Let’s Organize The ‘Hood! How to Start a Black Autonomy Federation Chapter in Your City. i GRASSROOTS! A Program of the Black Autonomy Federation P.0. Box 16382 Memphis, TN 38186-0382 Phone: (901)674-8430 Email: organize.the.hood@gmail.com Help Build A new Grassroots Black movement in Memphis, or Your City! Originally, Let's organize the hood was a serics of community organizer training workshops being held all over the USA and Canada during 1999-2004. The workshops were sponsored by the Black Autonomy Federation (BAF)and designed to train community residents in skills for howto fight for their communitys rights and to speak back 10 power in order to win their own agenda. We are trying 1o build a new type of grassroots organization not seen since. the 1960, Let's Organize the hood is now the geassroots organizing, program of the Black Autonory Federation, based in Memphis, TN. We believe that the solutions to the decp social problems of the Black poor community, such as the mass imprisonment of Black youth, police brutality, poverty and homelessness, drug addiction, gang-banging, and homicide cannot come from or be based on the charismatic leadership of politicians, but will be tied to leadership from the masses of poor and grassrots Black people themselves. Therefore, Black Autonomy Federation is a radically new ‘group of Black community-based organizers and political activists, with an entirely new vision of what to do 1o help Black people correct injustice and empower our communities. Our approach is to put the demands of the community first, rather than the concems politicians or so- called leaders. This power to the people is our approach to help the community find its voice and power. Starting from Scratch, Building Black Autonomy. Starting from scratch. You see injustice in your city, you is high unemployment, poverty, infant morlality, mass imprisonment, police brutality, and a variety of other issues. You want o start a Black Autonomy Federation in your hometown. It fairly simple to do so, and it only takes 2-3 people to get started. Then all you have to do is contact the BAF office in Memphis, identify yourselves, and you are in business as s00n a5 we contact you, and give you certification materials. So what do'you do 1o get your ideas before the people in your community? First, we suggest just walking around and talking 1o people in your community. Find out who they are and what they think about various issues. Be friendly, not someone who is confrontational or implying that you know everything. Some of the feedback you get will be helpful, while some will be false consciousness( issues in people’s ‘minds generated by the government and the corporate mass ‘media.) Many people may not be willing to talk to you, and that s fine in the first phases, just be friendly and ask if there is a better time. Carefully record their names and other personal details, issues discussed, and how they responded 10 your contact with them. Truth s, that you may need to conduct such neighborhood rescarch surveys several times before you get to meet everybody and get someone who is sympathetic to your viewpoint. Then after you do in fact talk to someone, you should tell them about the mass program of Black Autonomy Federation, Let's Organize the Hood, before trying (o get them to join BAF. We do not expect people 10 just to join the group before they know the details of our program first. After you have conducted the first few research surveys, the BAF organizers should then have their own internal meetings to go over al the responses collected. Questions you should have: What s the size of the neighborhood and the Black community at large of the city? What issues seem to be most popular and what issues can we win on? What kind of campaigns could we run? When should we hold a community meeting? These are just some of your questions 1o be answered, there will be many others in the fusture as you continue (o orgas Community Organizing is all about contacting the community, educating, and organizing and then mobilizing it for neighborhood and people power against an entrenched well-financed establishment enemy. There is no real mystery. We ascertain the demands of the people in order to ‘make them rhyme with our own program, then bring it all back 1o them. So, then e hold a community meeting, to find out whether the community will respond to what we present, This can be held at a church, community center, even someone’s house! If people do come out, it gives us a chance to determine ‘What are the issues they are passionate about and whether they willtake any action about it. Our role is to help them build a movement that can help them take such action, including but beyond, the immediate issue. It does not ‘matter what issue people chocse to work on, as opposed to working together with us against the establishmen. Let’s Organize the “Hood can be organized around almost any issue, but it s the radical strategy of Black Autonomy Be Outgoing When Turning Inward By Hybachi LeMar To the outcasts of our society.... To you who are the mockery of the party...whether you're presentin f or nof... To the intellectual