Black August Hip-Hop Project - About Black August

About Black August

Eight former Black Panthers were arrested January 23rd, 2007 in California, New York and Florida on charges related to the 1971 killing of a San Francisco police officer. Similar charges were thrown out after it was revealed that police used torture to extract confessions when some of these same men were arrested in New Orleans in 1973.

Richard Brown, Richard O'Neal, Ray Boudreaux, and Hank Jones were arrested in California. Francisco Torres was arrested in Queens, New York. Harold Taylor was arrested in Florida. Two men charged – Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim – have been held as political prisoners for over 30 years in New York State prisons. A ninth man -- Ronald Stanley Bridgeforth – is still being sought. The men were charged with the murder of Sgt. John Young and conspiracy that encompasses numerous acts between 1968 and 1973.

The Black August Hip Hop Project

Black August Fliers from previous years

The Black August Hip Hop Project strives to promote human rights though supporting and influencing the global development of Hip Hop culture. By facilitating exchanges between international communities where Hip Hop is a vital part of youth culture, we promote awareness about the social and political issues that affect our global communities.

Our vision is to bring culture and politics together and to allow them to naturally evolve into a unique Hip Hop consciousness that informs our collective struggle for a more just, equitable and human world.

The History of Black August

Black Panthers Showing Strength and Pride

Black August originated in the concentration camps of California to honor fallen Freedom Fighters, Jonathan Jackson, George Jackson, William Christmas, James McClain and Khatari Gaulden. Jonathan Jackson was gunned down outside the Marin County California courthouse on August 7, 1970 as he attempted to liberate three imprisoned Black Liberation Fighters: James McClain, William Christmas and Ruchell Magee.

Ruchell Magee is the sole survivor of that armed rebellion. He is the former co-defendant of Angela Davis and has been locked down for 40 years, most of it in solitary confinement. George Jackson was assassinated by prison guards during a Black prison rebellion at San Quentin on August 21, 1971. Three prison guards were also killed during that rebellion and prison officials charged six Black and Latino prisoners with the death of those guards.

These six brothers became known as the San Quentin Six. To honor these fallen soldiers the brothers who participated in the collective founding of Black August wore black armbands on their left arm and studied revolutionary works, focusing on the works of George Jackson.

MXGM Solidarity Statement with BAOC

Malcolm X Grassroots Movement Statement of Solidarity with the Black August Organizing Committee.

The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM) stands in active solidarity with the Black August Organizing Committee (BAOC) and all other revolutionary New Afrikan forces in the building and advancement of the tradition of resistance that is Black August. We recognize the historic contribution of the BAOC in bringing this revolutionary tradition and practice to the New Afrikan Nation, and the sacrifices it made and continues to make in promoting this tradition and serving as a constant reminder of the continuing struggle of our captured soldiers detained in the concentration camps of California and the whole of the US empire.

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Malcolm X Grassroots Movement Statement of Solidarity with the Black August Organizing Committee.