Building a liberation movement demands ideological clarity and political unity, Pan-African Community Action's (PACA) premier program is the Assata Shakur Study Group.

Even the most powerful protests and actions can fall short if the movement lacks a clear analysis of the situation that gave rise to the protest and objectives that will actually solve the problem. 

Rigorous Study Groups are an absolute pre-requisite to building a movement capable of shifting power into the hands of African people.

Assata Shakur Study Groups are held every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month, from 7:00pm until 9:00pm, and held at the Black Workers & Wellness Center, 2500 Martin Luther King Ave, SE, Washington, DC (see map below).

Study Group sessions often include advance readings, which are published on the PACA Events Calendar on the website. Participants are encouraged to read in advance of the session in order to make time for nuanced discussion about the reading. Important passages will be read together during the session. Study Group sessions can also include short videos and break-out groups. Some topics are covered over the course of several meetings.

The Assata Shakur Study Group is a place for in-depth and meaningful discussion about important ideological issues and political events. In order to encourage full participation by as many people as possible, we ask participants to practice Step Up-Step Back. We ask those who do not normally speak out to Step Up and ask questions and share your opinion. Conversely, we ask those who normally speak plenty to take a Step Back and make room for others to speak.

In particular, we ask Cisgender straight men to pay attention to how much space they are taking up in these group discussions.

As noted in our Tools of Analysis, PACA is a Pan-African organization focused on ending the oppressive systems of Capitalism, White Supremacy and Patriarchy. As such, we are socialists who want to shift POWER into the hands of African people and center the experiences of Working Class Queer Black Women. The Assata Shakur Study Group is a place where this political analysis and perspective is studied and shared.

If this analysis and perspective seem troubling, the Assata Shakur Study Group might not be the place for you.

Find the next Assata Shakur Study Group in the PACA Events Calendar.