Black History Month Forum and Discussion: The Obama Presidency and the Struggle Ahead

The election of Barack Obama as president of the United States is an occasion of historic significance. Obama’s victory shows how much progress the Black Liberation struggle and its legacy have made in fighting racism.

However, when Obama took the oath of office, the enduring crisis of racism did not magically fade away. Nothing is more illustrative of this than the recent murder of Oscar Grant III, an unarmed African-American father, at the hands of a racist BART police officer in Oakland.

Likewise, the nightmare of war and occupation did not suddenly end for the people of Iraq or Afghanistan or Palestine. Nor has it ended for all working people of the United States who are losing millions of jobs and their homes while the banks, corporations and the pentagon get trillions of dollars.

Ever increasing numbers of working-class people are losing everything and facing economic ruin.

An economic crisis has always existed for African-American people. Unemployment for Black men in New York City and Oakland is higher than 50%! But there is reason to be optimistic, and that is because of the struggle.

Join us as we celebrate Black History and talk about the ongoing struggle for economic justice and against racism.

Speakers include:
Eugene Puryear - Howard University student, 2008 Party for Socialism & Liberation vice-presidential candidate and National Coordinator for Youth & Student ANSWER Coalition

Keith Shanklin - executive board member of ILWU, Local 34 and activist in the struggle against police brutality

Patricia Johnson - sister of Anita Gay, victim of police murder in Berkeley