Black History Month Youth March Unites Community in Action

The annual march in New Haven is one of a series of events connected to the 47^th People's World African American History Month Celebration. The event Georgia On My Mind: The Third Reconstruction will be held virtually on Sunday, February 28 at 4 pm. Arrive early to see a video of the Youth March starting at 3:40 pm. Register here.

A caravan of 20 cars and a group of 65 people took to the streets of Dixwell and Newhallville to call for an end to gun violence and police brutality, taxing of the reaching, and demand state and federal relief for communities of color impacted by Covid-19. Marchers gathered at Tyrick B. Keyes corner at the intersection of Bassett and Newhall and continued down Dixwell Avenue until reaching the construction site of Q House, a future community center site

The Annual Black History Month Youth March was organized by the CT People's World alongside Ice the Beef and New Haven Rising as part of CT People's World 47th African American History Month Celebration. The event kicked off with a speech by Manuel Camacho, the president of the Young Communist League (YCL) and Youth President of Ice The Beef. He invoked Martin Luther King’s call to action against systemic racism and oppression. He spoke about the need for community members to come together and move forward as one.

“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl,”he said quoting King. “ But whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

Following Camacho, Bobby McKnight, spoke on behalf of Keyes’ family about the aftermath of Tyrick’s death as a victim of gun violence. Keyes, an aspiring 14 year-old dancer, was killed in 2017 on Bassett street. Keyes’ had also been an active member of Ice the Beef Youth. After Keyes’ death, McKnight dedicated himself to working with youth across the community.

“Tyrick inspired me to do all that and to try to make a difference.”

Newhallville Ward 20 Alder Delphine Clyburn rallied the crowd with an impassioned speech about the continual loss of children to gun violence. For her, the march was about protecting the most vulnerable of youth.

“I'm here because they are killing my kids. I could be home cooking for my husband but I'm here,” she said. “It is time to stop killing my kids.”

Yeni, a representative CT Students for a Dream (C4D) and Hunky for Husky for Immigrants, spoke about the need to expand healthcare access to all immigrants regardless of status and open eligibility to the HUSKY health program especially in response to the toll Covid-19 has taken on undocumented communities. Oppressive systems like the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and school-to-prison pipeline are some of the systems that have been setup to divide marginalized communities and must be worked against together.

Remidy from ICE The Beef gave an embolden speech about the need to take the work of organizing to the next level and no longer have corners named after victims of gun violence. For him the community needs to take care of one another, especially the homeless community who has been excluded for so long.

“His [Keyes’] name should not be on the street ‘cause he was slain,” he said. “His name should be on the street because he was alive and led an excellent life.”

To close out the first part of the march, the Connecticut YCL awarded Sen. Gary Winfield and Rep. Robyn Porter the Black History Month Victory Award to honor them as the driving force behind the police accountability bill, HB 6004 An Act Concerning Police Accountability (AACPA). Porter tearfully accepted the award citing the community as the wind beneath her wings.

She spoke about the need to elect officials with “backbones” and stand by their values especially against systemic racism and other forms of oppression.

“There is no compromise when it comes to life or death,” she said. “There is no compromise, about having a conscience.”

Winfield echoed many of Porter’s sentiments by asking that the youth present rise to the occasion and take over the senate by filling up those seats. He also called out for diverse legislation that better represents the diverse people across the state.

“If your policy isn't as intersectional of the people who represent then it is not working.”

The caravan and marchers took to the streets marching down Bassett Street and Dixwell Avenue chanting about injustice and inequality. At the front of the group, Sun Queen, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter New Haven (BLM NHV) led chants about protecting one. She later spoke about the importance of belonging to a village and holding one another accountable.

“No Justice!” she cried.

“No peace!” The crowd roared back.

In front of the Q House, youth took to the microphone with Camacho asking that people take action in the present and no longer wait to act.

“The time is always always right to do what is right,” he said, citing King again.

