WASHINGTON—During the last weekend of October, activists and organizers from all over the District of Columbia gathered at the Bolivian Embassy to break bread and take part in the Paul Robeson Peace and Justice Awards Gala. It was a night of remembrance, calls to action, and most of all celebration, commemorating the 100th anniversary of People’s World, and giving due credit to some of the most impactful members of the community.
This was the first time the Robeson Gala has been held since 2007, marking the revival of a past tradition on the D.C. progressive calendar. The night began with several acts of remembrance, as civil rights activist and artist Abena Disroe performed a libation ceremony to honor the fallen veterans of the struggle for progress and justice.
She led the gathering in paying respect to the sacrifices of fighters who came before, foremost among them being Paul Robeson, the namesake of the event and a larger-than-life singer, actor, athlete, and international activist for peace and equality for all oppressed peoples.
Robeson fought for African-American equality and supported anti-colonial struggles and socialist projects at home and around the world. His actions led to the U.S. government blacklisting Robeson via its House Un-American Activities Committee as part of an effort to isolate and silence him. Even with state suppression and racist attacks a constant threat, he continued to maintain his principles until his death in 1976.
The main event of the night, the award ceremony, highlighted two individuals and two organizations for their significant work in advocating for progressive causes in the District and DMV region.
Journalism Award – Chuck Modiano
Chuck Modiano is a local journalist who covers sports and social justice issues with a focus on exposing abusive policing and encroaching fascism in cities across the United States. With his platform, he amplifies stories typically ignored by the mainstream press. On D.C.’s WPFW radio, he co-hosts “The Collison: When Sports and Politics Collide.”
Justice Award – Harriet’s Wildest Dream
Harriet’s Wildest Dreams is a Black-led community defense hub centering all Black lives most at risk for state-sanctioned violence in the Greater Washington area. Their work includes legal empowerment, political and civic education, mass protest, organizing campaigns, and community care that builds alternatives to oppressive systems.
Peace Award – Palestinian Youth Movement DMV
The local chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement received laurels for helping lead some of the largest peace demonstrations in the D.C. since the Iraq War. The organization is a transnational, independent, grassroots movement of young Palestinians in Palestine and in exile worldwide.
Paul Robeson Award – Rev. Graylan S. Hagler
Rev. Hagler was honored for his lifelong dedication to both local and international issues and for being one of first Black faith leaders in the country to speak out against the genocide in Gaza.
In 1993, Hagler came to D.C., where he began ministering to the Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, a position he held until retiring in 2022. Having long been involved in work to end wars and militarism around the world, in 2015, he led a transformative clergy witness trip to the West Bank of Palestine.
Hagler currently serves as co-chair of the D.C. Poor People’s Campaign and co-chair of the Black Homeownership Strike Task Force to combat the racial wealth gap in Washington.
Keynote speaker James C. Early, former Director of Cultural Heritage Policy at the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies, made clear in his powerful speech that the progressive left must continue to strategically participate in systems of government, including elections, in order to block the most reactionary members of the ruling class from further eroding the rights of the people.
Speaking just days before the Nov. 5 election, he said, “Millions of working people are going to be at the polls, the electoral system has not been exhausted…and if we are not there where the people are, what are we saying?” he asked.
“It’s a kind of self-indulgence. It’s a kind of arrogance, that we know better, that we can just sit out here in the atmosphere. Millions of the people we claim to be a part of and claim to support, they are over here. The question for us, is where will we be?”
He continued, emphasizing that preference for Harris over Trump was not equivalent to an endorsement of the Biden administration’s support for the genocide being carried out in Palestine by the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Gaza…is the sharpest, most concentrated, ideological, political, organized mobilization of inhumanity that is occurring in our time. That is why Gaza is so important. The liberation of the Palestinian people, it’s not just a matter of ceasefire, because ceasefire just goes back to the normality of apartheid occupation.”
The central theme of Early’s remarks and the night as a whole was that in order to end unjust U.S. policy abroad and begin making progress domestically, a mass people’s movement must be formed and organizers must meet the people where they’re at.
Several performances were interspersed throughout the night, featuring DJ Vico Vibez, the D.C. Warriors Drumline, a youth group that provides a positive alternative to avoid street violence for young people, local music duo Veronique and Michael Richardson, as well as WAYTA, an Andean musical project focused on advocating for the indigenous peoples of the Americas, or the Abya Yala.
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