1.01-08 Freedom Now- George Washinton Carver & BRLP Political Prisoners, Scottsboro

Alafia this is Freedom Now agenda for this Jan. 1 2008. We have three themes tonight. We will address the historic case of the Scottsboro boys of Alabama with a music intro by Lead belly. .Nine young boys from 13 to 19 who were accused in 1936 of raping 2 white women one of whom would later recant. This case became the Ist international cause celebre around the world addressing the racist injustice of the US capitalist system. Acey Byrd from WPFW will provide the analysis of this vanguard campaign during the era of Jim Crow segregation.

We will follow with a tribute to George Washington Carver the most brilliant African scientist to every come out of the United States with, Byrd and Tony Muhammad with Abdul and how his legacy still lives on in Los Angeles.

Broth Dele will provide a update on the Free the Black Ryders political prisoners campaign and Sista Zionne will provide the African Drum Beat Historical Calendar.

George Washington Carver Museum of California Present National Recognition Day.

Saturday Jan 5, 2008

Exhibit 1:00pm to 6:00pm

Program/Reception 6:00 - 8:00 pm.

43305 Degnan B.vd, Leimert Park, Ca.

Contact: 323-733-5265 or 310-722-0380

African Drum Beat Historical Calendar for the Week of Jan.1,2008

Hotep ! Greetings ! This new year of the struggle. This is Sista_Zionne with this weeks African Drum Beat Historical Calendar here at Freedom Now where every day we deconstruct the European Capitalist Patriarchal world view of his story and present our story.

Jan 1, 1789 .Haiti gains Independence as the Ist Republic as well as the first liberated nation of Africans in Western Hemisphere. Sista Defilee is one of the many she-roes women leaders and the Ist to call for armed resistance against the French . Defilee was a Damballah priestess, and wife 0f Jean Jacques Dessalies Haiti’s Ist President.

Jan 1, 1956 Sudan the largest country in African and the 10 largest country in the world gains Independence. Prior to independence the British ruled the Sudan as competing regions highlighting religious differences. Today the Sudan is the target of Israel, US covert operations due to its massive oil and water resource of which the US and srael has no stake.

Jan 1, 1923 Ousmane Sembane born in Casamance Senegal.Ousmane Semembe is considered the Father of African Cinema being the Ist African film director to gain international recognition. having produced a film technique that is reflective of the cultural spiritual anti-colonial and anti-neo-colonialism traditions of Africa.. His greatest films are Xala, Mandabi, Fuelwar, Faat Kine etc.

Jan1 1959 Collapse of the US backed Mafia controlled Dictator Fulgencio Batista by Che Guevarra , Fidel Castro and the July 26 movement . The Cuban people, the majority who are Africans rose up in opposition to their Island being used as the sexploitation capital for US businessmen.

Jan 1, 1994. Mexico signs the US originated North American Free Trade Agreement opening the economy of Mexico to US corporate colonialization and immediately giving rise to rebellions with the Zaptista uprising.

1973 San Quetin Prisoners strike.

Jan 2 1896 Soviet film theorist Dziga Vertov born. The father of revolutionary documentaries and films as a agitation-training weapon Dziga Vertov used films as the primary educational tool for Russian to ideologically educate a nation where at independence over 98% of the population could not read nor write. Vertoz criss cross Russia using trains and barns as the theatrical venues for the education of the people.

Jan 3 1521 Martin Luther excommunicated from Roman Catholic Church. This gave rise to the demise of the Catholic Church as the primary world Christian theological colonial power and the rise of the numerous competing protestant denominations.

Jan 4, 1959 The non-ethnic Movement National of the Congo defeats Belgians colonialism and democratically elect Patrice Lumumba as the Prime Minster. The MNC’s decision to nationalize the Congo’s mineral resources to finance free education , health care , road, trains and electricity as well as their membership at the All African People’s Conference establishes the MNC as a leading partner together with Ghana and Guinea of the Pan African movement in Africa.

Jan 4 1891 CLR James a pioneering Pan Africanist from Trinidad was born. He fought for the decolonization of region and the building of a All Caribbean Federation as the central government for the Caribbean. Among numerous books the Black Jacobin is considered the classic on the Haitian Revolution. According to his 3rd Wife Selma James. C.L.R. James greatest contribution was to break away from the very narrow and white male concept of what Marxist politics was. He saw the world, literature, sports, politics and music as one totality, and saw political life as embodying all of those, which was very different from the politics he walked into in the middle of the 1930s, first in England and then in the United States.

Jan 5 1943 African botanist George Washington Carver born. Tonight we will have live in the studio the legacy of George Washington Carver as kept alive in Los Angeles.

Jan 5,1931 Alvin Ailey a pioneering choreographer was born. He created and popularized Modern Dance a uniquely African in American dance form with over 79 new dances. His most popular theatertrical presentation “Revelations” was about his life growing up in the racist south and became a milestone in Dance and further demonstrates the role of culture and dance in resistance to White Supremacy. .He establishes the most sophisticated African in America dance institution having performed before an estimated 21 million people in over 71 countries on six continents

Jan 6, 1993 John Birks Dizzy Gillespie , the trumpeter, bandleader, singer and composers crosses over. He was more popularly known as Dizzy Gillespie one of the principal developers of bee bop Afro-Cuban Jazz.

Jan 6 1831 The Ist world anti-slavery convention was held. There objective was the elimination of slavery among the so called civilized democracies of Western Europe and the United States.

Jan 6, 1412 French Military heroine Joan of Arc was born. She led the war to decolonize France at the age of 17 from English domination in the hundred years war.

Jan 6 1931Ist Scottsboro Boys Trial occurs in Alabama . Nine Africans boys are accused of raping European women. We will have a overview by Brotha ACey Byrd from WPRW ion DC> later in the program.

Jan 7 1976 is the Ist annual Palestine Martyrs day a period to commemorate the fallen Freedom fighters against the Israeli settler colonial sealing of Palestine from the Palestinians.

Jan 7, 1891 Zorn Neal Huston born. She was one of the foremost African women novelist and anthropologist who recorded folk traditions and the culture of African in the Diaspora and used Black English Ebonics as her writing style.

Jan 7 1920 British Anarchist Black Cross co-founder Albert Meltzer was born.

For those interested in more details of any of the aforementioned events or personalities please go to KPFK.org-Programs-Freedom Now Identify the historical event or person and then Google for more details.

Please join us three times in a unity chant of Amandela Awethu which means all power to the people.