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BAJI Bay Area Organizer Reflections from International Convenings in the Philippines
Post by Devonté Jackson, BAJI Bay Area Organizer
I had the honor of being one of the U.S. delegates for an international convening in Manila, Philippines Nov 10th-19th. The stories and struggles of those resisting in the Philippines were very familiar to me. Here in Oakland, one of the biggest issues we face is urban gentrification. Much like in the Philippines, corporate development is driving out the people who work and care for the land! Furthermore, the state response is to intensify this process through increased policing, state terror, and criminalization. On Monday November 23rd, Third World for Black Power in Oakland mobilized outside of a 10 story Sears building that was purchased by UBER who intends to "drive out" long term residents by bringing in mainly white and upper class techies. State and corporate interests are not only displacing us, it is also killing us! This is represented in the increased anti-Black police killings in the city of Oakland. Most recently, Richard Perkins was killed by OPD on November 15, 2015. The fight we face in Oakland reminds me of the struggle of the Lumad indigenous community in the Philippines.
Activists from the Philippines described it as a neocolonial state. The economy functions for the sole benefit of imperial and corporate interests. The Philippines is a third world country which forces many Filipino people to become migrant workers, sent to other places for underpaid work. This represents a significant portion of the Philippine economy. Additionally, their economy is export-based rooted in the extraction of resources from the land like copper, minerals, etc. The important piece to all of this is that community is resisting and it is part of the reason that the ILPS*, IMA*, and IFPRS* International convenings were hosted in the Philippines. It was intentionally coordinated to be held during the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) convening. APEC is complicit in the Filipino extractive economy and in the overall economic exploitation of the people and the earth. They employ destruction through the establishment of unjust and unprincipled economic arrangements rooted in neoliberal globalization. The Lumad struggle highlights these issues.
Lumads are indigenous Filipinos in the Southern mountain regions of the Philippines. Mining companies are extracting resources from their homeland and the companies are being backed by the state military who are in turn policing, terrorizing, and displacing the indigenous people in this region. The international community took to the streets in solidarity with the Lumad people who caravanned from Mindanao to the capitol in protest of the militarism and corporate mining happening on their ancestral land. They were occupying a college campus in the Philippines in protest. ILPS held a rally and public demonstration in the middle of a roundabout in the capital city in solidarity with the Lumads. About 10 Lumad people joined us and it was a powerful display of international solidarity.
I gave presentations on BAJI and Black Lives Matter at the ILPS Human Rights and Arts & Culture Commissions where I articulated how Black struggle in the U.S. is intrinsically linked and interconnected to the struggles against global imperialism and capitalism. I placed issues of forced migration, urban gentrification, and the international refugee crisis within a Black Context rooted in the colonization of Africa and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. I hope to continue to build international solidarity in my work. I had a great time building with people across the globe during the international convenings and look forward to bringing lessons learned back to my community in the Bay Area.
*International League of People's Struggles
*International Migrant Alliance
*International Festival for Peoples Rights and Struggles
BIN Members in the News
The Black Immigration Network is a national network of people and organizations serving black immigrant and African American communities who are focused on supporting fair and just immigration, as well as economic and social policies that benefit these communities and all communities of color in order to create a more just and equitable society. BAJI hosts and coordinates BIN, and we are pleased to share some of our members spotted in the news recently:
Maryland Student Says Donald Trump is Misinformed [My MCMedia]
"A big part of the immigration debate that is not just Latino, not just African, not just European, but a collection of people that have their own individual stories and cases."
Yannick Diouf, a business student at the University of Maryland College Park, shares his thoughts on Donald Trump and says the Republican presidential candidate is misinformed when it comes to the immigrant community.
Originally posted here.
A Look At Issues Important To People In South Florida [Facing South Florida]
"State Senator Anitere Flores, the chair of the Miami-Dade legislative delegation, will discuss the issues they will work on this year in Tallahassee. Senator Flores will discuss Friday's meeting where she and her fellow state senators and state house members heard from more than 30 community groups about the needs not being addressed in areas such as child welfare, mental health, health and human services and the criminal justice system.
DeFede also took a look at illegal immigration. A bill has been filed in Tallahassee that would make it a felony, punishable by up to 30 years in prison, to remain in the state of Florida after receiving a deportation order from the federal government.
Our guests will be Francesca Menes, from the Florida Immigrant Coalition, and Julio, who has remained in this country after receiving a deportation order and is about to graduate from FIU.
Under this bill he could be arrested and imprisoned."
Originally posted here.
How US immigration officers use dubious identity papers to deport people [Al Jazeera America]
Read the full story here.
BIN members are a part of a network made up of like-minded individuals and organizations across the country. With dues as low as $10/year, with your membership you'll gain access to the following: educational and advocacy tools; define and participate in BIN work; discounted conference attendance; discounts on resources and accessories; kinship bond with great people. For more information and to sign up today visit www.blackimmigration.net.
Free Kwesi! BAJI-OAK Leads Free the People Caravan May 30
Post by Devonte Jackson, BAJI Bay Area Organizer
On Saturday, May 30th 2015 the Black Alliance for Just Immigration will be leading a multi-racial network of Undocumented Youth, Faith Leaders, Immigrant Rights Activists, and Community Members in Northern and Southern California on a "Free the People" caravan to Mesa Verde Detention Facility in Bakersfield CA. This is where Kwesi Amuzu, a Ghanaian asylum-seeker, is being held in indefinite detention.
Kwesi was detained upon entry at the U.S./Mexico Border and transported to West County Detention Facility in Richmond, CA where he quickly gained support from the local community. ICE attempted to deport Kwesi to Ghana and Togo but was unsuccessful due to a lack of documentation and birth records in both countries. This was confirmed by the Ghanaian and Togo Embassies. ICE has chosen to hold Kwesi in detention despite their inability to deport him.
Immigrants should not be criminalized for seeking a better opportunity in the United States. Kwesi's case illustrates the fact that ICE, in cooperation with Police and other Law Enforcement agencies, have made detention facilities into holding camps filled with asylum seekers and immigrants of color with low level offenses. Instead of releasing Kwesi to his support network in the Bay Area, ICE has chosen to hold him indefinitely with no foreseeable release in the future. This is unjust!
Kwesi's case speaks to the overall issue with today's prison-detention system which targets and criminalize African Americans, Immigrants of Color, and people of color more generally. The "Free the People" Caravan aims to pressure ICE to release Kwesi and draw attention to the larger issue of detention bed quotas and mass criminalization.
Mesa Verde, where Kwesi is being held indefinitely, is one of over 50 private prisons and detention centers operated in 16 states by Geo Group. Those of us who pay taxes are paying Geo and their competition at Corrections Corporation of America over $3 Billion each year to put hundreds of thousands of our community members, mostly black and brown people, behind bars.
Bringing a caravan to Mesa Verde is about bringing our outrage over how people of African descent and people of color are being reduced by these corporations to a vehicle for them and their shareholders to profit. It's about bringing our outrage over how detention and incarceration are being used to control and inflict violence on our communities. We are shining a spotlight on the way the prison industry is responsible for driving mass detention.
We demand Kwesi's immediate release. We demand an end to the bed quota. We demand divestment from the Prison Industrial Complex. And we demand an end to the Mass Criminalization of our communities.
We assert the declaration that Black Lives Matter and will continue to organize for Justice until we are all free!
The LA Times Names Opal Tometi One Of 21 New Civil Rights Leaders
We are pleased to share that the Los Angeles Times announced BAJI's Executive Director, Opal Tometi, as one of the New Civil Rights Leaders. Meet the 21 Emerging Voices in the 21st Century here.
Some of the concerns are old — voting rights, police misconduct, racial profiling. Others — such as trans rights and access to technology — are more recent. Much in the spirit of activists who pushed for civil rights a half century ago, a new generation is fighting battles old and new. A sampling of these emerging leaders across the country; here is Opal's feature:
Opal Tometi
A first-generation Nigerian American, Tometi has been active in immigrant rights for much of the last decade. As director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, she became a vocal opponent of Arizona's controversial SB-1070. At the time, she said the law was meant to "destroy communities." Since the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, Tometi co-founded Black Lives Matter which calls for policing reforms.
"This is a challenging moment, but we must maintain the integrity of our message and moral movement," she wrote in a December Huffington Post piece. "We still have the moral high ground, and we cannot allow for it to be undermined."
Read the original piece here written by Matt Pearce and Kurtis Lee for the Los Angeles Times.
Celebrating MLK Day: Reclaiming Our Movement Legacy
Originally published by the Huffinton Post, Black Voices: http://huff.to/1AIgTyv
By: Opal Tometi, Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors-Brignac
Today, people across the country pause and remember the legacy of civil rights leader, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. For many, the birthday of Dr. King is a time to reflect on peace and non-violence, to remember the dream, to perform service in your community, and for others, it is a much needed three-day weekend, a respite after returning to work from a busy holiday season.
Yet this year, King's legacy is being thought of in the context of the #BlackLivesMatter movement which has spread like wildfire throughout the United States and around the world. Ignited by the killings of Islan Nettles, Mike Brown, Rekia Boyd, Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Renisha McBride, Aiyana Jones, Jordan Davis and too many more by police and vigilantes, Dr. King's legacy and his work take on a different meaning in today's world.
What we know about the legacy of Dr. King has been largely sanitized, re-configured, and appropriated to obscure his radical vision. Dr. King nurtured visions of a movement that could restore a deep and abiding love for all of humanity; a world where the restoration of democracy and full citizenship, of an economic system that could provide for everyone, and an end to war and militarization. Dr. King's dream tackled poverty and systemic inequality. Ultimately his vision was a society with human rights for all.
Indeed, Dr. King's dream was radical for his political and material context. And there were many in his time that challenged him and worked alongside him to ensure the collective vision would come to fruition. The contributions of leaders such as King's senior advisor, Bayard Rustin, a gay man, was the visionary behind the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, an early initiator of the 1947 Freedom Rides. Other friends of Dr. King such as Ella Baker, who worked with many organizations including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, challenged him and others in the '50s and '60s to engage in more democratic leadership styles and noted the importance of local community organizing campaigns. These relationships and challenges to political thinking shaped Dr. King. And this attention to political analysis and practice was important then and is important for us today.
