Senior UN officials applaud Rwandan efforts to stop the spread of HIV and tuberculosis

Senior United Nations officials today praised Rwanda for successfully integrating the treatment of patients suffering from HIV and tuberculosis after witnessing first-hand the delivery of health services in the African nation.

Yemen and UN launch urgent appeal for aid funding following clashes in north

The United Nations, the Yemeni Government and several humanitarian organizations have launched an urgent appeal for $23.5 million to provide food and shelter to an estimated 150,000 people who have been displaced by recent fighting in the north.

September 20-25: A Global Week of Solidarity With the Unemployed,Surrounding the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh

A Global Week of Solidarity with the Unemployed

September 20 - 25

(During the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh)

Yes to Jobs & Human Needs; No to War & Wall Street Greed

Sunday, September 20 - Rally & March for a Real Jobs Program
Building a Tent City in Pittsburgh for the Unemployed & Supporters the weekend before the G-20 Summit

Organizing Caravans of Unemployed People and Supporters to

Converge on Pittsburgh during the week of September 19-26
Marches, Protests and Events Before and During the G20 Summit addressing demands such as: Bring the Troops Home from Iraq & Afghanistan Now! & Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, World-Renown Political Prisoner, Journalist, Activists and ‘Voice of the Voiceless!”

In September the eyes of the world will be on Pittsburgh, where the G20 countries will meet to consider what to do about the biggest global economic crisis since the 1930s. The heads of governments, finance ministers and central bankers that will be in Pittsburgh for the summit hear the concerns of bankers and corporate executives all the time. They need to listen to the voices of the millions of people who have lost their jobs and their homes because of the crisis. The Bail out the People Movement, a coalition of community, labor, religious, and grassroots activists, wants to help dramatize the crisis of joblessness, and the need for action both in the U.S. and worldwide to the G20 summit. It is now clear that the stimulus legislation passed by the U.S. Congress in March has done little to stop the loss of jobs. There is no recovery for the unemployed, the underemployed and the poor; and things are only getting worse. This is why we’re asking you to help make the idea of a Global Week of Solidarity with the Unemployed from September 19 through September 26, the week of the G20 Summit, a reality.

A TENT CITY AND MARCH FOR JOBS On Sunday, Sept. 20, the tent city will open with a rally and march for jobs. The main site for the tent city will be next to the Monumental Baptist Church in an historic section of the African-American community of Pittsburgh called “The Hill.” This location is just a short walk or march from the convention center where the G20 summit will be held, and from the rest of downtown Pittsburgh. Unemployed people and their supporters will inhabit the tent city from Sept 20 through Sept. 25. Additional locations for other encampments in Pittsburgh are being considered as well. This is why we’re asking you to help make the idea of a Global Week of Solidarity with the Unemployed from September 19 through September 26, the week of the G20 Summit, a reality.

IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE – THIS IS A WEEK OF SOLIDARITY WITH YOU The Week of Solidarity with the Unemployed is also a week of solidarity with those who have lost their homes to foreclosures and evictions; those who have been forced to take part-time or temporary jobs because there are no full-time jobs; workers who have seen their wages and hours cut; autoworkers whose plants have been closed; immigrant workers who are fighting for their rights; communities that are fighting gentrification and budget cuts to social programs; students who are being forced out of school because of the debt burden and rising tuition cost; the survivors and displaced victims of the Katrina/Rita hurricanes and the government’s criminally negligent response; poor and working people everywhere, especially in poor countries who are bearing the cruel brunt of the economic crisis; workers everywhere fighting for the right to organize and in the U.S. for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act in the U.S.; All who need single payer health care; retirees who need their healthcare & pensions safeguarded; and young people, especially Black and Latina/o youths whom the system has condemned to a jobless future.

IT’S TIME TO BAILOUT THE UNEMPLOYED WITH A REAL JOBS PROGRAM In the days before and during the G20 summit, events and marches will take place to emphasize this central point: More than just another stimulus package is needed. It’s time for a serious, direct and massive jobs program on par with the Works Progress Administration of the 1930s. We must fight for a real jobs program for the unemployed and underemployed that pays a living wage performing socially meaningful work; and an income for those unable to work. Any claim that the resources for a serious jobs program are not available must be rejected. If governments, particularly the U.S. government, can make available trillions of dollars for bailing out banks and corporations as well as funding the Pentagon’s endless wars, & Occupations, they can find the resources to bail out the unemployed and underemployed.