Genesis, a member of the Hartford YCL, drew attention to the isolation and depression students across the state are experiencing. He also touched on the fear faced members of the LGBTQIA + community, and his own experience as a part of the community.

“I’m a seventh-grader. I should be worried about leaving my house or how someone is going to treat me because of the color of my skin or my gender and sexuality.”

Elsa Holahan, the youth director of the Q House Student Advisory Board, spoke about the history of the Q House and the importance of a community center in the Newhallville-Dixwell area.

After the original Q House closed down in 2003, the area has been without a gathering space for almost 20 years. For her, the community center is a place for all members of the community to gather, share space with one another, and grow as a community.

“Although our work within the community is not complete, the reconstitution of the Q House is a step towards equity and injustice in New Haven.”

Artist and performer, Thabisa closed out the march with a powerful rendition of Sam Cooke’s A Change is Gonna Come.

-- Arturo Pineda

Crises and Fightback in Naugatuck Ct

What does the police killing of George Floyd and Naugatuck, Connecticut have in common? Plenty. 

 

In June of 2020, there was a March of 1,100 people in Naugatuck, Ct in solidarity with the many George Floyd protests and Black Lives Matter (BLM) marches across the country. It gave birth to the peace and solidarity group, Naugatuck Peaceful Protests. https://www.facebook.com/groups/286402645741519/

 

Its focus is against systemic racist policing and for defunding. A recent internet racist and violent statement by the daughter of the local police chief and the associate principal at the local high school, have been like adding a flame thrower to an already existing smoldering fire. It was also an accelerant to ongoing community organizing and working across movements.

 

The vicious, racist words of the now high school student from a 2019 post surfaced and directly implicated her father, who was recently promoted to police chief. 

 

“My dad is now officially police chief so that means he’s more advanced in shooting black people then (sic) he just was a couple minutes ago,” the text in one message reads. https://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-br-naugatuck-racist-messages-police-chief-daughter-20210123-qxbhhiszzzdappvxjbwq3gsk34-story.html

 

Students have demanded the removal of the parents from their respective town positions. They have also demanded that the daughter/student be expelled. https://www.facebook.com/groups/286402645741519/announcements

 

Naugatuck has a population of 31,750 with 21% people of color and other national origins (2020). The high school is just under 40% students of color. 

 

The town has a history of working class organizing. Site of one of the world’s largest rubber and chemical industries, it was organized into five unions in the 1930s and 1940s. Some of the first to sign union cards had been members of the Civil Conservation Corps (CCC) and immigrant workers.  https://www.cpusa.org/?ssearch=Yannielli+Rubber+Industry&fq=any&sort=score&order=desc&submit=Submit

 

Naugatuck experienced the runaway shop/deindustrialization of the 1980s. It was left with a toxic landfill on top of Hunters Mountain. A protracted environmental struggle resulted it designated as a superfund site. It was closed in 1987.

 

Recently, Naugatuck has been on Connecticut’s list of distressed towns. It’s official unemployment rate of 8% (Dec. 2020) is probably double that figure.

 

Other environmental and labor struggles followed. In 2020, a town-wide battle emerged as the community defended one of the ecologically healthier streams, Fulling Mill Brook, on its east-side. A proposed 10,000 square foot strip plaza is seen as endangering a green, wildlife corridor and the stream’s connection to the Naugatuck River. As blasting would be required, the proposed development is also seen as a threat to neighboring wells. 

 

At the same time, workers at the local Stop and Shop, owned by a company in Brussels, Belgium, went on strike. As members of the Food and Commercial Workers Union (FCWU), their focus was saving their health insurance, an issue that would, in general, loom large in the 2020 national elections. A green leader joined their picket line.

 

These essential workers successfully maintained their union contract. In the pivotal 2020 November elections, their union organizer, Jorge Cabrera (D), wrested a state senator seat from a Trumpite Republican. Concurrently, the massive 2020 George Floyd solidarity march and 2021 school walkout/march (See photo above.) exploded on the scene.

