December 2017’s A.C.T.O.R. will be about the latest, sanctioned FBI surveillance of African American organizations called ‘Black Identity Extremist’ report. There is a parallel between this report and COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) of the 60’s and 70’s. COINTELPRO was a series of covert, and at times illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic political organizations, namely The Black Panther Party, SCLC and SNCC. (read more)

In the Jeff Sessions hearing, the Attorney General was brought to task by Rep. Karen Bass as to why groups like Black Lives Matter be investigated but not the KKK, for example. She was citing this BIE report.

Invited speakers include:

• Nkechi Taifa, Senior Policy Analyst, Open Society Foundations- Ms. Taifa is a human rights attorney, long-standing activist, author and motivational speaker. She serves as Advocacy Director for criminal justice for an international foundation and convenes a Washington-based coalition advancing federal criminal justice policy reform.
• Juan Demetrixx, from HUResist- Juan Demetrixx is a student activist at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and is one of the founding members of the political collective HU Resist, which is a student movement that functions to combat the elements of white supremacy, classism, sexism, and every other reactionary principle that appears on Howard’s campus.

Moderated by Professor Fahima Seck.

Free and open to all.

A.C.T.O.R. is held on the first Sunday of every month at Busboys and Poets 14^th & V from 5:00 PM-7:00 pm. The A.C.T.O.R. (A Continuing Talk on Race) open discussion series is hosted by Busboys and Poets as a community service. It provides the opportunity for people to come together and speak openly and honestly about issues of race. The intent is that each person walks away from the discussion feeling something: challenged, educated, uncomfortable, enlightened, refreshed, reassured and hopefully inspired and moved to action! Each month there is a new topic for discussion.