Obama campaign, economic crisis analyzed

Abayomi Azikiwe WW photos: Liz Green

A multinational crowd filled the room at the Cultural Cafe in Boston March 1 for Workers World Party’s Black History Month forum. The crowd was warmly welcomed to the space by Clemencia Lee from the Cultural Cafe, a gallery and workspace for African-American artists.

Larry Holmes

The meeting was co-chaired by Boston school bus driver Robert Traynham and Dorothea Peacock of the Women’s Fightback Network. The featured reports were given by Abayomi Azikiwe, a founder of the Michigan Emergency Coalition Against War and Injustice, on the current phase of capitalist globalization and the growing fightback against foreclosures and layoffs; Larry Holmes, WWP secretariat member and former presidential candidate, on the significance of the Barack Obama campaign; and Miya Campbell of Fight Imperialism, Stand Together (FIST) on the impact of the war on women at home and abroad. A cultural performance was provided by hip-hop artist Natural Bliss.

Dorothea Peacock

Azikiwe’s talk included a deep historical view of the Black liberation struggle focusing particularly on the leading role of Black women in fighting back against slavery and racist repression.

Robert Traynham

Holmes analyzed the Obama phenomenon in relation to the profoundly deep economic crisis. He called on the activists to grapple with how to establish an independent pole of struggle to fight back against the bosses’ drive to dump their economic crisis on the backs of the workers. Holmes also made a call to the activists to stand ready to defend the Obama campaign against racist attacks and backroom deals to block it in order to deprive Black people of the democratic right to representation.

Miya Campbel

Josué Renaud presented a solidarity message from New England Human Rights for Haiti, celebrating its fourth anniversary on March 29.

—Frank Neisser