The Problem with “Privilege”

* We are re-posting an article from the blog of Andrea Smith, a long-time organizer, activist, intellectual and co-founder of Incite! Women of Color Against Violence.  Her article provides a variety of important insights, critiques and possible ways forward in looking to improve our praxis in confronting,  with the goal to end, systemic oppression.*

by Andrea Smith

For a much longer and detailed version, see my essay in the book Geographies of Privilege  

In my experience working with a multitude of anti-racist organizing projects over the years, I frequently found myself participating in various workshops in which participants were asked to reflect on their gender/race/sexuality/class/etc. privilege.  These workshops had a bit of a self-help orientation to them: “I am so and so, and I have x privilege.”  It was never quite clear what the point of these confessions were.  It was not as if other participants did not know the confessor in question had her/his proclaimed privilege.   It did not appear that these individual confessions actually led to any political projects to dismantle the structures of domination that enabled their privilege.  Rather, the confessions became the political project themselves.   

Tahrir-ICN statement on events in Egypt

*We are reposting a statement from the Tahrir-ICN blog on the current situation in Egypt*

by tahriricn

The events of the past couple of days are the latest step in a sequence of events by which the military can consolidate its hold on power, aim towards the death of the revolution and a return to a military/police state.

The authoritarian regime of the Muslim Brotherhood had to go. But what has replaced it is the true face of the military in Egypt – no less authoritarian, no less fascist and for sure more difficult to depose.

Will the cop who killed Reefa be allowed to stand his ground too?

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We are reposting this piece from the “Let’s Talk About It!” radio show blog by Subhash Kateel, a Miami comrade, radio show host, and veteran activist.

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By Subhash Kateel

This past week another young man from Miami with a promising life was cut down needlessly. Another mother is left to mourn her son while spending the next several holidays staring at an empty chair.  Another group of friends will reflect in the past tense about a friend that is no longer with them.  And yet again, another killer will likely walk the street, spend holidays with his family and hang out with his friends.  This time the killer will probably even get his job back…as a Miami Beach Police Officer.

Rally Against Police Brutality, RIP Reefa: 1pm, Sat. Aug. 10th, @ Collins Ave. and 71st St., Miami Beach

https://www.facebook.com/events/217445518412221/

Friends of Trayvon Host Rally Saturday (7/20) at 1pm

An event organized by Friends of Trayvon; come stand in solidarity and bring others along! Here’s their event information and posting:

Saturday, July 20, 2013 1:00pm

Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex

3000 NW 199th Street, Miami Gardens, Florida

Free Event! Come rain or shine! Come Support Justice for Trayvon!

We’re going to gather, express ourselves, and protest the not guilty verdict handed down in the George Zimmerman trial. There will be a rally at Betty T. Ferguson Amphitheater! Please bring signs, poetry, music, and skits. Bring chairs, blankets, and umbrellas.

Wear your support justice for Trayvon gear as we petition for a federal civil rights abuse charge against George Zimmerman.

This gathering is sponsored by Friends of Trayvon with support from Miami Gardens Commissioner Felicia Robinson.

https://www.facebook.com/events/492631907493735

Miami Vigil for Trayvon Martin: 6pm at Bayfront Park

Today, Sunday, July 14th, 2013 @ 6pm

 Torch of Friendship, Bayfront Park Miami, Florida

https://www.facebook.com/events/351728858288577/

Other events throughout the country: http://trayvonoc.wordpress.com/

 

Reflections on the 1/17/13 Seattle Solidarity Workshop

This piece is a contribution to our blog from a close compa of ours that we’ve worked closely with since before MAS was founded.  He offered to share a few of his reflections on the Seattle Solidarity Event that we hosted on January 17th of this year.  This should have been posted much sooner; but we’ve been going through some internal restructuring.  You can check out some of his other writings here: http://morelli84.wordpress.com/ Anyway, we hope that you find these reflections as insightful and useful as we do:

by Jota Erre

1. The SeaSol presentation shows the importance of working at the local level and not accepting the mediation of those who use the law to resolve worker issues.

In Miami all actions and processes undertaken by progressive and or Democratic leaning activists seek to impact state and/or federal legislation as well as implement or reform local, state or federal laws. I’ve seen this in labor, immigration, education and fair elections.

I think that for many progressive organizations and organizers short-term reforms are only stepping stones to over all reform, and not steps in the creation of autonomous worker and community organizations able to transform capitalism.

Solidarity Against the Persecution of the Gaucha Anarchist Federation in Brazil

By International Anarchist Organisations – Various

Call for solidarity and endorsement against the persecution in Brazil of anarchist militants and the Gaucha Anarchist Federation in Porto Alegre

In Porto Alegre, on June 20 past, about 15 agents from the Civil Police raided the Ateneo Batalha da Varzea, political and social premises where the Gaucha Anarchist Federation is located, without a warrant. [Espanol] 

Solidaridad contra la persecución hacia la Federación Anarquista Brasileña

by Organizaciones Anarquistas Internacionales – Varios

Pedido de solidaridad y adhesiones contra la persecución en Brasil hacia militantes Anarquistas brasileros y la Federación Anarquista Gaúcha de Porto Alegre (RS)

En Porto Alegre, el pasado 20 de junio, cerca de 15 agentes de la Policía Civil sin orden de allanamiento irrumpieron en el Ateneo Batalha da Varzea, local social y político donde que es sede de la Federación Anarquista Gaúcha. [English]

Democratic Centralism in Practice and Idea: A critical evaluation

-S. Nappalos

The terrain is changing beneath our feet. Since the collapse of the majority of the “official Communist” regimes, the world has witnessed both events and ideas that have undermined the former dominant thinking within the left. The Zapatistas, Argentina in 2001, South Korean workers movements, Oaxaca in 2006, the struggles around anti-globalization, and Greece’s series of insurrectionary moments have increasingly presented challenges to traditional left answers to movements and organization. In previous eras Marxist-Leninism was the nexus which all currents by default had to respond to either in agreement or critique. Today, increasingly anarchist practices and theory have come to play this role.

As a member of an anarchist political organization, a friend once told me I in fact was practicing democratic centralism. This was perplexing, because the group had no resembling structures, practices, or the associated behaviors of democratic centralism. However, I was told that since we debated, came to common decisions, and acted on that collective democracy, we were in fact democratic centralist. This kind of productive confusion led to questions about the concept, and why the target of democratic centralism has shifted. This move, the shifting conceptual territory of core concepts of a certain orthodoxy, comes up repeatedly not only with democratic centralism, but also surrounding ideas like crisis, dialectics, the State, and class. The resulting cognitive dissonance caused me to investigate attempts at reinvigorating the concept of democratic centralism (democratic centralist revisionism), and understand truly what it is, where it came from, and how it has been practiced.