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History of Liberation + Nigeria Tamils + Tuna + West Papua + Book Liberation Volume 57 No1 2014 International Womens Day Issue £1.50 Also Inside – History of Liberation + Nigeria Tamils + Tuna + West Papua + Book Review JOURNAL OF LIBERATION, FORMERLY THE MOVEMENT FOR COLONIAL FREEDOM Liberation EDITORIAL Volume 57 No 1 March 2014 adopted 43 restrictions on ac- the fast-food industry. Strikes ISSN 0024 1873 cess to abortion in the first half at places like McDonald’s, 75-77 St John Street, London, EC1M 4NN of 2013 — as many as enacted Burger King and Wendy’s have Phone & Fax 44 0207 324 2498 & 2489 in all of 2012. mushroomed from seven cities On June 18, the House of a month ago to about 60 cities E-mail [email protected] Representatives passed a bill on Aug. 29. And it’s women, Website (228-196) that would restrict often single mothers, who are http://www.liberationorg.co.uk abortions after 22 weeks on leading chants like “We can’t the unscientific supposition survive on $7.25!” Women are Editorial that a fetus feels pain at that also demanding living wages E-mail [email protected] point in its development. Since and benefits at Walmart. Phone & Fax 44 020 7229 5831 it is a direct challenge to the Taking note of that and of the 1973 Supreme Court decision fact that women are now 49 Editor - George Anthony. legalizing abortion, the bill will percent of the workforce, with Other than the editorial, the opinions in the articles never be passed by the Senate. an increasing number being inside are not necessarily those of Liberation. The impetus for it, as noted by their families’ primary bread- many sources, was to winners, the AFL-CIO, in prepa- The date of Aug. 26 was tion suits in state court rather “energize” the Republicans’ ration for its Los Angeles con- named Women’s Equality Day than in federal court.) Tea Party base — as if limiting vention Sept. 8-12, held several in 1971 because that’s the day The Houston Chronicle re- women’s rights was an invigor- sessions for women workers to in 1920 when women, after vealed in early August that ating, kick-ass sport. discuss their most pressing years of intense struggle, final- Perry had vetoed the bill after Women rising up issues. The list included things ly won the right to vote with being lobbied by the Texas The fact that Sen. Wendy like good paying jobs for all; the passage of the 19th Retailers Association at the Davis conducted an 11-hour equal pay for equal work; paid Amendment to the Constitu- behest of million-dollar Macy’s filibuster to try to stop the anti- family leave; and quality, free tion. and Kroger Food stores. For abortion bill inspired a pro- education, child care and That date is deeply ironic this that veto, Perry earns the title choice upsurge lasting days at health care with the full range year, given the recent Supreme of “capitalist stooge.” the Texas Capitol. Thousands of reproductive justice issues, Court ruling striking down key For signing one of the most of women, many wearing or- including no discrimination provisions of the 1965 Voting stringent anti-abortion laws in ange shirts, converged on Aus- against lesbians, transwomen Rights Act. the nation, Perry wins the title tin, with 1,200 signing up to and women with disabilities. Already Texas and North Car- of “most misogynist U.S. gover- testify at hearings against the These are topics the women’s olina have enacted severe re- nor.” The law will force 90 per- bill on July 2. Meanwhile, 5,000 movement has demanded ac- strictions on voting. Similar cent of abortion clinics in Texas pro-choice protesters demon- tion on over the past 40 years. laws have already been passed — all but five out of 42 — to strated outside. Their activism What’s significant is that the in other states, so the ruling close because they do not inspired women in states like organized labour movement gives a green light for more. meet totally irrelevant physical Wisconsin and North Carolina appears, at long last, to be seri- The ruling allows states to cre- requirements as ambulatory to likewise defend their right to ously listening to women. But ate obstacles that in effect de- health centres. legal abortion. it will take a long, hard, united ny voting rights to people of That means thousands of One of the most far-reaching fight to destroy capitalism, an color, the elderly, youth and poor women, mostly those signs of an upsurge of women economic system based on rural people the most — and to affected by the voting law, will fighting for equality is their oppression and exploitation, thousands of women in the also be denied many additional participation in the movement before U.S. women can truly process. It is a ruling that vio- life-saving health care