As a middle-class, light-skinned black man I am ‘better’ by American standards but there is no amount of assimilation that can shield you from racism in the US

I am a black man who has grown up in the United States. I know what it is like to feel the sting of discrimination. As a middle-class, light-skinned black man I also know that many others suffered (and continue to suffer) a lot worse than me. I grew up around a lot of white people. In elementary school, I remember being told that I was one of the “good ones” – not like the “bad ones” I was meant to understand; I was different.

During the 2017 Special Election for 2nd Ward Alderman candidates had multiple opportunities to share what they would do if elected. Residents attended neighborhood forums and shared with their neighbors and the candidates what some of the issues are and offered up solutions including: speed bumps, neighborhood clean-up days, opening up the gym at the old Batten Elementary School, job fairs, introducing bills to either reduce or eliminate certain city bills. Let’s go over what has been done and what remains.

During riots and uprising in Ferguson in 2014 many activists and crowds protested against the shooting that led to the death of Michael Brown by police. Brown was unarmed. During these protests military styled policing teams fired rubber bullets drenched and bombed people with tear gas. It was then that Palestine showed and expressed global solidarity by tweeting advice as how to survive the attack.

The Green Party of the United States Black Caucus stands with Palestine and condemns Israeli state violence and the use of United States supplied weapons to murder, tear gas unarmed Palestinians. We also recognize that this atrocity could not have occurred without the U.S. Senator Bill Nelson’s tweet of support and celebratory comment outlines that both parties have no problem with ethnic cleansing, genocide, execution, rape, and theft of land.

The Green Party of the United States Black Caucus is proud to announce it has nominated and elected two co-chairs to its Green Party of the United States Reparations working group to secure full and complete reparations for the descendants of slaves in the United States of America.

Anika Ofori is a cultural artist, social entrepreneur and activist. She currently lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is a US Navy veteran. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Urban Ministry Leadership from Geneva College and a Master of Divinity from The Virginia Union University. She is a member of GPLA and GPUS-BC.

There is a lot happening in the local Green Party scene in Monroe County!

First of all, if you missed the March monthly meeting on Food Justice, fear not. We have video!

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Green Party of the United States, following the lead of the party's Black Caucus, has endorsed U.S. House Resolution 40 -- Commission to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals.

The text of the Green Party resolution follows below. The resolution was passed by the party's National Committee, in which all accredited state Green Parties and Green Caucuses are represented.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders reacted with shock and grief to the news that Muhiyyidin d'Baha, a Black Lives Matter activist, was gunned down in New Orleans on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Mr. d'Baha was co-chair of the Charleston Green Party in South Carolina.

The Green Party of the United States expressed deep sympathy and condolences for Mr. d'Baha's family and friends.

The Green Party of New York State today extended its deepest sympathies to the family of Erica Garner. Party officials said that Ms. Garner was a leading voice in the struggle against police brutality since her father, Eric Garner, died at the hands of NYC police in 2014. Party leaders noted the movement against police brutality had lost a leading light, but that it would continue to organize while remembering Erica and her father.

"Hearing the news of Erica Garner’s death is truly devastating," said James Lane, 2015 Green Party Congressional candidate. "I first met Erica during my run for Congress in her district against the DA that failed to bring a conviction against the NYPD officers who murdered her father, Eric Garner in July of 2014. On our first meeting I remember telling her how I see so much of her father while looking into her eyes and that how we hoped to finally bring justice to their family. Sadly, it seems that the unfairness of the tragedy that left a family without their father has passed down generationally to now leave a family without their very young mother."

The Black is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations calls on all black people and freedom-loving people from throughout the U.S. to gather in Washington, D.C. to lay out our organized response to the war being waged against the peoples of the world and African people within the U.S.

The march and conference will be held in Washington, DC on November 4th & 5th.

Our keynote speaker for the Green Party of Minnesota launch of the Black and Brown caucus and panel on Running as a Black candidate in todays current political culture will be former Green Party Vice Presidential Ajamu Baraka with our very own Samantha Lee Pree-Stinson as our host!

We are so excited to start launching a Green Party Black and Brown Caucus, come learn more!