THIS IS A GLOBAL CALL BECAUSE JOBLESSNESS IS A GLOBAL CRISIS Mass unemployment is a global phenomenon. The right to a job at a living wage must be a global demand. Instead of being pitted against each other, unemployed and working people across the world can only improve their conditions by working and fighting together for their common interests. Activists and organizations everywhere are encouraged to support the Global Week of Solidarity with the Unemployed and organize events in conjunction with it.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING’S FINAL CAUSE: THE RIGHT OF ALL TO A JOB OR AN INCOME The need and the right of everyone to either a job or a guaranteed income is the cause that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated the last year of his life to. The present global economic depression has made King’s last cause even more urgent today than it was when he was alive. Dr. King also knew that: no matter the magnitude of suffering, governments do not respond if those who are suffering remain invisible and silent. Even a history-making president like Obama is still not a substitute for the mass movement for social justice. During the depression of the 1930’s, President Franklyn Delano Roosevelt once told labor leaders who were asking him to do more to help workers and the poor “I agree with you, know make me do it”. FDR’s advice applies to Pres. Obama to. The purpose of the Global Week of Solidarity with the Unemployed is to make sure that people who are usually ignored are seen and heard.

ORGANIZING CARAVANS OF UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE AND SUPPORTERS TO PITTSBURGH Over the next 10 weeks, organizing will be going on in every region of the country to bring caravans of unemployed people and supporters to Pittsburgh in Sept.

THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:

Have your Union/Community/Religious or Student Organization.endorse - http://www.bailoutpeople.org/septg20endorse.shtml
Donate to help with organizing expenses - http://bailoutpeople.org/donate.shtml
Organize car/s vans/ trucks & buses from your locality to participate in the caravans to Pittsburgh - http://www.bailoutpeople.org/septg20volorgcents.shtml
Have an Organizer address a meeting of your organization - http://bailoutpeople.org/cmnt.shtml
Volunteer your time to work on this project - http://www.bailoutpeople.org/septg20volorgcents.shtml
Bail Out the People Movement
Solidarity Center
55 W. 17th St. #5C
New York, NY 10011
212.633.6646
http://www.BailOutPeople.org
Email: bailoutpeople.org/cmnt.shtml

Senior UN officials applaud Rwandan efforts to stop the spread of HIV, TB

Senior United Nations officials today praised Rwanda for successfully integrating the treatment of patients suffering from HIV and tuberculosis after witnessing first-hand the delivery of health services in the African nation.

Letters Requested for U.S. Political Prisoner Jalil Abdul Muntaqim’sParole Hearing in September 2009

Jalil’s 2009 Parole Hearing

Jalil is asking that we write letters supporting his September 2009 parole. Please address the letter to the Parole Commissioners (Re: Parole application of Anthony Jalil Bottom #77A4283) but send to:
NYC Jericho, PO Box 1272, New York, NY 10013

The more personal and individual your letter is, the better. You can write about visiting or communicating with Jalil, or if you haven’t been in direct touch with him, you can write about the articles you’ve read by him or any other knowledge you have of his activities while in prison. Please say that you are aware of the case for which he is serving his sentence. You can also talk about your own perspective - for example, if you are a teacher, you know how valuable it is that Jalil has counseled young prisoners. Any particular slant you can give to your assertion that he will be an excellent candidate for release can give the letter more force.

Some of Jalil’s achievements while incarcerated:

In 1986, Mr. Bottom drafted a legislative bill for New York State prisoners to obtain good time off their sentence. The bill was submitted and introduced into the New York State Assembly - Committee on Corrections by former Assemblyman Arthur O. Eve.

In 1994, while incarcerated at Shawangunk Correctional Facility, Mr. Bottom established the first Men’s Council in the United States prison. His efforts were featured on television in Japan and written about in the NY Times. During this period, he also graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Sociology. Instead of resting on his success, he taught African Studies to a group of prisoners.

