First celebrated in 1979, Black August celebrates Black freedom fighters, revolutionaries, radicals and political prisoners, both living and deceased.
Jackson's casket, draped in a flag with a Black Panther emblem, is carried from St. Augustine's Episcopal Chruch, Aug. 28, 1971, in Oakland, Calif.First celebrated in 1979, Black August was created to commemorate Jackson’s fight for Black liberation. Fifty-one years since his death, Black August is now a monthlong awareness campaign and celebration dedicated to Black freedom fighters, revolutionaries, radicals and political prisoners, both living and deceased.
While incarcerated, Jackson began studying the words of revolutionary theoreticians such as Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, who advocated class awareness, challenging institutions and overturning capitalism through revolution. Founding leaders of the Panthers, includingand Bobby Seale, were also inspired by Marx, Lenin and Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-tung.
“I certainly wish that more people knew about George’s writings knew about my father’s sacrifice on that fateful day in August,” said Jonathan Jackson, who wrote the foreword to “Soledad Brother” in the early ’90s, shortly after graduating from college. The ways of honoring this month also come in various forms and have evolved over the years. Some take part in fasting, while others use this time to study the ways of their predecessors. Weekly event series are also common during Black August, from reading groups to open mic nights.
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