May 5th Youth Led Protest in Newark: MLK Jam The Stake for Youth in the Anti War Struggle

Newark Youth Taking a Stand for Peace (Pictures)

Dear friends of peace and justice,

On May 5th, youth around Essex county and beyond will come together in an effort to promote the anti war effort.  The event will be held in Newark at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr/ Blvd and Springfield Avenue at 11 am at the Martin Luther King Monument.  The event is a legal event and NJ Anti War Agenda has a legal permit for the sound system.  I invite all youth organizations, individuals, adults who work with youth and parents of interested youth to contact me as soon as possible to help make this event a huge success.

Youth and young adults will be performing dances, singing, essays, music, as well as art displays as well as speaking out against US war making.  If you might be interested in performing or speaking, please contact me - ASAP!  All are welcome to attend but this event will be youth organized and led and the presenters and performers will be youths.

We are calling for youth of Newark and area communities to participate because it is the youth being recruited into these wars to fight for a country that is not fighting for us back at home.  We of course also are not interested in having our lives cut short by nuclear war nor do we want US guns trained on the our sister and brothers - young people in countries throughout the world.

The solutions for our problems here at home can not be found in battle fields near and afar.  Some of the issues at home that are concerning to youth are lack of funding in schools, as well as allocation of funds in the government. The US government is spending close to $800 billion per year on warfare.   Flint’s water system only costs 50 million to fix and yet nothing has been done.  In some Newark schools we are also dealing with water just as toxic as in Flint.

We need free higher education and training, health care, opportunities doing meaningful work, benefits, livable wages, adequately available recreation opportunities, housing, potable drinking water, and a lack of violence including by the police often against youth members of our communities.

On May 5th, we will be saying NO to US wars abroad and no war at home in our communities.  We will demand money for the needs of Newark and other NJ communities - not for the profits of the multinational corporations that manufacture the weapons for war nor those extracting resources from the countries around the planet that are subject to US warfare.

If you are an artist, performer, someone who has something to say about opposition to US war, please contact us immediately and help us to make this event a large success.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/199249074015369/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/AntiWarYouth/  

E-mail AntiWarYouth@NJAntiWarAgenda.org 

Phone 852-754-6691

Sincerely,

Tahir, lead organizer of 

MLK Jam: The Youth State in the Anti War Struggle

Saturday, May 5, 11 am - 2pm

MLK Monument, MLK Boulevard (Near Springfield Av), Newark NJ