Subversive Skype #10: IWW Southern Speaking Tour (August 2016)

Hosted by Houston IWW

The Houston Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC) is hosting Wobs from the African People’s Caucus and from Atlanta Georgia speak on the IWW work for the Southern Speaking Tour! Come join us as Dee from the APC talks about their work in Minneapolis organizing in the Black Lives Matter movement. Brandon from Atlanta will be discussing recent workers struggles in the US. And Houston folks discuss their work doing immigrant rights work and incarcerated workers organizing work.

Subversive Skype #9: Incarcerated Workers Take the Lead! Zine Discussion

Hosted by Houston IWOC and Monkeywrench Books (May 2016)

The I.W.O.C. (Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee) is a committee of the I.W.W (Industrial Workers of the World) that emerged following the Alabama strike in 2014. The I.W.O.C. “functions as a liaison for prisoners to organize each other, unionize, and build solid bridges between prisoners on the inside and fellow workers on the outside.”

The Houston chapter of IWOC has compiled a zine highlighting some of the struggles that inmates have engaged in from 2008 until the more recent state wide strikes that shook the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in April, 2016. Building to a nation wide strike scheduled to start in September of this year, this zine aims to inspire our friends on the inside, as well as those on the outside committed to building an alliance against the prison industrial complex.

Read the zine online here:
http://unityandstruggle.org/2016/05/05/incarcerated-workers-take-the-lead-prison-struggles-in-the-united-states-2008-2016-3/

Subversive Skype #8: Minneapolis Rising

Hosted by Out of the Flames of Ferguson (December 2015)

On Nov. 15 Jamar Clark was shot by Minneapolis police and died a day later. Many witnesses say he was handcuffed when shot. As we’ve seen in the past protesters immediately took to the streets using direct action tactics such as marches, student walk outs, rallies and occupations.  

The most notable occupation has been that of the 4th precinct police station. Protesters seized a part of the precinct and are demanding footage of the murder among other things.  

What’s new about this struggle is the attention protests have drawn by right wing forces. During the occupation white supremacists visited the site a few times before opening fire on protesters, injuring 5 on Nov. 24.

 Although the suspects were eventually apprehended they were not charged with attempted murder or a hate crime despite the clear racist motivation behind the attack.  

After this right wing attack, Minneapolis police seized the opportunity to eradicate the occupation at the 4th precinct by arresting protesters and taking apart the encampment. However, the struggle is ongoing as people continue to seek justice for Jamar Clark.

Please join Out Of The Flames of Ferguson as we host the African People’s Caucus via Skype to reflect on their experience organizing around the Jamar Clark case, lessons learned and important debates that have come up in the movement. The African People’s Caucus is a caucus of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) which seeks to To develop confident, militant, skilled community and workplace organizers of African Descent. Visit their page for more info:

https://www.facebook.com/originaliwwapc/?fref=ts

Subversive Skype #7: Frontline Struggles - Mike Brown, Eric Garner and the Fight Against Police Brutality in NYC

Hosted by Out of the Flames of Ferguson (January 2015)

** AUDIO NOT AVAILABLE **

This moment is unlike any most of us have experienced. We’ve seen mass mobilizations all over the country that has produced various forms of resistance such as street battles with the police, freeway blockades, sit ins, store occupations, unarrests of fellow protesters, unpermitted marches and more.

Although this dynamic is expanding rapidly, NYC continues to be a main hotbed of radical activity and action. At the forefront of this the Trayvon Martin Organizing Committee (TMOC) has been one of many organizations fighting back in the streets.

As the mass mobilizations seem to be plateauing somewhat we want to take this opportunity to reflect, share ideas about how to maintain the continuity of struggle, what our vision of change is and so much more. 

Join the Out of Flames of Ferguson crew as we host another edition of the Subversive Skype Series where we welcome Jackie, an organizer with TMOC who’ll be sharing her experiences participating in many of the actions, and thoughts on advancing the struggle.

Please check out TMOC’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/tmocnyc?ref=br_tf

Take Back the Bronx: https://www.facebook.com/takebackthebx?ref=br_tf

If you have any questions or special requests please contact us at:

(832) 356-4682 or
fromfergusontohtown@gmail.com

Subversive Skype #6: Whole Foods Workers Unite!
Hosted by Houston IWW

Come talk with organizer Mike Hellman, all the way from the Yay Area, California, to speak with us about the worker-led organizing happening there at Whole Foods Market.

For more information see http://www.wfmunite.com/

Subversive Skype #5: The Historical Moment that Produced Us
Hosted by Unity & Struggle (December 2014)

Please join us in a conversation with Loren Goldner, one of the leading revolutionary thinkers of our time. Goldner will talk about the global capitalist crisis in the context of the history of capitalism and the movements that developed to confront it. He will also touch on the potential of the new rebellions around the world and the obstacles they face.

Goldner lives in NYC and is the author of many books and articles, including “Globalization of Capital, Globalization of Struggle,” “Race and Enlightenment,” “American Primitive in Red, Black, and White: Race and Class in the U.S.,” “The Remaking of the American Working Class: The Restructuring of Global Capital and the Recomposition of the Class Terrain.”

His writings can be found at Break Their Haughty Power and Insurgent Notes.

Subversive Skype #4: Confronting State Repression
Co-hosted by Houston Anarchist Black Cross and Southwest Defense Network (November 2014)

This live webcast presentation will trace the history and current trends of political repression in the US, examine the tactics of repression, draw out lessons from the past, and discuss how we can defend our communities and movements.

