The Organization for Black Struggle (OBS) was founded in 1980. A group of veteran activists, students, union organizers and community members in St. Louis were seeking to address the needs and issues of the Black working-class. There was a vacuum of Black radical leadership that could boldly speak and act, unencumbered by government or corporate structures. In retrospect, this was a challenging period.
The FBI’s CounterIntelligence Program, known as COINTELPRO, wreaked havoc on the leaders and organizations of the Black Liberation Movement. By 1980 the right was beginning to consolidate its power politically, with a conservative in the White House for the next 12 years. The country was struggling to get out of the economic recession. It was out of this abyss that OBS was born.
An important documentary which explores the roots and legacy of one of the worst civilian massacres in modern American history. Joining the discussion is local filmmaker Denise Ward-Brown and former alderman Terry Kennedy whose family was a survivor of the infamous massacre.
The demand for black political power has been ever constant through the various movements–Black liberation,BLACK POWER, Black Lives Matter. This year, St. Louis is poised to elect a Black mayor. In 2023, the City will also reduce the number of alder people by half.
Building a strong, radical multiracial movement will be critical in a post-trump world. What lessons can we learn from the brothers and sisters who founded the first Rainbow Coalition.
The National Black Political Convention was a critical milestone in the struggle for Black political power. Members of the Congress of African People played a key role in organizing for the convention as well as for the assemblies around the Black agenda that followed. This panel will explore the need for a renewed call for
a national political agenda, learning from the lessons of Gary and other subsequent gatherings.
The insurrection that occurred on Saturday, February 6 at the St. Louis Justice Center in response to COVID-19 has been boiling for almost a year. The prolonged neglect by city officials starting with Mayor Lyda Krewson and Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards is unconscionable and unacceptable.
Organization for Black Struggle
P.O. Box 5277
St. Louis, MO 63115
(314) 367-5959 | contactus@obs-stl.org