When we founded #BlackLivesMatter in 2013, we wanted to create a political space within and amongst our communities for activism that could stand firmly on the shoulders of movements that have come before us, such as the civil rights movement, while innovating on its strategies, practices and approaches to finally centralize the leadership of those existing at the margins of our economy and our society.
#BlackLivesMatter, a project started by three black women, two of whom are queer women and one who is a Nigerian-American, has opened up the political space for that new leadership, and as a result, a new movement to emerge. Black trans people, Black queer people, Black immigrants, Black incarcerated people and formerly incarcerated people, Black millennials, Black women, low income Black people, and Black people with disabilities are at the front, exercising a new leadership that is bold, innovative, and radical.
There are important implications for the possibilities that this new layer of leadership can offer the movement as a whole. We create much more room for collaboration, for expansion, for building power when we nurture movements that are full of leaders, and allow for all of our identities to inform our work and how we organize. This then allows for leadership to emerge from our intersecting identities, rather than to be organized around one notion of Blackness. Because of this, we resist the urge to consolidate our power and efforts behind one charismatic leader.
When we center the leadership of the many who exist at the margins, we learn new things about the ways in which state sanctioned violence impacts us all. Dr. King once said, "Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality." And what we have learned from Dr. King's words and our current practice is that when a movement full of leaders from the margins gets underway, it makes the connections between social ills, it rejects the compromise and respectability politics of the past, and it opens up new political space for radical visions of what this nation can truly become.
And the best part is — we're just getting started.
Let this be the year that we expand the #BlackLivesMatter movement through the experiences of Black immigrants — more than 500,000 in this country alone who are fighting criminalization and the separation of our families through a broken immigration system.
Let this be the year that we expand the #BlackLivesMatter movement through the experiences of Black transgender people, who currently have a life expectancy of 35 years because we are denied the basic respect and dignity of affordable and accessible health care, and because we are more often the victims of violence then we are the survivors.
Let this be the year that we expand the #BlackLivesMatter movement through the experiences of Black women in the economy, who make 64 cents to every dollar that a white man makes.
This year, the #BlackLivesMatter network joins Ferguson Action and thousands of others in a joint effort to #ReclaimMLK. For the last four days, people around the world have reclaimed the legacy of MLK by engaging in radical acts of civil disobedience, by bringing our vision and our dreams and the needs of our communities to the halls of power across the country, by doing teach-ins about the social and economic issues that, when resolved through social and legislative action, and by connecting climate change, gentrification, poverty and economic inequality — thereby further illuminating the dream of #BlackLivesMatter.
A simple utterance that touched our hearts so deeply when we breathed life into it has also touched the hearts and energized the actions of thousands across the world who are fighting to reclaim our nation's humanity.
We are the ones that we have been waiting for.
Opal Tometi is the Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) and co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter. BAJI is a national organization that educates and advocates for immigrant rights and racial justice with African-American, Afro-Latino, African and Caribbean immigrant communities.
Alicia Garza is the Special Projects Director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance and a co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter. She organizes Black domestic workers across the diaspora in NDWA's We Dream In Black project, and serves as trusted counsel for organizations across the country looking to build their capacity to lead and win organizing campaigns.
Patrisse Cullors-Brignac is an artist, organizer and freedom fighter living and working in Los Angeles. As founder of Dignity and Power Now and co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter, she has worked tirelessly promoting law enforcement accountability across the nation.
Statement from Opal Tometi, the Executive Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration condemning grand jury decision in Ferguson
"A grand jury has declined to indict Officer Darren Wilson for the murder of unarmed teen Michael Brown on August 9th in Ferguson, MO. Unfortunately, this decision was expected. The months since Brown's shooting revealed a system of structural racism in Ferguson and throughout St. Louis that has led to racialized inequity and this decision has further solidified a culture of disregard for Black residents. We at the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) condemn this miscarriage of justice.
The completion of the grand jury process does not equate to justice for our communities. Michael Brown's death is just one of the far too numerous instances of what amounts to an American epidemic. Every 28 hours someone inside the United States, employed or protected by the U.S. government kills a Black child, woman or man. We demand justice for Mike Brown and all families who've lost a family member at the hands of law enforcement, security personnel or vigilantes. We reaffirm our commitment to demand an end to the government-sanctioned violence that is police brutality and an end to law enforcement practices and policies that encourage and incentivize profiling, and its deadly results, with impunity.
Furthermore we call on all black communities and our allies to organize because our future depends on it. . BAJI is committed to continue equipping African American and black immigrant communities to stand up against mass criminalization, systemic racism and social injustice. Victims of police killings are disproportionally young people of color. It is young women and men that lead the movement to defiantly declare that Black Lives Matter in the face of a system that says otherwise.
At the Black Alliance for Just immigration we look at criminalization of our communities as being a crime. We cannot sit idly by while black families suffer with little due process or recourse. We must continue to organize, as the courageous Ferguson community has fought vigilantly for over 100 days, and put an end to the systemic abuse of power that is tearing apart our communities and taking precious lives."
For press inquiries please contact Tia Oso, firstname.lastname@example.com 917-310-3785
BAJI Executive Director Opal Tometi Statement on Executive Action
- Administrative Relief for All immigrants – although 4 million is great, all 11 million is better. Many in our communities still won't be protected by the immigration announcement.
- No more Racial and Religious Profiling in the name of immigration enforcement.
- No more removal proceedings for Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs), many Black immigrants are LPRs and due to draconian laws from 1996 many get unduly targeted for removal.
- Address the visa backlog – many in people are waiting to be reunited with their family members, and this is easily one way the Administration could have taken additional action to support legal, already approved, migration
- No new enforcement programs nor increased border enforcement. This is flawed logic when there are many human rights violations and lack of due process that is already occurring with current programs and practices.
BAJI & Black Lives Matter Discuss Confronting Anti-Blackness In Progressive Movements In Order To Build Multiracial Alliances
Confronting anti-black racism and building multiracial alliances that make us all #StrongerTogether
Join the Black Alliance for Just Immigration and the Black Lives Matter community this Friday October 3rd at 12pm CST/ 1pm EST for an important twitter chat about structural racism and multiracial alliance building.
We'll be using the hashtags #StrongerTogether and #FergusonFridays for this conversation. In the 8 weeks since Mike Brown was killed by Officer Darren Wilson, the Black community in Ferguson have been unrelenting in their fight for justice. Their struggle has inspired acts of solidarity from other progressive movements in the U.S. and abroad. The acts of solidarity have been tremendous, however there have also been many questions about Black-leadership and what it means to show up for Black communities in a sincere and powerful way. We know that our communities are #StrongerTogether so we are creating an open space to discuss the challenges and opportunities for cross-racial alliance building in the 21st century. The issues of our day such as mass criminalization, migration and economic inequities require we build deep and lasting relationships for our collective liberation.
Be sure to follow us, @BAJItweet and @Blklivesmatter on twitter and join us, Desis Rising Up and Moving, Families For Freedom and many others this Friday October 3 at 12pm CST/ 1pm EST. RSVP here and join the conversation.
#BlackLivesMatter Enough to Organize
Post by BAJI New York City Organizer Benjamin Ndugga-Kabuye
It is important for people to understand that on a basic level the imagery of Ferguson does not reflect the reality of Ferguson. We are looking, from our varied distances, at a trick mirror positioned by a media complicit in the echoing violence of of Kajieme Powell's murder. Media complicity is not just in conservative outlets like Fox News who rhetorically rehearse the violent sentiment that fired, at the very least, six shots into Michael Brown's body but also in liberal and alternative media that cannot grapple with antiblackness that is as American as enslavement. Almost as if this violence is due to a new police militarization, or outdated training, as opposed to a much more mundane antiblackness. That is to say, what we have always known; that Black bodies cause anxiety that can only be released by violence. Despite reflecting this anxiety in their coverage news outlets cannot analyze this unique relationship Black people have with an antiblack world. So the distorted media narratives on public demonstrations in Ferguson even when framed in empathy are saturated with worries about lawlessness and disorder.
The varied responses Black communities or individuals have to brutality is not the concern of this writer. The need to defend certain actions misses James Baldwin's perspective on looting, Martin Luther King Jr.'s on riots, or local voices on this present moment. What these words seek to highlight is the well-organized, highly disciplined work happening locally and nationally. Though leadership does not reflect past movements you are not seeing a leaderless movement. There is no disapproval of spontaneity here instead a call to focus on what you are actually seeing, a masterfully calculated strategy. BAJI staff along with dozens from across the country have just been welcomed into St. Louis by the spiritually affirming arms of Saint John's United Church of Christ led by Pastor Starsky Wilson. The gathering in that building quickly led to an outlined agenda, programming, and the clear grounding framework around the valuing of all Black lives not just the outsized male figures that crowd out broader conversation and sadly, political imagination.
What has become a national call started as the simple phrasing of a disputed truth that #BlackLivesMatter. Answers came from across the country joining the US Human Rights Network, Crunk Feminist Collective, and National Organization for Women and many others all responding to a gesture into and against the chaos of genocidal policing attacking all Black bodies.
From the very beginning intentional links between the 1960s Freedom Rides and the #BlackLivesMatter Ride to St. Louis were evident in the national reach and the relationship building with frontline Ferguson organizers.
The messaging for this campaign was crafted precisely to create a banner, "under which Black people can unite to end state sanctioned violence both in St. Louis, but also across the United States of America." But local endorsements from the Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (MORE) and Organizations for Black Struggle (OBS) firmly plant this work in Midwest soil. With international eyes now shifted to a city some say the Black Power Movement passed, what the past has forgotten the present names and where Ferguson goes so goes the post-civil rights nation.