 

On the day of the student walkout, one BLM leader said,

 

“Today, was a magnificent day. Naugatuck’s Youth made history today. They stood on the right side of history. They stood for justice. They stood for Black Lives Matter. They made headlines this week. They will continue to make headlines because they will not be pushed aside or led astray. They are not done. They will see to it that those responsible are held accountable.” 

 

A series of Naugatuck grassroots town halls emerged as these and electoral struggles unfolded. Panelists represented BLM, environment, Labor, a town commission, and electoral candidates. A reading of Martin Luther King’s famous Riverside Church Speech, initiated by a U.S. Peace Council member and BLM, was one result. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/martin-luther-king-jr-riverside-church-1961-1967

 

Town hall participants and others circulated a letter in support of the student walkout. The first demand reads, “If deemed culpable for the actions of their daughter, Steven and Johnna Hunt be removed from their respective positions.”

 

Defunding the police, and coupling with defunding the military budget, need to be moved up the movements’ agendas. Last year, Ct Congresswoman Jahana Hayes voted for a 10% cut in the military budget. Money needs to be moved to meet people’s needs like the Green New Deal. Locally, the articulation agreement, involving the Naugatuck Police Department and military supplier Northrop Grumman, needs investigating. 

 

Hate crimes more than doubled during the Trump years, and this normalization of hate seeped into every corner of the country including Naugatuck. These local grassroots struggles, given the fascistic, white supremist coup attempt on January 6^th, are crucial to our democracy.

 

– Len Yannielli is an environmental activist.

Recovery for All Coalition Demands Bold Investment in People's Needs

A loud voice is being raised by The Recovery for All coalition on behalf of a state budget centered on large investments in equity and people's needs in the pandemic.  They are demanding that more be asked of those at the top who have profited during the pandemic.

The unions and community groups across Connecticut that make up the coalition are organizing a car caravan on Saturday February 20 at noon in Hartford to demand of the Governor “a people's budget that puts us first. It's time to fully fund and expand K-12 and higher education, childcare, mental health services, healthcare, long-term care, housing, environmental protections, and workers' rights.”

At a virtual press conference this week assessing Governor Lamont's budget proposal, speakers decried the lack of bold action to meet the needs of unemployed and front line workers and communities suffering from the pandemic.

Maddie Granato of the Connecticut Women's Educational and Legal Fund (CWEALF) emphasized the profound implications that women have been affected most. One in three people who filed for unemployment benefits this year are women of color. Granato said this calls for access to rental support, quality childcare and healthcare as budget priorities.

Speaking of the impact on his constituents in Waterbury, Pastor Rodney Wade called for a new way of thinking. “The status quo is no longer acceptable,” he said. “Trickle down economics has been a failure.” Instead, he said, “Connecticut must take bold action and focus on meeting the needs of human beings.”

Representatives Anne Hughes, Saud Anwar and Robyn Porter all agreed.

“The budget should center addressing structural inequities of front line workers and communities,” said Rep Hughes who chairs the Progressive Caucus at the State Legislature. Calling for economic justice through tax reform, she emphasized,“Those least impacted by the crisis should pay their fair share so Connecticut can invest in an equitable recovery from the ground up.”

Rep Anwar recalled the 7200 lives lost to the pandemic, 200,000 without jobs and the thousands at rick of becoming homeless. “These times demand transformative leadership,” he said, “to make sure no one is left behind.”

Jobs was the focus of Rep Porter's remarks including workforce development.

The press conference was hosted by the Connecticut AFL-CIO. President Sal Luciano opened with the following statement:

“Governor Lamont’s budget does not meet the urgency of this moment.

“There are more people out of work now than during the Great Recession. But I didn’t hear anywhere near enough about creating jobs programs for the nearly 200,000 people out of work in our state. And I didn’t hear nearly enough about addressing food insecurity and helping the thousands of people who have lost health care because they have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

“We are on the verge of an eviction crisis. Unless the Governor and the legislature make substantial investments in affordable housing, we may see a drastic increase in homelessness.

