Black Panther Party members in 1969. Most African youth today, instead of seeing this as a militant image, probably see it as normal as a picture of parents with their child at the park.
Kwame Ture, formally Stokely Carmichael, was fond of saying that "human progress doesn't stand still. It moves!" He said this in the context of being asked in the 80s why he, the person credited with popularizing the phrase "Black power" in the 60s, had moved to referring to us as Africans. His logic was that in the 60s, we defined our struggle as one against racism. So, we affirmed that we were Black as a way of combating that racism, but our consciousness continued to grow. We moved to realize our real struggle wasn't just against racist attitudes or even institutions. Our real struggle is a fight to achieve power. And, in Kwame's words, power for African people is the "total unification and liberation of Africa under scientific socialism." This understanding requires an affirmation that capitalism is the enemy of Africa and consequently, all African people. One of the capitalist system's strongest weapons has been promoting the concept of white supremacy. This concept is the drive train for capitalism because it convinces Europeans (White people) that no matter no difficult capitalism makes their lives, at least they are not us e.g. the Donald Trump supporters who foolishly side with billionaires while scapegoating people of color who have less than they do. Capitalism also convinces people of color that manifest destiny and white supremacy are lived principles and that we suffer as we do because something is wrong with us. With everyone focused on these mythical and dysfunctional reasons for why the world is in the sorry shape that it's in, no one is focusing on the true problem - the multi-national corporate structure and its unquenchable thirst to steal all of the world's resources for its quest for domination and power.
I cannot logically argue that the majority of people have advanced to a point of having a clear focus on the tricks of the capitalist classes to keep all working people disunited and fighting against one another, but it is quite clear that more people than ever are aware of these contradictions and people are talking about it more and more each day. In fact, the move to the right, not just in the U.S., but in Europe and other European dominated areas, although seen by most sensible people right now as cause to fear and worry, is actually a sign that we are winning. I say this because the left has always distrusted the government at best, and mobilized/organized against the government when at its best. Now, we are seeing the right, traditionally the government's best ally, doing the same thing. For example, in the 1960s, the white right were the shock troops for capitalism against the African civil rights struggle. White working class people joined the KKK and carried out its terrorist campaigns against us because the ruling classes continued to convince them that it was us they were competing against for jobs, schools, and other needed resources. Now today, the masses of white people remain committed to racism, but they no longer serve as the goon squad for the government. In fact, they are actively fighting against the capitalist system. So, with both sides pushing against the capitalist system, our chances of toppling it are greater. The only task at hand is to convince more people, particularly the eternally confused white working classes, who's side they should be on. We will leave that task to the growing number of dedicated and sincere European anti-capitalist and anti-white supremacy activists to sort our their issues and start effectively organizing their people. For us, its clear that the latest rise of the violent white right and their open embrace of weapons as a tactic to intimidate us, is no longer going to work with the African masses. When these white reactionaries announce their intention to show up at primarily Arab and South Asian Mosques and Masjids to express their disdain for Islam, those communities, still stuck in the myth that if they demonstrate to racist white America that they are civilized, they will be accepted, go to great lengths to show the country there is no reason to fear them. In time, I'm certain they will grow tired of that tactic, especially when they learn how ineffective it is. For those folks, we direct them to Kwame Ture who told us that using morality to appeal to America is pointless because America has no conscience.
