BROOKLYN, N.Y.
Black community organizes against war
Special to Workers World
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Two recent activities here signal the growing emergence of
the Black community in the anti-war movement.
In Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, Buddhist
women used their annual women's commemorative meeting on Feb.
23 to discuss Bush's war against Iraq and how to stop it. The
theme was "Celebrating Women Warriors for Peace."
Guest speaker Aisha al-Adawiya of Women in Islam told the
fired-up group of mostly Black women that, "Women have the
power to change the world. You can do it, never give up." This
theme was echoed by others, including Soka Gakkai
International-USA leader Patricia Kasahara, who stressed the
importance of taking action.
International ANSWER Coalition repre sentative and guest
speaker Pat Chin urged maximum participation at the up coming
March 8 International Women's Day anti-war protest in New York.
Chin also stressed the importance of fighting against racism
and for justice and socialism.
The meeting was co-chaired by Beverly Morgan and Portia
Waldon, who, along with Chin, are also founders of the
Bedford-Stuyvesant Coalition for Peace.
A Black History Month program on Feb. 13 used the
publication of Walter Mosley's new book, "What Next: A Memoir
Toward World Peace," as a forum for discussion on the deep
anti-war sentiment in the Black community and how to mobilize
greater participation in the peace movement.
Mosley addresses his book to African Americans and
identifies "global capitalism" as a deterrent to peace. Based
on the long history of slavery and racism, Black people are, he
correctly opines, uniquely positioned to be leaders in the
anti-war movement. While admitting he has no ready solutions,
Mosley calls for dialogue and action in the quest for
peace.
Several other speakers addressed the gathering. They
included Vinie Burrows, UN Women's Democratic Federation; Job
Mashariki, Black Veterans for Social Justice; Katrina James,
Cornell Black Alumni Association; and Ron Daniels, Center for
Constitutional Rights. ANSWER coalition representative Pat Chin
outlined planned anti-war activities, while calling for
increased Black participation. "Let's lift our spears for
freedom, and sound our drums for peace," she declared.
The meeting, which recalled Black heroes Malcolm X and Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., was hosted by Dr. Andree-Nicola
McLaughlin of Brooklyn's Medgar Evers College and Dr. James
Turner of Cornell University's Africana Studies and Research
Center.
Reprinted from the March 6, 2003, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyrighted
under a Creative
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