We are kicking off Black August with line dancing in Fort Greene Park at 6pm TONIGHT, because joy is an act of resistance – to quote poet Toi Derricotte. We gather to remember that we are in a collective struggle for our liberation that must include joy.

Black August calls us to remember, reflect, and resist. Born behind prison walls, it honors Black political prisoners and freedom fighters who refused to accept injustice. Black August asks us to look around and ask what kind of future we are creating for our children. What will it take for every child to be safe, nourished, and free to learn?

From Gaza to the Bronx, Sudan to Puerto Rico, children are growing up in systems that punish instead of protect. Families are stretched thin, public school systems are defunded, and entire communities are treated as threats. Whether through over-policing, the prison industrial complex, detention centers, or occupation, the shared belief that some lives can be controlled, discarded, and denied a future drives it all. We can choose a different path. We can organize to invest in care not cages, in education not punishment. Real solidarity means recognizing we are in this together and being willing to fight side by side wherever freedom is under attack.  

Let's commit to digging deeper, showing up, and staying connected to struggles for freedom near and far — they’re everywhere we look! Take these resources along with you for the ride:

• The Story of SNCC
  Learn how student organizers built global solidarity with African, Asian, and Latin American liberation movements.

• The Freedom Archives
  Dive into over 12,000 hours of audio, video, and print materials documenting radical histories across the U.S. and global movements for liberation.

• Books Unbanned x Brooklyn Public Library
  Access banned books that speak truth to power and uplift global voices.

• Youth Incarceration and Palestinian Resistance
  Understand how children are criminalized and how they continue to resist

• Support Solutions in NY’s Schools, Not Suspensions
  Learn about our work around the Solutions Not Suspensions Bill and take action now!

In solidarity,

Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari and Marina Marcou-O'Malley
Co-Executive Directors, Alliance for Quality Education

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