#BlackLivesMatter is happening on multiple levels including several online locations with information about the direction of this work. We are now in an appropriate space to reflect on how a tech savvy generation born of and in the information age has matured into political work. Who will acknowledge their genius?
#BlackLivesMatter #BLMride
For live tweets from the ground follow @BAJItweet and @Blklivesmatter
Passing the Torch
A speech delivered by BAJI Co-Director, Gerald Lenoir – July 27, 2014
Eight years after the founding of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, we are gathering here to witness the passing of the symbolic torch to a new leader from a younger generation of social justice activists. I, as BAJI's founding Executive Director, am relinquishing my leadership role in favor of Opal Tometi, my colleague and friend for the past four years.
Since I announced that I was leaving BAJI, I have been asked a number of questions by a number of people: Why are you leaving? Are you retiring? What are you going to do after BAJI?
Let me first say what I have said repeatedly, I'm tired but I'm not retired! I am following in the footsteps of Rev. Phil Lawson, who I think was reported to have retired at least three times! And he's still on the case! So, no, I'm not retiring.
Why am I leaving BAJI? First of all, I'm not leaving BAJI. I'm leaving as a staff member of BAJI. BAJI is not an organization that you leave. For me, it is a family of kinfolk and a home for a set of progressive values and politics that is nurturing and life affirming. So why would I leave that?
What I am doing is providing a space for a young and talented leader to exercise her skills and realize her potential. I am stepping back; Opal is stepping up. Or as my wife Karen put it, "Out with the old, and in with the new!"
Seriously, though, this leadership transition is a testimony to the commitment that the BAJI board, Opal and I have had to develop new leadership in black communities and to organize our communities across generations.
Eight years ago last month, I started as BAJI's very part-time director. Two month prior to that, Rev. Phil Lawson and Rev. Kelvin Sauls brought a group of us together to discuss how we, as people of African descent, could bring the issue of immigrant rights to African American communities. Please stand if you were in the room that April evening in Walter Riley's law office.
If you all remember, there was an easy consensus that we considered immigrant rights as one of the cutting edge issues in the historic and ongoing struggle against white supremacy and for racial, social and economic justice in this country. We decided at that very first meeting that we would form an organization to educate and organize and bring African American and immigrant communities together in struggle.
The immediate impetus for BAJI's formation was the massive demonstrations that were occurring across the country in support of fair and just immigration reform. Indeed, they were the largest demonstrations in the history of this country and compelled us, as activists to act in solidarity. We understood that as Samora Machel, the first President of Mozambique, stated, "Solidarity is not an act of charity but mutual aid between forces fighting for the same objective." We knew the truth that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. articulated, "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny."
We believed that the true emancipation of black people born in the U.S. is bound together with the liberation of immigrants of African descent and with immigrants for Asia, the Pacific Islands, Latin America, the Middle East, and ultimately with the liberation of all humankind.
I have always said that BAJI is a small organization with a big agenda. Our agenda involves unmasking the hoax of white supremacy that dominates and permeates every aspect of our lives and relegates communities and countries to marginalization and poverty. It includes peeling back the layers of myths, lies and half-truths that we are spoon fed in our schools, at our work places and in the media. It requires that we reveal the root causes of poverty, displacement and migration that impact all of our communities as the inhumane policies of our U.S. government and corporations, policies deliberately designed to maximize profits and minimize people.
But we knew that exposing all of this was not enough. As legendary Civil Right organizer Ella Baker told us, "In order for us as poor and oppressed people to become part of a society that is meaningful, the system under which we now exist has to be radically changed…It means facing a system that does not lend itself to your needs and devising a means by which you change that system…"
Heeding Ella Baker's call, we set out to organize in our communities to address the evils that kept all of us from realizing our full human potential. In those early years of BAJI, I began to crisscross the country seeking out opportunities to gather people together, especially people of the African Diaspora, to craft solutions and to mobilize support for fundamental changes. L.A., New York, Newark, Chicago, Seattle, Washington, DC, Detroit, Jackson, MS, Atlanta, Phoenix, Tucson—I was a one-man traveling road show! Meanwhile, Phil Hutchings joined me on staff as the Bay Area Organizer during that second year and anchored the Bay Area work with our volunteer committees in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.
BAJI, that small half-staff operation began to grow until today, we have five full-time and two part-time staff in the Bay Area, New York, Atlanta and Phoenix. Amazing! And after five years of pulling it together, the Black Immigration Network has become our flagship program, bringing together black immigrant-led and African American-led groups for mutual support and coordinated action. We are on the move! Moving forward with organizing for Haitian Family Reunification, advocating for and end to the New Jim Crow of mass incarceration and mass detention and deportation, and supporting workers' rights campaigns.
I am leaving BAJI at a time when the organization is maturing and blossoming as a national leader in the social justice movement, a movement building organization with a long term vision that goes beyond the immediate struggles to change policies. As Rev. Sauls often says, "Legislation is not our destination. Our destination is true liberation."
And as I leave, I must express my deepest appreciation to some of my kinfolk who have been with me on this journey. It is a long list, so bear with me.
Let me first thank my wife of 37 years, Karen Lenoir and my son of 34 years, Jamana Lenoir. They have been rock solid support for me personally and for BAJI as well. In fact, Jamana not only designed and laid out the flyer and program for this event, he is also our photographer and videographer. Thank you, Jamana. Thank you, Karen.
Let me thank my BAJI family. First, Rev. Phil Lawson, I want to be like you when I grow up! You have truly inspired our movement and have been a guiding force in BAJI's formation and in our ongoing work. Your treasure trove of knowledge, compassion and spiritual wisdom has left a lasting impression on me and your words will remain in my heart and mind. We only met each other when BAJI was formed and we have become, as you often say, "the family members we never met." Thank you, Phil.
Rev. Kelvin Sauls, thank you, thank you, thank you, my brother from another mother! The gospel of liberation that you preach and practice has been an important part of BAJI's perspective.
To Nunu Kidane, my sister from another mister, I am so grateful to you for your deep, deep sense of justice and for the close bonds of friendship, kinship and camaraderie we have enjoyed over the past eleven years.
Phil number two, Phil Hutchings, you, my brother, are da bomb! Your journey from SNCC to BAJI has been seamless. Your political acumen and social graces are legendary. Thanks, Phil.
Leonard McNeil, Big Mac! I am in awe of not only your physical size but also the size of you commitment to social justice. You are a giant of justice. Thank you so much.
My sister Alona Clifton, You are so great! You have toiled along side of me for all these years. I appreciate you being unapologetically black and your frankness and forthrightness. As you relocate to Atlanta, please know that you will be missed. Please accept this small token of appreciation as a going way gift.
Walter Riley, you are a consistent warrior for justice since you teen-age years in North Carolina. Your work in support of Haitian liberation has contributed greatly to our work in support of Haitian immigrants. Thanks for your guidance and support.
Ronald Colthirst, our Ambassador to San Francisco. Brother, thank you believing in BAJI and for carrying the message across the bay.
Denise Gums, thanks for your songs and solidarity. You have enriched BAJI and have contributed to the movement for justice.
Amahra Hicks, our Contra Costa representative for so many years. You are much appreciated for you long term commitment to black liberation and to human rights.
To the newer members of BAJI in the Bay Area—Regine Neptune, Marcel Jones, Tatiana Chaterji, Zef Amen— and to the new BAJI board members—Janis Rousheuvel, Aimee Castenell, Thomas Assefa and Marybeth Onyeukwu—thank you for volunteer you time and talent to BAJI and to the movement.
And to the BAJI staff, I want to say, you rock! Tia Oso, our Black Immigration Network coordinator, you are so awesome! Stand up, Tia, and be recognized. I am in awe of your talent, political savvy and uncompromising stance for justice. I have so enjoyed working along side of you.
To Terence Courtney, our Southeast Regional Organizer in Atlanta; Juwaher Yusuf, our Program Associate in New York; and Ben Kabuye and Devonte Jackson, our organizers in New York and Oakland respectively, I appreciate your dedication to your communities and to BAJI. You make BAJI work!
To all of our BAJI allies nationally and locally, especially within the Black Immigration Network, the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Detention Watch Network, Alameda County United in Defense of Immigrant Rights, the Bay Area Equal Voices Caucus, the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund and the Haiti Action Committee, it has been my honor to work along side of you and with you to rid our country and our world of injustice.
And last, but certainly not least, let me give my praises to the BAJI co-director and soon to be Executive Director Opal Tometi. Opal, will you come to the stage and join me, please?
Opal, when we met in Phoenix in 2010, we could not have foreseen the collaboration that we would forge. You, my sister, are so amazing! You have the talent, personal commitment and political perspective to take BAJI to the next level. Your vision for BAJI is, at the same time, expansive and focused. It has been one of my greatest pleasures to work with you and to walk along side of you on this journey to justice. Thank you, my sister! Today, I pass the torch of leadership to you. I am confident that you will keep the flame of freedom lit for all to see. Congratulations!
A Call for Global Solidarity with the Palestinian Struggle
Post by Devonté Jackson, BAJI Bay Area Organizer and Regine Neptune, BAJI Bay Area Organizing Committee Member
Nearly 697 Palestinian deaths have been recorded in Israel's bombing campaign on Gaza, approximately 160 were children. Yesterday, the Israeli military bombed Gaza's only power plant killing 6 people, wounding 20. This disastrous bombing campaign has been justified by right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who claims the bombing campaign is a response to terrorist attacks targeting Israeli citizens orchestrated by Hamas, a Palestinian Islamic organization that has represented the Gaza strip since 2006.
Prior to the Israeli bombing campaign on Gaza, 3 Israeli teenagers were abducted, murdered, and buried under a pile of rocks. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu places responsibility of the brutal abduction and killings on Hamas and have since strategically utilized the killings of the Israeli teenagers to justify the massive slaughter of Palestinians who Netanyahu claims are being used as shields for Hamas.
In addition to the bombing campaign orchestrated by Netanyahu, Israeli mobs terrorized Palestinian communities in search of those responsible for the killings of the 3 Israeli teens. During this search, Israeli extremists captured and lynched Mohammed Abu Khdeir, a 16 year old Palestinian. This caused widespread civil unrest in Palestinian communities.
Tariq, a Palestinian-American Florida resident and cousin of slain Mohammed Abu Khdeir, was brutally beaten by Israeli soldiers during his stay in Jerusalem because of his alleged participation in a protest against Israel. Tariq and his family denies participation in the protest and claims Tariq was observing the protest from a distance. After being beaten by the soldiers, Tariq was placed in an Israeli jail for 3 days, his family was forced to post $850 in bail, then he was placed on house arrest in Jerusalem. During this time, Tariq's family requested support from Florida representative Kathy Castor (D) but she refused to offer substantive support during this difficult time.