On two occasions, he received commendations from prison officials for quelling potential prison riots, one in the mess hall at Great Meadow Correctional Facility and another time in the auditorium at Greenhaven Correctional Facility.

From 1996 to 1999, Mr. Bottom was the office manager of the prison computer lab at Eastern Correctional Facility. His duties consisted of teaching prisoners keyboarding skills and how to use computer software programs. Despite his busy schedule, he found the time to raise money from inmate accounts to support the charitable Children’s Funds.

In 1999, in Auburn Correctional Facility, Mr. Bottom established sociology, poetry, and legal research and discussion classes under the auspices of the Lifer’s Committee that he chaired.

Mr. Bottom co-sponsored the Victory Gardens Project, a program in which farmers in Maine grew tons of fresh produce for distribution to poor urban communities in New York, New Jersey and Boston, Massachusetts. In the four years of its existence, the Project distributed nearly 10,000 pounds of fresh produce in urban centers.

In response to the tragedy of September 11, 2001, while in Auburn Correctional Facility, Mr. Bottom proposed raising funds from inmates to donate to the American Red Cross. Former Deputy Superintendent of Programs, R. Nelson acknowledged Anthony’s efforts in a memorandum.

While in Auburn Correctional Facility he worked as a Pre-GED Teacher’s Assistant, earned a vocational certificate for Architectural Drafting. Mr. Bottom has proposed and gained the approval for a Life Skills Program for inmates.

Mr. Bottom is a published poet and essayist; his writings are found in several University sponsored books of compilations of prison writers. He has also written an unpublished novel and teleplay.

To read about Jalil’s parole release plans, go to the following URL http://www.freejalil.com

Free All Political Prisoners!
nycjericho@gmail.com • http://www.jerichony.org

When birds and pigs collide

A report of people being infected with both bird flu and swine flu raises the threat of a deadly hybrid virus, but it may be a false alarm, says Debora MacKenzie

Kwame Nkrumah: Pan-Africanist, Socialist and Revolutionary

Kwame Nkrumah: Pan-Africanist, Socialist and Revolutionary

Posted by rowlandkeshena on May 25, 2009

In celebration of this years 51st African Liberation Day I am re-posting this biography of African revolutionary leader Kwame Nkrumah.

Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, or simply Kwame Nkrumah was born September 21st, 1909. He would become one of the most influential pan-Africanists, socialists and revolutionaries in the world, as well as the first leader of independent Ghana, and before that, its predecessor state, the Gold Coast.

In 1909, Madam Nyaniba gave birth to Francis Nwia Kofi Ngonloma in Nkroful, Gold Coast, a British Colony in the west of Africa. Nkrumah graduated from the Achimota School in Accra in 1930, later studying for the Roman Catholic Seminary and teaching at the Catholic school in Axim. In 1935 he decided to leave Ghana for the United States. In the United States he received his BA from Lincoln University in 1939, where he was also pledged to the Mu Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. He continued his academic studies in 1942, receiving his STB (Bachelor of Sacred Theology).

He also went on to earn a Master of Science in education from the University of Pennsylvania, also 1942, and a Master of Arts in philosophy the following year. While lecturing in political science at Lincoln he was elected president of the African Students Organization of America and Canada. As an undergraduate at Lincoln he participated in at least one student theater production and published an essay on European government in Africa in the student newspaper,The Lincolnian.

Over the course of his studies in the US, Nkrumah visited and preached in black Presbyterian Churches in Philadelphia and New York City, as well as read books on politics and divinity. It was during this time that he encountered the ideas of of pioneering pan-Africanist and black revolutionary Marcus Garvey. He also had a job tutoring fellow students in philosophy. Also at this time, in 1943, he met the Afro-Trinidadian Marxist and Trotskyist C.L.R. James. He would later describe how it was from James that he learnt how an underground movement worked.

Following his stint in the US he left for London, England, arriving in May 1945. He had intended to study at the London School of Economics, however, after meeting with George Padmore, another influential Afro-Trinidadian Marxist, he decided to help organize the Fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester. After that he founded the West African National Secretariat to work for the decolonization of Africa. He also became Vice-President of the West African Students’ Union.

