Revolution #262, March 11, 2012
Scenes From BA Everywhere
Week of March 5
“Scenes from BA Everywhere” is a weekly feature that gives our readers an ongoing picture of this multi-faceted campaign, and the variety of ways that funds are being raised and the whole BA vision and framework is being brought into all corners of society. Revolution newspaper is at the hub of the BA Everywhere effort—publishing reports from those taking up the campaign. Revolution plays a pivotal role in building an organized network of people across the country coming together to make BA a household word. We urge all our readers to send us timely correspondence on what you are doing as part of this campaign.
Lo BAsico to Prisoners
The following is an excerpt from a supporter, translated from Spanish; the whole letter is at revcom.us:
Since we took up the task of the campaign to get BA Everywhere, as part of promoting the campaign, to get money to send Lo BAsico [Spanish edition of BAsics, from the talks and writings of Bob Avakian] to prisoners, some of us decided to reach out to everybody who already knows about BA’s work or who at least have bought Lo BAsico and all the people who are interested in the book, or to buy a copy for a prisoner or donate to the PRLF [Prisoners Revolutionary Literature Fund].
One of the experiences which I thought was interesting was with a compañero who has been reading the newspaper for more than a year and has been following the works of BA.
When we showed him the BA Everywhere video [several video clips on BA and BAsics] and after having discussed some points about the campaign, he said: We need the damn money! To promote this guy BA and the Party. That’s what we need the money for!
PRLF Benefit in Chicago
On February 19, the BA Everywhere campaign raised $428 at a benefit near the University of Chicago for the Prisoners Revolutionary Literature Fund’s drive to send BAsics to 2,000 prisoners. Timed in solidarity with the National Occupy Day in Support of Prisoners on February 20, the benefit was held at a community art gallery and school. A crowd of 50-60 people, including poets, ex-prisoners, students and revolutionaries, mingled and enjoyed international food donated by several neighborhood restaurants and a market. Some were being introduced to BA for the first time and others were already active in the campaign. The program alternated live readings of BAsics quotes and letters from prisoners; spoken word poetry; and videos, including clips of Bob Avakian and dramatic readings of letters from prisoners. One woman told the audience how when she was young, the Panthers used to drive people, including her, in inner city Chicago to visit their relatives in prisons across the state. “I’m so glad the revolution is back,” she said. Then she read quote 2:6 from BAsics about imagining work and housing under a liberated socialist society. One person commented, “Bob Avakian and this Party are the only serious revolutionary organization around.”
Taking Out the Call to Act and BAsics to Women’s Hip-Hop Event
The following is from a reader’s correspondence:
We went to a women’s hip-hop event at a local bar that attracts a wide range of people. The audience for the event is young and Black, women and men. It was Valentine’s Day and the freestyling took the three words to style—love, affection, and revolution—to a whole inspiring level. In this mix, we were there to announce the Call to Act (“End Pornography and Patriarchy: The Enslavement and Degradation of Women! Abortion on Demand and Without Apology! Fight for the Emancipation of Women All Over the World!”), and signed up for the open mic. I got up there, introduced BAsics, and just went for it. I read 2:8; “Imagine if we had a whole different art and culture...” As the audience expressed their appreciation, I reached for the Call to Action. But the emcee stepped up and took the mic! She said, “This is a call to action, y’all. End Pornography and Patriarchy: the Enslavement and Degradation of Women.” She stopped to put in her personal input saying, “People, I know a lot of you like porn, but this is a problem for women. We have to end porn. Women are full human beings. Treating women as objects is like enslavement. This is NOT the kind of love we have been talking about.” Then, she slowly and dramatically read the entire paragraph from the Call that begins, “Every 15 seconds a woman is beaten...” and the audience was blasted with each phrase. Finally, she wrapped it up, again, with a call to act to stop the degradation of women.
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