NYC BA Everywhere Committee Holds First Meeting
April 15, 2013 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
From a member of the NYC BA Everywhere Committee:
The NYC BA Everywhere Committee had its first meeting this past weekend. The people attending were both longer-time supporters of BA and those who just found out about BA through seeing the film BA Speaks: REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! Bob Avakian Live. Andy Z, spokesperson for Revolution Books, introduced the purpose of the BA Everywhere Committee—to raise funds to make BA and his new synthesis of revolution and communism known, debated and discussed in every corner of society. So many who saw the premiere of the film were touched deep in their souls and felt it has to be seen by many more people. The BA Everywhere campaign needs to raise funds to accomplish this by involving lots of people, from new people and those who want to learn more, to those who have been getting into BA's work for some time. As BA and what he represents become talked about all over, a lot more people can begin to see that there is another way the world could be, and this will start to change the whole atmosphere in society and bring forward new people on different levels to contribute to and be a part of the movement for revolution.
We watched a short segment from the film called "Straight Talk on BA" where he gets into what kind of leadership is needed and how this has to do with what you understand about the system of capitalism-imperialism as the problem in the world and the solution of revolution, and how BA Everywhere is about making this leadership known all over. Then a woman who has just learned about BA in the last few weeks brought to the room her reasons for being so impressed with BA—she said it was because of how clear he is about the situation of the people and how straightforward, funny and serious he is about what to do about it. And she brought her list of ideas for how more people can be part of raising funds for BA Everywhere, from bake sales to stoop sales and cook-offs and volunteering to provide childcare for women who want to be involved in the movement.
We made plans for BA Everywhere fundraising and taking BA and the film out into the world this spring and summer. We have started a raffle with the prize drawing in early June at a picnic which will launch a summer of taking BA Everywhere! Prizes that have been donated so far include dinner & film for two at a new performance space in Harlem; 4 movie tickets from Magic Johnson AMC Theater (where the NYC premiere of BA Speaks: REVOLUTION–NOTHING LESS! was held) and a $50 gift certificate from an art store. Grand Prize to be announced! The raffle is something anyone and everyone can be involved in—tickets are $1 each.
We will begin this weekend in Harlem. The BA Everywhere Committee will be out featuring the film on a flat-screen TV with many headsets, from late afternoon through dusk, on a corner that will be well traveled with people of all ages passing through on their way out for a Saturday night—from high school youth heading to a major poetry slam nearby to folks going to upscale restaurants just up the block. We will raise funds on the street, sell raffle tickets, sell the DVD of BA Speaks: REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS!, get it into stores on consignment and get visual promotion up around the area. We are inviting anyone to participate in any way including just passing out postcards or just coming to learn what happens when people see BA in this film!
Some people are researching and proposing plans for advertising, for example what if there was fundraising to advertise in the area of the internationally known Tribeca Film Festival? What about advertising in a key subway station or two in Harlem during June—as street teams get underway and the picnic kicks off a summer of BA getting Everywhere!
What if this quote from BA was featured in these ads: "No more generations of our youth, here and all around the world, whose life is over, whose fate has been sealed, who have been condemned to an early death or a life of misery and brutality, whom the system has destined for oppression and oblivion even before they are born. I say no more of that."
A team is getting put together to go among people who have the resources to donate big money and who are concerned about the world.
We talked about how projecting BA and his work in ways that reach lots of people across society with advertising, social media and other "big" ways has deeper impact when it is combined with support coming up from the grassroots, from students, young people and those who catch the worst hell under this system every day. There was a taste of this when folks of all ages and walks of life experienced BA on the big screen together at the premieres across the country, and this is what we are going for in launching the kinds of plans we have made so far that are aimed at BA getting known through different channels and avenues in this area and beyond!
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