lepers alienated in institutions and fo the parich of conversations you self-excuse yourself from with an unreturned wave. To you who slip into your dreams with iberation on your lis, and who long o be relieved from the agony of regrets with the kind of redemption you find in the renunciation of your condemners’ religion... To you — yes you — alienated ones of the world who exist as an undomesticated Desire writhing lawlessly in a maggot orgy of neglected needs: Be outgoing when turning inward. ‘The dissipating sands of Time have been generous enough to extend an invitation inscribed in stone between the paws of the Hero-em-Akhet (the Great Sphinx) n ancient Egypt (Kemet). — An invitation of great impor, later translated into Greet above the entrance gate o the Delphic Oracle of Apollo; one which franscends Time and is presently being imparted fo you. The Message: Know Thyself. Whatis the purpose of iving if one is living without Purpose? Of what use i it to own a mind i iF's not @ mind of your own? Reflecting on these questions reveal enlightening revelations that become apparent to-Truth- NAME INMATE 43 ADDRESS % BE GENDERS Cmare O remare [Jvrans RACE% RELIGION % WL SEXUAL IDENTITY L STAIGHT, 6AY, LESBIAN, TRANS, MARITAL STATUS LOBTQ, oTHER , (Rere o) DWORCED, W A RELATIoN SHIP, MARRIED, SEPERATED, SINGLE, WIDOW, 1S COMPLICATED 2 (comcvs. one) AGEZ BIRTHDATE S RELEASE DATE % music You LIKEZ HEIGHT/wiiont X Yol COULD INCLUDE A LETTER [F You WANT 19 SAY MeRE ABMT YOARSELE, IF YouR NoT N PRISON, You CouLp STILL WRITE AND SUPPBRT A PRISONER , DUNATIONS PRE WELCOME, STAMPS @R WHATEVER, SEND A PICTURE )F YU WANT 1§ ON BUL coNTACTS wFoR % FASTER REPLY, ADD A SELF ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE , KEEP UR HEAD VP, STAY 1A THE SHU. DON'T BE A KNICKLE HEAD, 2 BR® oy typachitomar To the cast-awayed youth locked down in juvenile placements across amerika with a silver spoon i your mouth and who are. To you. who like me, wasn't bor ‘commanded to make your own cofs and stand in front of your doors at count- fime Yes. You, the generation of amerika's rejected youth—yau are the future and you' very much LOVED! It doesnt take a genius to see that the so-called “Juvenile Justice system” doesrit work In fact. if you ask any counselor where you'e confined at what the odds are of you, yourself becoming a prisoner af rer your juvenile bid, they'll most likely adi? to you that your chances of becoming one are extremely high And they're right! According to statistics, between 80-90percent of youth confined in juvenile facilties in amerika end up in an adult prison. Tnsulting enough, many of the staf who control and know this wil adiit i 1o your face - some of them may even say so with a slow nod of the head and reply sweetly, “Z7s frue * What they may not tell 7ou, however, is that the system raises many of us (especially Black, Latino & poor whites) s surrogate (fake) parents 1o become “institutionalized slaves” 1o a system that imprisons millons of unpaid and under-pai prisoners 1o profit over.our labor In other words, they're rearing you for the Big House. It's big business for Wal Street hustlers with dolla signs in their eyes and it costing many children(especially if youre Black or Latina) our childhood We grew up fast in amerika at an early agel . 100, spent most of my younger years as a misfit in various jvenile placements T was a loner who couldn't seem 1o quite fit in any institution that the system locked me inside of There were many nights when T, in private. cry myself to sleep Yes Tknow 100, dear young comrade, what it feels like to suffer the feeling of oneliness. to be restrained by grown-ups and to be jumped on and *jumped-in" To ot be understood by others and far. far away from family. friends and from the ioyS that others of the same age have fun enjoying There are a few things that we of the revolutionary movement would like you o Know, Things that those in authority won't dare fo teach: yet can' take away from your mind once safely inside it. Knowledge that's important for you to Aol close 1o your- feart and that you can surely find empowerment and strength in, when you need it One thing for sure is that 1o live without a Cause is o live without an effect Lt's highly important and healthy to have an upifing purpose in ife. A purpose to help others. and to unify with those like you and T, who the government has rejected. so that we may band together for freecom within ourselves individually and as an outcasted society that we're fighting to free from these stresses Never let those who have legal authority over you try to brainwash your precious mind into believing that freedom isn' a human right and that it's a ‘privilege" for You. In fact, it is the opposite which is true—freedom should never be a ‘privilege” ina free society. On the contrary. in free society, freedom is a human rightl We would als like you to know that whatever your ituation may be—that though your parents may have beaten you and although society has gnored you and the judges have rejected you— youre not lone! There's a revolutionary movemen larger than the boot camps and suvenile prisons theyve thrown