Saturday, August 31
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Dream Palace Books & Coffee
111 E 16th St., Suite 101
Originating from inside California prisons in 1979, “Black August” commemorates and celebrates Black freedom fighters, past and present. The one-month observance aims to raise awareness of prison conditions and honor the radical tradition of Black resistance against anti-Black state violence and systemic oppression. For decades, we have celebrated “Black August” to remember the sacrifice of fallen freedom fighters of the Black Liberation Movement and remind ourselves of the commitment necessary in the struggle for the release of political prisoners and Black Liberation in the United States.
This year, the Indianapolis Liberation Center and the Party for Socialism and Liberation – Indianapolis are doubling down on their collective commitment to the liberation movement and to increase the sacrifices we all make in the everyday decisions in our lives. To achieve this, we are excited to partner with Dream Palace Books & Coffee for the nationwide release of Black August: Study, Fast, Train, Fight, the latest PSL- and Liberation Center-published reader booklet. This approachable overview of the prison struggle presents it as one that is inseparable from anti-racist, anti-capitalist, and anti-imperialist movements of the world, providing a clear analysis of the root causes of the intersection of the prison industrial complex, white supremacy, and capitalism and the appropriate strategies and tactics to defeat the penal system and the social, political, and economic orders it serves.
Come out to read, discuss, and apply the words of Joe Tache, George Jackson, Walter Rodney, and Samih Al-Qasim with organizers from the Center. It is through our collective engagement and reflection on these works that we can fully develop our understanding of the root causes of this unjust system and build the movement necessary for its defeat.
Black August connects us to our collective history of the struggle against racism and capitalism, and it serves as a reminder that Black liberation will not come from friendly Black capitalists, police officers, or politicians. It is a reminder that Black liberation can only come from the conscious and organized efforts of the masses.
Drop in as we explore both the radical history of Black August and the continued importance of the Black liberation struggle in the U.S. and as part of the global class war.
Books are available to order from the Indy Liberation Center store, and copies will be available for purchase at the event. Contact us if you are interested in hosting a satellite book launch.
Featured image: Picket line held outside of a Washington D.C. jail in support of the October 11, 1972 jail uprising. Credit: Reading/Simpson
