August 22:
Putting on the Shirt, Stepping into the Revolution
August 24, 2015 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Houston
On Saturday, August 22, people around the country answered the call of the BA Everywhere campaign to wear the bold T-shirt, BA Speaks; REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! and represent for revolution and the emancipation of humanity. The next day, on the 23rd, there were showings of excerpts from the film BA Speaks: REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! Bob Avakian Live in a number of cities. And on Friday, August 21, there was a very successful showing of excerpts from the film REVOLUTION AND RELIGION: The Fight for Emancipation and the Role of Religion; A Dialogue Between CORNEL WEST & BOB AVAKIAN at Martha’s Vineyard attended by more than 130 people, mostly middle class Black people deeply concerned with what’s going on in the world (more on this coming soon at revcom.us).
DONATE and raise money for the BA Everywhere campaign, to make BA a point of reference in society, to subsidize getting out these T-shirts and the works of BA, including the film REVOLUTION AND RELIGION: The Fight for Emancipation and the Role of Religion; A Dialogue Between CORNEL WEST & BOB AVAKIAN; the film BA Speaks: REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! Bob Avakian Live; and the book BAsics, from the talks and writings of Bob Avakian. If you don’t know much about BA, these would be good places to start, and even as you are learning more, and thinking about all this, agreeing, disagreeing, provoked and challenged by what BA says—if you feel BA and his vision needs to be out there, sparking discussion and debate about revolution and a radically different world, stay engaged and contribute to this campaign.
Bob Avakian, BA, the leader of the revolution, has done the work to scientifically forge a new framework for human emancipation—the new synthesis of communism—with an actual strategy to make revolution in the U.S. BA Everywhere, the fundraising campaign to make BA a household name and his work a point of reference with broad societal impact, has to do with making this known throughout society. For more on this, go to revcom.us.
On the 22nd, clusters of people and individuals, including from the bedrock oppressed sections of society, represented in these T-shirts, from major cities to small towns—boldly marching, chanting, sharing the words of BA with people, playing his New Year’s Message and reading quotes from BAsics (from his talks and writings)—all the while encouraging people to get into BA; read, experience and grapple with his works and revolutionary theory; and join in fighting the power, including with #RiseUpOctober, the mass outpouring against police terror in New York City this October.
Here are photos from around the country, and quotes from some of the people who participated in the day. (Note: Quotes on this page are not from people pictured on this page.)
Above, Chicago. Below, Houston.
A Black woman: “I always see you out there. Always on the side of the people, always fighting to stop police brutality. So I want to be part of this movement for revolution.”
Young woman student at a community college and a volunteer at Revolution Books: “I’m in Chicago on vacation, staying with my father in a hotel here, when the two of us came out of a bookstore downtown and there I was surprised by the group out here manifesting at T-shirt Day. I told my dad, ‘These are my people and I have to join them right now!’ T-shirt Day is important because it represents the emancipation of humanity and helping others. It represents the new synthesis of communism that Bob Avakian has set forth for this earth and for the United States alike! And, today, we are not just going out and telling people about this. On T-shirt Day, we are showing them—we are out here actually making this a force in the world for everyone to see!”
Latino man who is a graduate student in the social sciences: “I’m a graduate student and I’m in Chicago presenting at a conference and I presented work about the Stop Mass Incarceration Network and what Rise up October is trying to do in society and we engaged young graduate students and professors about that. I also work with the Revolution Club and so, I think T-shirt Day is a great way to show the organization of our movement, the unity and specifically the content of the leadership of Bob Avakian, who is someone who’s been developing and fighting for an all the way revolution. Anything less is bullshit! REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS!, the DVD itself, is wonderful and challenging and historic and the message is that anything less than a total revolution is not gonna get humanity free. And we have in BA himself the ethical foundation, the scientific foundation, the economic foundation of what would be a world worthy of all human beings on the planet and we are working—including through T-shirt Day—on getting that out and making that a material force.”
Above, Ferguson. Below left, Atlanta. Below right, Oakland
Pasco, Washington
Skid Row, Los Angeles.
Berkeley (left) and New York City (right).
From a new member of the Revolution Club: “I put on the shirt because the world needs to know about the Revolutionary Communist Party, a real group of internationalists, and what they stand for. People need to know the truth, the real history of communism, and that there is a way out of this shit we’re living through today. I agree a lot with what they stand for and I am willing to do the work to learn more and to represent with them today.”
A young man who had been wearing his T-shirt through the neighborhood: “I’m ready to get more involved in the revolution” and “I’ve always known that BA is serious.”
A young Black man who teaches adult literacy, after seeing the Revolution Club outfitted in the shirts at Times Square in NYC: “That was great. I was sitting here thinking, how well organized that was... and how determined they sounded. It was really powerful.”
Young Black woman participated in the day and got other people in the park to put on the T-shirt: “I think that T-shirt Day is important because it is for a revolution! This is what can help the circumstances of today. And basically to stop the violence of the police!”
A member of the Revolution Club: “I put on the T-shirt because when you read the ‘no more generations of our youth’ quote and look at the faces on the stolen by police photo I am filled with rage and deep sadness. Something can and must be done about this and the horrors of this world—wearing this shirt is an example to myself and others that a whole new world is possible.”
A musician: “I wore the shirt today because I wanted to show solidarity with the idea of Revolution Nothing Less.”
A revolutionary born outside the U.S.: “I am wearing my shirt to popularize BA because he speaks about the real revolution and nobody else does.”
A man from the neighborhood who challenged others to come out for the day: “Love and justice wins revolution.”
A Black youth who was asked why he is wearing the shirt: “I don’t look at it as a shirt, see it as a way of life.”
Berkeley
New York (left); Chicago (right).
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