you away 1o: a world-wide Movement v o4 Aunfuz uo 51 3up 01 Ainfug uy of caring people who won' turn a deaf ear to your voice and who are ever-ready to embrace you info our world-wide Movement with open arms! It's important that you understand. young Warrior. every one of us has made choices we wish we.could take back but obviously cannot—every ane of us. from every age. race ¢ religious (or lack of religious) belief. Siuch are lessons of life. We live and we lea If conditions were dif ferent for you growing up, and if you were listened-to mor and if society called on the community instead of the cops. we know how freer we be as a people at large! Where there is no master. there is no slave. and where there's no slave there ca be no master We believe that skavery in any form s wrong and i frankly a violent and played-c idea. In our rejecting others fo rule over and master us—and inour refusing o - over and master others—we collectively and individually become our own overseer Alightha. nto our own {zom within Naturally, this doesn't come overnight We've been slaves (in one way or another) wi*hout even realizing it for most of o tives. We were slowly conditioned o submit fo the law, to obey our parents, teachers and even priests, with unquestioned obedience and o basically follow every one of their rules in blind faith. We see how far that's gotten us, however: agitated, mis-educated and incarceratc Think for yourself how many times those who have power over you have lied o you and how behind lock-n-key they drive you to *fake it o make it” in order for them however. fake it 1o make it forever just 1o release you unto probation! We can't SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER! The right to free speech is as much as a Auman right as it i a civil one, and no one. has the right to deny you of this right simply because of your age, just because youre a pre-teen or a feenager Just as important as it is for us 1o think before we open our mouths fo speak, it's also healthy for our minds and our spirit to question authority. Question authority and unlock the cuffs the system tries o slap on the wrists of ‘your mind. Talk back to your parents and if they tell you not to talk back to them, let them know that it's in fact important for you fo do so. Just as a closed mouth cannot be fed, it also holds true that the ones who ask specific questions receive specific answers, Exe cise your right to speak and ask questions and watch how rapidly you develop into the free-thinking person you can grow and mature to become! WRITE US & JOIN THE MOVEMENT WE AccerT vour Does the staff at the juvenile facility youre in make you spend hours frimming fheir bushes? Do they make you vacuum their of ficers and mow their lawns with no pay. like field slaves? Do they siam you when they restrai you? Then join us, young rebel, in [YOC~the Incarcerated Youth Organizing Committee division of the Tncarcerated Workers' Organizers’ Committee—for we accept you, are hire to suppor' and protect you and uphald the belief that an injurysto One is an injury fo Al We accept all artwork and writings from juveniles (as well as adults) to be considered into our newsletter. The Incarcerated Worker: Al letters/artwork can be sent to us at Avin: Cicage Tarcarated Youth Organising Commtree WSV BUGK % £.0. Box #408197 % South Chicago 2 Chicago, TL 60640 ABC Zine Distro * Publisher & Distributor United States P.O. Box 721 * HE UNITED STATES ARE &N LECKD@WNS AND! SEME CAN'T CALL FANILY @R FRENDS DUE 18 LOCKD@IIN @R N& FUNDS., BUT, |'VE DECIDED |7 088D 9 START A PEN-PAL SERVICE FOR AL e STRUGGLE THESE L@CKDEWNS ARE FUCKED UP.BLt THAYS LIFE. e couLD SEND A SELF APDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE AND | WILL FIND Yo A PEN-PAL . 3usT SEND A LETTER ABOUT YEURSELF AND A PICTLIRE. IF- You WANTYOUR INFERMATION PUT ON THE INTERNET . )"M STILL N PRISON SED WITHIN A CBUPLE. @F S UR. I'M IN FC) VICTORVILLE. IN TING UP 1HIS FREE SERVIC E- OMEN WHY ARE INCARCERRTED STILL. OW WHAT KIND F PEN-PAL Yer wouLp KE . @12 HOW MANY PEN- PALS ,, REMEMBER, THIS 1S A FREE SERVICE . S®, PASS THE C@NTACT INF@ 19 YBUR HOMIES AND HEMEGIRLS THA'FARE. DRING TIME-WITH You , i SeLIDART) [{PURING THIS CEVID~1a PANDEMIC THE Wi@RLD) . 1S CHANGING IN ALBT @F WAYS, PRIS@NS ACKSS. h Seskers as fwovgh a resh pak of eyes faal discover contradiciions i the society thathes shaped: us. We've been brainwashed info believing that wrong s right & that right is wrong. That ifs ethical 1o submit fo demands that demoraiize us. We've been indoctrinated to have faih in others instead of ourselves; conditioned to think that calling ourselves “wise" s stupid and that to call others stupid s “wise”. We've been maneuvered into accepting the nofion that fo think for ourselves isn't as smart as having someone else doing our thinking for us. That i’s in our best interest o pledge allegiance fo @ government that exploits us and to obediently bow to what we must rebelliously rise against! Truly autonomous (self-governing) minds find liberation from a formented existence througha relative degree of detachment; and in walking unfrequented paths in pursuit of the deeper