Working Class Calendar

Battle of the Thames (1813)

Tue Oct 05, 1813

On this day in 1813, Tecumseh was killed in the "Battle of the Thames", fought during the War of 1812 between America and Tecumseh's Confederacy. Tecumseh's death led to the dissolution of the alliances he forged.

Tecumseh (1768 - 1813) was a Shawnee warrior and chief who became the primary leader of a large, multi-tribal confederacy in the early 19th century.

Growing up during the American Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War, Tecumseh was exposed to warfare and envisioned the establishment of an independent Native American nation east of the Mississippi River under British protection, and established a confederacy of tribes to fight off colonization efforts.

On October 5th, 1813, Tecumseh and his second in command Roundhead were killed in the "Battle of the Thames", fought as part of the War of 1812 between America and Tecumseh's Confederacy and British allies.

Tecumseh's death resulted in the dissolution of his tribal alliances, and led many indigenous peoples to begin moving west to escape colonization, across the Mississippi River.

• Date: 1813-10-05
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.britannica.com.
• Tags: #Indigenous.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Philip Berrigan (1923 - 2002)

Fri Oct 05, 1923

Philip Berrigan, born on this day in 1923, was a radical Christian peace activist who was ex-communicated by the Catholic Church and frequently arrested for his acts of civil disobedience during the Vietnam War.

Berrigan engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience for the cause of peace and nuclear disarmament, and was frequently arrested or on the run from police. He married a former nun who was also an activist, Elizabeth McAlister, in 1972. Both were both excommunicated by the Catholic church, and eleven years of their twenty-nine year marriage were separated by one or both serving time in prison.

Berrigan frequently engaged in civil disobedience to protest the Vietnam War. On May 17th, while out on bail from a similar act six months prior, Berrigan and eight other radical Christians walked into the offices of the local draft board in Catonsville, Maryland, removed 600 draft records, doused them in napalm, and burnt them in a lot outside of the building.

The group issued a statement, saying "We confront the Roman Catholic Church, other Christian bodies, and the synagogues of America with their silence and cowardice in the face of our country's crimes. We are convinced that the religious bureaucracy in this country is racist, is an accomplice in this war, and is hostile to the poor." All nine were sentenced to three years in prison.

"The poor tell us who we are, the prophets tell us who we could be, so we hide the poor and kill the prophets."

- Philip Berrigan

• Date: 1923-10-05
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.americanswhotellthetruth.org, www.zinnedproject.org.
• Tags: #Birthdays, #Imperialism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Battle of Cable Street (1936)

Sun Oct 04, 1936

Image: Battle of Cable Street, with police clearing the way for a car carrying fascists (1936) [jewishmuseum.org.uk]

On this day in 1936, 20,000 anti-fascists turned out in East London to drive out a rally of 2,000-3,000 fascists organized by Oswald Mosley, forcing them to flee through Hyde Park in what is now known as "The Battle of Cable Street".

The fight included the Metropolitan Police, sent to protect a march by members of the British Union of Fascists led by Oswald Mosley, and various anti-fascist demonstrators, including local anarchist, communist, Jewish and socialist groups.

After it became known that the British Union of Fascists (BUF) were organizing a march to take place through the heart of the East End (an area which then had a large Jewish population), an estimated 100,000 residents of the area petitioned then Home Secretary John Simon to ban the march because of the strong likelihood of violence. He refused, and sent a police escort in an attempt to prevent anti-fascist protesters from disrupting the march.

Anti-fascists built roadblocks in an attempt to prevent the march from happening, and on Oct. 4th an estimated 20,000 anti-fascist demonstrators turned out, met by 6,000–7,000 policemen (including mounted police) and 2,000–3,000 fascists. Demonstrators fought police with sticks, rocks, chair legs and other improvised weapons. Rubbish, rotten vegetables and the contents of chamber pots were thrown at the police by women in houses along the street.

