Speech given by Eugene Puryear at Two Saints Church in Rochester, NY, January 23, 2026. Puryear is a founding member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and a host on BreakThrough News. Puryear is the author of Shackled and Chained: Mass Incarceration in Capitalist America.

From the organizers Party for Socialism & Liberation (Finger Lakes Branch):

Join us to prepare for a year of struggle with Eugene Puryear, who is a journalist, author, activist, and host on Breakthrough News! Eugene will be speaking at stops across Upstate NY from January 23rd through January 30th.

From their cities to their rural towns, the people of Upstate NY have been mounting a vibrant fightback movement in the face of a violent and cruel billionaires’ agenda that impoverishes us and limits our futures while enriching an unaccountable few. As we commit to the ongoing struggle, we draw strength from the Black liberation movements that are the heart of the revolutionary struggle in the United States.

Born from the rebellions of Africans enslaved on the killing plantations of the Americas, the Black liberation struggle continues today to confront the forces of empire, pushing revolutionary movements forward and igniting hope across continents, including here in Upstate NY. From the Underground Railroad to the Niagara Movement, Fredrick Douglass’s North Star to the Attica Uprising, the struggle for Black liberation teaches us how to fight for a future beyond the exploitative logic of profit and plunder.

This tour speaks not only to crucial historical lessons, but will also address the most pressing organizing questions of our day: What does it mean to organize for liberation in a time of escalating inequality and unbridled imperialism? How do we build movements capable of breaking the stranglehold of capital and empire? And how can we root our actions in the principles of solidarity, multinational unity, and the unwavering pursuit of justice?

“Freedom in our Lifetime: Black Liberation Can’t Wait!” is a call to action! The future remains unwritten, and it is ours to shape, armed with the lessons of those who dared to resist and the vision of a liberated world.

Find a Stop and Save the Date!

Fri 1/23 – Rochester

Sat 1/24 – Buffalo

Sun 1/25 – Alfred

Mon 1/26 – Geneva

Tues 1/27 – Ithaca

Wed 1/28 – Syracuse

Thur 1/29 – Albany

Fri 1/30 – Newburgh