In honor of Black Solidarity Week, and in light of the recently released FBI report on so-called “Black Identity Extremists,” Community Ready Corps will host a political education panel on the repression of Black dissidents. Leaders from the Anti Police-Terror Project and special guests Mama Akua Njeri and Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. will come together on Saturday, February 17 at First Congregational Church of Oakland for an evening of radical truth telling, solidarity building, and self defense. That morning, a march through East Oakland kicks off Black Solidarity Week, February 17-24.

Community Ready Corps writes: On March 4, 1968 (exactly one month before King was assassinated), FBI Director Edgar Hoover issued this directive: "Prevent the Coalition of militant black nationalist groups. In unity there is strength, a truism that is no less valid for all its triteness. An effective coalition… might be the first step toward a real “Mau Mau” in America, the beginning of a true black revolution. Prevent the rise of a “messiah” who could unify, and electrify, the militant black nationalist movement."

The assassination of 21 year old Chicago Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton Sr. just 18 months later was a very clearly documented case of the U.S. government killing an African-American leader on American soil. The historic significance of this brutal act of repression cannot be overstated, and at this event, we will have opportunity to hear the testimony of survivors of the attack.

In August of 2017, the FBI released another internal memo: "Black Identity Extremists Likely to Target Law Enforcement Officers" conflating the upsurge in organized, political resistance to police terror with a violent and criminal threat. In this historical moment, Black leaders and dissidents are being targeted for repression and neutralization. As a community, how can we defend the rights of Black people to organize and defend their communities from State violence?

Read More | Black Solidarity Week in Oakland: February 17-24