He was invited to serve as the General Secretary to the United Gold Coast Convention in fall, 1947 under Joseph B. Danquah. This convention had the intention of exploring paths to independence for the then British Colony of the Gold Coast (now Ghana). Nkrumah accepted the position and left immediately to return to his native home. After a series of brief stops in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Ivory Coast, he arrived in the Gold Coast in December 1947.

In February, 1948 the colonial police fired upon a protest being lead by ex-African servicemen. They were protesting the rapidly rising cost of living. The shooting itself went onto spur a series of riots across the capital of Accra, as well as Kumasi and elsewhere. The British authorities suspected the UGCC to have behind the protests and therefore took action by arresting Nkrumah and the other leading members of the movement. The imperialists soon realised their error, that the UGCC and Nkrumah had not been responsible for the riots, but it was already to late, for after his imprisonment by the colonial government, he emerged as the primary leader of the Ghanaian independence youth movement in 1948.

After his release from imperialist imprisonment, Nkrumah decided to journey around the country of his native country by way of hitch-hiking. In community after community that he visited he would proclaim that the Gold Coast needed self-government. On the basis of his community to community travels he was able to build a large base of support towards the cause of self-determination. Many rushed to his cause, such as the rural cocoa farmers who disagreed with British policy concerning the containment of swollen shoot disease. He also appealed greatly to women to become a part of the political process. This was at a time when women’s suffrage was new to, even to Western ‘Democracy’. His movement also found allies amongst working-class organisations, such as the unions. By 1949 he had coalesced these diverse groups into a new political party: The Convention People’s Party.

The British, who were making moves towards self-government for the Gold Coast, called for the drafting of a New Constitution that would grant local authorities some responsibility for policy decisions. The new constitution, which was drawn up under the influence of the Ghanaian national bourgeoisie, made wage and property requirements were the basis for suffrage. In opposition to this Nkrumah brought together his own “People’s Assembly” composed of representatives of party members, youth organizations, trade unions, farmers, and veterans. In contrast to the new bourgeoisie constitution, their proposals called for universal suffrage without property qualifications, a separate house of chiefs, and self-governing status under the Statute of Westminster. These amendments, known as the Constitutional Proposals of October 1949, were rejected by the colonial administration.

The colonial administration’s rejection of the People’s Assembly’s recommendations led directly to Nkrumah’s call for “Positive Action” in January 1950. His idea of Positive Action included civil disobedience, non-cooperation, boycotts, and strikes. In response the imperialist administration again arrested Nkrumah and many of his supporters in the CPP. Nkrumah was sentenced to three years in prison.

Under the ever increasing weight of both international protests and internal resistance, the British decided to pull out of the Gold Coast. They organized the first general election to be held in Africa under universal franchise; it was held on 5-10 February, 1951. Though in jail, Nkrumah won the election by a landslide, with the CPP taking 34 out of 38 elected seats in the Legislative Assembly.

On 12 February Nkrumah was released from prison, and on the 13th was summoned by the British Governor Charles Arden-Clarke and asked to form a government. On 20 February the new Legislative Assembly met, with Nkrumah as Leader of Government Business and E.C. Quist as President of the Assembly. A year later, on 10 March 1952, the constitution was amended to provide for a Prime Minister, and on 21 March Nkrumah was elected to that post by a secret ballot in the Assembly, 45 to 31, with eight abstentions. On 10 July 1953 he presented his “Motion of Destiny” to the Assembly, which approved it. The motion requested independence within the British Commonwealth “as soon as the necessary constitutional arrangements are made”.

As the leader of Ghana during the transition to independence he was faced with three major challenges: firstly he needed to learn the art of government on the job, secondly he needed to create a unified nation of Ghana from the four territories of the Gold Coast and finally he needed to win his nation’s independence.

On March 6, 1957, at 12 am, Nkrumah declared Ghana to be an independent nation. In celebration and in respect he was given the title of Osagyefo by the people, which translates roughly as “redeemer” or “the victorious one” in the Akan tongue.

