HARTFORD, Conn. — Around 50 demonstrators gathered outside of the State Capitol on Wednesday in honor of Black August, a month dedicated to Black freedom fighters and political prisoners, according to the CT Palestine Solidarity Coalition.
In Hartford, the activists wore keffiyehs, waved Palestinian flags and carried signs that read “Safety Through Solidarity” and “Protect Black Lives,” all while chanting “I am a revolutionary.”
The coalition says the demonstration was organized by We Will Return CT, a group of Palestinian activists, and Power Up CT, a group of racial justice organizers. The activists protested against the ongoing genocides in Palestine, Sudan and the Congo. According to the coalition, at least 186,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than a million people have been displaced by the Israeli government since October 2023.
In Sudan, around 15,000 people have been reported dead and 7.7 million people are displaced, and in the Congo, 25.4 million people face food insecurity and several million have been displaced, the coalition reports.
“Black liberation cannot happen unless Palestinian liberation happens,” Keren Prescott, founder of Power Up CT, said. “Nothing is going to stop the solidarity between Black people and Palestinian people.”
Dr. Bulaoung Ramiz, a Black and Boricua Queer Muslim advocate, spoke on behalf of the coalition’s Samidoun Committee, which advocates for Palestinian and American political prisoners.
“We affirm our commitment to be in solidarity with oppressed people around the world, and in particular, the political prisoners held captive in the United States and Israel,” Ramiz said. “Today, we honor those freedom fighters, we honor all martyrs, in the thread of the struggle for Black liberation and Palestinian freedom that binds us together.”
The coalition says that Chamar Latanja, a Black and Arab activist who founded Freedom for the Collective, responded to accusations of attempted division between Black and Palestinian activists by the U.S. government.
“Solidarity is so powerful it scares the government into action,” Latanja said.
The event included a moment of silence for genocide victims in Palestine, Sudan, the Congo and globally as well as speeches from about eight activists from a variety of groups with similar goals.
The event was co-sponsored by the CT Palestine Solidarity Coalition, Black Lives Matter 860, Jewish Voice for Peace New Haven, UConn Students for Justice in Palestine, Islamic Association of Central Connecticut, Bristol Anti-Racism Brigade and Middle East Crisis Committee.
The CT Palestine Solidarity Coalition is made up of 18 member organizations and individuals who represent diverse communities throughout Connecticut.
The coalition’s mission is to “end United States aid to Israel, end the siege on Gaza, defend solidarity activists from repression and harassment and secure the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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