Black Alliance for Peace (also referred to as BAP) is a people(s)-centered human rights project against war, repression, and imperialism. The Open Collective is the fiscal sponsor of the formation. The mission of the organization is "to recapture and redevelop the historic anti-war, anti-imperialist, and pro-peace positions of the radical black movement."

History

Founded in April 2017 by Ajamu Baraka, the Black Alliance for Peace is part of the renewed effort to organize the anti-war movement based within the Black community in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The organization's founding members agreed to ten points of unity: the right to self defense; self determination; anti-imperialism; working-class foundation; intersectionality; anti-patriarchy; decolonization; prisoner support; black unity; and southern roots.

Coordinating Committee

The Coordinating Committee of the Black Alliance for Peace currently consists of sixteen representatives of BAP internal structures and member organizations. Current members: * Ajamu Baraka, ''Coordinating Committee Chairperson and former National Organizer'' * Erica Caines, ''BAP-Baltimore and Coordinating Committee Vice-Chair'' * Margaret Kimberley, ''BAP Africa Team and Coordinating Committee Treasurer'' * Austin Cole, ''BAP Haiti/Americas Team and Coordinating Committee Secretary'' * Dedan Waciuri, ''Black Workers for Justice'' * Jacqueline Luqman, ''BAP-DC'' * Jaribu Hill, ''Mississippi Workers Center for Human Rights'' * Jemima Pierre, ''BAP Haiti/Americas Team'' * Julie Varughese, ''BAP Solidarity Network'' * Matt Almonte, ''BAP Solidarity Network'' *Netfa Freeman, ''Pan-African Community Action (PACA)'' *Nnamdi Lumumba, ''Ujima People’s Progress Party'' *Noah Tesfaye, ''BAP Research and Political Education Team'' *Paul Pumphrey, ''Friends of the Congo'' *Rafiki Morris, ''All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (A-APRP)'' *Tunde Osazua, ''BAP Outreach Team''

Objectives

The organization is simultaneously campaigning on nearly a dozen various issues, with a focus on peace, people-centered human rights, and anti-imperialism education. Domestically, BAP opposes Israeli training of American police forces and the Department of Defense's 1033 program that allows military grade equipment to transfer into the possession of civilian police departments. In addition to calling for accountability for police brutality and the elimination of ''Operation Relentless Pursuit'', the organization is calling for a 50% reduction in the U.S. military budget to finance the human-rights needs of the American public. The organization is calling on the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

to pass legislation in support of the abolition of nuclear weapons. On foreign affairs, BAP's primary campaign is its demand to shut down the U.S. Africa Command (

AFRICOM The United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM, U.S. AFRICOM, and AFRICOM), is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for U ...

) and end all U.S. intervention on the continent of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. This is reinforced by BAP's other aims to abolish

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

, close the 800+ U.S. foreign military bases, end all foreign interventions and illegal sanctions, and to uphold global norms by complying with

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

References

{{Reflist Black Lives Matter 21st-century social movements 2017 establishments in the United States African Americans' rights organizations Anti-black racism in the United States Anti-racism Civil rights protests in the United States Criminal justice reform in the United States Criticism of police brutality History of African-American civil rights Organizations established in 2017 Post–civil rights era in African-American history Race and crime in the United States Social justice organizations Black Power Civil disobedience Direct action Left-wing politics Peace organizations based in the United States

History

Coordinating Committee

Objectives

See also

References