On the same date three years later he introduced proposed constitutional changes, primarily that Ghana become a republic. In a truly revolutionary and internationalist move, the new set of proposals also called for the eventual surrender of Ghana’s sovereignty to a federal union of African states. On 19, 23, and 27 April 1960 a presidential election and plebiscite on the constitution were held. The constitution was ratified and Nkrumah elected president. Nkrumah was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union and Ghana also became a charter member of the Organization of African Unity in 1963.

While the Gold Coast was already one of the most wealthy and socially advanced territories in Africa, with schools, railways, hospitals, social security and an advanced economy. Under Nkrumah’s leadership, Ghana took steps towards a more socialist state. Nkrumah created a welfare system, started various community programs, and established schools. He ordered the construction of roads and bridges to further commerce and communication. In the interest of the nation’s health, he had tap water systems installed in the villages and ordered the construction of concrete drains for latrines.

In terms of his own personal politics, Nkrumah considered himself to be a non-aligned Marxist. He believed that the malign effects of capitalism and imperialism were going to stay with the newly independent states of Africa for a long time thereafter.

He was clear on distancing his Marxist socialism from the so-called “African socialism” of many of his contemporaries, such as Julius Nyerere of Tanzania and Ahmed Sékou Touré of Guinea. He argued that socialism was the system that would best accommodate the changes that capitalism had brought, while he still respected African values. His main piece articulating the differences between his Marxist socialism and African Socialism was “African Socialism Revisited”. In it he says:

“We know that the traditional African society was founded on principles of egalitarianism. In its actual workings, however, it had various shortcomings. Its humanist impulse, nevertheless, is something that continues to urge us towards our all-African socialist reconstruction. We postulate each man to be an end in himself, not merely a means; and we accept the necessity of guaranteeing each man equal opportunities for his development. The implications of this for socio-political practice have to be worked out scientifically, and the necessary social and economic policies pursued with resolution. Any meaningful humanism must begin from egalitarianism and must lead to objectively chosen policies for safeguarding and sustaining egalitarianism. Hence, socialism. Hence, also, scientific socialism.”

However, it is probably not for his socialism that he was best known, and best remembered for, but rather for being a pioneering advocate of pan-Africanism. He was inspired deeply by his interactions by his fore fathers in the field, people like Marcus Garvey, W.E.B. DuBois, George Padmore and C.L.R. James. Nkrumah would himself go onto inspire and encourage Pan-Africanist positions amongst a number of other African independence leaders and activists from the African diaspora, with perhaps Nkrumah’s biggest success in this area coming with his significant influence in the founding of the Organization of African Unity.

Towards this end he created the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party with the goal of creating and managing the political economic conditions necessary to the emergence of an All-African People’s Revolutionary Army. The A-APRA would the Africa-wide struggle against settler colonialism, Zionism, neo-colonialism, imperialism and all other forms of capitalist oppression and exploitation. The A-APRP still exists to this day, based out of Ghana, but with branches in many countries around Africa, the Caribbean, North America and Europe.

In February 1966 while he was away on a state visit to Vietnam, his government was overthrown in a CIA backed military coup. Following this, Nkrumah would never again return to Ghana, but nevertheless he continued to push for his vision of African unity from elsewhere. In particular he spent much of his exile in Conakry, Guinea, where he was the guest of Ahmed Sékou Touré, who made him honorary co-president of Guinea. He spent his time reading, writing, corresponding, gardening, and entertaining guests. Despite his retirement from public office, his fear of western intelligence agencies did not abate.

In August, 1971, with failing health he was medevaced to to Bucharest, Romania. In April, 1972 he passed away from skin cancer at the age of 62. He was buried in Ghana in a tomb (which is still present) at the village of his birth, Nkroful, but his remains were later transferred to a large national memorial tomb and park in Accra.

Today, Nkrumah is still one of the most respected leaders in African history. His legacy lives on today in the continued existence of the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party, still based out of his home of Ghana, but also in other radical pan-Africanists and socialists such as the African People’s Socialist Party and the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement, both of which are based out of the United States.

