MAS Has Merged Into Black Rose Anarchist Federation

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As part of a several year process of political discussion and regroupment that emerged out of the Class Struggle Anarchist Conferences, in November 2012 local and regional groups which included Miami Autonomy and Solidarity voted to merge and form a new national political organization Black Rose Anarchist Federation / Federación Anarquista Rosa Negra (BRRN).

The political influences drew from the best the class struggle anarchist milieu and broadly include “anarchist-communism, anarcho-syndicalism, especifismo, platformism, feminism, queer liberation, black liberation, abolitionism, anti-racism and their history of global struggle for liberation.” The founding groups at the time included Common Struggle (formerly known as the Northeastern Federation of Anarchist Communists or NEFAC), Four Star Anarchist Organization in Chicago, Miami Autonomy and Solidarity, Rochester Red and Black, and Wild Rose Collective based in Iowa City.

Black Rose Anarchist Federation (or Black Rose / Rosa Negra) is now the largest anarchist political organization in the US with locals in over a dozen cities and working towards a shared strategic vision of building “popular power” across workplaces, neighborhoods and all sectors of society. Organizing work is centered on building mass movements such as tenant unions, neighborhood assemblies, workplace campaigns, prisoner organizing, and in defense of communities resisting criminalization and deportations.

You can follow BRRN on FacebookTwitter and Instagram

Website:  www.blackrosefed.org

 

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Photographs from Tuesday’s Protest #Handsupdontshoot #Mikebrown

Being a woman organizer isn’t easy

libertatdIn the following piece MAS member, Luz Sierra, reveals the hardship of  being pressured to fulfill gender expectations within her household and culture while being politically involved in Miami. She shares some strong insights of her analysis of such oppression and how it affected women she have met throughout her life. Yet, as a firm believer in direct action, she demonstrates and encourage revolutionary women to share their tribulations with one another and end their fears and doubts. Therefore, in  honor of Women’s History Month, we provide you this amazing piece and insist you to read it.

By Luz Sierra

This past year I became politically active. I went from being completely unaware of the existence of radical politics to doing organizing work in Miami with an anarchist perspective. It has been both a rewarding and difficult journey, yet gender seems to haunt me wherever I go. I am probably not the first woman to experience this, but I believe that I should demonstrate how this is a real issue and provide my personal insight for other women to have a reference point for their own struggles.

Being raised by Nicaraguan parents and growing up in Miami’s Latin community, I have firsthand experience with the sexist culture in South Florida. Many families that migrated from South and Central America and the Caribbean arrived to the United States carrying traditions from the 1970s and 1980s. Daughters are raised by women who were taught that their goal in life is to be an obedient wife and to devote their time to raising children and making their husbands happy. Latin women are supposed to be modest, self-reserved, have the ability to fulfill domestic roles and be overall submissive. Some Hispanic families might not follow this social construction, but there are still a large number of them who insert this moral into their households. For instance, this social construct is apparent in the previous three generations of my father’s and mother’s families. My great grandmothers, grandmothers, mother and aunts never completed their education and spend the majority of their life taking care of their husbands and children. Meanwhile, various male members of my current and extended family had the opportunity to finish their education, some even received college degrees, and went on to become dominant figures in their households. The male family members also had the chance to do as they pleased for they left all household and childcare responsibilities to their wives. As the cycle continued, my mother and grandmothers attempted to socialize me to fulfill my expected female role. I was taught not to engage in masculine activities such as sports, academia, politics, and other fields where men are present. Unfortunately for them, I refused to obey their standards of femininity. I have played sports since I was 10 years old; I grew a deep interest in history, sociology and political science; and I am currently part of three political projects. Such behavior has frustrated my parents to the point that I am insulted daily. My mother will claim that I am manly, selfish for devoting more time to organizing and promiscuous because the political groups I am involved with consist mostly of men. My father will state that I am senseless for wasting my time in politics and should devote more time in preparing myself to become a decent wife and mother.

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Talk with Batay Ouvriye

We are posting  a link of a mid-December 2013 interview by One Struggle of militants in boBatay Ouvriye concerning the ongoing minimum wage struggle in Haiti including mass protests of hundreds of thousands of workers in the streets.  In the interview, Batay Ouvriye militant, Yanik, calls on those who want to stand in solidarity with these struggles to: 1) spread information about their struggle and 2) pressure particular businesses resisting workers demands.  For more information on specific actions to pressure businesses, check out the webpages of Batay Ouvriye (Haiti):http://batayouvriye.wordpress.com/ and One Struggle (South Florida): http://onestruggle.net/

Here is the link to the  interview:  Talk with Batay Ouvriye

Tour begins today at 4pm, Struggling to Win: Anarchists Building Popular Power in Chile

Miami Community Event Today at Veye-Yo, Saturday, January 11th: https://www.facebook.com/events/492633257518625/

Miami Student Event Monday at FIU South, January 13th: https://www.facebook.com/events/190047431196540/

Tour Website: http://chilespeakingtour.wordpress.com/

Anarchist Speaking Tour on Popular Power in Chile

FlyerFBPlease help and support the Anarchist Speaking Tour on Popular Power in Chile.  They currently need assistance with tour expenses (about $5,000 dollars) and are seeking for contributions. Therefore, we would appreciate it if you provide donations of any amount in order to help create a successful tour.

 

STRUGGLING TO WIN: ANARCHISTS BUILDING POPULAR POWER IN CHILE

FlyerFB* We are reposting one of the web pages of STRUGGLING TO WIN: ANARCHISTS BUILDING POPULAR POWER IN CHILE in order to provide more information of the US Tour and share the biographies of the speakers. We hope this will encourage individuals, not only in Miami, but all over the country to attend the various events being held in different cities. Tour dates and contact information are also provided in the website as well.
 

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