Subversive Skype #3: The Ferguson Uprising
Hosted by Southwest Defense Network (November 2014)

The murder of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Mo has unleashed a wave of struggle across the US. Although this uprising has similar characteristics to those of the past (LA, Watts, etc), it is clear that many of its dynamics are unique to the current moment. A moment defined by police militarization, gentrification of inner cities, mass incarceration of Blacks and Latinos, increased police and vigilante murders, precarious jobs, massive student debt with diminishing job possibilities, austerity and the list goes on.

At the same time, we’re faced with a number of political antagonisms brought to light by this rebellion. The people of Ferguson have shown they’ll no longer wait around for the “justice” system to run its course. Nor are they willing to be pacified by old guard Civil Rights “leaders” such as Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson. Also, some view the appropriation of goods (looting) and direct confrontation with the police as ineffective and self destructive instead of effective tactics in fighting white supremacy and capitalism. These are a few of many important political dynamics we will explore. Moreover, how will these conditions further shape and fuel struggles in Ferguson, and future ones to come? If one thing is certain, it is that this marks an important shift in Black struggle in the US.

Members of the Southwest Defense Network invite you to a conversation about the Ferguson uprising. The event will start with a video presentation on Ferguson by Lorenzo Kom’boa Ervin. Lorenzo is a former member of the original Black Panther Party, political prisoner and author of “Anarchism and the Black Revolution”.

His biography of over 40 years of struggle cannot be captured in a few sentences, so please check out this article that describes his history.
http://libcom.org/library/anarchism-black-revolution-lorenzo-ervin-bio
If you have time we encourage you to check out some of his essays listed below as well as analysis that has been written recently on the struggle in Ferguson.

**Suggested Readings**

By Lorenzo:
Anarchism and the Black Revolution
http://libcom.org/library/anarchism-black-revolution-lorenzo-ervin

Black autonomy: civil rights, the Panthers and today by Lorenzo Kom’boa Ervin and JoNina Abron
http://libcom.org/library/black-autonomy-civil-rights-the-panthers-and-today

Black capitalism
http://libcom.org/library/black-capitalism-lorenzo-ervin

About Ferguson:
Hands UP Turn Up: Ferguson Jailbreaks Out of History
http://unityandstruggle.org/2014/08/17/hands-up-turn-up-ferguson-jailbreaks-out-of-history/

New Ghettos Burning
http://www.ultra-com.org/project/new-ghettos-burning/

Subversive Skype #2: Intersectionality Theory and a Marxist-Feminist Critique
Hosted by No Están Solos (September 2014)

Since the 1980s, “Intersectionality Theory” has become a broad framework often used by the left to theorize the complex relationship between class, race, and gender in today’s capitalist society. The historical roots and the methodology of this theory are important to understand. It is equally important for us to examine our current conditions and the various movements of exploited peoples today in order to ask whether intersectionality theory is a useful tool or one which must be transcended. Can intersectionality and Marxist theory work together or are they competing theories of resistance?

Members of No Están Solos invite you to a conversation about intersectionality theory. It will kick off with a Skype video presentation by Eve Mitchell summarizing her essay, “I am a Woman and a Human: A Marxist-Feminist Critique of Intersectionality Theory.”

Eve is an organizer based in New York City who is part of the Florence Johnston Collective, a reproductive workers’ group. She has written on Marx, feminism, gender and sexuality, women’s & queer liberation (some of her other writings can be found here http://werehirwerequeer.wordpress.com/). Contact us at noestansolos14@gmail.com for more info or if you need special accommodations.

**Suggested Readings**

Eve Mitchell, “I am a Woman and a Human: A Marxist Feminist Critique of Intersectionality Theory”
http://unityandstruggle.org/2013/09/12/i-am-a-woman-and-a-human-a-marxist-feminist-critique-of-intersectionality-theory/

Raymond Williams, “Marxism and Literature”, pp 75-89
http://mykelandrada.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/raymond-williams-marxism-and-literature.pdf

Audre Lorde, “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining ‘ Difference*”
http://www.socialism.com/drupal-6.8/sites/all/pdf/class/Lorde-Age%20Race%20Class%20and%20Sex.pdf

Audre Lorde, “There is No Hierarchy of Oppressions”
http://uuliveoak.org/pdfs/worship_9-04-09_excerpts_no_hierarchy_of_oppressions.pdf

Ernest Laclau, “Emancipations”, Chapter 4

Subversive Skype #1: Immigration Struggles in Arizona
Hosted by No Están Solos

Join us for a presentation by two organizers with the Repeal Coalition in Arizona and former members of the revolutionary group Bring The Ruckus.

They will share reflections about their day to day organizing in immigrant communities in Arizona in the lead up to the passage of SB 1070 bill in 2010. That infamous bill was an anti-immigration law that massively expanded police power in the state, basically mandating racial profiling and making it a crime to associate with undocumented people. This bill has since inspired similar and worse legislation in states around the country.

The Repeal Coalition was a grassroots, all-volunteer organization with chapters in Flagstaff and Phoenix. It organized undocumented people, trailer park by trailer park, apartment complex by apartment complex, around the broad demand to repeal all anti-immigrant laws instead of just “reforming” them. Repeal argued that if capital can move freely across borders in search of labor to exploit, humans should have the same freedom of movement. They emphasized the need for independent community organizations outside of the non-profit complex and they helped to organize direct actions against immigration raids, police profiling and brutality.

The political and practical questions raised by their experience in Arizona are very relevant for us today, whether we are working around immigration, the prison system, or the ecological destruction of brown and black working class communities.

For more information about the Repeal Coalition, check out this link:
http://unityandstruggle.org/2010/05/16/on-the-ground-in-arizona/

For information about Bring the Ruckus, here’s their old website:
http://www.bringtheruckus.org/