For African people, those days are over. In the 1920s, in the aftermath of the violent period following World War I where thousands of Africans were lynched for nothing other than sport, Africans took to the streets in cities all across the country. We wore white and marched in complete silence as a method of demonstrating to White America that we are peaceful people who only want to live as non troublesome citizens in this society. The greater response of this country to those actions was to brutalize us even more. The Black Power movement in the 60s, if anything, was a statement that we were no longer willing to prove anything to White people. We had paid our way and we would have our way, or there would be no way at all. This level of consciousness among the African masses has intensified. Fast forward to today and the African youth, energized by police terrorism against our people, are again leading the mass charge for change in this society and they are doing it in militant ways that speak more to our legacy of struggle than most of those young folks probably realize. The air of the current struggle is one of militancy and the demand, unlike that of the civil rights movement, isn't as much about fitting into America as it is demanding we have justice or else no one will have justice. This explains the disruptions of White people's meals to force them to recognize African suffering. It also explains the disruption of the icons of capitalist America e.g. the political elections, which are supposed to epitomize democracy and justice. The African youth are disrupting Trump, Clinton, Sanders, all of them. They are placing into action Malcolm X's words that "the Democrats and Republicans are both dogs, both canines. They just have different tactics to eat you up!" The effectiveness of African led boycotts of the holidays, which even the capitalists have had to acknowledge had an impact on their profitability, are further examples of African people deciding to disrupt this system on every level.
You should not be confused because the African masses may not articulate this struggle the same way you would or how Cornel West would. They clearly demonstrate that they understand the message of justice for us, or else. So, although white militia groups probably made the mistake of lumping African people in with other people of color when they decided to announce they would show up at a Nation of Islam Mosque in Dallas recently with guns, their confusion could have easily cost them their lives. Five white men showing up with guns at that Mosque were meant with dozens of angry people, including about 20 armed Africans, who were ready to send those white men where they belonged on the underside of the Earth. That should be a lesson to these macho gun symbol fools that their efforts at intimidation won't work with us anymore. If they really wanted some sort of race war, all they would have to do is venture into any African inner city and announce their intentions, and they would have all that they wanted and then some by a community of people who have nothing to lose.
So, with that backdrop, we again venture into Central Oregon this weekend to provide security and educate our friends for justice down there about how to protect themselves against these white militia bullies. It's fitting that African people should be in the forefront of that discussion. We have been doing this work for decades. We have endured too much pain and suffering. The only thing that matters now is justice. And, more and more of us are finally realizing that if we can't have it, then nobody is going to have it. So, if your sick intention is to kill us, then we will do what we have been doing for quite some time now. We will teach the rest of this nation how to be civilized and how to move forward. ,But those with evil intentions should heed this warning. The days of the non-violent saint who will take punishment until they can take no more is probably over forever. They may kill us, but in the process of that, we will be teaching everyone how to take a few of them down with us.
And most importantly, we will be continuing to build solid bonds with people, all people, who want to build capacity to create healthy communities based on mutual respect and justice. And we will not tolerate those who wish to sabotage those sincere efforts. Welcome to 2016. This isn't your parent's struggle. This is a new day with new ideologies. New strategies and tactics. And new outcomes. Its not too late to make sure you end up on the right side this time.
I cannot logically argue that the majority of people have advanced to a point of having a clear focus on the tricks of the capitalist classes to keep all working people disunited and fighting against one another, but it is quite clear that more people than ever are aware of these contradictions and people are talking about it more and more each day. In fact, the move to the right, not just in the U.S., but in Europe and other European dominated areas, although seen by most sensible people right now as cause to fear and worry, is actually a sign that we are winning. I say this because the left has always distrusted the government at best, and mobilized/organized against the government when at its best. Now, we are seeing the right, traditionally the government's best ally, doing the same thing. For example, in the 1960s, the white right were the shock troops for capitalism against the African civil rights struggle. White working class people joined the KKK and carried out its terrorist campaigns against us because the ruling classes continued to convince them that it was us they were competing against for jobs, schools, and other needed resources. Now today, the masses of white people remain committed to racism, but they no longer serve as the goon squad for the government. In fact, they are actively fighting against the capitalist system. So, with both sides pushing against the capitalist system, our chances of toppling it are greater. The only task at hand is to convince more people, particularly the eternally confused white working classes, who's side they should be on. We will leave that task to the growing number of dedicated and sincere European anti-capitalist and anti-white supremacy activists to sort our their issues and start effectively organizing their people. For us, its clear that the latest rise of the violent white right and their open embrace of weapons as a tactic to intimidate us, is no longer going to work with the African masses. When these white reactionaries announce their intention to show up at primarily Arab and South Asian Mosques and Masjids to express their disdain for Islam, those communities, still stuck in the myth that if they demonstrate to racist white America that they are civilized, they will be accepted, go to great lengths to show the country there is no reason to fear them. In time, I'm certain they will grow tired of that tactic, especially when they learn how ineffective it is. For those folks, we direct them to Kwame Ture who told us that using morality to appeal to America is pointless because America has no conscience.
