Saturday, February 21
12:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Indianapolis Liberation Center
For several years, The People’s Forum and thousands across the world commemorate “Red Books Day,” an international celebration of radical literature and political education. The event is observed on or around February 21, the date the Manifesto of the Communist Party by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels was first published in London by the Communist League.
The day honors revolutionary texts that have inspired organizing and people’s movements around the world. This year, we celebrate Red and Black Books Day, as this month marks the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, which Dr. Carter G. Woodson first started as “Negro History Week.”
As it turns out, the Communist Manifesto and other key texts in the radical and Marxist traditions had a much more profound influence on Asia, Africa, and Latin America than they did in Europe and North America. Thus, this year’s celebration will highlight Black revolutionaries and their radical writings and actions that continue to shape global liberation movements.
The event begins at noon and ends at 10:00 pm with a suggested donation of $10. There will also be food, adult beverages, and drinks available throughout the evening.
Program
- 12:00 – 2:00 pm: Read, talk, research, revolution
- Come pick out a book from the vast collection of texts in the Black and communist traditions to read, find the posters that hit the hardest, the t-shirt with the message you want to rep at the Indy Liberation Store. Meet your local Indianapolis radical organizers and check out the Hispanic Cultural Hub exhibition on display now at the Gallery! Be on the lookout for new Black/New Afrikan Liberation materials at the store and on sale.
- Come pick out a book from the vast collection of texts in the Black and communist traditions to read, find the posters that hit the hardest, the t-shirt with the message you want to rep at the Indy Liberation Store. Meet your local Indianapolis radical organizers and check out the Hispanic Cultural Hub exhibition on display now at the Gallery! Be on the lookout for new Black/New Afrikan Liberation materials at the store and on sale.
- 2:00 – 4:00 pm: Collective study of Marx’s Capital (session 7)
- In this session, we’ll begin Part VII of the book. In addition to providing an accessible entry-point to the text for newcomers, we’re getting very close to the “luminous summits” we were promised in the prefaces!
- In this session, we’ll begin Part VII of the book. In addition to providing an accessible entry-point to the text for newcomers, we’re getting very close to the “luminous summits” we were promised in the prefaces!
- 4:00 – 5:00 pm: Words reconnecting struggles for national liberation and socialism
- Read the words of the Black revolutionaries who radically transformed our world
- To counteract the whitewashed history of the New Afrikan struggle in this country, we’ll read the words of the Black revolutionaries that inspire us most. Whether it be an excert from Harry Haywood, Fred Hamton, Assata Shakur, a poem by Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, or Shaka A. Shakur, or one of the two obituaries W.E.B. Du Bois wrote after Stalin’s passing, we’ll work to reconnect these struggles that the ruling class wants us to think are not only separate but opposed to each other.
- To counteract the whitewashed history of the New Afrikan struggle in this country, we’ll read the words of the Black revolutionaries that inspire us most. Whether it be an excert from Harry Haywood, Fred Hamton, Assata Shakur, a poem by Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, or Shaka A. Shakur, or one of the two obituaries W.E.B. Du Bois wrote after Stalin’s passing, we’ll work to reconnect these struggles that the ruling class wants us to think are not only separate but opposed to each other.
- Read the words of the Black revolutionaries who radically transformed our world
- 5:00 – 8:00 pm: Come Play: A night of Black joy & community games
- As the fight for Black and Afrikan liberation continues, it is also vital to set aside time to be in community with one another in a more relaxed environment. We strengthen community through games and interaction, and our goal is simply to bring people together—to get to know one another while having fun. In times of adversity, we remember that joy and community are revolutionary acts. Through connection, we build trust with one another. The Indy Liberation Center is committed to continuing to create opportunities for us to come together and connect.
- As the fight for Black and Afrikan liberation continues, it is also vital to set aside time to be in community with one another in a more relaxed environment. We strengthen community through games and interaction, and our goal is simply to bring people together—to get to know one another while having fun. In times of adversity, we remember that joy and community are revolutionary acts. Through connection, we build trust with one another. The Indy Liberation Center is committed to continuing to create opportunities for us to come together and connect.
- 8:00 – 9:00 pm: Socialize and work collectively!
- The real work of transformation isn’t always glamorous, but it’s foundational. Stay after to continue socializing as we clear and clean the space from the day’s activity so it’s ready for another day of struggle!