Revolution Books Chicago

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.