Aaron Dixon, former Black Panther Captain and Haymarket Author of "My People are Rising: Memoir of a Black Panther Party Captain"

Aaron Dixon is one of the co-founders of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party. He has since founded Central House, a nonprofit that provides transitional housing for youth, and was one of the cofounders of the Cannon House, a senior assisted-living facility. Aaron ran for US Senate on the Green Party ticket in 2006.

Drawing lessons from the black power movement is crucial as we work towards rebuilding a militant movement to fight racism in the here and now. We live in a society deeply entrenched in racism; our schools and communities continue to be segregated, there are more black men in the criminal injustice system than were enslaved 10 years before the Civil War, poor black communities continue to be terrorized by police everyday, etc. The only way to challenge the racism that runs so deep in our society is if we unite and build a mass movement to target the institutions that perpetuate this injustice.

There is a rich history of people fighting against racism in the US, history that is too often left out of classrooms and the media. By learning this history people are able to see what is possible and draw important lessons to apply to struggle today. Come out to our upcoming public forum to take back the history that has been stolen from us and discuss how we can push the fight against racism forward in this country. Come hear Aaron Dixon, co-founder of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party, speak on his experiences during the black power movement and the lessons that are needed for today. Also speaking will be Khury Peterson-Smith, a local organizer in the International Socialist Organization. He will be speaking on the urgency of rebuilding a movement today that can fight for black liberation.

Hosted by Haymarket Books and the Boston International Socialist Organization