By
Jahmal Henderson
A
spirit of resistance filled the New Haven Peoples Center as an
overflow crowd celebrated the power of unity at the 51st People's
World Black History celebration themed “Black Youth Leadership –
Resistance 2.0 in Today's Freedom Struggle.”
“This
is a fight for our freedom, our families, and our future,” .said
keynote speaker Aaron Booe, national Young Communist League USA
organizer.. “Victory depends on our ability to unite, resist, and
build the better world we deserve.”
The
celebration included awarding of prizes for the annual arts and
writing competition grades 8 to 12, a youth panel and African
drumming.
Welcoming
the event, emcee Mary Thigpen received huge applause saying the event
was part of building the resistance movement.
The
celebration kicked off with presentations by the winners of the Arts
And Writing Competition.
Third
place winner Jay’Den Morris, a sophomore from Cooperative Arts and
Humanities High School, recited her poem 'Equality In Our School,'
emphasizing the importance of equality and unity among students.
Second
place winner, a senior at Educational Center for the Arts, Jayden
Davis' dance choreography to Sam Cooke’s 'A Change Is Gonna Come”
was presented in an extraordinary video.
First
place winner Journey Rosa, a freshman at Sound School, performed her
powerful poem The Color Line about race and the inspiration of
historical freedom fighters for today's struggle against hate,
racism, sexism, and bigotry.
A
dynamic youth panel discussion, moderated by Ramzie Highsmith, art
teacher and activist, featured John Carlos Serana Musser, a student
representative on the New Haven Board of Education; Torell Yarbough,
artist/ youth organizer in New Haven's Newhall/Dixwell neighborhood,
his mentor Remidy Shareef, a leader of New Haven Rising; Ambar
Santiago-Rojas, a youth immigrant rights organizer; and A.J. Johnson
youth organizer with “Ice The Beef” anti-violence organization.
A.J.
discussed the negative effects of social media on young people
including misinformation and emphasized addressing the issues, urging
the youth to consider how current events will impact their lives
John
talked about the difficulty of convincing young people they can make
a difference, and how organizing and a strategic plan can help
address the fear among students due to Trump administration
deportations and dismantling the Department of Education.
Ambar
highlighted the challenges of motivating young people to take action
and getting adults to listen to their voices. She discussed her
efforts to raise awareness about the fight for undocumented
immigrants' rights and defending people against Trump policies.
Torrell
emphasized the need for solidarity to address the challenges youth
face, and the need to stay informed, and push to create more safe
spaces. Remidy Shareef emphasized the urgent need to support the
youth, community involvement in nurturing young people and
organizing entire families to address the daily struggles they face.
Keynote
speaker Aaron Booe shared his experiences with labor organizing,
youth alliances, and social justice movements. A recent graduate of
Howard University, he highlighted the work he's doing in Washington
DC with the Communist Party USA.
“At
this moment Black youth leadership is critical,” he said. “The
MAGA movement is working to undo the hard won victories of past
generations from civil rights to labor rights. They seek to send us
to the back of the bus, back to the closets and back to the shadows.
But we are not going back!” he declared to prolonged applause.
Booe
discussed how Black youth are continuing the freedom fights of
previous leaders like Frederick Douglass during Reconstruction, and
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who drew inspiration from the
Reconstruction era for his civil rights leadership.
He
stressed the importance of using strategies from both eras in today's
freedom struggle. “Douglass understood that victory requires unity
and that movements succeed by uniting all the forces that can be
united to defeat the immediate enemy, This lesson remains just as
relevant today”.
“At
the the heart of this struggle was the unity of young people,“ he
said/ “Black, white youth through organizations like Student
Nonviolent Coordinating Committee which led voter registrations and
organized sit ins and militant direct actions. All of this
contributed to Dr King in the late 1960’s understanding
that the fight for civil rights was inseparable to the fight for
labor rights”.
Booe
noted how Black youth must continue to organize in this next phase
of the struggle, whether through boycotts or campus sit-ins. “We
must build the broadest People's United Front ever. It will take
unity and resistance to create a better future and world. “
“Today’s
movement, today’s freedom struggle, resistance 2.0 must defeat the
second confederacy the unholy alliance of white supremest and
corporate oligarchs who seek to transform our country into a far
right billionaire dictatorship”. said Booe.
To
conclude the celebration, acclaimed African percussionist Brian
Jarawa Gray led a drum circle, engaging the crowd in a rhythmic
finale.