We are not surprised at the unwillingness of Florida Representative Castor to represent Tariq. Florida's legal system has proven to be racially biased. George Zimmerman murdered Trayvon Martin, a young black man, for walking home with candy and a drink and was protected by the Stand Your Ground Law, while Marissa Alexander was recently denied trial by Circuit Judge James H. Daniel for firing a warning shot towards her husband, Rico Gray, who has a history of domestic abuse and had threatened Alexander's life prior to the warning shot. It is clear that the our legal systems do not protect and serve the interests of black people and people of color in Florida and the US more generally.
The Palestinian struggle has commonalities with the historic and contemporary struggles in the U.S. against mass criminalization, state organized violence and brutality, racist legal systems, and the legacy of extralegal violence against marginalized people. We share similar experiences as people living under the oppressive policies and practices of a hegemonic state and we must practice global solidarity in order to end the Israeli bombing campaign and illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories which have facilitated mass displacement of Palestinian people. According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East, approximately 5 million Palestinians are eligible for refugee relief efforts.
We must also shed light to the Anti-African Movement in Israel. Many African communities in Israel face daily discrimination and violence because of their race and ethnicity. Prime Minister Netanyahu has identified African migrants as a threat to Israel and has made it his priority to limit the migration of African people into Israel to protect the Jewish identity of the Israeli state.
We recognize Israel's treatment towards its African population as part of a global phenomenon of anti-blackness and white supremacy which terrorizes, criminalizes, and subjugates black communities and communities of color across the globe. In order to put an end to this, we must recognize that our liberation is tied to the liberation of all people. For us to create social, economic, and racial justice in our communities, we must build a united and powerful global movement aimed at achieving collective liberation for all.
#freePalestine #endtheoccupation
The Movement Continues
By Gerald Lenoir, BAJI Co-director
The day is fast approaching when I will pass the torch of leadership to BAJI Co-director Opal Tometi. It feels like it was just yesterday when Rev. Phil Lawson and Rev. Kelvin Sauls called together a group of African Americans and black immigrant Bay Area activists and BAJI was born. That was in 2006 and none of us knew where this experiment would lead us but we were willing to take the journey. We knew that immigrant rights were a racial justice issue and that African Americans and immigrants should be coming together to fight for racial, social and economic justice.
Since those initial days, BAJI has grown from one part-time Executive Director to now having local BAJI Organizing Committees in New York, Georgia, California and Arizona who are building coalitions and initiating campaigns among communities to push for racial justice. At the local and regional level, we're providing training and technical assistance to partner organizations to develop leadership skills, working with faith communities to harness their prophetic voice, and initiating vibrant dialogues with African Americans and black immigrants to discover more about race, our diverse identities, racism, migration and globalization. Also, BAJI's flagship initiative, the Black Immigration Network (BIN), is now a national alliance of nearly 30 black-led organizations that convenes them to advance just immigration policies and promote cultural shifts our communities need. And of late, BAJI and its allies have embarked upon a national agenda of taking on building the BIN Kinship around the issues of mass criminalization, Haitian family reunification and workers' rights.
We've come a long way since the early days of organizing small group sessions in Bay Area African American churches. But we still have a long road ahead of us to peace, justice and equality. As I leave, I hope you will continue to support BAJI and join us thisSunday, July 27, 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm at Everett and Jones BBQ, 126 Broadway in Oakland, where we are hosting "Passing the Torch: Celebrating the Leadership of Gerald Lenoir and Opal Tometi" where we will be honored and the work of BAJI will be uplifted.
I hope to see many of you at the BAJI "Passing the Torch" event this Sunday afternoon. And please know that I'm leaving the staff of BAJI, but I'm not leaving the movement. See you on the frontlines!
Take care,
Gerald Lenoir
BAJI Co-director (until July 31)
Passing the Torch: Celebrating BAJI's Leadership
On July 31, Gerald Lenoir will step down as Co-Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration and BAJI Co-Director Opal Tometi will become the Executive Director. Gerald is the founding Executive Director of BAJI and led the organization for eight years. His leadership has inspired the social justice movement and has brought BAJI to a new level of influence. Opal is a new generation of leadership. She has invigorated the work of BAJI and has brought novel ideas, new energy and new ways of organizing. Join for an afternoon of food, friendship and fun cosponsored by Everett and Jones Barbeque. See full event details here.
Tickets are $35 (general) & $15 (student/low income) and are available here.
All proceeds will benefit BAJI's work to stop mass incarceration and mass detention, to fight for the reunification of Haitian families and to support economic justice and workers' rights.
For more information, contact us at (510) 663-2254 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Essence Feature: The Other Face of Immigration
Essence Magazine features the voice of a young Black Immigrant woman from Jamaica in the July Issue. Pick it up on newsstands if you support this type of reporting and storytelling. Also participate in their poll to show your support of immigrant rights.
Solidarity with Haiti
Post by Kijani Tafari, BAJI Bay Area Organizer
Often times it's easy for Americans to live our lives unaware of the global context that we are a part of. Many U.S born people will never know the impact that our government policies have globally and how we inadvertently contribute to the oppression of people worldwide. Americans have a bad habit of living life in the small bubble of local current affairs and are oblivious to global issues. A large part of our US centric views is because we have limited sources of media that expose us to anything on an international scale and the little international news we get is distorted to justify the imperialistic doctrine that our government presses on us.
As relates to Haiti, Many of us heard about the earthquake that decimated the whole nation but many of us don't know that prior to the earthquake, Haiti was in dire need of aid. After the earthquake made an already adverse situation even worse, billions of dollars from all over the world were donated to help Haitians recover. Yet three years after the tragedy, Haiti is no better off. Many Americans go about their day to day and have no idea that these things are going on and the US government is playing key roles in many situations.
BAJI is teaming up with our ally, InSolidarity to send a delegation to Haiti to witness the struggle of our brothers and sisters firsthand and to see how we can join hands with them to fight for justice for all of us. In order to raise money to send our delegation, we have been hosting "Raising Up for Haiti," a series of fundraisers that feature Haitian activists, art, and culture. At our kickoff event we had Haitian activist and BAJI ally' Pierre LaBossiere speak to us about the Haitian plight and the history of Haitian liberation struggle. We also watched the film: "Haiti – Where Did the Money Go" We also had the special treat to have the dynamic choir Vukani Mawethu come through and lift our spirits with freedom songs and inspirational music. Stay tuned for the next event announcement.To find out how you can help contact firstname.lastname@example.com
Ignoring our Father's Dreams?
Post by Tia Oso, BAJI Arizona Organizer
Around a table of African immigrants in Las Vegas, preparing for President Obama's January 29th speech on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, the questions flew. What will President Obama do for us? Will Africa be acknowledged? We are so different, how can we come together on one issue? Students, business owners and professionals in medicine and other fields voiced their concerns from personal experience. After telling stories and voicing strong opinions, we decided on a common thread. We want immigration reform that simplifies the process of immigration for our families and encourages success. We want policy reform that reflects the interests of Black immigrants. We want President Obama to support our American dream.
As we lined up to enter the gymnasium to hear the speech, some of us dressed professionally, some in fine African attire with prints from Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Gabon. We got looks and of admiration, smiles and handshakes. One of the members of the Cameroon American Council delegation remarked "we are the only Africans here".
"Stars and Stripes Forever" and other patriotic marching songs played as the President's arrival became imminent. The crowd cheered enthusiastically when Congressman Steve Horsford (D-Nevada) appeared. Horsford is the first person of color to represent Nevada in Congress, and he met with several members of Nevada's immigrant community the evening before the speech. The assembled group recited the pledge and sang the National Anthem with enthusiasm. It caused me to seriously ponder, in light of the subject of the meeting, when will these lofty words "liberty and justice for all…land of the free" ring true for ALL Americans?
As President Obama began his remarks, he laid the groundwork framing the U.S. as a "nation of immigrants" with various stories of hard fought journeys from Mexico, Ireland, Italy and Germany, even the West Indies. Notably absent, however, was any mention of any of the 54 countries in Africa. In telling the story of immigrants "doing their part to build this country by hand" while facing "hardship, ridicule and racism" there was no reference to the FREE labor of African slaves brought the U.S. in chains to do that building. It is the free labor of African slaves and low wages during the industrial revolution that propelled America's economy to be the strongest in the world. To flat out omit the truth of this history and the reality of the contribution that millions of Black immigrants make today is an insult. Without the determination of President Obama's father, an immigrant from Kenya, pursuing a life in the U.S and the hard fought battles of African-Americans breaking the chains of slavery and asserting their civil rights, President Obama would not be President today. I cannot accept the absence of our forefather's dreams in a speech before the entire nation in this pivotal moment in history. How can Obama say that we must "remember where we come from" and deliver a speech that denies his own roots! Perhaps, he should remind himself of his own reflections and musings on race and its implications on the history of this nation and his life in Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1995).
Many African immigrants shared my sentiment of disappointment in the President's remark, demanding "Don't forget about Africa" as he shook hands on his way out of the hall. In the fight for immigrant rights and social and economic justice, this is just the beginning. Many of us, individually, in communities and organizations have been forced to face the reality of America's "broken immigration system" for generations. Through bureaucracy, quotas, thousands of dollars spent, blood, sweat and tears to make a better life for ourselves and our families, we have pressed on, determined to succeed. How can President Obama champion the story of Mexican American "dreamers", while simultaneously ignoring the dreams of his own father? Black immigrants have also endured punitive enforcement measures, I.C.E home invasions and a President, whom many would call brother, touting record deportations as a success as families are torn apart and dreams are destroyed. As President Obama has rolled out a platform of principles that echo right-wing priorities for increased enforcement and border militarizations, penalties and criminalization of migrants and a narrow path to citizenship, we must not be pacified. I call on fellow organizers, activists and freedom fighters to hold President Obama and the United States accountable, once again, to the ideals this country is supposed to be founded upon. We cannot afford to remain silent and our community can no longer wait for its dreams
