The 2016 Presidential Election & the Fight Against Racism

One year after police murdered Michael Brown and rebellions shook cities across this country, candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties are flocking to the presidential race. What do the elections have to do with the Black Lives Matter movement? What about Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump? What role should revolutionaries and anti-racist forces play in this election?

Join the discussion.

Hear John Parker, West Coast leader of Workers World Party, a member of the National Committee of Workers World Party and its presidential candidate in 2004. He works in Los Angeles organizing to build a unified movement against police terror, war, and against racism and homophobia and for worker and immigrant rights. He witnessed and investigated U.S. war crimes against the people of Iraq, Syria, Haiti and Sudan and here in the U.S. against the people of Ferguson, Baltimore and Los Angeles.

Currently Parker has written and is the main proponent of a ballot initiative for the City of Los Angeles requiring a $15 minimum wage that would take effect immediately upon voter approval.

Hear Clarence Thomas, former Secretary/Treasurer ILWU, Local 10 and Co-Chair Million Worker March. Thomas was one of the organizers of the Million Worker March, convened in Washington, D.C. less than a month before the 2004 presidential elections. Organizers called for universal health care, a national living wage, guaranteed pensions for all working people, an end to the outsourcing of jobs overseas, a repeal of the Patriot Act, increased funding for public education, free mass transit in every city, a reduction of the military budget and cancellation of pro-corporation pacts. The union bureaucracy accused the organizers of diverting energy from support for the Democratic Party in the elections. See “Election validates premise of Million Worker March” By Larry Holmeshttp://www.workers.org/ww/2004/mwm1111.php

On October 23, 2010, Thomas, as part of the ILWU Local 10 Executive Board, helped to lead the ILWU in shutting down all Bay Area ports to support justice for Oscar Grant. https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/10/21/18661940.php He was also behind the ILWU Local 10 resolution demanding the prosecution of OPD’s Miguel Masso for the murder of Alan Blueford. http://justice4alanblueford.org/2012/10/25/ilwu-local-10-calls-for-justice-4-alan-blueford/
Most recently, he supported Local 10’s May Day shutdown of the Port of Oakland to demand justice for Walter Scott and an end to police terror.http://www.workers.org/articles/2015/05/04/longshore-workers-shut-down-bay-area-ports-on-may-day/

Wheelchair accessible * Refreshments served * For more information call (510) 600-5800