The leader of the BUF, Oswald Mosley, decided to abandon the march, and fascists fled through Hyde Park while the anti-fascists rioted with police. More than 150 demonstrators were arrested and approximately 175 people, including police, women, and children, were injured in the violence.

• Date: 1936-10-04
• Learn More: www.marxist.com, jewishmuseum.org.uk, en.wikipedia.org, www.aljazeera.com.
• Tags: #Labor, #Fascism, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

General Levee Strike (1907)

Fri Oct 04, 1907

Image: A 1900 postcard published showing steamboats on the Mississippi River, goods in sacks and barrels stacked on the levee, and groups of stevedores and horse carts. The view is looking downriver from the foot of Canal Street, New Orleans. Photo by Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

On this day in 1907, shipping lines in New Orleans locked out screwmen, skilled dock workers, for failing to meet employer bale quotas, beginning a multi-racial, industry-wide strike that shut down the port for three weeks.

On October 4th, 1907, all of the shipping lines locked out the screwmen, black and white alike, for failing to meet employer bale quotas. 9,000 dockworkers, also both black and white, then struck the New Orleans port that evening in a show of solidarity with the screwmen. Freight handlers from the Southern Pacific line also struck, ending any work on the port.

During the second week of the strike, employers attempted to break worker solidarity by intimidating black workers To this end, they revived the "White League", a white supremacist paramilitary organization.

Despite the attempts to break worker solidarity, strikers remained united, with some unions noting that if the employers successfully played one racial group against the other, they would all face starvation wages.

The strike lasted twenty days, ending on October 24th, with striking workers winning most of their demands.

• Date: 1907-10-04
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, nolaworkers.org.
• Tags: #Labor.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Filipino Army Strike (1983)

Mon Oct 03, 1983

Image: An aerial view of Clark Air Base, Luzon, Philippines, on 1 December 1989. Several U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4E & F-4G Phantom II aircraft from the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing are parked in their dispersal areas

On this day in 1983, 22,000 Filipino workers, paid less and given worse work than their American counterparts, walked off the job in a strike against the U.S.'s two largest foreign military bases, Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base. The military bases were the home of the U.S. 13th Air Force and logistics center for the U.S. Seventh Fleet, respectively.

Filipinos were solely employed in maintenance and lower level positions, paid in pesos, and generally made less than their American counterparts. Striking workers demanded a 10% pay raise, and refused a counter-offer from the American government of a 4.6% increase.

• Date: 1983-10-03
• Learn More: www.upi.com, www.washingtonpost.com.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Belfast Outdoor Relief Strike (1932)

Mon Oct 03, 1932

Image: Workers in Belfast 1932 preparing rocks for a battle with the police

On this day in 1932, 30,000 protesters in Belfast, Northern Ireland held a meeting on the Custom House steps to demand an increase in social welfare. When negotiations fell through, workers called a rent strike and battled with police.

On September 30th, 1932, 2,000 relief workers organized by the socialist Revolutionary Workers Group (RWG) voted to go on strike if their demands weren't met. These demands included the abolition of "task work", an increase in relief payments, all work schemes to be paid at trade union rates, and adequate outdoor allowances for all single unemployed men and women who were not receiving unemployment benefits.

On October 3rd, 1932, a crowd of 30,000 protesters marched from Frederick Street Labour Exchange, holding a mass meeting on the Custom House steps. Notably, Catholics and Protestants set aside their differences to unite in class struggle.

After negotiations with the relief workers fell through, they called a rent strike, lit bonfires in working class districts, and speakers from the strike committee addressed thousands. Thousands of police were called in. Over the next several days, protesters clashed in battles with police and many workers were killed and injured.

Workers won most of their demands, including big cash increases in their relief pay. One of the main demands, though, was not conceded - the giving of relief to single persons. Geehan and the other RWG members who were on the strike committee were heavily criticized for ending the strike before winning this demand.

