Special Issue of Revolution   Newspaper  10 Years Since Katrina and 60 Years Since Emmett Till Two important anniversaries of major crimes by the system are coming up in the last weeks of August: In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans -- and the people in the poorest sections of the city, mainly Black, were not only abandoned and given zero help from the government, they were treated like criminals. More than 1,000 people died in the hurricane and its wake, and hundreds of thousands suffered greatly. In August 1955, Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black youth from Chicago visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi, was kidnapped by white racists because he had whistled at a white woman. A few days later, Emmett Till's body was found in a river. He had been lynched-beaten and shot to death. The print and online issue of Revolution coming out on Monday, August 24 will be a special issue focusing on these two horrendous crimes. The basic themes of the special issue will be:  How long will these crimes go on? There IS a way out! REVOLUTION-NOTHING LESS! Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 7:00 PM:   Join us at Revolution Books to discuss the special issue of Revolution, and make big plans to get it out to events marking the murder of Emmett Till and Katrina, in the communities, to churches, Straight Outta Compton movie lines, and more. START NOW: DONATE so that we can do a big printing of this issue and so that teams of volunteers can go to key places to get this issue out. Make your donation at www.revcom.us and call on others to donate. Start organizing people to get this issue out. Contact people to let them know about this issue, get commitments from people about going out with a team, ask people to take time off from work if they can, and strategize about what are the key places and events to get to with the special issue. If you're not near a Revolution Books store or a Revolution distributor, contact RCP Publications to get issues of the paper. "Emmett Till and Jim Crow: Black people lived under a death sentence" -- clip from Revolution: Why It's Necessary, Why It's Possible, What It's All About, a film of a talk by Bob Avakian  given in 2003 in the United States. Bob Avakian is the Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA. This talk, followed by questions and answers, is a wide-ranging revolutionary journey, covering many topics. It breaks down the very nature of the society we live in and how humanity has come to a time where a radically different society is possible. It is full of heart and soul, humor and seriousness; it will challenge you and set your heart and mind to flight.

Other Events Coming Up in August Wednesday, August 26, 9 pm Benefit for Grant, Iggy, & Alfredo "Stop Police Murder" protesters  Ted Sirota's Heavyweight Dub benefit performance   Elastic Arts, 3429 W. Diversey, Chicago $10 (tickets available at Revolution Books) Chicago's finest Dub Reggae band, led by drummer Ted Sirota, performs a benefit concert to raise funds for the legal defense of three protesters (Fredo Reyes, Iggy Ruckers, and Grant Newburger) against police murder who are charged with vindictive felonies carrying a potential of SEVEN years in prison! For more on their case, see the  Facebook page of their defense committee,  We All Stand Together. Check out this  review of Heavyweight Dub from last summer and get ready for a great evening of music and dance for a great cause! If you're on Facebook, please "join" the Reggae 4 Resistance event there, invite friends, and share widely!    Thursday, August 27, 5:30 pm (CDT)  Dr. Cornel West and Carl Dix Speak on What We Must Do to Stop Police Terror Live stream from First Corinthian Baptist Church, New York Come to Revolution Books to watch the live stream of this important and inspiring event! This event has been organized to inform and connect people during this pivotal time. To let those who see the need to "change the whole social landscape" of society know that it is possible, and that they have an opportunity to be a part of that change.   Saturday, August 29, 11 am   Book Discussion  Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates    Ta-Nehisi Coates'  Between the World and Me  has rocketed to the top of the best-sellers list. In the form of an autobiographical letter to his son, Coates warns his son about what it takes to survive in a society riven by the oppression of Black people. It is a must-read at this particular moment when foundational questions about the horrific history and present brutal reality of Black people in America are sharply posed.   Coates is a national correspondent for  The Atlantic and the author of the memoir  The Beautiful Struggle. Coates has received the National Magazine Award, the Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism, and the George Polk Award for his Atlantic cover story "The Case for Reparations." (This is not an author event.) You can get your copy at Revolution Books.

