“I am 20 years old and for all these 20 years I have lived in this city, specifically in this neighborhood. In all these 20 years, the St. Petersburg city government has done nothing but work against the black community. I have entered this election because the black community is and has been under assault by the leaders of this city,” declared Akilé.

Cainion denounced the city’s policies that impose poverty and police containment on the black community. She called for new positive policies of economic development, public safety through black community control of the police, reparations and an end to gentrification.

“I am knowingly and willing running against a rigged election system that they have painted as a single member district where our democratic rights are insulted. Where our community is under the impression that we have the ability to vote in the leadership of our districts in the primary elections until the general elections are opened up to the entire city and the final vote is cast by the white community. This is a farce and strips this community of every ounce of political power,” Cainion explained.

“The economy of St. Pete was built from the labor of black people. Reparations are owed to the black community because this city has destroyed thriving black neighborhoods, crippling this community and restricting us from being economically self-reliant,” Cainion expounded.

Cainion’s Deputy Campaign Manager, Ona Zené Yeshitela, praised the candidate’s work as leader of the “Three Drowned Black Girls campaign” (3DBG). The campaign seeks justice for three black teen girls who were driven into a pond by Pinellas County Sheriff’s department deputies, who stood on the scene watching as the young girls screamed for their lives, their car sinking into the pond.
Akilé’s father, Ntambwe Gashaye Bhekizitha, a local barber, and her mother, Miezi Tadiwa Bhekizitha, stood by their daughter and spoke of her strong leadership skills and love of service to the people, exhibited since she was a little girl. Other supporters at the announcement included St. Petersburg local International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM) president, Liu Montsho Kwayara, 17, and St. Pete boxing great, former undisputed light middleweight world champion Winky Wright.

Eritha “Akilé” Cainion closed her announcement statement by calling on all residents of St. Petersburg to be sure they are registered to vote in time for the August 29, 2017 primary election, declaring that “Radical times call for radical change. This community will win. I will win. I will be your next District 6 City Councilwoman. Thank you.”

Anyone interested in following or learning more about Eritha “Akilé” Cainion’s campaign for City of St. Petersburg District 6 councilperson can go to Akilé’s Facebook page or call 727- 914-3619.

Even though the march was fronted by African and other colonized women, the idea for the march started when a white woman, Teresa Shook, from Hawaii, went to Facebook to express her outrage about Donald Trump winning the election.

Her outrage was so great that she created a Facebook event page for a women’s march, that quickly grew to over 10,000 attendees within the first week. The event page was followed by the creation of a website that started off with a simple statement of “unity”.

The website has since exploded into a donation page in need of $2 million dollars to cover the “logistics and expenses to put on the women’s March on Washington”. However, it is understood that permits are free in D.C. and there were no water bottles, bags or snacks passed out during this demonstration. There were just entertainers and a stage.

Regardless of the implied statement of unity, however, it was apparent that the March was not inclusive of poor and working class African or even of other colonized women . Even though the white media placed two African women as allies it was still a ploy to have African women be pawns for white women’s agenda, which has been the case historically.

During the marches, an overwhelming amount of women were white. It consisted of some of the 54 percent of white women that voted for Trump and now feel threatened by the attacks on the rights of bourgeois white women, which might have been protected if Hillary Clinton had been elected.

Marchers made no criticism of imperialism

As the protest began, it was clear from the messages on placards that this was merely an attack on Trump as person. There was no criticism about what he represented to U.S. imperialism or even how his policies could devastate already impacted communities.

As we began our organizing at the March on Washington, we were confronted with signs stating “This pussy grabs back”,“Nasty women”, and “Keep your tiny hands off my rights,” as opposed to messages speaking to deportations, mass incarceration, state violence or anything that would imply that this March was serious about challenging something besides what white women felt, was important

What was clear is that even though these women were opposed to Donald Trump they were still united for imperialism, as supporters of oppressor Hillary Clinton held signs reading “I’m still with her”.

Selling the Burning Spear at the “white” Women’s March. Women marchers center issues on white women genitalia

What was also a clear indicator of this March’s aim to unify white women was the wearing of pink hats that represented white women’s vaginas (pink pussy). There are so many issues with this so-called statement of empowerment, but the dominant one being that these white women relegated all women to just a body part and a white woman’s body part at that. It was dismissive even of trans and other gender nonconforming women of the bourgeoisie.

There were also no signs of explicit activist groups represented in this coming together of white women. It was a singular unit of white women yelling at Trump.

African women appeared to be confused at what the goal was for this march and essentially where they fit in, in this sea of whiteness. But the reality is, African women will never fit into an agenda orchestrated by white women.

After yelling, speeches, performances, and walking around D.C. the crowd dispersed to go back to the safety of their white nation, not making a difference just being nasty women who want to be grabbed by the pussy.

Still no demands from March organizers

After the March, the website was updated to include 10 actions in 100 days; a way to contact local lawmakers, but there has yet to be a list of demands or petitions clearly stated.

African women know, however, that lawmakers are not the solution for the issues we are facing. Lawmakers weren’t the solution when Obama was president or any other president for that matter.

Our solution will come as a result of claiming space in the fight against the system that oppresses and exploits our people and this puts us in direct opposition to any strategy laid out by white women, whose main objective is to coax lawmakers into considering their contributions to white power.

We encourage African women who saw the contradictions of the March to join the African National Women’s Organization so that you can be armed with a theory that champions your own agenda.

Forward the interests of African women!
Down with white opportunism!