• Date: 1932-10-03
• Learn More: libcom.org, socialistworker.co.uk.
• Tags: #Labor, #Tenant, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Tlatelolco Massacre (1968)

Wed Oct 02, 1968

Image: University students are held at gunpoint in Tlatelolco. As many as 300 people were killed, but most Mexican media published the army’s figure of 27. Photograph: AP

On this day in 1968, ~10,000 university and high school students gathered in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas of Tlatelolco, Mexico City were fired upon by the Mexican military, killing hundreds. More than 1,300 people were arrested.

The crowd, which also included non-students such as residential neighbors, bystanders, and children, had gathered to protest the government's actions and listen peacefully to speeches.

Although the Mexican government stated gunfire from the surrounding apartments prompted the army's attack, multiple eyewitness accounts claim they saw a military flare go up as a sign to begin firing on the crowd. The government also had hidden soldiers with machine guns in the apartment buildings they claimed they were fired upon from.

Estimates of the total killed range from 300-400, and over 1,300 people were arrested. The event radicalized Subcomandante Marcos, who later became a prominent member of the Zapatistas, an indigenous group that fights for liberation from the Mexican government.

The massacre also led CIA agent Philip Agee, an eyewitness to the violence, to resign from the organization in protest and author "Inside the Company: CIA Diary", which detailed his work on behalf of American imperialism and caused him to be deported from the United Kingdom.

• Date: 1968-10-02
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.npr.org, www.zinnedproject.org.
• Tags: #Massacre, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Trail of Tears (1838)

Mon Oct 01, 1838

Image: "The Trail of Tears", by Robert Lindneux, a painting depicting the forced removal of indigenous people.

On this day in 1838, the first major group of Cherokee, more than 12,000 people, were forced out of Tennessee, traveling westward from the town of Red Clay. A Choctaw leader called the forced deportations "a trail of tears and death".

The Trail of Tears was the cumulative result of a series of forced relocations of approximately 60,000-100,000 Native Americans in the United States from their ancestral homelands in the southeast to areas west of the Mississippi River that had been designated as "Indian Territory".

In 1837-38, President Martin Van Buren allowed Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama, using an armed force of 7,000 people, to relocate about 13,000 Cherokees to Cleveland, Tennessee. On October 1st, 1838, the first major group of Cherokee, more than 12,000 people in hundreds of covered wagons, were forced out of Tennessee, traveling westward from the town of Red Clay.

Taking the journey through an unusually cold winter, they suffered terribly from exposure, disease, and starvation, killing several thousand people while en route to their new designated reserve. They were also attacked by locals and economically exploited - starving Indians were charged a dollar a head, equal to $24.01 today, to cross the Ohio River, which typically charged twelve cents, equal to $2.88 today.

• Date: 1838-10-01
• Learn More: www.cherokeehistorical.org, georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Indigenous.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

The "Jerry Rescue" (1851)

Wed Oct 01, 1851

Image: A monument to the Jerry Rescue

On this day in 1851, arrested fugitive slave William "Jerry" Henry was broken out of jail by hundreds of abolitionists in Syracuse, New York. Jerry and prominent members of the rescue fled to Canada afterward.

Earlier that year, the pro-slavery Secretary of State Daniel Webster had warned that the new Fugitive Slave Act (passed in 1850) would be enforced even "here in Syracuse in the midst of the next Anti-Slavery Convention." The arrest was considered a message that the locally-unpopular law would be enforced by federal authorities.

The abolitionist Liberty Party was holding a state convention in Syracuse and, when Jerry's arrest became known, several hundred abolitionists broke into the city jail and freed him. The event came to be widely known as the "Jerry Rescue".

Jerry himself was hidden in Syracuse for several days, then was taken to the Orson Ames House in Mexico, New York, and from there to Oswego, before crossing Lake Ontario into freedom in Canada. Many of the prominent members of the jailbreak also fled to Canada, including Reverend J.W. Loguen and Minister Samuel Ringgold Ward.

