on the frontlines of struggle defending the democratic rights of African people around the world in this historic context. She reported that InPDUM has new branches in Texas, Alabama, California and in Ghana.

APSC Chairwoman Penny Hess delivers a presentation on the long history of opportunism in the white left movement.

African People’s Solidarity Committee chair Penny Hess gave a multimedia presentation that stressed the political and historic significance of the formation of APSC by the Party. Hess’s presentation exposed that the struggle of African people in this country is not against racism but against U.S. colonial domination and white opportunism.

Laying out the history of white betrayal and attacks on African people to gain jobs and resources for ourselves, Hess showed that the Party’s formation of APSC was the only way that white people could have a principled relationship to African people struggling for liberation.

Solidarity giveback features personal testimony

One of the highlights of the weekend was the solidarity “giveback” which has become an annual tradition. Comrades come up to the podium one by one or family by family in the spirit of reparations to testify about why they want to contribute resources to the work of the African People’s Socialist Party and contribute to building the new economy under the leadership of the African working class.

Participants gave moving testimony about the conditions imposed on African people that they witnessed growing up, or about how their own families had benefited from the oppression of African people.

APSC member Lisa Burgess hands Kitty Reilly the 1-ounce gold Krugerrand her grandmother once wore around her neck, giving the wealth back to the African revolution!

Many expressed how liberating it is to break loose from the confines of the club of “whiteness,” that would have us maintain the suffering of African and other peoples to enjoy our lifestyle. This opportunity to stand on the side of the oppressed in a principled way, instead of on the side of the brutal oppressor was cited by many comrades as the motivational force behind their commitment to the solidarity movement. This year’s giveback set a record in the amount of resources raised.

Monday’s session was made up of lively multimedia presentations on various aspects of APSC’s work, including building Uhuru Solidarity Movement, launching the campaign “10,000 People Against Stop and Frisk” in Philadelphia, campus and internet organizing, solidarity movement websites and Uhuru Foods, among others.

Following an overview by economic director Kitty Reilly, an outstanding presentation was given by APSC comrades who work in the Uhuru Furniture stores, Uhuru Movement institutions led by the African People’s Education and Defense Fund.

Ruby Gittelsohn, Stephanie Midler, Joel Hamburger and Lisa Burgess laid out the history of the Uhuru Furniture stores in the three cities, showing their deep network of shoppers, donors and supporters built over the stores’ collective 39 years of existence. With a humorous skit the store team laid out their national promotions strategy of “use our base to build our base.”

Harris Daniels and Alison Hoehne presented plans to launch APSC’s new fundraising institution that will sell stylish t-shirts, bags, hats and sweats printed with political slogans. APSC-produced DVDs and pamphlets will also be sold as part of this effort. Last fall an innovative t-shirt design by Lisa Watson was a top seller and a catalyst for the new institution. The design featured a map of Africa with numerous stolen resources listed inside of it, including diamonds, oil, bauxite and African people themselves. Under the map reads, “Stolen from Africa. Let’s give it back!”

Janice Kant and Bill Canada led a workshop on Uhuru Foods that showed its long history as an APSC fundraiser for the work of the Party and its direction for development this year. Sandy Thompson, Lisa Watson, Opa Hamilton and Alison Hoehne also prepared informative and dynamic presentations.

Before comrades took off to return to their respective cities around the country imbued with renewed energy and vision to build the Uhuru Solidarity Movement, emcee Bill Canada led a sum up of the successful weekend.

Canada stated that although Chairman Omali Yeshitela was not able to attend this year, it was mobilizing to have InPDUM president Ivory Muhammad give her brilliant keynote presentation knowing that the Chairman and others were at work in Africa and the Party was building on so many other fronts.

Solidarity comrades look towards the future of a liberated Africa!

With the Uhuru Movement and its myriad of activist fronts organizing throughout the U.S., Britain and Africa, and on the strength of the politics of African Internationalism taken on as our own, we could take up APSC’s work in the white community with confidence and enthusiasm.

It was clear that the only future for all humanity is national liberation for African and all oppressed peoples on this planet and the end of a parasitic system that provides prosperity for us at the expense of African and other peoples.

For more information on the African People’s Solidarity Committee see
Apscuhuru.org or call 727-894-6997.

Uhuru!