Sunday May 1 - Reserve the right to revolt

Sunday May 1st - More info tba but block the date

Peace family,
On Sunday May 1st we'll be discussing the latest revolutions in Africa, how the media decides which countries make the news and how this can be translated to our daily existence. Stay tuned for more info!

Location: Ninsee (Linnaeusstraat 35-F, 1093 EE Amsterdam)

Doors open: 13.30u
The debate starts at: 14.00u
Entrance: €3

Free Zwarte Piet #6 - preface to our next move

Free Zwarte Piet is the grassroots movement that takes a stance against Holland’s annual celebration of blackface, colonialism and racism. With the Dutch chapter of this movement Soapbox forms a fist against white supremacy, the stereotypical portrayal of Black people, racist traditions and historical hypocrisy. Our main focus is the education and emancipation of Black people so that our community can emotionally and intellectually free its mind of the idea that Zwarte Piet is anything less than horrific.

Before anything else we need Black people to understand the Dutch history of colonial crimes and slavery because no-one who is fully aware of how Holland is built and how it still functions can stand behind this image. Nobody who fully embraces their Blackness will find comfort in the ridiculing, humiliating and mocking of themselves and others.
We do not accept the tradition-argument and we sincerely hope that anybody who tries to bring up The Chimney gets stuck in their own fireplace.

Let's make it plain:
* Zwarte Piet = blackface = racism.
* A white man who stuffs his boat with tons of black people who are all his ‘servants’ = a slavemaster.
With this in mind we reject all images, expressions and activities that are originated in the minds of those who think that there’s a time, a justification, a place or even an appropriate context for racism.

Our motto is: Communities before companies. Free Zwarte Piet is a people’s movement that focuses on parents, children, educators and artistic activists. Our collective includes people who embrace their activism on a daily basis and not just when it’s time to file for subsidies, gain political momentum and/or travel to an African country to represent activism in Holland.

We need the coonery to be shut down because the people oppose and not because some commercial-minded art director mistakes movement for marketing. We need our kids to be armed with books and wit so their teachers won’t give them a 6 for a 9. We, the people, need to own our struggle and Soapbox will make sure that this issue will be addressed and dealt with in its full ugliness.

The revolution will not be televised and we won’t let anyone get away with trying to sell us a bootleg DVD.
Free Zwarte Piet!

Peace,
Soapbox