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Vol. 8 No. 49…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…December 9, 2005
A Revolutionary
Reality
By John Burl Smith
Last Sunday, December 4, 2005, Yohannes invited me to
accompany him to a monthly gathering at AHOP (African House of
Prosperity). The theme of these
events is Africans must unite around the philosophy of pan-Africanism. The motto is, “I am because we are! So,
we are because I am!” Not a revolutionary idea, it was around long before Kwame
Nkrumah popularized it during the 1950s.
What was revolutionary was the fact that such a discussion took place on
the grassroots level in Atlanta, Georgia.
None of the usual civil rights icons and activists, who
have made a living praising the past and claiming to have “liberated the
people,” was present. Known as
“house niggers” now, they help keep “field niggers” under control. The sisters and brothers in attendance
were foot soldiers, like the nameless and faceless people that filled the ranks
at marches, carried signs at demonstrations, packed the jails and died along
the way towards getting rights that blacks are losing today under George W.
Bush. They have not changed their
tune; they have changed their strategy.
Reexamining philosophies like those of Nkrumah and Marcus Garvey, these
foot soldiers hope to fashion their present.
Is a black revolution a possibility? This question is scoffed at by most
today. However, black
revolutionaries are an intriguing reality. Fact is, slavery as practiced in the United States never
ended. The system under which we
live today is merely an extension of slavery. By definition, any black person who realizes that and
refuses to accept being a slave today is a revolutionary.
This month’s speaker was Del
Jones, author of The War Correspondent’s Survival Bulletin #3 Katrina and
the Black Holocaust. Jones
presented the revolutionary idea that blacks in the US are in the throes of a
black Holocaust, and the New Orleans experience was a trial run for the mass
slaughter of black people.
Moreover, he believes it is going to take some revolutionary thinking on
the part of black people to avoid total annihilation.
Contrary to how it may seem, he and the revolutionaries at
the meeting were not pessimistic, because they see pan-Africanism as the way to
the future. They see hope and
promise in identifying with mother Africa and the abundant resources she
represents. They believe
pan-Africanism is the way to join with all Africans in the Diaspora to build
international unity among people of color. And, that would be a revolutionary reality.
A Cultural Revolution
The new Cultural Consciousness Collective (CCC) is taking
a different approach to educating Africans in Atlanta. Spearheaded by Ijahknowah and 3-2-1
Productions, the CCC is making entertainment a village affair. It combines creative arts, economics,
politics, health and healing to build an entertainment venue for the entire
family. As part of the Kwanzaa
calendar, the CCC is presenting Cultural Exposition 2005 on Saturday, December
31, 2005 at the Return to Royalty Banquet Hall located in the Soul Vegetarian
Complex at 879 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd.
The event features speakers, book signings, merchandising
and a program to entertain that includes some of the best performing artists in
the ATL. Artists participating in
this cultural explosion include vocalist Messenjah Selah, Jason Lyric, Akbar,
storyteller Puppeteer, Black Sis and spoken word and recording artist Yohannes
Sharriff. This is a family event
that will enlighten and elevate the mind.
So, come out, bring the family and join this cultural revolution. Doors open at 4:30 PM and performances
start at 5 PM. Contact Ijahknowah
@ 678-887-9126 for additional information.
Kwame Nkrumah
(1909-1972)
Born Francis Nwia-Kofi Ngonloma in Nkroful, Gold Coast on
September 21, 1909, Kwame Nkrumah taught elementary school before receiving his
teacher’s certificate at Achimota College (1930) in Accra, capital of the Gold
Coast. He earned a BA in economics
and sociology from Lincoln University (1939), and a theology degree from the
Lincoln Theological Seminary (1942).
From the University of Pennsylvania, he received a MS in education
(1942) and a MA in Philosophy (1943).
