Black August Organizing Committee and The FTP Movement Unite

THE YEAR OF THE ANT AND THE DRAGON: BAOC & FTP UNITE!





On February 15, 2009, The Black August Organizing Committee (BAOC) and The FTP Movement formed an official union as agreed upon by Shaka At-Thinnin, Chairman of BAOC and Kalonji Changa, Founder/National Coordinator of The FTP Movement.



Following a weekend of activities hosted by the Los Angeles branch of FTP, a meeting was held in order to strategize on ways that both organizations could better work together, consolidate efforts and resources to achieve maximum impact for the communities they serve.



“When you are serious about working with and for our people, it is only logical to seek out those of like minds”, said Kalonji Changa of FTP. “The BAOC has had a consistent, commitment of resistance for over 30 years. It is a proven track record that cannot be disputed. We bleed the same blood through the same veins; this is the year of The Ant and The Dragon”.



While this union is now official, it is by no means new. The FTP Movement and the BAOC have been working together on various initiatives and projects for over five years.



“It is not just the building of the Movement that we must be concerned with, but also the sustaining of the Movement. To do that, we must identify our allies, consolidate our forces and expand our programs and efforts across this country”, said Shaka At-Thinnin of Black August. “Our people are suffering and our communities are in need. It is imperative that we build up the consciousness and will of a committed group of people that then work diligently toward improving the conditions of our people.”



As one of our first acts of solidarity, FTP and BAOC are announcing the weekend of March 27-29, 2009 as National Feed the People Weekend. In conjunction with Guerrilla Republik and others, Feed the People events will take place in Oakland, CA, Atlanta, GA, Las Vegas, NV, San Diego, CA and Los Angeles, CA. We encourage people in every city across the nation to participate in this weekend, take to the streets and serve our people.



This year commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Black August Organizing Committee. Weekend-long celebrations will be taking place in both Atlanta, GA (August 14-16) and Oakland, CA (August 21-23). Please join us as we celebrate 30 years of resistance and build toward the next phase of our people’s Movement. Go to myspace.com/dragonspeaks for additional details.



The Black August Organizing Committee and the FTP Movement have developed a series of guidelines and protocols for forming additional chapters or holding events under the BAOC or FTP banner. If you are interested in hosting a Black August or FTP event in your city or starting a local chapter, please contact BAOC or FTP National Headquarters at the contact numbers below.



For more information on either Feed the People Weekend or Black August Celebrations, please contact BAOC National Headquarters @ 1 -888 – 600- 1722 or FTP Movement National Headquarters @ (404) 419 – 6959.

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