Ella Baker, Dream Activists, and Lessons Learned
Blog post by Terence Courtney, BAJI Southeast Regional Organizer
As I approach 2013, I can't help but reflect on 2012 to help jump start conceiving of future strategies that will advance the mission of BAJI (Racial Equity, Economic Justice, & Immigrant Rights) next year. This time of year seems to call us to it. I ask myself what have been some common themes from the victories and failures that have fundamentally affected the forward march of our cause? What have been some powerful tactical approaches that changed the dynamics for creating social justice? Are there historical roots and corollaries that will help inform a theory I can learn from and apply today? These are deep questions. And while I can't say I say I know all the answers, I believe I am starting to see some patterns.
December 13th 2013 will mark the one hundred tenth birthday of Ella Josephine Baker. Baker was an outstanding and extraordinary civil and human rights organizer who is often overlooked when we talk about leaders from the Civil Rights era. With a career that covered some of the most turbulent periods in US history (the 1930's through 80's), Ella Baker worked with and helped found some of the most iconic organizations in black American history. When we think of organizations like the NAACP, the SCLC, SNCC, and others, we have to place Baker as powerful agent for change in their pantheon of heroes. She often would travel throughout the south –alone- organizing people to fight Jim Crow. And this was during a time when it was extremely dangerous for black people to organize alone, especially black women.
Besides her heroism, Baker was brilliant theoretician. She developed a method of organizing that was set apart from what was traditionally being done. Her model of organizing called upon a more collectivized and egalitarian process that in many ways radically challenged the status quo, and gave people a vision of bettering their lives without falling into traps. And from what I see in the successes over the past year -one way or another- the lessons that Ella Baker taught so many years ago are alive and working.
Consider that Baker's theory for change called upon 3 main elements: (1) Focus on grassroots organizing, or organizing that is rooted and springs forth from a community and their concerns, where they get to make decisions about their lives; (2) Prioritizing the people in that community who are most impacted by the issues, because they have the most at stake; and (3) prioritizing the use of Direct Action, to destroy fear and seriously challenge unjust powers. And one group in the Immigrant Rights struggle that has achieved victory by –perhaps not consciously- using the Ella Baker model is the Dream Activists. I'm very impressed by these young people who have changed minuses into pluses by going deeper.
Being undocumented, many Dream Activists are illegible to vote, and they live under the constant threat of imprisonment and deportation. Yet, they have not let those hurdles stop them from making real change. Like black people under Jim Crow who similarly found themselves disenfranchised, Dream Activists found that they had more than one way to improve their lives; they began to organize their communities, prioritize those most affected by the attack on Immigrants, and utilize direct action. As one blog written on the Dream Activist website says, they got Back to Basics. And doing this enabled them to bypass the morass of Washington DC, and force the hand of Obama; making him sign an Executive Order called the "Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals." And whereas many groups would have rested on the laurels of this improvement, the Dream Activists that I've spoken with are not placated by the Order, its small scope, or expiration date of Feb 28, 2013. They know that if they can achieve this victory, there is more to come if they keep doing what they're doing.
My hats off to them, and I think Ella Baker would be proud. So, it seems to me that there are some lessons the rest of us who are concerned with Immigrant Rights, Human Rights, or even Civil Rights can learn, or re-learn from Dream Activist and the Ella Baker model. As the centrists and right wingers continue to try to chip away at our voting rights, we need to keep in mind that we secured our voting rights by using direct action, and it perhaps by using these lessons we can protect past gains, and fight for more.
Speaking Truth to Power – BAJI Arizona focusses on education and movement building
Blog post by Tia Oso, BAJI Arizona Organizer
BAJI Phoenix has focused this fall on educating a wide variety of populations on the importance of solidarity in the journey for migrant justice and cross-racial alliance building for successful progressive movements. Arizona Organizer, Tia Oso, was featured as a panelist in the Arizona State University's Healing Racism Community Dialogue Race and the Border: At the Intersection of Fear, Immigration and Justice on October 9, 2012. Tia took the opportunity to elevate the conversation beyond personal attitudes about race, to systemic effects of racism, including the use of racial profiling in laws like SB1070 and the effective shutout of Black men from the U.S. workforce due to felonies in their backgrounds. White Supremacy, global capitalism and systemic exploitation must enter the discourse to have an accurate picture of the forces behind anti-immigrant laws, policies and attitudes. The experience of African-Americans in the U.S. is extremely pertinent and interconnected with that of immigrants of color, especially when it comes to jobs and the criminal justice system. Recognizing this fact, BAJI continues to lift this perspective in critical conversations, such as the ACLU Immigrant Rights Project conference, which took place October 10th, 2012 in Oakland, CA. Too often overlooked in migrant justice advocacy is the story of Black immigrants, as well as the importance of engaging African-Americans in progressive movement building.
As a participant in the U.S. Human Rights Network Southwest Regional Conference and Human Rights training, discussion focused on using the United Nations Convention to Eliminate all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) to bring international attention to the critical condition of people of color in the United States. Attended by several grassroots organizations and individual activists, it was sobering to hear the stories of how systemic racism continues to devastate people's lives in a myriad of ways. Even those who seek refuge and asylum in the United States are faced with challenges brought by xenophobia and discrimination. Arizona receives a number of refugees through the United States Refugee resettlement program. At the Faith Based Summit on refugee resettlement on November 1, 2012, faith based institutions representing many belief systems, non-profit agencies, government agencies and advocates came together to discuss the unique challenges and the charge of providing shelter, safety and tools for navigating life in the U.S. to immigrants forced from their home countries. BAJI's perspective on identifying and naming the unique challenges faced by Black immigrants was valued and necessary.
Increasingly, with the shifting demographics and the clearly multi-racial and increasingly progressive leadership shown possible in the recent National election, it is more important than ever that we use critical analysis and a multi-level approach to answering the challenges to economic and social justice. Educating the community is a key-part of the process and BAJI Arizona will work with the Greater Phoenix Urban League to offer a series of political education forums beginning in December 2012. The series is aimed at providing in-depth perspective and encouraging dialogue around issues affecting communities of color. Through these and other initiatives, BAJI Arizona is dedicated to being a voice for truth and real change.
BAJI turns 5 years old!
The Black Alliance for Just Immigration invites you to our 5th Anniversary Dinner and Awards Ceremony. Come celebrate 5 years of work in the community and help us recognize those who have helped to ignite a movement.
Founder Awards – Rev. Phillip Lawson and Rev. Kelvin Sauls
Ally Award – Priority Africa Network
Community Activist Award – Catherine Tactaquin, National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Community Activist Award - Pierre LaBosierre, Co-founder, Haiti Action Committee
Young Leaders Award - R.I.S.E. Immigration Research Team, Berkeley High School
Saturday, June 4, 2011
5:30 pm: Reception & Silent Auction
7:00 pm: Dinner and Program
Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California
1433 Madison Street, Oakland 94612
Tickets are $60. Please purchase at: http://bit.ly/BAJI5year
Facebook Event Page.
The Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) is an organization founded in Oakland, California in 2006 to engage African Americans and other communities in a dialogue that leads to actions that challenge U.S. immigration policy and the underlying issues of race, racism and economic inequity that frame it.
BAJI is an education and advocacy group comprised of African Americans and black immigrants from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. BAJI's goals are: 1) to develop a core group of African Americans who are prepared to actively support immigrant rights; and 2) to facilitate the building of relationships and alliances between African American and immigrant communities around a range of social issues to further the mutual cause of economic and social justice for all.
BAJI works to expose the ways in which racism and economic globalization have negatively impacted African American and immigrant communities alike, giving them common cause to fight together for economic and social justice for all peoples. BAJI's strategy is to provide education and information to African American communities about the commonality of interests between African Americans and immigrants of color and to give technical assistance and training to leaders and organizers in communities of color.
In the past 5 years we've done various things including:
+ Led numerous "Conversations on Immigration" in local African American churches;
+ held public forums on Black Diaspora issues such as 'Imprisonment of African Immigrants in Europe';
+ Worked with various Inter-Faith initiatives around immigration and immigrant rights issues;
+ Active in Local May Day Immigrant Rights Demonstrations since 2006;
+Worked in local immigrant rights coalitions with Latino & Asian organizations;
+A major organization in the Oakland City I.D. card campaign ;
+ Collaborated with local groups working against car impoundments; for multi-language translation of Public documents; and most recently against the DHS-"Secure Communities" program;
+ Sponsored "Africa Diaspora Dialogues" between Africans and African Americans along with the Priority Africa Network; attempting to build unity along political and cultural lines;
+Collaborated with the Oakland Museum of California as part of the planning and publicity for the Museum's "Africans in Mexico" Exhibition;
+Sponsored Tele-Conferences with prominent academics and activists on topical Black Diaspora issues;
On a the national and international level we've done the following:
+ Led campaigns to secure Temporary Protective Status for both Haitians and Liberians in the U.S.;
+ Active participant in both the U.S and World Social Forum processes 2007 -2011;
+ Founding members of the Pan African Network in Defense of Migrant Rights – participated in founding meetings in Bamako, Mali, Mexico City, Mexico and Dakar, Senegal;
+ Set up the Black Immigration Network (B.I.N.) as an advocacy network for Black Immigrants in the U.S.;
+ Led a delegation of Black Pastors to Phoenix, Arizona for the May 29th Rally in 2010;
+ Participated in various national and state conferences on Immigration and related topics;
+ Along with the Coalicion de Derechos Humanos and the National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights, BAJI led the first all-Black delegation for a Tour of the Mexico/Arizona border in 2007;
+ Published 2 editions of the BAJI Reader;
+ Published the Report – Crossing Boundaries, Connecting Communities: Alliance Building for Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice. detailed case studies of 16 organizations from across the country that are forging effective cross racial alliances between immigrant and native-born communities in order to build power and win just policies and practices in their communities.
BAJI Blog
- Letter to Minneapolis
- BAJI Bay Area Organizer Reflections from International Convenings in the Philippines
- Why Should Black Immigrants Care About the U.S. Reaction to Syrian Refugees? Because They're Next …
- BLACK IMMIGRANT AND AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADERS RESPOND TO 5th CIRCUIT REJECTING DEFERRED ACTION APPEAL