• Date: 1851-10-01
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.nyhistory.com, www.cnyhistory.org.
• Tags: #Abolitionism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Ole Miss Riot (1962)

Sun Sep 30, 1962

Image: Photograph shows James Meredith walking to class accompanied by U.S. marshals. The men flanking Meredith are U.S. Marshal James McShane (left) and John Doar of the Justice Department (right)

On this day in 1962, white supremacists protesting the enrollment of James Meredith at the University of Mississippi rioted, killing 2 and injuring 300. On Oct. 1st, Meredith became the first black student enrolled at the institution.

Two civilians, one a French journalist, were killed during the night, and over 300 people were injured, including one-third of the federal law enforcement personnel deployed.

In anticipation of violence, Meredith was escorted by Federal Marshals and state police immediately after arriving in Oxford. Responding to the federal presence, a crowd of a thousand, mostly students⁠ - led by right-wing activist Edwin Walker⁠⁠⁠ - quickly crowded onto campus.

As the night went on, the crowd swelled to 3,000 and became increasingly violent. Early the next morning, a white mob attacked General Billingslea's staff car as it arrived at the university, setting it on fire with the staff inside.

On October 1st, Meredith became the first black student to be enrolled at the University of Mississippi. With 24-hour military security, he graduated from the university on August 18th, 1963 with a degree in political science.

• Date: 1962-09-30
• Learn More: www.blackpast.org, en.wikipedia.org, www.youtube.com.
• Tags: #Riots.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Missoula Free Speech Fight (1909)

Wed Sep 29, 1909

Image: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn addressing strikers in Paterson, N.J. (1913) [socialistworker.org]

"Free Speech Fights" refers to to struggles over free speech involving the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in the early 20th century. The IWW members, along with other radical groups, were often met with opposition (violent and otherwise) from local governments and especially business leaders, in their attempts to exercise their right to free speech.

On this day in 1909, a 19 year old Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, already a prominent member of the IWW, and her husband Jack Jones were arrested for speaking on a street corner in Missoula, Montana. Flynn put out the word, declaring, "we need volunteers to go to jail".

IWW poured in from the surrounding territory, getting arrested and overwhelming the local jail facilities. Some were offered immediate release, but they refused and insisted on a jury trial to remain in jail.

Eventually, on October 8th, the city had had enough with the IWW members and dropped all charges related to the exercise of speech, allowing them to speak where they wished, provided they didn't block the flow of traffic.

• Date: 1909-09-29
• Learn More: libcom.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #IWW.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Michael Parenti (1933 - )

Sat Sep 30, 1933

Michael Parenti, born on this day in 1933, is a Marxist American political scientist and cultural critic. He has taught at American and international universities and has been a guest lecturer before campus and community audiences.

Among Parenti's works are "Blackshirts & Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism", which details political and living conditions in the Soviet Bloc, as well as "To Kill a Nation: The Attack on Yugoslavia", which vehemently condemned the NATO bombing of that country.

"No surprise then that the 'pure' socialists support every revolution except for the ones that succeed."

- Michael Parenti

• Date: 1933-09-30
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.michaelparenti.org.
• Tags: #Marxism, #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Samora Machel (1933 - 1986)

Fri Sep 29, 1933

Samora Machel, born on this day in 1933, was a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary who served as President of independent Mozambique in 1975. "Marxism is a shining path, a sun of hope and certainty that never sets, that is always at its zenith."

Before serving as president, Machel had led the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) against colonial forces from 1970 until the political aftermath of the Portuguese Carnation Revolution ended the war four years later.

On June 25th, 1975, Mozambique became a formally independent nation with Machel serving as its first President. He stated the new nation would be "a state of People's Democracy, in which, under the leadership of the worker-peasant alliance, all patriotic strata commit themselves to the destruction of the sequels of colonialism, and to annihilate the system of exploitation of man by man".

