Black Solidarity Week in Oakland

Oakland, Calif. — Black Solidarity Week was held here Feb. 17-24, initiated by the Community Ready Corps for Self-Determination.

The philosophy behind this call is explained on the Corps’ website: “Our communities have been robbed of the benefits of effective functional solidarity, either through external attacks, predatory design, or internal disputes that have been manufactured or manipulated. We are obligated to ask the question: What are the forces & factors that keep us from getting to functional & effective solidarity? Operating on the wisdom that we win or lose, one generation at a time, the Community READY Corps calls for a week of Black Solidarity beginning on February 17 running through February 24. The time is now. We must set the example for the generations of doers, thinkers, teachers and leaders that come behind us.”

The Minister Huey P. Newton Solidarity March and Rally kicked off the week on Feb. 17 with a historic march led by Black community activists through the heart of the Black community in deep East Oakland, down International Avenue from 107th Avenue to 73rd Avenue. Many other events have been scheduled for the week, including “Surviving Smash and Grab,” featuring Chairman Fred Hampton Jr., Mama Akua Njeri and “Resurrecting the Legacy of Malcolm X (El Hajj Malik El Shabazz).” The full schedule can be found on the Community Ready Corps’ page at facebook.com/OakCRC.