Briefly, Nkrumah studied law at the London School of
Economics (1945) before working towards the de-colonization of Africa. On
December 10, 1947, Nkrumah returned to the Gold Coast, where discontent with
British colonial rule seethed just beneath the surface. Within a fortnight of returning home,
Nkrumah began a series of speaking engagements and meetings. He joined the United Gold Coast Convention
(UGCC), a nationalist political party.
On January 20, 1948, Nkrumah was appointed General Secretary of the
UGCC, becoming the leader of the liberation movement.
In December 1949, Nkrumah formed the Convention People's
Party (CPP) and declared ‘Positive Action,’ which took the form of boycotts,
strikes and civil disobedience. Imprisoned by the British for sedition (1950),
Nkrumah was released when CPP swept the general election (1951). Nkrumah was appointed prime minister
(1952). The Gold Coast was
declared independent on March 6, 1957, and it became the Republic of Ghana
(1960).
A proponent of Pan-Africanism, Nkrumah declared in
celebrating Ghana’s liberation, "We again re-dedicate ourselves in the
struggle to emancipate other countries in Africa, for our independence is
meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African
continent." He offered assistance to other nationalists to achieve that
goal. His efforts helped bring
about the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which promoted peace and
cooperation between African nations.
Nkrumah served as prime minister of Ghana (1957–60) and
president of the republic (1960–66).
Nkrumah established a strong central government and tried to unify the
nation politically and use its resources for rapid economic development. Nkrumah’s various economic
projects were largely unsuccessful and extremely expensive. Moreover, Ghana
never became totally independent of Western imports as Nkrumah had hoped.
An economic downturn, political conflict, assassination
attempts and unrest led Nkrumah to establish Ghana as a one-party state with
himself as Life President (1964).
He became increasingly unpopular.
On February 24, 1966, while Nkrumah visited Beijing and Hanoi, a
military coup overthrew his government. Nkrumah never returned to Ghana. He lived in exile in Guinea; he died in
Romania while seeking medical treatment in April 1972.
Kwame Nkrumah works include Ghana:
The Autobiography of Kwame Nkrumah (1957), Africa Must Unite (1963),
African Personality (1963), Neo-Colonialism: the Last Stage of
Imperialism (1965), Axioms of Kwame Nkrumah (1967), African
Socialism Revisited (1967), Voice From Conakry (1967), Handbook
for Revolutionary Warfare (1968),
Consciencism: Philosophy and Ideology for De-Colonisation (1970),
Class Struggle in Africa (1970), The Struggle Continues (1973), I
Speak of Freedom (1973) and Revolutionary Path (1973) (Sources: , and ) On February 24, 1966, while
Nkrumah visited Beijing and Hanoi, a military coup overthrew his government.
Nkrumah never returned to Ghana.
He lived in exile in Guinea; he
died in Romania while seeking medical treatment in April 1972.
Kwame Nkrumah works include Ghana:
The Autobiography of Kwame Nkrumah (1957), Africa Must Unite (1963),
African Personality (1963), Neo-Colonialism: the Last Stage of
Imperialism (1965), Axioms of Kwame Nkrumah (1967), African
Socialism Revisited (1967), Voice From Conakry (1967), Handbook
for Revolutionary Warfare (1968),
Consciencism: Philosophy and Ideology for De-Colonisation (1970),
Class Struggle in Africa (1970), The Struggle Continues (1973), I
Speak of Freedom (1973) and Revolutionary Path (1973) (Sources: www.aaregistry.com,
www.cwo.com/~lucumi/nkrumah3.html
and www.greatepicbooks.com)
Black Buying Blackout
Blacks in the USA annually spend $700 billion. Choosing where and when they spend that
money can be a powerful weapon for change. In the famous Montgomery bus boycott, blacks chose to walk,
bike, hike, share rides and use whatever other means of transportation
available, rather than spend another dime riding public buses on which they had
to agree to be discriminated against.
On December 17 and December 24,
the Reparations Selective Buying Project asks blacks to boycott department
stores, supermarkets, fast food restaurants, movie theaters, liquor stores,
etc. The 2nd Annual
National Black Buying Blackout, which is supported by a number of national
organizations, is asking blacks to BUY BLACK and support black businesses or
stay at home on those two Saturdays.
