Dear Comrades,
As Black August comes to a close, we reflect not only on those who came before us – ancestor freedom fighters and martyrs – but on our continued fight against repression and for liberation that we have waged this month. White supremacist and fascist assaults have hit our movements hard, with the collaborations between state forces and their racist vigilante proxies becoming increasingly exposed. In the face of these emboldened threats, we have seen anti-racist movements grow markedly stronger, better coordinated, and firmly committed to shutting down fascist demonstrations. From Charlottesville to Boston and across the country, we see people mobilizing by the thousands, making space for bold and varied tactics.
As our resistance grows stronger, history tells us that the state will use the tools of the PIC to expand its repression against those who dissent. Policing and imprisonment will continue to target people of color, queer and trans people, poor people, people with disabilities, and all those who do not conform to the demands of the state.
To end white supremacy and racial capitalism, we must abolish the prison industrial complex. In honor of Black August, and the month’s “spirit of rebellion and collective sacrifice for liberation,” we uplift the call to bail out Black transgender and gender non-conforming people, whose very existence is criminalized for threatening the status quo that we seek to abolish.
In Struggle,
Critical Resistance
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From our partners at Southerners on New Ground:
Often, there is a misconception that money bail is not an LGBT issue. Black queer and transgender folks are targeted for simply existing and purposely given unaffordable bails. As SONG considers itself a political home to many, we know many queer and trans folks create their own chosen family based on survival work, organizing, balls and pageants. From Black people buying each other’s freedom to looking after and monitoring their own communities, Black people have a long history of creating our own solutions. Our hope for Black August Bail Out Action is to honor the legacy of Black August and the political prisoner’s movement. Through honoring the tradition of Black August, we will be centering self-determination, collective responsibility, and advocating for the liberation of Black women, queer and trans folks.
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