THIS WEEKEND AT REVOLUTION BOOKS

Saturday August 22 -- Take a Big Step in Getting Bob Avakian (BA) Everywhere!   Revolution Books at the Triangle Gather at Revolution Books at 2pm to get out the "BA Speaks: Revolution Nothing Less" t-shirts to people at the triangle at Milwaukee/Division/Ashland. Fundraise for the BA (Bob Avakian) Everywhere Campaign; people can buy a t-shirt at Revolution Books, or donate for 1-10 t-shirts for youth and others who want to step into the revolution. People want the youth to do good---here is a way: "Stop fighting each other and start fighting the system." Put this t-shirt ON! We received the following schedule from the BA Everywhere Committee, Chicago: 2:00 pm South Shore, meet at 71st & Jeffrey 4:00 pm Englewood and Morgan Park, meet at 57th and Racine For more information call 312-804-9121  Read about the BA Everywhere t-shirt initiative at Represent for the Revolution! In line with this, the vision for the planned mass convergences on the 22nd should be with people wearing the BA Speaks: Revolution-Nothing Less! t-shirt. They should be well-organized and coherent expressions, with revolutionary spirit--and an actual engagement with BA, promoting and deepening, as it said in Revolution, "a basic sense among those who wear this t-shirt of what it is they are representing for when they put it on, of who BA is and what this revolution is about." Sunday, August 23, 6 pm to 8 pm BA Speaks: Revolution--Nothing Less! What it will take to end the oppression of Black people? What's the crucial role Black people can play in ending, at long last, the system that has terrorized them in a thousand ways? And what's the strategy for that revolution?   We'll watch 2 clips (about 30 minutes) from the "Revolution-Nothing Less" DVD and spend the rest of the time wrangling over these questions, learning from each other, and especially from BA.  (Pizza will be served.) Other Events Coming Up in August Benefit for Grant, Iggy, and Alfredo "Stop Police Murder" protesters Ted Sirota's Heavyweight Dub benefit performance   Wednesday, August 26, 9 pm Elastic Arts, 3429 W. Diversey, Chicago $10 (tickets available at Revolution Books) Chicago's finest Dub Reggae band, led by drummer Ted Sirota, performs a benefit concert to raise funds for the legal defense of three protesters (Fredo Reyes, Iggy Ruckers, and Grant Newburger) against police murder who are charged with vindictive felonies carrying a potential of SEVEN years in prison! For more on their case, see the  Facebook page of their defense committee, We All Stand Together. Check out this  review of Heavyweight Dub from last summer and get ready for a great evening of music and dance for a great cause! If you're on Facebook, please "join" the  Reggae 4 Resistance event there, invite friends, and share widely!   Thursday, August 27, 5:30 pm (CDT)  Dr. Cornel West and Carl Dix Speak on What We Must Do to Stop Police Terror First Corinthian Baptist Church, New York Come to Revolution Books to watch the live stream of this important and inspiring event! This event has been organized to inform and connect people during this pivotal time. To let those who see the need to "change the whole social landscape" of society know that it is possible, and that they have an opportunity to be a part of that change.  Saturday, August 29, 11 am Book Discussion Between the World and Me , by Ta-Nehisi Coates    T a-Nehisi Coates'  Between the World and Me  has rocketed to the top of the best-sellers list. In the form of an autobiographical letter to his son, Coates warns his son about what it takes to survive in a society riven by the oppression of Black people. It is a must-read at this particular moment when foundational questions about the horrific history and present brutal reality of Black people in America are sharply posed.   Coates is a national correspondent for  The Atlantic  and the author of the memoir  The Beautiful Struggle . Coates has received the National Magazine Award, the Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism, and the George Polk Award for his Atlantic cover story "The Case for Reparations." (This is not an author event.) Y ou can get your copy at Revolution Books.

$11.95

Now available!

