Black is Back' Protest Slated for D.C. November 7

Black is Back' Protest Slated for D.C. November 7

By Pharoh Martin
NNPA National Correspondent

Even while President Obama enjoys high approval amongst most African-Americans, a coalition of Black activists is organizing a Washington, D.C. rally, protesting the administration's war policies and social shortcomings.

The November 7 "Black is Back" rally and march is billed to "protest the expanding U.S. wars and other policy initiatives that disparately affect African and other oppressed people around the world", according to a statement released by the rally's organizers - The Black is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations.

"It is not a rally against Obama. It's really to remind him of the things that are taking place as a result of this country's policies," said Jared Ball, a spokesperson and organizer for the rally.

"Regardless of who is president, the issues that we have are a continuity of policy that is frightening," says Dr. Ball,, an assistant professor of communication studies at Morgan State University and FreeMix Radio personality.

The coalition is a grouping of grassroots anti-war and social justice organizations and activists that include former 2008 Green Party presidential running mates Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente and noted political hip-hop group Dead Prez.

The "Black is Back" slogan is a reference to the progressive Black political ideology of the 1960s. According to their statement, they aim to "bring back the tradition of resistance historically associated with Black communities around the world."

The November 7 march will start at Malcolm X Park in Washington, D.C. at 10am; then weave toward the White House, where participants will rally until 6pm.

According to organizers, the many issues the rally is slated to address include unemployment; the predatory loan scandal crises; U.S. involvement in various military conflicts around the world; Black incarceration rates; police brutality; political imprisonment and the slow recovery of post-Katrina New Orleans.

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