services to end poverty-level wages in celebrate equality. lates the 19th Amendment. provided at women’s clinics. So it’s hypocritical to com- What adds lustre to Perry’s Women in struggle memorate Women’s Equality misogynist crown is that he has Day when state and federal also refused to expand Medi- governments do not promote caid coverage to people in Tex- women’s equality. as as mandated by Obamacare, ‘Most misogynist denying thousands of needy U.S. governor’ women no-cost health care Take the dirty deeds Texas coverage. Gov. Rick Perry has recently State governors in Wisconsin, dealt women. Not only did North Carolina, Ohio and Colo- Perry sign the Texas voting bill, rado are runners up in the mi- but he vetoed a state bill man- sogynist category, since they dating equal pay for women. also signed laws limiting wom- (State bills, passed by 42 en’s right to legal abortion. states, make it much less costly According to a Guttmacher for women to bring discrimina- report released July 8, states Liberation 2 Association, which he chaired, Chris and spearheaded the campaign to oppose discrimination Braithwaite against colonial seamen. He By Christian also joined the International African Friends of Abyssinia Hogsbjerg and became secretary of the International African Service Bookmarks Bureau formed by George Pad- more. Stan Newens He was a powerful speaker reviews and addressed numerous Chris Braithwaite meetings. In summer 1935 he spoke at a rally in Trafalgar Communist Party, some After spending a number of tant, George Padmore, in Square with C.L.R. James, trade unionists, journalists and years in the United States, he efforts to defend the Scottis- George Padmore and Jomo other outspoken figures con- came to London in the 1920s boro boys – nine negro youths Kenyatta. During World War II sistently promoted the idea of and obtained employment as charged in the USA on dubious Chris Braithwaite continued his self-government for the colo- an agent with the Shipping grounds with the alleged rape activities and spoke at a num- nies. They were joined in this Federation, finding men to of two white girls. ber of meetings organised by work by increasing numbers of crew ships. With another Caribbean, Ar- the Independent Labour Party. Asian, African and West Indian Racist discrimination against nold Ward, Chris Braithwaite His sudden death from pneu- representatives like C.L.R. colonial seamen was not only formed the Negro Welfare As- monia in 1944 left his widow James, George Padmore, practised by shipping compa- sociation and struck up a close and six children in bleak straits Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Ken- nies at that time: it was sup- friendship with the left wing in their Stepney home, but his yatta, Mahatma Gandhi and ported by the National Sailors activist Nancy Cunard, a great friends – particularly Ethel Pandit Nehru. & Firemen’s Union, which later granddaughter of Sir Samuel Mannin, her partner Reg Reyn- Christian Hogsbjerg has pro- became the National Union of Cunard, founder of the well olds and John McNair of the ILP duced a book on another of Seamen. known shipping line. They – raised money to assist them. these, Chris Braithwaite, whose Adopting the pseudonym served on the NWA committee As a deeply committed social- name has been largely for- Chris Jones, to avoid victimisa- together. ist, opponent of racism and gotten because he died at 59 tion, Chris Braithwaite began Like George Padmore, Chris advocate of colonial freedom, years of age in 1944, long be- to work with the Seamen’s Braithwaite dropped out of the Chris Braithwaite deserves to fore historians began to record Minority Movement under the Communist Party when the be remembered. The author the anti-imperialist struggle. leadership of a well known Popular Front policy was and the Socialist History Socie- Born in 1885 in Barbados, the Communist, George Hardy, and launched by the USSR, as this ty are to be congratulated on grandson of a slave, Chris joined the Communist Party involved damping down sup- the publication of this book, Braithwaite was encouraged by himself. port in western Europe for the which is available from Book- his parents to read English clas- In addition to defending the anti-colonial struggle. marks, 1 Bloomsbury Street, sics but left home to go to sea interests of black seamen, he He then formed a new organ- London, WC1B 3QE. at 17 or 18 years of age. joined a fellow Caribbean mili- isation, the Colonial Seamen’s seen a different picture. Back Readers are invited to follow then, we'd just won huge com- us on Twitter: you can find us mitments from all major super- @LiberationOrg. Our account: markets on their own-brand https://twitter.com/ tinned tuna.
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