NASHVILLE, TN — A community of activist groups joined together with local community members at Centennial Park in protest of the recent abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as well as the United States’ bombing of the capital of Venezuela, Caracas. The protest organizers included the Black Alliance for Peace (BAP), the Middle Tennessee branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), Middle Tennessee Black Gun Club, Nashville People’s Budget Coalition, A Lute Sigue, the Middle Tennessee Democratic Socialists of America, and the Southern Youth Solidarity Network. Wolfgang G. Bronner, B.S., the current BAP Chair, said that the event went well, as it served BAP’s mission in combating much of the propaganda being disseminated to the American public.
“It’s always good to get outside so that people can see that, like, not everybody agrees with what is going on with this country,” Bronner said. “I thought the place was very powerful. Centennial Park, a lot of people frequent there. Vanderbilt University is right across the street.”
Bronner said that since the protest found itself in such a uniquely visible position, they made an effort to be seen by passersby by showing symbolism such as an upside-down American flag. He said other organizations were passing out trifold and materials educating the public on not only what is wrong in the society around them, but also providing them with the tools to take the next steps on how to contribute to societal equality and connect with organizations after the rally.
Bronner said an intention of BAP is to revive the politics of the Black radical peace tradition, of which were the politics “of our ancestors during the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.” Bronner said BAP feels as if a lot of these politics have been lost, so they decided it is their mission to redevelop and help people rediscover those politics. Bronner said some of the ways BAP does this are through educational activities, helping other organizations with movement strategy, and through direct actions.
Bronner said much of the education BAP conducts is through education on how American domestic repression is connected to global oppression. He said in short, BAP is helping people understand that nothing happens in a bubble, and that the political issues that people see in the United States are not isolated. Bronner then quoted Malcolm X, saying that he had the best quote summarizing this point through his “chickens eventually coming home to roost” quote.
“Essentially, what he meant by that is all of the destruction, all of the death that this government is spreading around the world, eventually that’s going to come home,” Bronner said. “We’re seeing that through a lot of the ICE raids, a lot of the rhetoric that is coming from the government.
“So just helping people understand that a lot of the things that we’re seeing here in the United States, they’re not different. They’re just domestic manifestations of a lot of the policies that the United States government has globally.”
Bronner said one of the best things citizens who would like to effect change can do is to educate themselves as much as possible. He said it is for this purpose that the BAP records all of their events and puts them online, the reason being that they understand most citizens cannot attend activist events, and they want everyone to get a chance to experience the message of the speaker or speakers.
Citizens looking for future updates can do so on BAP’s website https://blackallianceforpeace.com/#home-above-fold.
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