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Knights fall to St. Clair Saints
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By MEAGHAN MITCHELL
Staff Writer
Knights' strong play in the first half against consistently strong second-place St. Clair Saints is boosting the locals' confidence as they face their remaining three season games.
The Niagara Knights women's basketball team hosted the St. Clair Saints in a 1 p.m. game at the Welland campus Athletic Centre on the weekend. The visitors took the win 71-49.
Knights guard, No. 5, Alyssa McCabe, of Niagara Falls, said, "I believe our team came out strong, and played well at the beginning."
That was evidenced as the team ended the game's first half up 28-27.
The Knights' top scorer was guard, No. 8, Mary Ingribelli, of St. Catharines, with 17 points and eight defensive rebounds.
Forward, No. 12, Miranda Ross, of St. Catharines, had 13 points.
Guard, No. 1, Anna Jaworowicz, of Midland, and forward, No. 13, Kaitlyn McPherson, of Welland, each added six points to the scoreboard.
Knights head coach, Mike Beccaria said he is very proud of the team's effort."We battled a very good St. Clair team."
The Saints picked up the pace in the third quarter and got ahead 51-38.
Their top scorer was No. 14, guard, Shannon Kennedy, of Windsor, who added 29 points and seven defensive rebounds.
Guard, No. 11, Meighen Boyd, of Tecumseh, and forward, No. 21, Kendyl Rizea, of Windsor, both scored 10 points each.
Saints assistant coach Roger Mousseau said the women are starting to think about the playoffs.
"We have three games left. We can't have half a poor game and half a good game, we have to play it all."
Mousseau attributes the team's improving success to the talent of the women playing and their new head coach, Andy Kiss.
The Saints are now 11-4, tied for second in the division with Mohawk College, of Hamilton.
This game puts the Knights' record at 9-6, sixth in the West division of the Ontario College Athletic Association.
"We have two important games coming up this weekend and if we win it can be used as a confidence booster for our final game before playoffs," McCabe said.
The Knights play at Cambrian College, of Sudbury, this weekend. Their final game before playoffs is here at 6 p.m. on Valentine's Day against Humber College of Toronto.

