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Los Angeles rallies build unity to confront war drive

Published Aug 10, 2011 5:03 PM

Cynthia McKinney tour draws crowds in Los Angeles.
WW photo: John Parker

Cynthia McKinney painted a picture of the real Libya at two events in Los Angeles on Aug. 7 where she exposed the U.S./NATO terrorist bombing campaign against Libya. These were part of the now 21-city tour empowering the anti-war movement nationwide to not only fight against imperialist wars, but demand money from those wars be used to stop budget cuts and for jobs, health care and education. McKinney and the organizers built the type of unity necessary for ending imperialist wars during stops at a local church run by an activist pastor and at the second largest union local in California.

The Service Employees Local 721 meeting drew a standing-room-only crowd of 300. The All African Peoples Revolutionary Party-S (AAPRP-S) and the International Action Center jointly organized the meeting, which drew backing from Black nationalist to immigrant rights and Filipino organizations. Speaker after speaker spelled out that the demands to recognize Libyan self-determination and the immediate cessation of bombing should be the primary focus of the anti-war and social justice movement

Jamiealita Johnston Muhammad of the IAC and Dedon Kamathi of the AAPRP-S chaired the diverse program. A welcoming committee of the Local 721 Latino Caucus, including former Vice President Rosie Martinez, Marva Burgess and Lawrence Reyes, head of the Puerto Rican Alliance in Los Angeles, kicked off the theme of international working-class solidarity. BAYAN-USA Vice Chair Kuusela Hilo made the connection between imperialist threats and destruction in the Philippines and in Libya. The UNIA-ACL extended the legacy of Marcus Garvey to apply to the self-determination and sovereignty of African people in Libya. Others contributing were Workers World Party speaker Gloria Verdieu and spoken word artist Mike Martinez.

People took turns sampling the bountiful food donated by Reza Pour, a union activist and board member of the local Pacifica station, KPFK. The Black August Committee of Los Angeles inspired with a talk and spirited chants like “We are all Africans.”