This article is a must-read for all revolutionaries, social activists and individuals concerned with strengthening the political power of African people inside the U.S. It tells how one African community has begun to take control and win concrete political, social and economic gains. Visit this page often for up-to-date news on the situation in St. Petersburg.

The City Of African Resistance!

(Above) St. Petersburg: hand to hand combat ensues
between African community and police after police
murder of 18 year old African man, Tyron Lewis (Nov 13, 1996)

In order to talk about the situation in St. Petersburg, I need to establish the context for our understanding. For a long time it was understood by peoples around the world that African people were oppressed and exploited here and wherever we are located. With the relative success of our liberation movements of the 1950s and 1960s around the world, it was recognized that oppressed people, at least in theory, had a right to be free. It was accepted because of the serious struggles waged by oppressed peoples all around the world...

The viciousness of white power imperialism was being exposed on a daily basis for the whole world to see, and there were a lot of forces around the world who were sympathetic to the struggle of black people in this country. Inside this country, white people, no matter whatever else they thought about it, had to recognize that black people were oppressed and exploited. Certainly white people to some degree were able to understand that the United States government had something to do with that.

We saw a revolutionary movement develop in this country and then the United States government fought against it with a fury. They assassinated African people all around this country and jailed people in a very brutal way.

Some of it was televised, done quite publicly so the world could know it. The assassination of King was public. The assassination of Malcolm X was in front of an audience. There was the brutal murder of Fred Hampton. All around the country cops were shooting Panthers in these staged shootouts, and the leadership of the revolutionary movement that had developed in this country was crushed. When I say leadership, I'm talking specifically about the leadership of the African working and poor people, but in addition to that the leadership of an activist, independent movement in this country.

The U.S. government crushed down our movement, wiped it out. It killed people all over this country-just murdered and slaughtered people, and threw people in dungeons and prisons.

The Black Revolution was central to all revolutionary activity in this country. All progressive activity revolved around what the Black Revolution had done. When they crushed that movement, they effectively crushed the leadership for everything else that attempted to be progressive or revolutionary.

The U.S. government waged counterinsurgency against our movement and raised up politicians as the new leaders of the black community. Some political forces became significant only because progressive and revolutionary forces were killed.

When this movement was crushed, the U.S. government waged a campaign against black working and poor people, and by extension against the whole African community. A campaign of slander and demonization was initiated. So today, no one remembers that Africans are oppressed and exploited; now Africans are the problem for everyone. We are the criminals. White people are scared of us.

It's so illogical when you think about the whole history of this relationship. African people have only had the vote for the last 30 years; 30 years ago white people would actually lynch you for trying to vote in this country. Today, it is assumed black people are this terrible threat that everybody's supposed to be afraid of. It is the most ridiculous, obscene kind of thing.