|
|||||
   |
For Immediate release
WE STAND WITH ASSATAGABRIELA-USA Stands in Solidarity with Assata Shakur
Assata Shakur, who was born Joanne Chesimard and was a former member of the Black Panther Party, was recently placed on the FBI’s most wanted terrorist list as the first woman and second domestic “terrorist” on the list. Shakur currently lives in exile as a political asylum in Cuba since 1979 after she escaped (or liberated) from jail. Shakur was convicted of killing a New Jersey police officer in 1973 at the height of her participation in revolutionary, socialist organizing in and through the US Black Power movement. Shakur’s wrongful arrest and conviction was clearly motivated by the government’s will to destroy the Black revolutionary movement as the case developed without clear evidence of her guilt. In the throes of US-backed, anti-people and anti-democractic programs like COINTELPRO, Assata Shakur was one of many victims of US imperialist aggression in its home turf. The FBI’s recent move to make Assata Shakur visible again works to delegitimize her and the activism she has contributed to. It seeks to rewrite the history of Black revolutionary activism in the US as domestic “terrorism.” Where evidence fails to prove Shakur’s culpability in the alleged crime of killing a New Jersey police officer, the rebranding of her act as terrorism sends a clear message that police departments in the US are immune from punishment even if they themselves are sources of hate, racism and oppression. As the FBI codifies Black revolutionary activism as domestic “terrorism” by targeting Shakur, the agency is making a point that Black revolutionary movement building in the US in the present can also be treated as “terrorism.” This abhorrent move seeks to equate Black revolutionary spirit with the war on terrorism. GABRIELA-USA condemns Shakur’s placement on this list of “terrorists” because we challenge the US imperial power that arbitrarily defines who is labeled a “terrorist.” This mislabeling seeks to undermine and delegitimize the claims Shakur makes about the racist violence the US government perpetrates upon the people of color in the US. And in those terms, will anyone who then challenges and critiques US government policy be labeled a “terrorist?” Will every person that stands up against institutionalized inequality be labeled a “terrorist?” The normalization of the logics of “terrorism” is becoming a US imperialist witch-hunt with Assata Shakur at the top of the list. GABRIELA-USA stands with Assata Shakur in this time of criminalization. We, alongside many organizations and groups, maintain her innocence in this politically motivated woman-hunt. GABRIELA-USA applauds Assata Shakur’s legacy of internationalism and we will remain vigilant about the developments in this case. Assata Shakur was and continues to be a revolutionary that identifies the destructive nature of political repression, racism, and violence embedded in US politics. She is a symbol of revolutionary activism in which young people from marginalized communities can draw inspiration and strength from; her resilience and revolutionary aptitude against the superpower of the world, US imperialism, must give us all hope to bring imperialism to its knees. She has continually criticized the US government for their failings and violence towards people of color in the US. And more importantly, Shakur reminds all of us that the only thing we have to lose is our chains. We must continue building across class, racial and ethnic, sexuality and gender lines in the US and globally as we continue to feel the brunt of imperialist violence and aggression from our urban neighborhoods, our schools to our homelands. Hands Off Assata! ### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 1, 2013 Reference: Valerie Francisco, Chairperson, GABRIELA-USA, gabrielawomen@gmail.com
U.S. Filipinas Demand Genuine Comprehensive Immigration Reform and Support Migrant Workers Struggles on Mayo Uno On May 1st, GABRIELA-USA members in cities across the United States will march in the streets to uphold worker and migrant rights on International Workers’ Day. Filipino women are part of the large percentage of migrants arriving in the U.S. forced to leave their countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa and parts of Europe to work elsewhere as they sustain their families back home. “Historically and up to present, the reasons why many migrants come to the United States is because of U.S. imperialist policies that force people out of their own countries in the first place,” stated GABRIELA-USA spokesperson Raquel Redondiez. “As migrants arrive to the U.S. shores immigration policies, perpetuate the exploitation of migrants and work against migrants to illegalize them. The U.S. government benefits from using migrants as cheap labor, while threatening migrant communities with punitive laws and deportation. Migrants have the right to protections, dignity and justice for themselves and their families,” continued Redondiez. The group of Senators, known as the Gang of 8, who recently filed Senate bill named “The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act,” propose significant changes to the U.S. immigration system. Key amongst the proposed changes includes cutting out some categories of family based visas, particularly eliminating the possibility for U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents to petition their siblings and married children over 31 years old to immigrate to the U.S. GABRIELA-USA criticizes this bill as it falls short of the supposed immigration reform that it promises because it fails in its narrow definition of family. “Countless families are torn apart everyday, and now we are rallying community members to mobilize and call for re-unification for all families, including parents, children, siblings, cousins, grandparents, and LGBTIQ families,” stated Tina Shauf, GABRIELA-USA Vice Chair of Campaigns. Regardless of the type of familial relation or the sexual orientation or gender identity of partners and their families, GABRIELA-USA demands a more inclusive and expansive classification of “family” so that immigration policies do not break up families and keep them separated indefinitely. Furthermore, over 400,000 undocumented migrants have been deported every year during the Obama administration. “We must not continue to divert attention from a broken immigration system and an exploitative imperialist system by criminalizing im/migrants. We say no to deportations and demand pathways to legalization for migrants, ” stated Shauf. In addition to the proposed immigration bill, GABRIELA-USA will also support Assembly Bill 241, more commonly known as the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. “Migrant workers often find themselves exploited on the job, experiencing wage theft and unfair working conditions, and we demand an end to this injustice to the hard work and sacrifices they make for their families and this country,” said Valerie Francisco, national chairperson of GABRIELA-USA. A.B. 241 asks for overtime pay, meal and rest breaks and adequate sleeping conditions for live in workers. GABRIELA-USA continues in its campaign for the full recognition of domestic workers and for basic protections on the job that many other workers already have rights to under the law. GABRIELA-USA will mobilize on May 1st to launch a campaign demanding workers rights and justice for Filipina migrants and their families throughout the United States and other countries. Join us as we march alongside other ethnic communities who seek a better life! Uphold and Defend Workers Rights for Filipina Migrants! Stop Imperialist Exploitation & Modern Day Slavery of Migrant Workers! Stop Criminalization of Im/migrants! Pathways to Legalization for All Migrant Workers! Keep all our Families together! No to Deportation! March with GABRIELA-USA at the May 1st mobilization near you! Los Angeles, CA Southern California Immigration Coalition May Day March 4pm @ Olympic Blvd and Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles New York, NY May 1st Coalition Action 12pm rally in Union Square Meet @ Southeast Corner of the Park 5:30pm March San Francisco, CA 2pm @ 24 & Mission st March to Civic Center Seattle, WA Rally with Faith and Community Leaders 1pm @ Judkins Park API United and Youth Contingent 2:00PM @ 20th Ave. S and S. Jackson St. 3pm @ Downtown Seattle May 1st Rally March to Jackson Federal Building (915 2nd Avenue Seattle, WA 98174) ### |
    
|
|||
|
Copyright © 2013 GABRIELA USA - All Rights Reserved |
|||||
(image by Dignidad Rebelde www.dignidadrebelde.com)