Organizations that support this effort are also demanding
reparations for slavery and its effects today. These groups believe the $700 billion blacks spend annually
can be a powerful economic weapon.
Moreover, if blacks unite, they can have tremendous political power for
change. For more about these
organizations and the national black buying blackout days, visit www.blackoutamerica.com.
By John Burl Smith
This has been a year to remember. Everyone probably has some particular
2005 events that stand out. For
most folks, Hurricane Katrina ranks at or near the top of their list. Whether you were affected directly or
peripherally, this un-preventable act of nature changed all of us in some way.
The sight of such human desperation moved most people to
look beyond the skin color of those clinging to life by a thread to wonder why
there was no help for these victims.
For the first time in years, most people recognized the naked racism on
display. Hourly, media reports
lifted America’s rose-tinted glasses to show clearly the deeply rooted tree of
racial hatred and poverty growing in the US.
With the passage of civil rights legislation, the removal
of black and white signs, the institution of affirmative action, etc., most
whites pretended not to remember the thousands of black men that hung from that
tree of racism. They adopted an
alternative reality that denied discrimination based on skin color ever
existed. Whites promoted the
notion of a color-blind society and fostered the idea that all doors were
opened to blacks. The catch was,
only blacks that agreed with this whitewash were allowed to enter.
While referring to themselves as black, these new Negroes
opposed the inclusion of race as a criteria in affirmative action for
employment, higher education and government contracts. Whites mounted a legal
attack against affirmative action; anything that corrected or mitigated
centuries of discrimination and disparate treatment is “reverse
discrimination.” Now, courts turn
blind eyes and deaf ears to such claims by blacks. Federal, state and local governments have turned back the
clock on affirmation action. The
drumbeat of democracy and equality for the world coming from the White House
drowned out blacks’ cry for justice here at home.
Suddenly, during the early morning of August 28, a wall of
wind, rain and water swept over New Orleans, washing away the veneer of justice
and equality in the United States.
The aftermath of Katrina was so devastating, one had to believe the
images on television. Old people
abandoned to die, children crying and black people of all types wandering
around in a daze were images that flooded our visual cortices until our brains
felt ready to explode.
Black people became the flood, almost indistinguishable
from the brackish water as they struggled against the tide. The disparate treatment blacks received
was so blatant racism was the only word capable of describing what the world
was witnessing. Katrina forced
white and black minds to return to reality.
Battle Song
By Z'etoile Imma
War pinched my blood like a malaria mosquito.
Still I stand tiger-eyed against the smashing drone.
These liars are clenched between my teeth.
These children of killer and killed
pull my words into shadow.
They reject my morning with curses.
They defile my river with waste.
But the water will wash itself even as it poisons.
In Johannesburg a dog growled in death wish for my skin.
In Port Au Prince paid whispers can tell the time.
In Brooklyn trash bag mountains claim the hard horizon.
And the stones weep at great Zimbabwe
where I stood amongst the ruins, my hair falling in eulogy.
But the women are still forming clay into bowls
where the children will curve.
And the gentle men massage concrete into poetry.
Yet while Mbira songs pluck the air
and rum sprays to cool the twirling dust, we are still
hungry.
Tanks push over homes in Palestine
while those who despise us buy our history in Harlem.
The rain is singing battle songs.
The thunder asks that we mark our eyelids to begin.
My lover holds two sticks at sunrise.
We drink our stew as we are running.
We tear the dollars from between our legs.
We suck on the bones of the dead to keep us from choking.
There is fire in the slave graveyard.
In the light of rage, we study the map of our dream.
War cannot eclipse the sun.
The moon will not drown in a sea of greed.
Every seed cannot be hustled.
My blood will not quench the vultures.
And this poem is not a suicide bomb
because the truth can never die.
