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Recognizing that the current foreign policy crisis is, simultaneously, a domestic and international racial justice emergency, Racial Justice 911 (RJ 911) was launched in February 2002 to develop a national network of racial justice organizations dedicated to building broad-based opposition to the U.S.' dangerous foreign and domestic policies, known as the "War on Terrorism," among communities of color. As we work to establish common language and strategies among organizations representing different regions, racial/ethnic/national communities, approaches to social change work, and organizational cultures, we hope to lay the foundations of a stronger, more united racial justice movement able to take on new tasks long after we defeat Bush's war program. Why We, as People of Color and Indigenous Peoples, Oppose Bush's "War on Terrorism" and the Occupation of Iraq n Bush's war on Iraq is the frontline of a racist war against Third World nations and communities of color at home. The real motive for war is that ultra-right forces in the Bush administration want to get hold of Iraqi oil and forcibly dominate the Middle East. We say, No Blood for Oil. n U.S. wars target young people, people of color, and indigenous peoples in the U.S. U.S. military recruitment increasingly targets low-income students of color. The public sector fiscal crisis-fueled by ballooning military expenditures-has its greatest impact on the poor and, given their socio-economic profile, cutbacks in social spending on healthcare, childcare, welfare, education, housing, etc. unfairly burdens communities of color. n The "War on Terrorism" targets and negatively impacts immigrants of color. New anti-terrorist laws and so-called security measures criminalize immigrants, depriving us of jobs and violating our civil liberties. Bush is mounting the most aggressive assault on the Constitutional, civil, and human rights of people of color in decades, and political activists in general. n War increases burdens on poor women and women of color. The military culture of violence, heightened during wartime, especially endangers women of color and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered communities of color, whom are exposed to increased physical and sexual violence. n War and racism fuel each other. Bush attempts to win popular support for his wars by portraying himself as the defender of "Western civilization" from violent, woman-hating Arab and Muslim terrorists. This builds on deep-rooted patterns of U.S. governments using racism to build support for colonial wars of conquest and to deprive people of color of their rights, as Native Americans, African Americans, Chicanos, Japanese Americans, and many others can testify. n The war on Iraq is the leading edge of the U.S. attempt to forcibly dominate and control the world. The "War on Terrorism" provides cover for Bush's real goal: to expand U.S. control over the resources, markets, and labor of oppressed nations throughout the world.
Accomplishments
to Date n
Built
a national network of more than 60 community-based racial justice organizations.
Participating organizations work on a wide range of issues, including
immigrant rights, economic justice, welfare rights, Indigenous environmental
issues, LGBT rights, issues facing young people of color, and domestic
and sexual violence. The network and its Steering Committee is multigenerational,
regionally diverse, and has attracted groups rooted in African American,
Latino, Asian Pacific Islander, Arab, and South Asian communities and
indigenous nations. |
New York City
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