Black August: 1971 and Beyond by Shannon Stubblefield

August 1971: George Jackson's Assassination

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 03:58:34 UTC

George L. Jackson was a revolutionary thinker, member of the Black Panther Party, and founder of the Black Guerrilla Army. He was killed in San Quentin Prison, allegedly for trying to escape. Ten years earlier, he had been sentenced to one year to life for participating in a robbery that only netted $70. While in prison, he was influenced by figures like Malcolm X, Karl Marx, and Mao Zedong, and he became deeply involved in revolutionary politics. Jackson dedicated himself to educating and organizing other prisoners, which made him a target for prison and government authorities. He wrote the influential books Soledad Brother and Blood In My Eye, which document his political growth during his decade in prison. On the day he was killed, Jackson was said to have led a prison rebellion, which coincided with the 140th anniversary of Nat Turner's rebellion. The San Quentin uprising was quickly suppressed, leaving six people dead, including Jackson. Despite his death, George Jackson remains a powerful example of the revolutionary potential of Black and other marginalized people trapped in the prison system.

1971: The Founding of Black August

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 03:58:34 UTC

Following George Jackson's assassination, incarcerated Black revolutionaries organized Black August. The commemoration was born out of the need to honor fallen freedom fighters and to strategize ongoing resistance against racial oppression.

1619: Arrival of the First Africans in America

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 03:58:34 UTC

The first enslaved Africans arrived in North America, landing in Jamestown, Virginia. While the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade had been happening since at least the late 1400s, this event marked the beginning of African enslavement in Britain's North American colonies. We should remember this as a time of great suffering, but it's also important to recognize that the Africans who were enslaved didn't just accept their fate—they resisted and rebelled at every opportunity.

1978: The First Public Celebration of Black August

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 03:58:34 UTC

The first public celebration of Black August occurred in 1978. Its purpose was to raise awareness about the struggle of Black political prisoners and to celebrate the resilience and resistance of the Black community.

1980s-1990s: Expansion of Black August Events

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 03:58:34 UTC

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Black August commemorations expanded beyond prisons and into communities, featuring cultural events, educational workshops, and solidarity actions that highlighted the ongoing struggles for Black liberation.

1998: Tribute to Political Prisoners

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 03:58:34 UTC

In 1998, Black August events included tributes to political prisoners who have been incarcerated for decades due to their activism. These tributes emphasize the importance of remembering and fighting for those who have sacrificed their freedom for the cause.

2020: Black August and the Movement for Black Lives

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 03:58:34 UTC

In 2020, Black August took on new significance amid the resurgence of the Movement for Black Lives, serving as a time to reflect on past struggles and to galvanize new generations in the continuing fight for racial justice.

Ongoing: Black August Practices and Traditions

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Black August involves a range of practices including studying and reflection on the continued fight for Black liberation. The traditions of Black August serve to educate and inspire action towards justice and equity.

On August 6th, 1962

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 04:07:16 UTC

The island of Jamaica broke free from British colonial rule. Although the more radical People's National Party, led by Norman Manley, had lost power to the conservative Jamaican Labor Party in April of that year, Jamaica would become the first English-speaking Caribbean nation to gain formal political independence. Soon after, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Barbados would follow Jamaica's lead.

August 7th, 1970

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 04:08:58 UTC

Jonathan "Man-Child" Jackson stormed the Marin County Courthouse in an attempt to liberate his brother George Jackson and other Black political prisoners known as the Soledad Brothers. Upon entering the courtroom, Jonathan freed Ruchell "Cinque" Magee, William Christmas, and James McClain and they took the judge, assistant prosecutor, and three jurors hostage in order to negotiate the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. The police and prison guards opened fire on a van Jonathan Jackson was driving killing him, McClain, Christmas, as well as the judge because they didn't want his bold act to serve as potential inspiration for other Black radicals. Ruchell Magee was injured in the assault and he would later stand trial with Angela Davis for the plot. At the time of his revolutionary strike for freedom, Jonathan Jackson was only 17 years old