On October 19th, 1986, Machel attended a summit in Mbala, Zambia, called to put pressure on Zairean dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, over his support for the Angolan opposition movement UNITA. On his return trip to Maputo (the capital of Mozambique), Machel's plane crashed near the Mozambican-South African border, killing him and 33 others.

"For the oppressed peoples and classes, for the peoples and workers who have taken control of their destiny, Marxism is a shining path, a sun of hope and certainty that never sets, a sun that is always at its zenith."

- Samora Machel

• Date: 1933-09-29
• Learn More: www.sahistory.org.za, www.marxists.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Marxism, #Birthdays, #Colonialism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

First International Founded (1864)

Wed Sep 28, 1864

Image: Logo of the Spanish Regional Association of the International Workingmen's Association [Wikipedia]

The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), commonly known as the First International, was an organization aimed at uniting different left-wing ideologies founded on this day in 1864.

Notable members of the IWA included Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Wilhelm Liebknecht, Louis Auguste Blanqui, Karl Marx, and Mikhail Bakunin. The organization was polarized on the issue of state power (followers of Bakunin and Proudhon categorically opposed state power and considered Marx's ideas inherently authoritarian), and split on this basis after its Fifth Congress in 1872.

On hearing of the First International's split, Otto von Bismarck remarked "crowned heads, wealth and privilege may well tremble should ever again the Black and Red unite!"

• Date: 1864-09-28
• Learn More: socialistworker.co.uk, en.wikipedia.org, www.marxists.org, www.marxist.com.
• Tags: #Marxism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Brixton Riot (1985)

Sat Sep 28, 1985

Image: Dorothy "Cherry" Groce in a London hospital after being shot by police [theguardian.com]

On this day in 1985, a race riot broke out in Brixton after London Metropolitan Police shot and paralyzed Jamaican immigrant Dorothy "Cherry" Groce. She later won £500,000 in compensation from the police with no admission of liability.

Police shot Groce during a raid on her home, in which police were looking for her son, who was not there at the time.

As word of the shooting spread, a group of more than 60 people formed outside Groce's house, later moving to the local district police station, chanting anti-police slogans and demanding disciplinary action against the officers involved.

There, hostility between the largely black crowd and the largely white police force quickly escalated to violence, and then rioting. Police lost control of the area for the next two days. Police, community residents, and bypassers were all attacked, leading to the death of at least one person and injuring dozens.

Cherry Groce received later received over £500,000 in compensation from the Metropolitan Police, but with no admission of liability. In 2014 - three years after her death - the police issued a formal apology for her shooting.

• Date: 1985-09-28
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, news.bbc.co.uk, www.theguardian.com.
• Tags: #Riots.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Battle of Holbeck Moor (1936)

Sun Sep 27, 1936

Image: A contemporary front page story on the Battle of Holbeck Moor, headlined "Sir Oswald Mosley Hit on the Head with a Stone". September 28th, 1936 [secretlibraryleeds.net]

On this day in 1936, the Battle of Holbeck Moor took place in Leeds, England when anti-fascist demonstrators disrupted a rally held by the British Union of Fascists (BUF), led by Oswald Mosley.

The 1,000 fascist demonstrators were greeted by approximately 30,000 locals in a protest organized by the Communist Party. Due to political differences with the Communist Party, the Labour Party did not attend.

When Mosley attempted to give a speech from atop a van, the protesters surrounded the van and sang "The Red Flag" in order to drown out Mosley's speech. Many threw stones at the Fascists, with at least one hitting Mosley in the temple. Outnumbered and facing violence, the BUF members dispersed.

The Battle of Holbeck Moor happened just a week prior to the more well-known Battle of Cable Street, in which a BUF rally led by Oswald Mosley was again forcibly dispersed by anti-fascist demonstrators.

