Liberation Audio

Gloria La Riva speaks on Radio Havana Cuba regarding the blockade against the Cuban people, and the caravans in 60 US cities that drove in solidarity with the caravans in Cuba demanding the lifting of the embargo that the US has inflicted upon Cuba for over half a century.

As anti-Asian violence and sentiment spikes nationwide, a string of violent assaults and robberies on elderly Asians in the Bay Area are fueling outrage. Video from two separate, unprovoked attacks in Oakland and San Francisco, which left one dead and three others injured, was shared widely. This prompted widespread condemnation and a range of responses from local figures. Authorities, news stations, and even celebrities have cynically sought to manipulate the fact that the attackers in these incidents were Black to drive a wedge between the two communities that are both under attack by the white supremacist system that dominates this country. These demagogues are criticizing those who want to defund the police, calling for increased policing, and framing the problem as one solvable by lengthy prison sentences or more mainstream media coverage. Notably, a pair of Asian actors offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of one attacker. By contrast, activists throughout the Bay Area have shown their solidarity by rallying to denounce the attacks, organizing rapidly to accompany elders in Chinatown. They reject anti-Black narratives, such as the illusion that police can be part of the solution. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/bay-area-elites-attempt-to-divide-and-conquer-in-aftermath-of-violence-against-asian-residents/

On March 2, the Alabama State Senate passed a bill intended to prevent transgender youth from accessing any gender-affirming care. The bill, absurdly titled the “Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act,” bans puberty blockers and hormone therapies for transgender youth. This vital medical care alleviates the psychological and physical harm caused by going through puberty on hormones incongruent with one’s gender. Doctors, pharmacists, and other medical professionals who continue to provide this necessary trans-affirming health care to minors would face up to 10 years in prison. The bill also requires school counselors to “out” students who talk about gender dysphoria by reporting any conversations to their parents. An equivalent bill is now working its way through the state’s House of Representatives. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/alabama-senate-votes-to-criminalize-healthcare-for-trans-youth/

Bolivian coup leader and former self-proclaimed president Jeanine Áñez was arrested on March 13 in the department of Beni. She was found hiding in a box to avoid detection from authorities. On March 15, Áñez made her first appearance in front of a judge via video. She was officially charged with sedition, terrorism and conspiracy due to her involvement in the November 2019 U.S.-backed coup to oust Bolivia’s democratically elected and first Indigenous president — Evo Morales of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) party. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/blood-drenched-bolivian-coup-leader-in-prison/

Powerful protests are sweeping through Haiti in response to U.S.-backed President Jovenel Moïse’s refusal to step down at the end of his constitutionally-bound presidential term. Hear how conditions are ripe for revolt in Haiti and what role the U.S. is playing in thwarting the Haitian people's desire for independence.

The Party for Socialism and Liberation recently held a forum on International Women's Day, as well as the ongoing struggle in Haiti. International Women's Day, March 8, is a day of global celebration of the economic, political, and social achievements of women and a reminder of the ongoing struggle for women’s rights. In this clip you will hear a presentation regarding socialist feminism as the true path to women's liberation, as well as a review of some of the immediate gains that revolutionary socialist feminists have won historically.

On Tuesday, March 16 at around 5:00 p.m., three spas staffed by Asian workers in the Atlanta area were the targets of a racist and sexist mass shooting. Eight people were killed, seven of whom were women, and six of the women were Asian. The shooter, a 21 year old white male, admitted to this heinous crime shortly after he was arrested later that night. Atlanta residents and Asian Americans across the country are horrified by this egregious act of terror. The Party for Socialism and Liberation extends heart-felt condolences and solidarity to all the victims and families of this despicable massacre. Anti-Asian and anti-women bigotry is a symptom of the capitalist and imperialist system. Unity and justice requires a commitment to fighting for a new system. As of this writing, local authorities and mainstream media refuse to label this as a hate crime. Four of the victims were of Korean descent, and according to a South Korean news site Chosun, the shooter was heard saying “I’m going to kill all Asians”. The alarming rise of white supremacy and fascism cannot be overstated. Nearly three out of every four mass shootings can be linked back to right wing extremism. Contrary to the misleading trope of Asian-Black conflict, community organizers have rejected this attempt to divide Black and Asian communities. We understand that the inextricable link between white supremacy, patriarchy, racism and the war drive is the root cause of this violent atrocity. Read the full statement: https://www.liberationnews.org/psl-statement-massacre-in-atlanta-racist-sexist-terrorism-and-the-capitalist-system/

Editor’s note: 8 people were murdered in the Atlanta area the the night of March 16 when a white supremacist carried out a series of terrorist attacks targeting spas staffed by Asian workers. The Party for Socialism and Liberation expresses our deepest sympathy and solidarity to the loved ones of those who lost their lives in these horrific massacres. The following article was originally published March 7, and analyzes the roots of the wave of anti-Asian hate sweeping the country. “Imperialism is the root cause of racism. It is the ideology which upholds colonial rule and exploitation. It is the ideology which breeds fascism, rightly condemned by the civilized people of the world” — Claudia Jones Over the past year, we have seen an alarming surge in racist violence directed toward Asian Americans. A United Nations report identified more than 1,800 racist incidents against Asian Americans over an 8 week period from March to May 2020. These attacks have included denial of access to public spaces, verbal harassment, physical assault, vandalism, and in several cases even murder. Moreover, these incidents have targeted the elderly and most vulnerable. This wave of attacks has caused panic and confusion among Asian Americans and forces us to question: What is motivating these cruel and cowardly assaults? Are they purely an organic and spontaneous response to current events? Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/why-are-hate-crimes-against-asian-americans-on-the-rise/

Working-class and oppressed women are bearing the brunt of the combined COVID and economic crises in the United States. December’s jobs numbers produced shocking headlines throughout the mainstream media. CNN’s headline read: “The US economy lost 140,000 jobs in December. All of them were held by women.” A separate Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, which received much less mainstream coverage, indicates that nearly all the December jobs were lost by Black and Latina women. Read the full article: https://www.breakingthechainsmag.org/140000-jobs-lost-in-december-all-women/

The following is the second of a two-part article based on a talk the author gave at The People’s Forum in July 2020. This second part focuses on Kollontai’s writing on the family and love. Part one covers Kollontai’s struggle for proletarian feminism against bourgeois feminism as well as her struggle to center gender equality within the party’s platform. Alexandra Kollontai’s approach to political struggle was grounded in historical materialism, the Marxist approach to history. She didn’t see the status of women, the structure of the family, or even love as somehow natural or given, as unchanging over time. On the contrary, they changed with the mode of production. Read the full article: https://liberationschool.org/kollontai-socialism-and-feminism-part-two/