For African people, those days are over. In the 1920s, in the aftermath of the violent period following World War I where thousands of Africans were lynched for nothing other than sport, Africans took to the streets in cities all across the country. We wore white and marched in complete silence as a method of demonstrating to White America that we are peaceful people who only want to live as non troublesome citizens in this society. The greater response of this country to those actions was to brutalize us even more. The Black Power movement in the 60s, if anything, was a statement that we were no longer willing to prove anything to White people. We had paid our way and we would have our way, or there would be no way at all. This level of consciousness among the African masses has intensified. Fast forward to today and the African youth, energized by police terrorism against our people, are again leading the mass charge for change in this society and they are doing it in militant ways that speak more to our legacy of struggle than most of those young folks probably realize. The air of the current struggle is one of militancy and the demand, unlike that of the civil rights movement, isn't as much about fitting into America as it is demanding we have justice or else no one will have justice. This explains the disruptions of White people's meals to force them to recognize African suffering. It also explains the disruption of the icons of capitalist America e.g. the political elections, which are supposed to epitomize democracy and justice. The African youth are disrupting Trump, Clinton, Sanders, all of them. They are placing into action Malcolm X's words that "the Democrats and Republicans are both dogs, both canines. They just have different tactics to eat you up!" The effectiveness of African led boycotts of the holidays, which even the capitalists have had to acknowledge had an impact on their profitability, are further examples of African people deciding to disrupt this system on every level.
You should not be confused because the African masses may not articulate this struggle the same way you would or how Cornel West would. They clearly demonstrate that they understand the message of justice for us, or else. So, although white militia groups probably made the mistake of lumping African people in with other people of color when they decided to announce they would show up at a Nation of Islam Mosque in Dallas recently with guns, their confusion could have easily cost them their lives. Five white men showing up with guns at that Mosque were meant with dozens of angry people, including about 20 armed Africans, who were ready to send those white men where they belonged on the underside of the Earth. That should be a lesson to these macho gun symbol fools that their efforts at intimidation won't work with us anymore. If they really wanted some sort of race war, all they would have to do is venture into any African inner city and announce their intentions, and they would have all that they wanted and then some by a community of people who have nothing to lose.
So, with that backdrop, we again venture into Central Oregon this weekend to provide security and educate our friends for justice down there about how to protect themselves against these white militia bullies. It's fitting that African people should be in the forefront of that discussion. We have been doing this work for decades. We have endured too much pain and suffering. The only thing that matters now is justice. And, more and more of us are finally realizing that if we can't have it, then nobody is going to have it. So, if your sick intention is to kill us, then we will do what we have been doing for quite some time now. We will teach the rest of this nation how to be civilized and how to move forward. ,But those with evil intentions should heed this warning. The days of the non-violent saint who will take punishment until they can take no more is probably over forever. They may kill us, but in the process of that, we will be teaching everyone how to take a few of them down with us.
And most importantly, we will be continuing to build solid bonds with people, all people, who want to build capacity to create healthy communities based on mutual respect and justice. And we will not tolerate those who wish to sabotage those sincere efforts. Welcome to 2016. This isn't your parent's struggle. This is a new day with new ideologies. New strategies and tactics. And new outcomes. Its not too late to make sure you end up on the right side this time.
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