“This is an emergency that requires bold leadership. A timid response will just mean this crisis lasts even longer. And the working people of this state will suffer longer as a result.

“Our budget isn’t just about mitigating next year’s deficit. It’s a reflection of our priorities. It’s about making sure our economic recovery is shared by everyone, not just the wealthy.

“It appears that Gov. Lamont was wearing rose-colored glasses when he drafted this budget. The stock market may be doing well, but it doesn’t reflect what life is like for everyday people who are struggling to pay their bills and make sure their families stay healthy.

“The working people of this state deserve more. They deserve the middle-class tax breaks that the Governor campaigned on. And they deserve an end to the regressive tax structure that has forced the poorest families in our state to pay three times what the wealthiest pay in state and local taxes.”

There is growing grass roots concern that the Governor has not extended the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures beyond February 9. The Jobs and Unemployed Committee of the New Haven Peoples Center issued an open letter to the Governor this week calling for an emergency order to extend the moratorium. “Without that extension thousands of Connecticut residents will be at risk of eviction,” the letter said, urging that the moratorium be extended immediately.

Georgia On My Mind: The Third Reconstruction

The 47^th People's World African American History Celebration will be held virtually on Sunday, February 28 at 4:00 pm, “Georgia On My Mind: The Third Reconstruction.” Register here.

Organizers said, “The election in Georgia represents a call for fundamental reconstruction to finally uproot the poisonous legacy of slavery. There is a new understanding of the horrors of systemic racism coming out of the pandemic and the police murders of Black people which gave rise to mass protests across the nation and world last summer.”

The program will feature a panel of a few of the 70 New Haven canvassers who went to Georgia with Unite Here and New Haven Rising to help voters get to polls for the runoff elections that determined control of the U.S. Senate.

Keynote speaker Lewis R. Gordon, is author of many books including newly published “Freedom, Justice and Decolonization.” A scholar of Africana Philosophy, social activist and musician, Dr. Gordon chairs the Department of Philosophy at University of Connecticut at Storrs, and several international philosophical associations. He holds a PhD in philosophy from Yale University.

During the program, awards will be presented for the Black History Month Arts and Writing Competition, grades 8 to 12. All entries must be submitted by 5 pm on Friday, February 19, 2021 The competition announcement is posed on Facebook at Connecticut People's World Committee, 

The program will also include video of the annual Black History Month Youth March and Caravan to be held on Saturday, February 20. Gather at Tyrick B. Keyes corner (Bassett and Newhall Sts) at 1 pm for the march, car caravan and rally at the Q House on Dixwell Ave.

This event is a fundraiser for People's World which has suffered income loss due to the pandemic. Throughout the decades of struggle for civil rights, peace and economic justice, People's World has reported and stood on the side of freedom fighters. Your contribution will enable this valuable voice to continue to educate and uplift the movement for equality.

The invitation to participate in the arts and writing competition states:

“Black women voters led the victory in Georgia that elected the first Black and Jewish U.S. Senators in the deep South since slavery. The historic organizing, which included Latinx, immigrant, Native American, Asian and union members, overcame every vicious white supremacist and corporate effort at voter suppression.

“More than 100,000 voters who did not participate in November are voting in this election, have already cast their ballots, and they are disproportionately voters of color and disproportionately young voters,” said Stacey Abrams who led the grass roots mobilization.”

The competition invitation quotes Rev William Barber of the Poor People's Campaign and author of “The Third Reconstruction”:

“The first Reconstruction briefly flourished after Emancipation, and the second Reconstruction ushered in meaningful progress in the civil rights era (1960's). But both were met by ferocious reactionary measures that severely curtailed, and in many cases rolled back, racial and economic progress. This Third Reconstruction is a profoundly moral awakening of justice-loving people united in a fusion coalition powerful enough to reclaim the possibility of democracy—even in the face of corporate-financed extremism.”

For more information about the program, the competition or the march and caravan e-mail the planning committee at: ct-pww@pobox.com or leave a message at 203-624-8664. Event Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/3689219991193695/