Black liberation and Palestinian liberation are intertwined
Online leftist and liberal political spaces have for months seen an attempt to separate African American discourse from discourse around Palestinian liberation. Calls for black folks to ‘sit this one out’ because another marginalised or oppressed group’s interests are portrayed as being at odds with the interests of black people, have been constant, particularly regarding the struggle for Palestinian liberation. CJ is an activist and online communicator who has consistently spoken out against these calls, while always standing against racism and oppression.
Words: CJ The Radical
Photos: © Public domain/Alamy
Black and Palestinian solidarity is something that has a deep history, and is very nuanced. The discussions we have been having about apps like TikTok suggest different things. I believe that Black and Palestinian solidarity needs to be talked about more because of the threat that solidarity poses to the status quo. This is why our great radicals of times old, such as Malcolm X, Fred Hampton and James Baldwin were either snuffed out or exiled for their liberationist views. All of these people realised that the same imperialism, colonialism, white supremacy, and capitalism that persecuted African Americans also targeted them. The same system that manufactures the plight of African Americans manufactures the plight of Palestinians. This is why, as an African American, I say that to be a Black liberationist, you have to be anti-Zionist. This is because Zionism harms life, self-determination, and freedom, which are all concepts, as a Black liberationist, that I hold dear and faithful to my heart.
The US election fallout on apps such as TikTok skewed the views of many. The apathy that was directed and is still directed towards many leftists and radicals, myself included, is a misguided attempt by the Empire not to take accountability for its actions. The Democratic Party essentially sold out their base, they sold out the working class yet again. Any sensible person would think that the voters then need to put pressure on their party and their constituents. The opposite happened out of the gate: leftists, Arabs, Palestinians, and most of all, [Palestinian activist] Maya Ayooni, were blamed for the election. Even in the face of data proving that Kamala just lost the election, her loss could be directly linked to internal party issues, misogyny from the Democratic base, and Trump just garnering more votes.
As a Decolonial Marxist, I cannot sit here and act like Trump is anything foreign to America, because he’s not. Using [the methods of dialectical] Materialism, you can see that America was on a trajectory for a Trump-like figure to arise sooner or later. America is a country built on genocides and exploitation and enslavement. There is no redeeming America because America hasn’t healed the wounds of its past.
Many Black Radicals such as Malcolm X, James Baldwin, and Huey P Newton have historically shown unwavering intellectual, spiritual, and physical support for Palestinians. Arguably, the most famous anti-Zionist piece of literature in the Black Radical tradition was written by Malcolm X; he named it Zionist logic and pointed out the inconsistencies of Zionist logic and how Zionists have no religious claim to the land. He details how Zionism is nothing more than Western and American imperialism and settler colonialism. He says that the Zionists are encroaching on the Palestinian’s right to self-determination:
“The Israeli Zionists are convinced they have successfully camouflaged their new kind of colonialism. Their colonialism appears to be more ‘benevolent’, more ‘philanthropic’, a system with which they rule simply by getting their potential victims to accept their friendly offers of economic ‘aid’ and other tempting gifts that they dangle in front of the newly independent African nations, whose economies are experiencing great difficulties. During the 19th century, when the masses here in Africa were largely illiterate, it was easy for European imperialists to rule them with ‘force and fear’. Still, in this present era of enlightenment, the African masses are awakening. It is impossible to hold them in check now with the antiquated methods of the 19th century. The imperialists, therefore, have been compelled to devise new methods. Since they can no longer force or frighten the masses into submission, they must devise modern methods that will enable them to manoeuvre the African masses into willing submission.” (Malcolm X. Zionist Logic, The Egyptian Gazette, 17 Sept, 1964.)
X sees right through the lies of the Zionists, which is something that we all should be doing because Palestinians need our help and support in their fight for liberation.
We have to realise that Black liberation and Palestinian liberation are intertwined. This is why the solidarity and history run deep with both groups. Figures on the Palestinian side, such as Yahya Sinwar, have been quoted as saying, “The same racism and white supremacy that killed George Floyd is killing us in Palestine.” He’s not just saying that the IDF indeed trained the officers who murdered George Floyd. We see that these systems of global Western imperialism are all connected and aligned with each other: you can’t free Congo without a free Palestine, you can’t free Sudan without a free Palestine. This is because the United States and Israel are both manufacturing systems of harm against the people in Sudan, with the US and Israel funding the UAE, which is financing Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who are committing genocide against Sudanese people in Darfur by the thousands daily. We see that the US and Israel have their foot in the Congo as well; Israel’s top export is diamonds. Dan Gertler, an Israeli billionaire, is one of the main facilitators of the exploitation in the Congo [he was named by the US Treasury specifically for exploitation in DRC]. So, when I say there is no Black liberation without Palestinian liberation, I mean it.
All in all, I will always remain an advocate for Palestine and the Global South until my last breath on this earth, whenever that may be. We must resist the systems of fascism and settler colonialism that both America and Israel perpetuate and uphold. We must always remain politically educated and sound in our analysis of the world. Many people bought into the lies of the corporate duopoly and were indeed lied to by Kamala Harris. This manipulation by the Democratic Party is intentionally manufactured by the ruling class to keep us divided. Because solidarity will always be the key to freedom for all.
CJ the radical is a 19-year-old Decolonial Marxist content creator who focuses on sociopolitical issues that affect the Black community.
Follow CJ on TikTok: @iamcj_ _2
This article appeared in Issue 4 of Shibboleth magazine.
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