Saturday, August 23
1:00 – 3:00 pm
Indianapolis Liberation Center
Black August is a time for global solidarity. At this event, led by Anamika Krishnan, we will look at how both the U.S. and India use prisons as weapons against dissent—jailing revolutionaries, silencing movements, and protecting the interests of the ruling class. From COINTELPRO and the imprisonment of Black radicals in the U.S. to India’s “Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act” used to arrest the Bhima Koregaon 16, we’ll examine how capitalist state power criminalizes those who fight for freedom, dignity, and justice.
Grounded in a Marxist, feminist, and anti-imperialist framework, this workshop will:
- Situate political prisoners as part of the larger class struggle.
- Explore how caste and race are weaponized in both democracies.
- Uplift the voices and writings of organizers like George Jackson, Angela Davis, B.R. Ambedkar, Stan Swamy, and Sudha Bharadwaj.
The session includes mini-discussions and other activities, including writing letters to political prisoners, a tangible act of solidarity while we brainstorm how to extend this work further into our own communities.
Featured image: Journalists and civil society groups supporting independent media outlet NewsClick after the Delhi police repressed and arrested their leadership. Credit: Peoples Dispatch.