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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

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

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

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

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