28 Days of Black Liberation
The GDC celebrates the Black liberation struggle and draws inspiration and lessons from its proud history in our struggle for the new world we are fighting for. In February as we celebrate Black revolutionary culture, political prisoners, international figures and struggles, and moments in direct action that guide us in our continued, collective fight for liberation!
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uMkhonto we Sizwe
Day 27 of the 28 Days of Black Liberation 2023 series uMkhonto we Sizwe, or “MK”, was the paramilitary wing of the African National Congress (ANC) which fought against the apartheid government of South Africa. It was launched on 16th December 1961. uMkhonto we Sizwe translates to “Spear of the…
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Ruth Ellis
Day 26 of the 28 Days of Black Liberation 2023 Ruth Ellis was once the oldest openly Black gay woman in the world dying at 101. Ellis moved to Detroit in 1937 during the Great Depression to take advantage of the job opportunities in the city as well as to…
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Universal Association of Ethiopian Women
Day 25 of the 28 Days of Black Liberation 2023 The Universal Association of Ethiopian Women (UAEW) was a grassroots Black nationalist and Pan-Africanist organization active in Louisiana from 1957 to 1963. While Audley Moore is often given credit for starting the organization, the UAEW was founded and supported by…
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Mau Mau Rebellion
Day 24 of the 28 Days of Black Liberation 2023 series The story of the Mau Mau Rebellion is one of anti-colonial struggle and resistance. At the start of the twentieth century, the East African country of Kenya was colonized by European settlers. The settlers focused primarily on the fertile…
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Mutulu Shakur
Day 23 of the 28 Days of Black Liberation 2023 series Dr Mutulu Shakur is a world renowned Doctor of acupuncture who dedicated his life to improving healthcare in the Black community. He has been part of the New Afrikan Independence Movement since the age of 16. Dr. Shakur was a member…
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New JEWEL Movement
Day 22 of the 28 Days of Black Liberation 2023 series The New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education, and Liberation, or New JEWEL Movement (NJM), was a Marxist-Leninst movement that successfully overthrew the neocolonial government in the Caribbean nation of Grenada in 1979. Led by lawyer Maurice Bishop, the NJM…
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Claudia Jones
Day 21 of the 28 Days of Black Liberation 2023 series Claudia Cumberbatch (Claudia Jones) was born on February 21, 1915 in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Claudia’s family migrated to the United States in 1924 and resided in Harlem, New York. Claudia’s mom passed away when she was 12 years old due…
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Assata Shakur
Day 12 of the 28 Days of Black Liberation 2023 series Assata, In her own words: “My name is Assata (“she who struggles”) Olugbala ( “for the people” ) Shakur (“the thankful one”), and I am a 20th century escaped slave. Because of government persecution, I was left with no…
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Mumia Abu Jamal
Day 11 of the 28 Days of Black Liberation 2023 series Mumia Abu Jamal is an award-winning journalist and author of two best-selling books, Live From Death Row and Death Blossoms, which address prison life from a critical and spiritual perspective. In 1981 he was elected president of the Association…
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Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
Day 4 of the 28 Days of Black Liberation 2023 series Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was a poet, lecturer, and author. She wrote on her racism, feminism She was an abolitionist, suffragist, and reformer. She co-founded the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. Frances recognized that Black women have a…