truths discover our liberating abilty 1o relieve ourselves from self-hate by replacing it with the daily practice of self-love. No love-hater or Hate-lover, no door-knocking demoralizer, no warden or judge has urisdiction in @ mind that's declored autonomy from their reach; where an abiding sense of serenity is in going out of one’s mind instead of being stuck inside the head in the most Should they look diagonally at us for looking squarely info the eye of what once oppressed us; whether or not they make the sign of the cross when we pass them — we can rest assured in the. Freedom found in the inapprehensible reaches of Self-Awareness; and what can be more: liberating fo the confined of the worl thon being outgoing when turing inward? SOUTH CHICAGO ABC ZINE DISTRO PO BOX 721 HOMEWOOD, IL. 60430 Federation and our class politics that will keep us grounded. Organizing is not just about identifying an issue and mobilizing people around that alone; it is about building organizations that can wield collective power for the people. ‘We come together to build a community base that can make that happen. Since this is a nzw movement, it is possible that no one will come out 10 our meetings at first, and that could be because: we had & poor outreach campaign or if we are so new that they do not trust us yet. Either way, we must not become demoralized. We must get ready for the next meeting, correct our errors and get back out there! We should not expect instant success, and therefore we should not be discouraged if we get a small number of people. Work with those people and build with them to bring others into the movement We also cannot expect people 1o take radical action if they. have not yet given up on the system, no matter how much an issue negatively effects them. Oppression does breed resistance, but only if they can see a way to win and change their lives. We must provide an altenative to them. We must understand this, and therefore never get confused, just reload! We should first trust in the neighborhood residents themselves, and then local Black Autonomy Federation organizers must be able to make an assessment of their own communities, and out of that build a local strategy and set of tactics. We are of the people and must be in the *hood, in order to organize the *hood, instead of standing on the sidelines. At every step of the way we must educate the people about : “Let's Organize the Hood: Revolutionary Community Organizing Handbook" as. a teaching manual to hold political education classes. This will spread our ideals, but also bring new revolutionary fighters into the movement, something we definitely necd. There is no textbook or manual on how 1o do everything in every community, but this organizers’ handbook will no doubt help In this period, virtually no one is doing community based organizing, preferring instead to work on the internet, run mainstream political campaigns, or work through a church or other mainstream institution. We are different, as explained throughout the book. 1 you start a chapter, if you sign someone up to it or raise any funds, you must report this to the national office in Memphis, giving us the full contact details of everyone who becomes a member, 5o that we can send them a membership card. We will then send them a “welcome pack of materials.” ; if you want to have speakers to come (0 your city or community, then please contact us at the address below We have other materials to help you in doing organizing, and we are available to help you, just contact us on the Black Autonomy Federation Facebook Page, or at our email address: orsanize.thehood@gmail.com. You can also wite 10 us by surface mail Memphis Black Autonomy Federation P.0. Box 16382 Memphis, TN. 38186-0382 (901) 674-8430 Also: c/o Black Autonomy Federation page (on Facebook): wwiw. facebook com/Black Autonomy Federation Black Autonomy Federation, through Let’s Organize the *hood conducts workshops in cities all over the country in ‘vasic organizing theory and practice, based on the . revolutionary direct action approach. Here is a sampling of the issues taught at a Let's Organize the Hood community organizer workshop: . Nuts 1 bolts of Organizing: strategies and tactics. . Campus-based organizirig: Creating a Black Autonomy Student and Youth network. . Organizing against the Klan and police brutality. « Building comm-unity: creating the conditions for social change by building community institutions for cultural, political and economic empowerment. . Building a movement against poverty and unemployment. Depression level of unemployment and poverty in the black community. . Fighting mass imprisonment: Black youth are going 1o prison in massive, the community must fight itt Memphis Black Autonomy Federation P.0. Box 16382 Memphis, TN. 38186-0382 (901) 674-8430 organize.the hood@gmail.com “The Community must not only find its voice, but must use grassroots political pressure to achieve a solution in their best interests, thus making government officials accountable to the people.” I WANT YOU 0 JOIN THE REVOLUTION South Chicago RBC Zine Distro Publisher & Distributor P. 0. Box 721 Homewood, It 60430