So on this 51st celebration of African Liberation Day, let us remember not just Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, but all the others who have struggled in Africa for liberation, and also those who have struggled around the world. Rest in Uhuru.

Three new judges sworn in before UN’s Balkans war crimes tribunal

Three new permanent judges were sworn in today before the United Nations war crimes tribunal that was set up to try people accused of committing the worst offences during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s.

UN Economic Commission for Africa hosts climate change meeting

Experts, government ministers and senior United Nations officials will focus on combating climate change in Africa, including measures for adaptation and mitigation and financial resources and investment, at a forum due to take place tomorrow in Addis Ababa.

Shut-Off By DTE Energy: Moratorium NOW! Press Statement on the Plightof the Residents at Highland Towers

For Immediate Release

Press Statement on the Plight of Residents at the Highland Towers on Woodward Avenue

Event: Organizing Meeting to Declare Economic State of Emergency in Michigan
Location: Central United Methodist Church, Saturday, Sept. 12, 11:00am
Sponsors: Moratorium NOW! Coalition to Stop Foreclosures, Evictions, Utilty Shut-offs
Contact: 313.671.3715 or 887.4344
e-mail: moratorium@moratorium-mi.org
URL: http://moratorium-mi.org

Highland Towers Residents Left in the Dark by DTE; Children, Seniors, Infirm Imperiled;
Demand a Moratorium on Foreclosures, Evictions and Utility Shut-offs Now!

Members of the Moratorium NOW! Coalition to Stop Foreclosures, Evictions and Utility Shut-offs deplores the actions of DTE Energy for shutting off the electricity and natural gas services at the Highland Towers apartments located on Woodward avenue near Glendale in Highland Park, Michigan. This action by the major power company in metropolitan Detroit has endangered the lives and well-being of hundreds of residents.

According to DTE Energy, the owners of the building owed tens of thousands of dollars in back payments claiming financial difficulties. However, this was not the responsiblity of the residents who had paid their rents in which the cost of utilities were included. This respresents a growing problem in the metro Detroit area as slum landlords refuse to pay bills leaving tenants, who are unaware of the difficulties, facing power cuts and evictions without notice.

Inside the Highland Towers there are children, people with disabilities and those suffering from serious medical conditions. At least one dialysis patient resides in the building. When a representative of the Moratorium NOW! Coalition visited the building on September 1, residents were shocked and overwhelmed. One elderly man walked out into the street and laid down before oncoming traffic. He was soon retreived by residents of the building before a bus drove through the lane.

This situation and others throughout the city and region illustrates the failure of city, county, state and federal government agencies to protect the health and lives of the population. DTE Energy has refused to impose a moratorium on utility shut-offs despite the deaths of four people in June in northwest Detroit and the current situation involving the residents of Highland Towers in Highland Park.

The Moratorium NOW! Coalition is calling on the people to come out to an organizing meeting on September 12 to demand that Governor Granholm declare an economic state of emergency in Michigan and consequently impose moratoriums on foreclosures, evictions and utility-shutoffs. This meeting will be held at the Central United Methodist Church, located on Woodward and Adams in downtown Detroit on Saturday, September 12 beginning at 11:00 a.m.

The city of Detroit is facing a near 30% unemployment rate, while hundreds of thousands more are under threat of eviction and the shut-off of their utility services and water. This represents a state of emergency for the millions of residents of the state and should be acted upon immediately. Failure to take corrective action is endangering the health and welfare of people throughout Michigan.

Interim Mayor Dave Bing has demonstrated his total disdain for the working people of Detroit by proposing massive lay-offs and service cuts including the large-scale reduction in bus services. The city lay-offs and cuts in transportation will only create more foreclosures, evictions, utility shut-offs and job losses. Make no mistake about it, Bing is not working for the people of Detroit but for the banks and corporations whose policies have created the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Only the people organized into a mass movement can mobilize the energy and resources to fight the banks, corporations and their paid agents in government. The thousands of people who came out to public hearings to oppose the bus service cuts during the week of August 24 represent the true face of the people of this city. Bing represents the thieves of Wall Street who only wish to push the people backwards and exploit them even further.

Members of the Moratorium NOW! Coalition are available for comment at the numbers listed above.