 

Science and Revolution 

On the Importance of Science and

the Application of Science to Society, the New Synthesis of Communism and the Leadership of Bob Avakian

An Interview with Ardea Skybreak

 

In the early part of 2015, over a number of days, 

Revolution conducted a wide-ranging interview with Ardea Skybreak. A scientist with professional training in ecology and evolutionary biology, and an advocate of the new synthesis of communism brought forward by Bob Avakian, Skybreak is the author of, among other works, The Science of Evolution and the Myth of Creationism: Knowing What's Real and Why It Matters, and Of Primeval Steps and Future Leaps: An Essay on the Emergence of Human Beings, the Source of Women's Oppression, and the Road to Emancipation. This interview was first published online at www.revcom.us.  

AUGUST EVENTS AT REVOLUTION BOOKS  Wednesday, August 19, 7 pm  Demarcations Discussion  We will begin our discussion of  "Ajith--Portrait of a Residue of the Past"  from  Demarcations, the Journal of Communist Theory and Polemic by getting into  the question of truth, based on pages 6-28 of this article. Is it true that "everything that is actually true is good for the proletariat, all truths can get us to communism?" And if this is true, why? Our discussion will focus on epistemology (which means "how humans reach an understanding of the truth and how to assess the reliability of that knowledge").  This reading is complex, but Bob Avakian (BA) has broken it down for us in many writings and talks. Everyone is welcome; this discussion should be meaningful and accessible to everyone, from those who haven't studied much theory before to those who are steeped in the new synthesis of BA and everyone in-between. We will follow BA's  outline of the new synthesis , on communism as a science , especially the four points on epistemology under "Method and Approach..."  Think about this:   "Ultimately, what is at stake in the debate over how to understand the world is what type of society we are trying to bring into being. Is it possible to get beyond the point where truth will be determined or imposed by strength (economic, political, military), or will the world never escape the logic that 'might makes right'?" Sunday, August 23, 6 pm to 8 pm BA Speaks: Revolution--Nothing Less! What it will take to end the oppression of Black people? What's the crucial role Black people can play in ending, at long last, the system that has terrorized them in a thousand ways? And what's the strategy for that revolution? We'll watch 2 clips (about 30 minutes) from the "Revolution-Nothing Less" DVD and spend the rest of the time wrangling over these questions, learning from each other, and especially from BA.  (Pizza will be served.) Wednesday, August 26, 9 pm Revolution Books recommends: Ted Sirota's Heavyweight Dub to play benefit   Wednesday, August 26, 9 pm Elastic Arts, 3429 W. Diversey, Chicago $10 (tickets available at Revolution Books) Chicago's finest Dub Reggae band, led by drummer Ted Sirota, performs a benefit concert to raise funds for the legal defense of three protesters (Fredo Reyes, Iggy Ruckers, and Grant Newburger) against police murder who are charged with vindictive felonies carrying a potential of SEVEN years in prison! For more on their case, see the  Facebook page of their defense committee, We All Stand Together. Check out this  review of Heavyweight Dub from last summer and get ready for a great evening of music and dance for a great cause! If you're on Facebook, please "join" the Reggae 4 Resistance event there, invite friends, and share widely! Thursday, August 27, 5:30 pm (CDT)  Dr. Cornel West and Carl Dix Speak on What We Must Do to Stop Police Terror First Corinthian Baptist Church, New York Join us to watch the live stream of this important and inspiring event! This event has been organized to inform and connect people during this pivotal time. To let those who see the need to "change the whole social landscape" of society know that it is possible, and that they have an opportunity to be a part of that change.  Saturday, August 29, 11 am  Between the World and Me   by Ta-Nehisi Coates.  Book Club Discussion   T a-Nehisi Coates'  Between the World and Me  has rocketed to the top of the best-sellers list. In the form of an autobiographical letter to his son, Coates warns his son about what it takes to survive in a society riven by the oppression of Black people. It is a must-read at this particular moment when foundational questions about the horrific history and present brutal reality of Black people in America are sharply posed.   Coates is a national correspondent for  The Atlantic  and the author of the memoir  The Beautiful Struggle . Coates has received the National Magazine Award, the Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism, and the George Polk Award for his Atlantic cover story "The Case for Reparations." (This is not an author event.) Y ou can get your copy at Revolution Books.

