Celebrating the 76th Birthday of Soledad Brother George Lester Jackson, September 23, 1941- August 21, 1971, by Kiilu Nyasha

“I have a plan, I will give, and give, and give of myself until it proves our making or my end.”

As we honor the 76^th birthday of our beloved, Comrade George Jackson, Field Marshall of the Black Panther Party behind prison walls, may we remember his revolutionary ideas and practice, his mentors and his sacrifice.

Author of two books, Soledad Brother: the Prison Letters of George Jackson, a 1970 bestseller reprinted three times and translated into several languages; and Blood In My Eye, published posthumously and recently reprinted. 

Freedom is a Constant Struggle

Guest: Leroy F. Moore Jr., founder of the Krip-Hop Nation

SLAVERY ON THE NEW PLANTATION (updated March 2012 by Kiilu Nyasha

"Slavery 400 years ago, slavery today. It's the same, but with a new name. They're practicing slavery under color of law." (Ruchell Cinque Magee)

The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution retained the right to enslave within the confines of prison.  “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Dec. 6, 1865.

Even before the abolition of chattel slavery, America's history of prison labor had already begun in New York's State Prison at Auburn soon after it opened in 1817. Auburn became the first prison that contracted with a private business to operate a factory within its walls. Later, in the post Civil War period, the "contract and lease" system proliferated, allowing private companies to employ prisoners and sell their products for profit.

Today, such prisons are referred to as “Factories with Fences.” (/www.unicor.gov/information/publications/pdfs/corporate/CATMC1101_C.pdf)

My blog got hacked and I lost the contents of some of the archived articles.  It will take a minute for me to upload them again, but I'm working on it.

Fatal Invention Book Review

by Kiilu Nyasha

March 19, 2012

Dorothy Roberts’ new book, Fatal Invention:  How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-Create Race in the 21^st Century is a must read for all human beings desiring to witness the beginning of the end of racism.

“We have long had scientific confirmation that race is a political and not a biological category. The recreation of biological race in genomic science today, like its invention by scientists in past centuries, results from an ideological commitment to a false view of humanity,” writes Roberts.

In 2000, The Human Genome Project mapped the entire human genetic code, proving that race could not be identified in our genes, that we are not naturally divided into genetically identifiable racial groups, that there is one human race. 

Roberts explains and elucidates race as a political division, not a biological one.  And details how the new science and technology of racial genetics is threatening “to steer America on a course of social inhumanity that already has begun to dominate politics in this century. 

Freedom Is A Constant Struggle with Keith Wattley

Freedom Is A Constant Struggle with Pierre Labossiere & Robert Roth

Freedom Is A Constant Struggle with Ida McCray & Julian Kunnie

Freedom Is A Constant Struggle with Emiliano Echeverria & Claude Marks

Freedom is a Constant Struggle with guest Walter Turner

Freedom is a Constant Struggle with Sharif and Pierre

Act Out! - BPP Women & Lead Poisoning

Freedom Is A Constant Struggle with Pierre Labossiere and Magaret Prescod

Haiti’s Fanmi Lavalas and the Black Panther Party

By Kiilu Nyasha (a.k.a. Pat Gallyot)

This year of 2016 marks the 50^th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, October 1966, in Oakland, California.

In 1968, prior to joining the Party, I was employed by Community Progress, Inc. (CPI), the nation’s pilot program of President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” also euphemistically called “The Great Society.”

I became one of the “Field Trainers” deployed in each of the seven impoverished neighborhoods of New Haven, Conn.  Assigned to the predominately Black area of Newhallville, I worked at the Teen Center, a government facility that eventually became the cite for the Black Panther Party’s free breakfast program; launched by a town hall meeting and a popular vote.

IDA B. WELLS-BARNETT -- "IOLA," PRINCESS OF THE PRESS & Feminist Crusader for Equality and Justice, by Kiilu Nyasha

A tireless champion of her people, Ida B. Wells was the first of eight children born to Jim and Elizabeth Wells in Mississippi in 1862, six months before chattel slavery was ended with the Emancipation Proclamation.

Her parents, who had been slaves, were able to support their children because Elizabeth was an excellent cook and Jim a skilled carpenter. But when Ida was only 16, her parents and youngest sibling died of Yellow Fever during an epidemic.  In keeping with the strength and fortitude she demonstrated throughout her remarkable life, Ida took responsibility for raising her six younger siblings with her grandmother’s help. Educated at nearby Rust College, a school run by white missionaries, Ida was forced to drop out; she got a full-time teaching job by lying about her age, and spent weekends washing, ironing and cooking for her large family.

Women of the Black Panther Party Reflect on Today's Struggle, Staying Engaged and Why Trump's Win Might be a Good Thing

The Black Panther Party just closed out its 50th anniversary year. On this occasion, the Intersectional Black Panther Party History Project spoke with Panther women about leadership, electoral politics and what we should be doing today.

The year 2016 marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party (BPP). Facing repression and at great sacrifice, more than 5,000 mostly young Black people joined the BPP between the 1960s and ‘70s to work for “land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace.” They built institutions, ran electoral campaigns, created social programs, transformed culture and tried to create a framework of justice that would impact oppressed people worldwide.

BOYCOTT THE ELECTION & START THE REVOLUTION! By Kiilu Nyasha

October 27,2016

The vast majority of Americans regardless of background or ethnicity agree that this electoral campaign gives us no choice but to vote for someone we don’t like or want to govern us. The perennial “lesser evil” has become more malevolent, even ridiculous in the current presidential election.