• Date: 1936-09-27
• Learn More: secretlibraryleeds.net, www.yorkshirepost.co.uk, tribunemag.co.uk.
• Tags: #Communism, #Labor, #Fascism, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Chicago Garment Workers Strike (1915)

Mon Sep 27, 1915

Image: *Chicago newspaper "The Day Book" headline on September 27th, 1915, reading: "5,000 WORKERS OUT

30,000 TO FOLLOW Whole Clothing Industry Threatened With Tie-up - Healy Answers Bosses Demands - Has Hundreds of Coppers Ready for Action."*

On this day in 1915, 5,000 garment workers in Chicago walked out on strike, demanding a 48 hour work-week, overtime pay, union recognition, a wage increase, and an end to blacklisting. By the 29th, more than 25,000 workers were striking.

On September 14th, a meeting of approximately 5,000 garment workers in Chicago agreed on a list of demands to send to their employers and to collectively go on strike on September 27th if their demands were not met.

The demands included a 48 hour work-week, overtime pay, union recognition, a wage increase, and an end to blacklisting practices. Management not only did not meet the demands, they refused to negotiate with the workers entirely and pre-emptively requested police protection of their factories.

On September 27th, as planned, 5,000 garment workers walked out on strike. By September 29th, the amount of workers out had grown to 25,000. The strike was plagued with violence and police brutality, and multiple attempts by the city government to arbitrate the strike failed.

The labor action finally ended on December 12th, 1915 and, while the workers' union was not recognized, they won some of the demands from their employers.

• Date: 1915-09-27
• Learn More: books.google.com, www.newspapers.com.
• Tags: #Labor.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike Assassinated (1959)

Sat Sep 26, 1959

On this day in 1959, social reformer and founder of the Sri Lankan Freedom Party S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was assassinated by a Buddhist monk. After his death, his widow Sirima became the world's first female Prime Minister.

Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (1899 - 1959), commonly referred to by his initials as S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, was the fourth Prime Minister of the Dominion of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), founder of the left-wing and Sinhalese nationalist Sri Lankan Freedom Party, and social reformer.

Bandaranaike's administration implemented left-wing reforms in Ceylon, increasing wages, nationalizing public transport, fighting caste-based discrimination, and making May Day a national holiday. His government also removed British air bases from the country and established relations with the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union.

On September 25th, 1959, Bandaranaike was fatally shot by a Buddhist monk, who avoided being checked for weapons by posing as a member of the clergy. He died from his wounds the next day, and was succeeded in power by his widow Sirima Bandaranaike, who became the world's first female Prime Minister.

"Today, we are living in one of the most important periods of human history, at a period when a great world civilisation is crumbling and we are faced with the task of building a new civilisation to take its place.

I generally accept the principle of the dialectic of a thesis, and antithesis out of which there would emerge a synthesis. There again, this is not the whole truth for there may be more than one antithesis to any given thesis, and therefore, the possibility of more than one synthesis would arise: the discovery of the correct synthesis is the problem that faces us all today."

• S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike

• Date: 1959-09-26
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.swrdbandaranaike.lk.
• Tags: #Assassinations.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Athens General Strike (2012)

Wed Sep 26, 2012

Image: People gather in front of the Greek Parliament building, unknown year [libcom.org]

On this day in 2012, 100k-200k protesters took to the streets in Athens, Greece, as workers carried out a 24-hour general strike to protest against the policy of austerity. At the time, unemployment was ~25% and minimum wage cut by 22%.

At the time, the conservative coalition in government was calling for a $15 billion cut to pensions and salaries. Official unemployment in the country was around 25% and the minimum wage had been cut by 22% that year. Those Greeks still working would labor six days a week under the new plan.

When some protesters hurled molotov cocktails at the finance ministry and parliament, police responded with tear gas. The strike was called by the country's two biggest unions, which together represented half of the workforce. The general strike was just one of several that had taken place in Greece since 2010.

