Letter from ALBA: We Know Where We Stand
Dear friends and comrades,
Every day we are inspired by the millions in this country and around the world who engage in acts of resistance against racists and oppressors. Like many of you, we worried about the recent elections in France and the Netherlands and were relatively relieved by the outcome. We were also thrilled to see the New York Times publish an op-ed citing Henry A. Wallace’s 1944 “The Danger of American Fascism.” Then-Vice President Wallace warned against right-wing leaders who pursue political power by poisoning “the channels of public information” in order to “use the news to deceive the public” to protect their own wealth and privilege. Seventy-three years later Wallace’s words continue to resonate. Fittingly, his article is one of the several documents we shared with teachers who attended our recent institutes in Massachusetts and New York. We will continue to hold conversations on the nature and dangers of fascism with more educators at our forthcoming institutes in Ohio, Wisconsin, and New York this fall.
ALBA proudly identifies with the international movement that fights for social justice and human rights. On April 16, at our annual event, we conferred the ALBA/Puffin Award for Human Rights Activism on Proactiva Open Arms, the group of brave internationalists and human-rights activists who play a central role in rescuing thousands of refugees who attempt to cross the Mediterranean to flee war and oppression.
Our own educational activities are also gaining international recognition. In May, The Guardian highlighted our teachers’ institutes. Titled “Fighting Fascism: Americans in the Spanish Civil War Have a Lesson for Today,” the article described how ALBA has taken the stories of the Lincoln volunteers “along with progaganda posters, letters and other document to high schools around the US, to help teachers confront the resurgence of ‘alternative facts’ and extreme politics in American life.”
None of this would be possible without your support. As we confront the challenges ahead, ALBA will remain steadfast in its work to ensure that the experiences of the men and women of the Lincoln Brigade continue to resonate and inspire current and future generations of activists.
We know where we stand.
In the words of the Italian antifascist Pietro Calamandrei, for us it will always be “now and forever Resistance.”
Salud,
Marina Garde
Executive Director
Fraser Ottanelli, Chair of the Board of Governors