subset: commoncrawl


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Tearing down the bleak high rises that symbolized the oppression and isolation of poverty is one of the most visible parts of the Chicago Housing Authority's plan to revitalize public housing, supporters agree.
But now officials at CHA are starting to get recognition for another project - plans to preserve and protect architectural gems among the city's stock of public housing.
The Chicago Architectural Foundation recently presented CHA with the Patron of the Year award for their redevelopment of Hilliard Towers, a public housing development just south of the Loop near Chinatown. The project is part of CHA's effort to preserve and protect unique buildings and structures that are part of its history.
"We're always looking at what we're starting with and using what can be saved," says Tim Veenstra, senior vice president of mixed income developments for CHA. "It's our goal to have properties in the city that anyone can appreciate and use."
Built in 1966, Hilliard Towers was designed by renowned architect Bertrand Goldberg, who also created other important additions to Chicago's skyline, including Marina Towers and River City.
Chicago architect Stanley Tigerman, who was part of the committee that gave out the awards, says that Hilliard is an important part of city's architectural history.
"The Hilliard homes was, at the time it was done, one of the best public housing projects in Chicago," says Tigerman. "It's probably the best project that Goldberg designed."
Known for their space age, modernist design, the homes had fallen into disrepair by the early 1990s. Holsten Real Estate, who was included in the Patron of the Year award, spearheaded the redevelopment and took extensive measures to preserve Goldberg's original design.
Housing authority leaders say redevelopment was always the plan for the two crescent shaped family buildings and the two cylindrical senior towers that make up Hilliard.
"We weren't really inclined to demolish a buildings that were so iconic to the city," says Veenstra.
The entire building was coated with a special concrete membrane that looks and feels like the original concrete design. Holsten preserved the unique oval-shaped windows that were part of the original building, moving them closer to the bottom where people could see them, and replacing the upper windows with newer models.
Holsten also preserved and rehabbed the practical amenities that Goldberg included in Hilliard's design - a large community amphitheatre and extensive green space for residents to enjoy.
The total cost of Hilliard's rehabilitation was $100 million and was paid for with funds from CHA, along with low-income housing and historic preservation tax credits.
Tigerman says preserving the aesthetic beauty and history of Hilliard is important, both for the city and for public housing, and it's something he hopes continues.
"It's a great model for public housing redevelopment. It's a very intelligent paradigm, and one that I hope is used more often," says Tigerman.
CHA is looking to preserve a few more important pieces in its stock, including the Britton Budd building in the Lakeview neighborhood and the unique animal statues at the ABLA homes on the near West side. Britton Budd, a senior housing building and a prime example of the Spanish revival style, is currently under construction and will begin leasing sometime in 2009.
Veenstra says he thinks it's important to emphasize the good in CHA's history and preserve those elements.
"We're constantly evaluating our portfolio of properties and looking maximize the value for the future," says Veenstra.
The Chicago Architectural Foundation presented the award for Hilliard's redevelopment to CHA and Holsten on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The redevelopment has also been recognized by other organizations in the past. It also received recognition from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Housing and Urban Development Secretary's Award in 2007.


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Brumbies trounce Melbourne RebelsComment on this story
Canberra, Australia - The ACT Brumbies dominated from the opening minutes and went on to defeat the Melbourne Rebels 37-10 Saturday to move into top-six playoff territory in Super Rugby.
Leading 25-3 at halftime, Matt Toomua scored two tries to lead the Brumbies to their ninth win in 14 matches and into second place in the Australia conference, three points behind New South Wales. The Waratahs beat the Hamilton, New Zealand-based Chiefs 33-17
earlier Saturday.
With three regular-season rounds to be played after a three-week break for international matches, the Brumbies are in fourth place in the overall standings.
ACT 37 (Matt Toomua 2, Sam Carter, Pat McCabe, Leon Power, Scott Sio tries; Christian Leali'ifano 2 conversions, penalty), Melbourne 10 (Scott Higginbotham try; Jason Woodward conversion, penalty). HT: 25-3.
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I am using Butterick 5748 and 3853. I made muslins of both dresses. The first, 5748, had an awful neckline and the way the waist worked out made me look wider than I am. I also wasn't a fan of the skirt. The bust was a perfect fit, though.
The second, 3853, had a lovely skirt and a much better neckline. However, I just couldn't get the darts to work for modern day bust shape. So I have kind of "spliced" the patterns together, using the darts of the first and most of the design on the second. (Though I may do a different skirt, but that is neither here nor there.)
5748 has a back zip. 3853 has a side zip. Either way I am going to use an invisible zipper. I can't make up my mind where to put the zipper on my combined pattern though! Anyone have preferences or advice?
------2015 In: 36 yards
2015 Sewn: 25.5 yards
2014 In: 99.75 yards
2014 Sewn: 80.5 yards
I'll try anything once :)
Please excuse my typos...sometimes it is harder to go back and edit on mobile than it is worth!
My preference is for a side zipper. That said, you might want to test your muslin by pinning one opening shut and seeing how easy it is to put the dress on. Use whichever works best.
------"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." Anais Nin
"Attitude is the difference between an adventure and an ordeal." unknown
Since good help is so hard to find and I don't seem to have a lady's maid to dress me, I have a strong preference for side zips. I like to be able to dress myself.
------http://bgballroom.wordpress.com to follow the progress on my next ballgown.
I'm hesitant to do a side zip in case I need to do more alterations. And I'm fairly flexible and can zip the back myself. Although, if I did it in the back, I would need to put in a hook and eye and have someone do that probably.
Hrrrrr. I am so indecisive. I will fart around with the dress some more and try basting in a side zip and see how I like it.
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text:
Base types, Collections, Diagnostics, IO, RegEx…
One customer had something like the following code:
shared Dim WithEvents mySerialPort as SerialPort
public shared sub SendText(text as string)
mySerialPort = new SerialPort("COM1")
end sub
public shared sub MySerialPortDataReceviedHandler( _
sender as Object, _
e As SerialDataReceivedEventArgs) _
Handles mySerialPort.DataReceived
'Read here...
On the surface this may seem like everything should work. However the DataReceived event handler will not get called if the port has been closed. Also, the handler will only get called for data received since the port has been opened and the MySerialPortDataReceviedHandler is setup to handle the DataReceived event. So in this example the customer's DataReceived handler will only get called for data received while code is executing between the Open call and the Close call in the SendText method. This is a pretty small window so it is unlikely that the customer would ever see their handler get called. The fix here is to not open and close the port for every write but open the port when the app is starting up and close the port when it is shutting down.
Another customer had the following code:
public static void Main()
SerialPort mySerialPort = new SerialPort("COM1");
mySerialPort.DataReceived += MySerialPortDataReceviedHandler;
Console.WriteLine("Press any key to continue...");
private static void MySerialPortDataReceviedHandler(
object sender,
SerialDataReceivedEventArgs e)
//Read here...
The problem here is a lot more subtle, the customer opened the port setup MySerialPortDataReceviedHandler to handle the DataReceived event and makes not calls to SerialPort.Close(). However the GC can actually close the port after Open has been called since there are no more references to mySerialPort after this call. An object is eligible to be GC'd as soon as there are no more references to the object. You can read more about this at http://blogs.msdn.com/cbrumme/archive/2003/04/19/51365.aspx. The fix is to make a call to SerialPort.Close() at the very end of the Main method. This keeps the mySerialPort alive until the end of this method.
The SerialPort class requires some "warming up" time for our users coming from VB6 or other non-.NET


text:
Back to home » Newsfeed » January 2012
January 27, 2012
My Brothaz Home, a Georgia HIV Testing Group, Shuts Down
My Brothaz Home, a nonprofit HIV testing organization in Savannah, Georgia, is suspending its services by April 1 until it can get more funding, WTOC.com reports. Mark Douglas, executive director of My Brothaz Home, said the group has been losing funding for the past four or five years. In fact, he said, it has lost between 60 percent and 70 percent of the funds it used to rely on. The organization hopes to regroup and do HIV prevention conferences every quarter. To read the WTOC.com article, click here.
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DIAMOND USB303HE 3-PORT SUPERSPEED USB 3.0 HUB WITH 1G ETHERNET PORTItem#: DMO-101765425 | Model#: USB303HE
- List Price:
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Manufactured by: Diamond Multimedia
Warranty provided by: Diamond Multimedia
Mfg Part No: USB303HE
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Click here for full warranty and support information
- Limited Warranty: A full text version of the limited warranty
may be obtained by mailing a self addressed, stamped envelope to the
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7795 W. Flagler St. Suite 35
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- Diamond Multimedia logos are registered trademarks of Diamond Multimedia. All others trademarks and copyrights mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.


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well thanks to all my family for the help then
Translation of letters from Fondi, Italy
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- Filed Under
North Central High School hired from within in hopes of turning around its football program.
Former defensive coordinator Keith Shelton was hired as North Central's coach, replacing Mark Haste, who resigned in February after compiling a 14-19 record in three seasons.
North Central athletic director Chuck Jones said Shelton has the "leadership and passion" to take the program to a higher level. ...


text:
INVENT CLOTHES and make an absolute fortune in cold countries

OOOH I Just thought I will then invent embarasment and modesty and sell clothes in hot countries too

OOOH then I will invent fashion and sell everyone I already sold clothes to the latest design - hey I just invented pockets they will all want them surely
Thank goodness.

Nudity does not equal sex.

Besides warmth and protection from the sun, clothes are a statement. They help define who we are. They serve a purpose, but being in the buff with people you REALLY TRUST is a statement to.