• Date: 2012-09-26
• Learn More: labornotes.org, libcom.org, www.theguardian.com, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Labor, #General Strikes, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Gabriel Prosser Captured (1800)

Thu Sep 25, 1800

Image: **

Gabriel Prosser (1775 - 1800) was the leader of an unsuccessful slave revolt in Richmond, captured on this day in 1800. Prosser planned to kill local whites, excepting Quakers, Methodists, and the French, and establish a "Kingdom of Virginia".

Little is known of Prosser's life before the revolt. Gabriel's two brothers, Solomon and Martin, and his wife, Nanny, were all enslaved by Thomas Prosser. All of them participated in the insurrection.

At the time of the uprising, Gabriel Prosser was twenty-four years old, six feet two inches, literate, and a blacksmith by trade. He was described by a contemporary as "a fellow of courage and intellect above his rank in life."

With the help of other enslaved people, Prosser devised a plan to seize control of Richmond by killing off the white population (excepting the Methodists, Quakers, and Frenchmen) and establishing a Kingdom of Virginia with himself as monarch.

Prosser was betrayed twice - first by others enslaved by Thomas Prosser who told him about the plan, and then by slaves in Norfolk, who turned a fleeing Prosser in to the authorities for a bounty.

On September 25th, 1800, Prosser was captured. He was executed along with two of his brothers and 23 other enslaved people a few weeks later, on October 6th.

• Date: 1800-09-25
• Learn More: www.blackpast.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Mozambique War for Independence (1964)

Fri Sep 25, 1964

On this day in 1964, the Mozambican Liberation Front (FRELIMO) launched a war against their Portuguese colonizers, winning independence after a decade of fighting. Communist revolutionary Samora Machel served the country's first President.

Ideologically Marxist-Leninist, FRELIMO was able to expel the Portuguese from significant regions of the colony. The Portuguese military, largely ineffectual in combat against guerrilla tactics, responded with extreme suppression of suspected leftists and FRELIMO-sympathizers among the native citizenry.

In April of 1974, a military junta seized power in Portugal in a coup known as the "Carnation Revolution". In the following months, FRELIMO was able to negotiate a ceasefire with the new government, ending the war and officially winning their independence.

"FRELIMO TODAY SOLEMNLY PROCLAIMS THE GENERAL ARMED INSURRECTION OF THE MOZAMBICAN PEOPLE AGAINST PORTUGUESE COLONIALISM FOR THE ATTAINMENT OF THE COMPLETE INDEPENDENCE OF MOZAMBIQUE. Our fight must not cease before the total liquidation of Portuguese colonialism..."

- FRELIMO, September 25th, 1964

• Date: 1964-09-25
• Learn More: www.marxists.org, en.wikipedia.org, projects.kora.matrix.msu.edu, www.britannica.com, www.marxists.org.
• Tags: #Marxism, #Colonialism, #Independence.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Alice S. Rossi (1922 - 2009)

Sun Sep 24, 1922

Alice S. Rossi, born on this day in 1922, was a pioneering feminist and sociologist who co-founded the "National Organization of Women" (NOW).

One of Rossi's most influential articles was "Equality Between the Sexes: An Immodest Proposal", first presented as a talk in 1963. In the piece, Professor Rossi argued that for most women motherhood had become a full-time occupation, a state of affairs that hurt not only women but also the larger society in which they lived. For the well-being of both the women and the culture, she argued, parity of the sexes is essential.

The year "Equality Between the Sexes" was published coincided with the publication of "The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedan, a fellow feminist author and activist. Professor Rossi's argument was considered subversive at the time, and in later interviews she recalled being called a monster, an unnatural woman, and an unfit mother.

In 1966, Rossi, along with Betty Friedan and others, founded the National Organization for Women (NOW).

"Demands for equality for women are threats to men's self-esteem and sense of sexual turf."

