Freedom Church of the Poor: Black August: Songs in the Key of Resistance (SKOR): Beatitudes

Freedom Church of the Poor: Black August: Songs in the Key of Resistance (SKOR): Beatitudes service with artists and cultural organizers sharing music, poetry, and prayers in honor of our patron saints of Black August 2024– Bernice Johnson Reagon and Paul Robeson.

Join us this Black August Season as we come together to confront the pervasive state violence affecting our communities. From the ongoing violence, death, and genocide in Palestine, to the criminalization of our homeless siblings, to the growing political influence of white Christian nationalist ideology, and the increased repression of our movements for justice, we face many challenges. In these times of crisis, it is crucial to cultivate clarity of mind, body, and spirit, drawing strength from our ancestors who have given us powerful tools to sustain ourselves during periods of struggle. This Black August, we honor the moral and political leaders and patron saints of the movement, like Bernice Johnson Reagon and Paul Robeson, who taught us how to unite and organize in challenging times. Together, let's lift up their legacy and build a stronger, more committed community.

Black August is a tradition that originated in California’s prisons in the 1970’s after the deaths of Jonathan and George Jackson and other incarcerated Black people who’ve sought freedom. We take time in August to lift up past and current organizations and revolutionaries who are in battle with, incarcerated and/or assassinated by the US State apparatus. It is also a time for us to prepare for what lies ahead, by building and deepening relationships, drawing on this rich history of our movement to develop our leaders for future struggle, to share song and music and art, and to be in spiritual community.