Find a group of friends sometime to have a clothing optional pool party, or a clothing optional wine tasting at the house. You will be surprised how much bonding occurs.
Save a fortune in wash powder
Buy stock in companies that make clothes sold in cold places.
Let the car warm up before going anywhere.
hunt buffalo, it gets cold round these parts ya know.
enjoy you are born that way
Turn on Victoria Secret's Fashion Show. Watch for 12 days.
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text:
You can buy this flask and other Hoosier-themed mobile drinking devices for $25 from get-flasky.myshopify.com.
- Filed Under
If ever there was a season for drinking on the go (while not driving, of course), it's the holidays. Anyone can pour cinnamon schnapps in a flask, but what if you want to get more creative? We asked six local bartenders what they like to put in their mobile booze devices.
Butterscotch Kiss
From: Derek Means, Local Eatery and Pub, Westfield ...


text:
Haldane's Peter Hoffmann shoots over Seward's Tim Fuller, who had fallen to the floor.
- Filed Under
It wasn't just that Haldane's lead had been sliced to two, it was how. Joe Virgadamo watched S.S. Seward outhustle his team to loose balls and had enough. The young coach and proud alumni called timeout, found the former Blue Devil in his heart and let his team have it.
"I ended up hitting Peter's water cup and water went everywhere," Virgadamo said. "Peter (Hoffmann) was upset at me for the first time all year in a game, but we needed fire. I didn't want to look back and say, wow, what happened in that stretch in the third quarter?"
"A lot of yelling," senior John Rotando said, "but we got the message." ...


text:
Lake Havasu
Trolling is another popular method, either with downriggers or with deep-diving crankbaits such as a Hellbender when the fish are fairly shallow. Try attaching a short leader to your crankbait with a hook and a piece of cut bait for even better results.
In late winter, the stripers come to the surface to feed, and some awesome topwater action results. Locals recommend Zara Spooks, Rat-L-Traps, Pop R's, and small swimbaits.
During the spring and fall, you can find amazing largemouth bass action in Havasu, with lots of fish in the 2- to 5-pound range and some as large as 7 pounds. Smallmouth bass run as large as 6 pounds, with 3-pounders being common.
If bass aren't your thing, catfish, bluegill, and crappie can also be had here. During the winter months, when the water temperature drops, Havasu anglers can try their luck for rainbow trout as well. Try spinners, spoons, or Power Bait when fishing for trout.
Boat launching facilities are available at Windsor Beach, located just north of London Bridge, as well as at all of the resorts listed below.
Lake Havasu Weather
If you plan on boating on the river, always check the weather forecast before going out.
Click here to see current weather conditions and forecasts for Lake Havasu City, AZ.
& Camping
& Regulations
Fishing is allowed year round, any hour of the day or night, except in those areas of Lake Havasu otherwise posted. Bag limits in the lake and in those adjacent areas of the Colorado River between the I-40 bridge (Topock Bridge) and Parker Dam are as follows:
- 10 fish, no minimum length.
for carp, tilapia, and shad is allowed from January 1 through
For all the most current regulations, check out the California Department of Fish and Game website or the Arizona Game and Fish Department website.
Important Note! Travelers who plan on crossing Parker Dam should check first to see if any travel restrictions are in place. For security reasons, the dam is sometimes closed to truck and RV traffic, and may only be open to vehicle traffic during daylight hours. For additional information and current traffic restrictions, call (760) 663-3712 or the Parker, AZ Chamber of Commerce at (928) 669-2174.


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Configuration Management Overview for CLM v6 releases
dmmckinn 1200006SCS Visits (970)
New video published to the IBM
Is your mobile app slow? A resource hog?
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Is your mobile app slow? A resource hog?
In this article Shanker Prasad Perumal and Syed Attaullah demonstrate how to use the new features in IBM Rational Test Workbench to perform two important aspects of performance testing on mobile apps: Response time measurements and Resource monitoring.
Given the explosive growth of mobile smartphone use and mobile application development, mobile test automation is a key requirement to enable successful and fast delivery of quality mobile applications. Automated functional testing of mobile applications has helped ensure that the desired functionality of the mobile app and the user flow in the application work as expected. However, there is a significant need to move beyond just functional testing of mobile apps. There are numerous performance aspects of those apps that need to be measured and enhanced. There is a direct correlation between a mobile app's performance and the end user experience of the app.
Are you a visual learner? Watch Shanker go through the steps to analyze the performance of a mobile app:
Bluemix DevOps Services Eclipse Client Setup and App Deploy Tutorial
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Bluemix DevOps Services Eclipse Client Setup and App Deploy Tutorial - Tutorial showing how to setup a DevOps Services Eclipse Client and deploy a Python Django app to IBM Bluemix. Get the project here: http
How to write an effective Service Request
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How to write an effective Service Request - This video demonstrates how to write an effective service request, or SR, that will help IBM Support resolve your issue as quickly as possible. Visit Service Request at:
Work smarter with configuration management: a 4 part series
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Work smarter with configuration management. Part 1: Introduction - What if your product and application development teams could use their normal ALM tools -- requirements, designs, tests, implementation -- in shared contexts, working in parallel on multiple releases or variants, and creating baselines across their tools -- all with high levels of reuse? What if the "glue" that made this possible was based on open specifications and designed for multi-vendor solutions? Imagine no longer!
Work smarter with configuration management. Part 2: Using Configurations
Work smarter with configuration management. Part 3: Traceability in Configurations
Work smarter with configuration management. Part 4: Collaborative working


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The news you're not supposed to know...
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Austrian Economics
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: The Untold History of Controlling the Masses Through the Manipulation of Unconscious Desires
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Article posted Jun 26 2013, 1:28 AM
Friend: Michael Hastings Was Working on "Biggest Story Yet" About CIA
Sgt. Joe Biggs says journalist would never have driven at high speed
Paul Joseph Watson
A friend of Michael Hastings told Fox News today that the Rolling Stone journalist was working on the "the biggest story yet" about the CIA before his suspicious death and that Hastings drove "like a grandma," making it extremely out of character for him to be speeding in the early hours of the morning.
Sgt. Joe Biggs told Fox News' Megyn Kelly that "something didn't feel right" after Hastings sent a panicked email saying the authorities were on his tail, adding that the story of him driving at high speed in the early hours of the morning was completely out of character.
"His friends and family that know him, everyone says he drives like a grandma, so that right there doesn't seem like something he'd be doing, there's no way that he'd be acting erratic like that and driving out of control," said Biggs, adding that "things don't add up, there's a lot of questions that need to be answered."
Biggs said he had contacted Mercedes asking them if it was normal for their cars to "blow up to that extent" and for the engine to fly out 100 feet from the site of the crash.
Biggs also confirmed that Hastings was working on a story about the CIA and that it was "going to be the biggest story yet."
As we reported yesterday
, questions surrounding the death of Hastings are not only the domain of conspiracy theorists. Former counter-terror czar under two different presidents Richard Clarke told the Huffington Post that the fatal crash of Hastings' Mercedes C250 Coupe was "consistent with a car cyber attack."
"So if there were a cyber attack on the car -- and I'm not saying there was," he said, adding "I think whoever did it would probably get away with it," and that "intelligence agencies for major powers" have such capabilities.
Clarke's speculation that Hastings' vehicle could have been remotely hijacked is echoed by Salon.com's Andrew Leonard, who cites two studies by researchers at the University of Washington and the University of California, San Diego,
"Experimental Security Analysis of a Modern Vehicle,"
"Comprehensive Experimental Analyses of Automotive Attack Surfaces."
The studies detail how "it is a relatively trivial exercise to access the computer systems of a modern car and take control away from the driver."
Questions about the circumstances behind Hastings' death have persisted because he made a number of enemies in positions of power.
After Wikileaks reported that Hastings had contacted them in the hours before his death complaining about being under investigation by the FBI, the federal agency denied the claim.
According to Hastings' colleague Cenk Uygur, the writer was, "incredibly tense and very worried, and was concerned that the government was looking in on his material," and also a "nervous wreck" in response to the surveillance of journalists revealed by the AP phone tapping scandal and the NSA PRISM scandal.
BuzzFeed editor Ben Smith added that Hastings had told friends and family "he was concerned that he was under investigation."
Another close friend who wishes to remain anonymous said that Hastings was "very paranoid that he was being watched by the FBI."
It subsequently emerged that Hastings
had written a panicked email
shortly before his death telling his friends and colleagues that he was going into hiding to escape the attention of the authorities.
"Hey -- the feds are interviewing my "close friends and associates," the message said. "Also: I'm onto a big story, and need to go off the [radar] for a bit."
Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for
Prison Planet.com
. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a host for Infowars Nightly News.
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The Mystery of ISIS' Toyota Army Solved
The Gender Wage Gap -- A Myth That (Still) Just Won't Die
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Gannett Co. Inc. said Wednesday it will begin inserting a condensed edition of USA Today daily into 31 additional, including The Clarion-Ledger, early next year.
The new initiative is a distribution strategy aimed at both beefing up local publications' content and widening its national paper's reach.
"We are delighted to be part of this reinvestment in print," said Leslie Hurst, president and publisher of The Clarion-Ledger. "The No.1 thing we hear from our readers is that they want more, and this partnership allows us to give them more local and more national and international content." ...