- Alice S. Rossi

• Date: 1922-09-24
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.nytimes.com.
• Tags: #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Anti-Water Charges Strike (1994)

Sat Sep 24, 1994

On this day in 1994, in opposition to water bill increases, working class Irish activists began a campaign of resistance, refusing to pay water bills and engaging in direct action to prevent peoples' water supplies from being shut off.

To facilitate this campaign, activists formed the Federation of Dublin Anti-Water Charges Campaigns (FDAWCC).

A protest march five hundred strong took place in the city center in November, and, over the course of late 1994/early 1995. nearly every house in Fingal and South Dublin had received a leaflet from the campaign.

In response to the water bill strike, the city declared that, if people didn't pay their outstanding bills within a certain number of days, they would begin cutting off peoples' water supply. In response, the community followed and spied on water inspectors in order to prevent them from shutting off the water supply to various homes.

Legal action escalated, and some residents were called into court over unpaid water charges. Despite this, very few people were actually issued disconnections, and more than 50% of houses were not paying their water bills. Finally, on December 19th, 1996 the Minister for the Environment announced that the water charge would be done away with.

• Date: 1994-09-24
• Learn More: libcom.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Grito de Lares (1868)

Wed Sep 23, 1868

Image: An artistic depiction of the Grito de Lares by Leonardo Rivera

On this day in 1868, the first major revolt against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico, known as the "Grito de Lares" (Cry of Lares), began when several hundred rebels looted stores, seized City Hall, and imprisoned Spanish-born merchants.

The revolutionary uprising had been planned months in advance by a group known as the "Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico", led by Dr. Ramón Emeterio Betances and Segundo Ruiz Belvis. The Committee issued several widely circulated "Proclamas", statements attacking the exploitation of the Puerto Ricans by the Spanish and calling for an anti-colonial insurrection.

On September 23rd, 1868, the Grito de Lares began when several hundred rebels arrived at the town of Lares, looting stores, seizing City Hall, imprisoning Spanish-born merchants, and flying the revolutionary flag of Lares at the town's church. The Republic of Puerto Rico was proclaimed and revolutionaries offered freedom to any enslaved people who joined them.

The insurrection ended the next day when the Puerto Rican militia, significantly better armed than the rebels, put down the rebellion by force. Although all revolutionaries were initially sentenced to death by a military court, political pressure led the Spanish President to declare a general amnesty and free all prisoners, although the leaders of the uprising were still exiled.

• Date: 1868-09-23
• Learn More: www.marxists.org, en.wikipedia.org, www.loc.gov.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

George Jackson (1941 - 1971)

Tue Sep 23, 1941

George Jackson, born on this day in 1941, was the revolutionary author of "Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson" and co-founder of the Marxist-Leninist Black Guerilla Family.

In 1970, Jackson was charged, along with two other Soledad Brothers, with the murder of prison guard John Vincent Mills in the aftermath of a prison fight. The same year, he published "Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson", a combination of autobiography and manifesto addressed to a black American audience. The book became a bestseller and earned Jackson personal fame.

Jackson was killed during an attempted prison escape on August 21st, 1971. Quoting communist revolutionary Ho Chi Minh, Jackson freed twenty-six prisoners and took hostages at gunpoint. Jackson and five other men were killed.

Fay Stender, George Jackson's former lawyer, was shot and paralyzed for her alleged betrayal of Jackson by Black Guerilla Family member Edward Glenn Brooks. Brooks entered her home, tied up her family, and forced Stender to say "I, Fay Stender, admit I betrayed George Jackson and the prison movement when they needed me most" before shooting her several times. Left paralyzed and in chronic pain, Stender testified against Brooks and committed suicide a year later.

"Settle your quarrels, come together, understand the reality of our situation, understand that fascism is already here, that people are already dying who could be saved, that generations more will live poor butchered half-lives if you fail to act. Do what must be done, discover your humanity and your love in revolution."

- George Jackson

• Date: 1941-09-23
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.sfgate.com, files.libcom.org, redyouthnwa.files.wordpress.com.
• Tags: #Marxism, #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org