$11.95  Now available! On the Importance of Science and  the Application of Science to Society, the New Synthesis of Communism and the Leadership of Bob Avakian An Interview with Ardea Skybreak In the early part of 2015, over a number of days,  Revolution conducted a wide-ranging interview with Ardea Skybreak. A scientist with professional training in ecology and evolutionary biology, and an advocate of the new synthesis of communism brought forward by Bob Avakian, Skybreak is the author of, among other works, The Science of Evolution and the Myth of Creationism: Knowing What's Real and Why It Matters, and Of Primeval Steps and Future Leaps: An Essay on the Emergence of Human Beings, the Source of Women's Oppression, and the Road to Emancipation. This interview was first published online atwww.revcom.us.

Wednesday, August 5, 7 pm  Rise Up October National Speaking Tour in Chicago "Murders by Police Must Be Stopped Now!"   Trinity Episcopal/Anglican Church 125 E. 26th St.  Come hear, and join with,  Carl Dix , co-founder of the Stop Mass Incarceration Network and a representative of the Revolutionary Communist Party;  Rev. Jerome McCorry , the faith leader of the Stop Mass Incarceration Network, loved ones of people murdered by police; and young activists. They will be digging into and making plans for a massive demonstration in New York City on Saturday, October 24, to STOP POLICE TERROR across the country. A day when all of society has to confront  Which Side Are You On? -- are you taking a stand a gainst the epidemic of police terror, or not? For information, email Stop Mass Incarceration Chicago or call (31 2) 933 -9586 Friday, August 7, 7 pm:  "People's Hearing" Livestream from Jackson, Mississippi.  Stop Patriarchy is bringing activists from around the country to Jackson, Mississippi, for 10 days to Take Patriarchy By Storm. They are bringing a spirit of defiance and shining a national spotlight on Mississippi. They will disrupt business as usual and wake people up to the emergency. Join us at Revolution Booksto watch the national livestream of a "People's Hearing" with testimony of women who got abortions before it was legal, of what women are forced to go through in Mississippi today, and of the courageous clinic staff and escorts who battle every day to keep this option open to women. For more information, visit www.stoppatriarchy.org.      Wednesday, August 19, 7 pm  Demarcations Discussion  Join us for a discussion of the article, " Ajith--Portrait of a Residue of the Past" fromDemarcations, the Journal of Communist Theory and Polemic . This article is a response to "Against Avakianism" by Ajith. The focus of the author's polemic is philosophy, specifically epistemology (the branch of philosophy concerned with issues of knowledge and truth) and methodology. This is a topic that at first sight might appear abstract and distant from the urgent problems of today's world. But these philosophical issues have everything to do with putting an end to the madness and horror of our times -- with the ability of oppressed humanity and all who yearn for a world worthy of our humanity to understand the world precisely in order to change it (through revolution). Saturday, August 26, 11 am  Between the World and Me   by Ta-Nehisi Coates.  Book Club Discussion  In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation's history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of 'race,' a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men--bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden? Toni Morrison has called it "required reading." (This is not an author event.) Y ou can get your copy at Revolution Books.

$11.95  Coming August 14, 2015! Science and Revolution  On the Importance of Science and the Application of Science to Society, the New Synthesis of Communism and the Leadership of Bob Avakian An Interview with Ardea Skybreak In the early part of 2015, over a number of days,  Revolution conducted a wide-ranging interview with Ardea Skybreak. A scientist with professional training in ecology and evolutionary biology, and an advocate of the new synthesis of communism brought forward by Bob Avakian, Skybreak is the author of, among other works,  The Science of Evolution and the Myth of Creationism: Knowing What's Real and Why It Matters, and  Of Primeval Steps and Future Leaps: An Essay on the Emergence of Human Beings, the Source of Women's Oppression, and the Road to Emancipation. This interview was first published online atwww.revcom.us. Contact Revolution Books to pre-order your copy now!

We received the following from Stop Mass Incarceration Network Chicago:

MURDERS BY POLICE MUST BE STOPPED NOW!

