Omali Yeshitela, Chairman of the African People’s Socialist Party is returning to the Bay Area Feb. 17 and 18.
On Saturday, Feb. 17 at 6 pm an open discussion will be held with Chairman Omali in “An Evening with Chairman Omali Yeshitela: The Road to Socialism is Painted Black.” Â
Chairman Omali will talk about the need for self-determination and political and economic power in the hands of the African community as the only solution for the problems plaguing black people today in the U.S. and around the world.
He will also discuss the Party’s Black Power Blueprint, a self-determination, black community-led revitalization and economic development program in St. Louis, MO, built in the wake of the police murder of Mike Brown and rebellions in 2014.
On Sunday, Feb. 18 at 4 pm the Chairman will discuss the pressing need to fight the FBI’s targeting of black activists through the designation of “Black Identity Extremists.”
Yeshitela notes that the Black Identity Extremist program is nothing more than a continuation of the COINTELPRO attacks on the Black Movement of the 1960s, a program which assassinated and imprisoned beloved black leaders, some of whom are still locked up today.
Both events will be held at the Akwaaba Hall at the Uhuru House, 7911 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland.
During the 80s, Yeshitela headquartered the worldwide Uhuru Movement from his Party’s East Oakland base, leading community movements in defense of the black community.
In 1984 and 85 Yeshitela launched Oakland Ballot Measures O and H calling for community control of housing in a city already facing the onslaught of gentrification that displaced countless black residents forcing thousands into homelessness.
Yeshitela waged a community fightback against the U.S. government’s proven deadly imposition of crack cocaine into the black community.
He fought the government and media criminalization of black workers, battled the dislocation of African infants and children through the brutal foster care system, campaigned for reparations to African people and built the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement to “defend the democratic rights of the black community.”
From the Oakland Uhuru House he wrote many books and published The Burning Spear newspaper which still appears monthly today.
Yeshitela also built many institutions including Uhuru Furniture and Collectibles at 3742 Grand Ave in Oakland and Uhuru Foods and Pies, which continue to be popular and successful self-determination institutions in the Bay Area.
Chairman Omali built the African Socialist International, organizing for the liberation of Africa and African people forcibly dispersed throughout the world.
Today he travels to Europe, the Caribbean and Africa where the Uhuru Movement is thriving.
Chairman Omali is the chair of the Black is Back Coalition for Justice, Peace and Reparations in addition to leading the African People’s Socialist Party which will hold its 7th Party Congress in St. Louis later this year.
For more information email Oakland@uhurufoods.org or call 800.578.5157.