August 9, 1956

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More than 20,000 Black women (many with their children) marched on the Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa to challenge the racist pass laws instituted during the apartheid era. The white supremacist-controlled government initiated the Population Registration Act, requiring Black South Africans to carry passes at all times as they traversed society. Since the inauguration of Nelson Mandela in 1994, August 9th is commemorated as National Women's Day, which is a public holiday in South Africa

August 9th, 2014

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 04:14:16 UTC

Mike Brown was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. His death ignited one of the longest and most widespread protests by young Black people against police brutality and state-sanctioned violence in the 21st century. This event also helped to solidify #BlackLivesMatter as a national movement. The Ferguson Rebellion is one of many uprisings by Black people that have occurred in August, which is why this month is recognized as Black August. Although Mike Brown’s family did not receive justice from the system, the St. Louis County District Attorney, Bob McCulloch, who was seen as corrupt and racist, lost his re-election bid on August 6, 2018. Rest in power, Mike Brown, and long live the Ferguson Rebellion!

August 10, 1858

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Dr. Anna Julia Cooper was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and became a renowned scholar, activist, and an early voice in Black feminism. Born into slavery, she spent her early years working on a plantation owned by George Washington Haywood. After slavery was abolished, she was able to pursue an education, first at St. Augustine Normal School and then at Oberlin College. Cooper then began her career in teaching, public speaking, and writing.

Her first book, A Voice from the South: By a Black Woman of the South (1892), emphasized the importance of educating Black women to empower the Black community. She was also a dedicated Pan-Africanist and played a role in organizing the first Pan-African Conference in 1900.

Dr. Cooper believed in lifelong learning. She began graduate studies at Columbia University in her late 50s and later attended the Sorbonne in France, where she earned a Ph.D. in 1924 at the age of 65, becoming only the fourth Black woman in the U.S. to do so. Upon returning to Washington, DC, she served as president of Frelinghuysen University, which provided education to working-class Black people. She continued her scholarly work, including publishing a memoir in 1951 titled Personal Reflections of the Grimké Family and the Life and Writings of Charlotte Forten Grimké.

Dr. Cooper passed away in her sleep at the age of 105, leaving behind a lasting legacy of Black feminist activism and scholarship that continues to inspire today's Black freedom struggle.

August 11, 1965

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 04:19:53 UTC

The violent arrest of Marquette Frye by the LAPD sparked the Watts Rebellion. After years of police harassment and brutality, the people of Watts fought back in an intense conflict that lasted six days and caused $40 million in damages to Los Angeles. Although some claimed that Black residents were "destroying their own neighborhood," their anger was mainly directed at the LAPD, city officials, and white-owned businesses that exploited and overcharged them while draining wealth from their community. It took 14,000 National Guard troops to end the rebellion. Afterward, Watts experienced a cultural and political revival, with groups like the Watts Writers Workshop, Watts Prophets, and Watts Arts Studio turning Los Angeles into a key center for the Black Arts movement on the West Coast.

August 14th, 1791

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 04:24:00 UTC

Dutty Boukman, a Haitian vodun priest, led a religious ceremony at Bois Caïman with the priestess Cécile Fatiman. They predicted that the enslaved Africans would rise up and overthrow their oppressors. They urged those present to seek revenge against the French slaveholders who had brutally oppressed them for centuries. Within a week, thousands of Haitians joined the revolt, attacking the island of Saint-Domingue. Although Boukman was captured and executed by the French in November 1791, the rebellion had already grown into what became the Haitian Revolution.

The Intersection of Solitary Confinement, Black August, and Disability Justice: A Call to Action

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 04:31:29 UTC

A Call to the United Nations to Abolish Death by Incarceration

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A People's Panel on Abolition and Disability Justice

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Black August Celebrates the History of Black Resistance in the U.S.

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Eyes Of The Rainbow a documentary film with Assata Shakur

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George Jackson (Short Documentary)

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Still Fighting: Unpacking the Revolutionary Spirit of Black August

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Georgia Jackson in 1971, 3 weeks after her son and revolutionary George Jackson was murdered

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 05:16:47 UTC

“There is no Black liberation without Disability Justice and there is no Disability Justice without Black liberation.” -Sami Schalk

shannon408 — 2024-08-22 06:36:10 UTC