National Speaking Tour Event

#RiseUpOctober -- Which Side Are You On?

Wednesday August 5, 7 - 10 pm

Trinity Episcopal/Anglican Church

125 E. 26th Street, Chicago

(SE corner of Michigan & 26th St.)

Parking lot next to church, CTA bus #4 drops you off at the corner.

Wednesday, August 5, come hear, and join with, Carl Dix, co-founder of the Stop Mass Incarceration Network and a representative of the Revolutionary Communist Party, Rev. Jerome McCorry, the faith leader of the Stop Mass Incarceration Network, loved ones of people murdered by police, and young people. They will be digging into and making plans for a massive demonstration in New York City on Saturday, October 24, to STOP POLICE TERROR across the country. A day when all of society has to confront Which Side Are You On? -- are you taking a stand against the epidemic of police terror, or not?

People have struggled, resisted, risen up, against police murder. This must continue and go further -- all summer, in many different ways, intensifying. At the same time, these repeated outrages cry out for a stronger major national manifestation on October 24 that very clearly states:  These Murders by Police Must STOP -- NOW!

Everyone -- families of those killed by police, students, religious and faith organizations/people, artists, social justice organizations, better-off sections of society -- has a very important role to play. Bring your skills, abilities, and ideas.

• The tour members will be in Chicago from Aug. 4 - 6
• Then they will head to Ferguson for the anniversary of the police murder of Mike Brown and the heroic uprising that followed.
• We encourage people to join with the Tour in Chicago AND in Ferguson too!
• For information call: (312) 933-9586

Coming August 14, 2015:  

 

Science and Revolution

On the Importance of Science and the Application of Science to Society, the New Synthesis of Communism and the Leadership of Bob Avakian

An Interview with Ardea Skybreak

 

In the early part of 2015, over a number of days, 

Revolution conducted a wide-ranging interview with Ardea Skybreak. A scientist with professional training in ecology and evolutionary biology, and an advocate of the new synthesis of communism brought forward by Bob Avakian, Skybreak is the author of, among other works,  The Science of Evolution and the Myth of Creationism: Knowing What's Real and Why It Matters, and  Of Primeval Steps and Future Leaps: An Essay on the Emergence of Human Beings, the Source of Women's Oppression, and the Road to Emancipation. This interview was first published online at www.revcom.us. 

Make sure you have your copy! 

Contact Revolution Books to pre-order now!

$11.95 

Thursday, July 30, 7pm: Join us for an author reading and discussion, with musical accompaniment! Mellencamp: American Troubadour by David Masciotra.  This is first major treatment of one of America's great songwriters and rock 'n' roll performers -- John Mellencamp. This book combines biography, musical journalism, and cultural criticism to present an engaging and entertaining look at Mellencamp, rock 'n' roll, and American culture. Mellencamp traces his path from small town Indiana through the meat grinder of the music business to becoming the founder (with Willie Nelson) of Farm Aid, the longest running benefit concert series in the U.S. Songs like Little Pink Houses and Jack & Diane became top hits that spoke to the contradictions of "the American Dream" experienced by millions of people. Don't miss the story behind the songs and the songwriter. For more information go to http://davidmasciotra.com/books/

Coming August 14, 2015:     Science and Revolution On the Importance of Science and the Application of Science to Society, the New Synthesis of Communism and the Leadership of Bob Avakian An Interview with Ardea Skybreak In the early part of 2015, over a number of days,  Revolution conducted a wide-ranging interview with Ardea Skybreak. A scientist with professional training in ecology and evolutionary biology, and an advocate of the new synthesis of communism brought forward by Bob Avakian, Skybreak is the author of, among other works,  The Science of Evolution and the Myth of Creationism: Knowing What's Real and Why It Matters, and  Of Primeval Steps and Future Leaps: An Essay on the Emergence of Human Beings, the Source of Women's Oppression, and the Road to Emancipation. This interview was first published online at www.revcom.us.  Pre-order now from Revolution Books or Insight Press  $11.95 + Shipping  Orders will ship as soon as we receive books.