Some folks want to “hold their noses” and vote for the “lesser” evil on the belief that one will be worse than the other. However, we’ve been doing just that for at least 50 years; that’s why we’ve come to this level of corrupt silliness with candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump dodging the issues and reducing the process to trivialities, backbiting, and nonsense.

The reality is that these races have become selections not elections.  No one who is not obscenely rich or has the backing of such can run for president, let alone win office.

Let’s boycott the election and take to the streets en masse in protest!  Those who want to do civil disobedience can picket the polls (It’s illegal less than 3 blocks away).

Haiti’s Fanmi Lavalas and the Black Panther Party­

By Kiilu Nyasha (a.k.a. Pat Gallyot)

This year of 2016 marks the 50^th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, October 1966, in Oakland, California.

In 1968, prior to joining the Party, I was employed by Community Progress, Inc. (CPI), the nation’s pilot program of President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” also euphemistically called “The Great Society.”

Freedom is a Constant Struggle - Pierre Labossiere and Cephus Johnson

September 15, 2016 episode of Freedom is a Constant Struggle with guests Pierre Labossiere on Haiti and Cephus Johnson, uncle of the late Oscar Grant and on the Love Not Blood Campaign.

Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ida McCray of Families with a Future

September 1, 2016 episode of Freedom is a Constant Struggle, with guest Ida McCray of Families with a Future.

Black August 21, 2016: Ruchell Cinque Magee and the August 7th Courthouse Slave Rebellion

Black August 21, 2016

I can hardly believe that 46 years have gone by since the August 7,1970, Marin Courthouse Slave Rebellion.  Ruchell is now 77 years old, same as myself.  It's a sin and a shame the fascist state has taken this brother's whole life, damn near.  And he has never seriously injured anyone.  Quite the opposite, Ruchell has been responsible (through his jailhouse lawyering) for the release of countless prisoners over the decades he's been incarcerated.  Here’s his story, written years ago, and updated to accommodate the 8-year difference:

Ruchell Cinque Magee and the August 7th Courthouse Slave Rebellion

By Kiilu Nyasha, 2008

“Slavery 400 years ago, slavery today, it’s the same but with a new name”.-- Ruchell Cinque Magee

I first met Ruchell Cinque Magee in the holding cell of the Marin County courthouse in the summer of 1971. I found him to be soft-spoken, warm and a gentleman in typically Southern tradition. We’ve been in correspondence pretty much ever since.  [I must say, regrettably, Ruchell is no longer writing me at this point, 2016.]

Black August: A Story of African Freedom Fighters by Kiilu Nyasha (August 17, 2016)

August 17, 2016

Greetings All:

This is the 37th anniversary of the origin of Black August, the 45^th commemoration of the assassination of Soledad Brother George L. Jackson on August 21, 1971, and the first anniversary of our Yogi Bear, Hugo Pinell’s assassination on August 12, 2015. 

This article was first written in 2000 and published in the S.F. Bay View newspaper. The main changes herein are updates and the transition of our comrade brother, Yogi, after 51 years in California gulags including 45+ in solitary confinement.  You can find more info at www.hugopinell.com.

Black August: A Story of African Freedom Fighters by Kiilu Nyasha (August 17, 2016)

Black August is a month of great significance for Africans throughout the diaspora, but particularly here in the U.S. where it originated. “August,” as Mumia Abu-Jamal noted, “is a month of meaning,,, of repression and radical resistance, of injustice and divine justice; of repression and righteous rebellion; of individual and collective efforts to free the slaves and break the chains that bind us.” 

On this 37th anniversary of Black August, first organized to honor our fallen freedom fighters, George and Jonathan Jackson, Khatari Gaulden, James McClain, William Christmas, and the sole survivor of the August 7, 1970 Courthouse Slave Rebellion, Ruchell Cinque Magee, it is still a time to embrace the principles of unity, self-sacrifice, political education, physical fitness and/or training in martial arts, resistance, and spiritual renewal.

The concept, Black August, grew out of the need to expose to the light of day the glorious and heroic deeds of those African women and men who recognized and struggled against the injustices heaped upon people of color on a daily basis in America. 

Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Jeffrey Blankfort on Black August 2016

August 4, 2016 episode of Freedom is a Constant Struggle with guest Jeffrey Blankfort, discussing Black August 2016.

Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Phavia Kujichagulia

July 21, 2016 episode of Freedom is a Constant Struggle with guest Phavia Kujichagulia.

Black Lives Matter Under Attack!

For former Panthers like myself, this is deja vu.  After vicious attacks and murders against Black people (Remember Fred Hampton and Mark Clark in Chicago 1969?) and standing up to defend our lives, Black Panthers became public enemy number one.  We were demonized and vilified no end.  It took decades (and the raid of FBI files) to learn all about the FBI’s COINTELPRO (counterintelligence program) that infiltrated our ranks with agent provocateurs for purposes of entrapment, division, and neutralization (imprisonment/assassination), pulling every “dirty trick” in the book to wipe us out.  Panthers who were accused and convicted of killing police offers in self defense remain in jail after an extremely punishing 40 - 50+ years.  Yet there are myriad police officers who have murdered Black folks without spending a day in jail or even losing their jobs.  Should not police officers be held to a higher standard of behavior than civilians since they’re paid to serve and protect us, not kill us in cold blood?

Ironically, the recent murders in Louisiana, Minnesota and Dallas illustrate the point Black Lives Matter is making:  How the nation has responded to the lives of the innocent Black men killed by police vs. the lives of the White police officers killed by a lone civilian (although I can’t help wondering if this “sniper” is another one of their “dirty tricks” to deliberately destroy BLM and institute new weapons of war into our communities, like bomb robots and more police.).  A luta continua.