Disgruntled says: US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice is meeting with NATO foreign ministers. Topping the agenda is extraordinary renditions. Human rights groups allege the CIA
flies terror suspects to secret Eastern European jails for interrogation
(torture) in violation of international law. In speaking to the press prior to her departure, Dr.
Rice reiterated the Bush administration’s mantra that the US does not
torture. This sounds good, but it
is not true. Torture is a
documented reality in US prisons.
It occurs in CIA torture camps from Abu Ghraib to Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba. Claiming no prisoner abuse
occurs strains the imagination.
Disgruntled wants to know: Discrimination against citizens of
color led to passage of the Voting Rights Act (1965). If the federal government fails to pass an extension, parts
of it expire in 2007. One such
provision forces states with a history of discrimination to get pre-approval
before making changes that affect voting, including redistricting. A recently released memo show Justice
Department officials approved Texas’ 2003 redistricting plan over the objection
of their Voting Rights Division heads and staffers that believed it diluted
minority voting rights. The
Supreme Court is expected to announce whether it will hear the case challenging
Texas’ redistricting plan. If the
Court does not hear this case or allows it to stand, what difference will
extending the Voting Rights Act make in protecting the voting rights of
citizens of color?
Disgruntled feels: Credibility gap!
Recently, Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman chided fellow Democrats for
undermining presidential credibility in criticizing George W. Bush for his
handling of the war in Iraq. It
strains the imagination that anyone speaking the truth could undermine Bush’s
credibility. He opened a huge
credibility gap in lying to the world to begin his war of aggression in Iraq.
Economic Gap
By Dot
Last week, Bush administration officials and GOP lawmakers
crowed about the “good” economic news, which include the creation of 215,000
jobs, mainly in construction and food services, low unemployment and inflation,
high consumer confidence and economic growth. In a week when the Dow Jones neared 11,000, all the
statistics cited forecasted good times ahead and greater US prosperity for the
fortunate.
No one mentioned less cheery statistics, including the
more than $7 trillion in federal debt. And, as GOP leaders touted the ‘strong’
economy, retiring Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan warned of US budget
and trade deficits. He again
sounded the retiring baby boomers’ alarm.
Medicare and Social Security, like many private pension plans, do not
have funds to fulfill their promises to retiring workers. Greenspan sees reducing benefits and
raising the retirement age as necessary evils to remedy the shortfall.
No one addressed the economic welfare gap. For example, while the national
unemployment rate is a relatively low 5%, black unemployment rose from 9.1% in
October to 10.6% in November. More
telling, a recent UN Human Rights Commission report shows that “ethnic
minorities are suffering more from extreme poverty than white Americans. Compared to one in ten whites, nearly
one in four blacks and more than one out of every five Latinos are extremely
poor in the United States.” This
economic gap is the paradox of life in the world’s wealthiest nation.
Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and Telephone
Calls
Email dlferebee@yahoo.com “If I were to head the UN, the first thing
I will do is disband the UN Security Council and abolish the veto. The UN in its current form has lost its
relevance; and if at all it should make any sense as supra national political
body, it should be run by the consent of the majority rather than by imposing
the will of a few who have the veto power.” -- Mahathir Mohammed
Email www.assatashakur.org On November 10,
2005, Morehouse College police beat up civil rights elder Mukasa Dada, formerly
known as Willie Ricks of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
(SNCC). Groups protesting this
injustice are demanding that the officers be fired, a public and written
apology, all charges against Dada dropped and reasonable financial restitution.
Email thehatefulnerd@comcast.net Iran to switch fully to euros. This is exactly what Saddam proposed just before his country was invaded. Saddam Hussein in 2000 insisted Iraq's oil be sold for euros, a political move that improved Iraq's earnings thanks to the rise in the value of the euro against the dollar. A Financial Times article dated June 5, 2003 confirmed Iraqi oil sales returning to the international markets were once again denominated in U.S. dollars - not euros. Don't be deceived these wars are not just oil wars, the real war is EURO V's US$.
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