Black-on-Black Violence: A by Product of Capitalism

By Abdul Jabbar Caliph 

Historically, the African working class movement has always had to struggle against the destructive effects of colonialism. From the very first moment that we were kidnapped and forced into slavery we have struggled to liberated ourselves and now once again we in the Pan-African International Coordinating Committee (PICC) are calling on the Pan-African Liberation Movement (PALM) to step forward and take charge in ridding ourselves of this horrible legacy that has left our communities on the brink of destruction.  

All across the nation the colonized African working class community is forced to seek cover in their own houses because of the harsh legacy of domestic colonization and being trapped in cities that are under the indirect control of Neo-colonialist. It is important that we understand that the issue of horizontal violence (Black-on-Black violence) is counter-revolutionary, that it is a part of the counterinsurgency tactics that United States government uses to wage low-intensity-warfare inside of our community.

Here in Baltimore, Maryland we realize that the majority of murders committed in this city, a city that is predominately African and working class, are the direct result of the lack of leadership displayed by the current administration, and the administrations before it. It is this mis-leadership that refuses to represent the majority of its’ citizens: the African working class. They have proven to be counterrevolutionary and aligned themselves with white capitalist who keep us divided, that rob and murder us daily. 

It is this counterrevolutionary attitude that has hindered the advancement of any serious revolutionary formation being established in this city. Many of the residents in this city have remained somewhat loyal to the very same corrupt administration that takes advantage of them daily. They think that the only way that they can make any serious advancement is by adopting the policy of the capitalist: political oppression and economical exploitation (murder and mayhem) followed by selling drugs. It is this policy that had led to the vast increase of murders inside of our communities, not just here in the state of Maryland but also throughout all out our domestically colonized communities.

Here recently we have experienced a sharp increase in the number of murders inside of our communities, incidents that would usually shock us, but that we have begun to accept as normal. They have become business as usual. No outrage, no shock, only limited responses. This is how you know that you are a colonized people when you no longer value human life especially your own. Our children are murdered and many of us sit by saying and doing nothing.

Just this past week we witnessed three murders and all people did was hold candlelight vigils. The first one was the murder of a five year old little girl by her alleged father. She was found dead in the bath tub beaten to death and sexually assaulted. The second one was the a young man, alleged to be involved in the drug game, found shot to death in Lincoln Park, a notorious dumping grounds for dead bodies. Now we discover the death of a young thirteen year old. It is this girl’s death that one would think would thing that the residents of this city would be outraged over.  

On Saturday, March 3, 2012 we learned the death of thirteen year old Monae Turnage. Killed I believe accidental by two African working class children ages twelve and thirteen firing a .22-caliber rifle in the city limits. After the death of this little girl they attempted to cover up the fact that they had killed her by moving her dead body to another location and covering her up with trash. The body was later discovered by someone in her family. Both children were locked up as juveniles and placed in a juvenile detention center on charges of juvenile involuntary manslaughter.

The kicker to this whole incident is that one of the children’s mother’s boyfriends, a Baltimore City Police Officer named John A. Ward, thirty-two year old, four-year veteran of the PIGS; a par-military colonial standing occupying army has had charges brought up against him for the allegations of trying to cover up the murder. The weapon that was used in this murder was discovered in the trunk of his personal vehicle.

This isn’t something new. The PIGS here are always involved in criminal activity. Last year the PIGS were involved in two major incidents.  The first one was in conducting drug sells in the parking lot of Northwestern Police stations parking lot. The second one was in taking kickbacks from a tow truck company. The Mayor of Baltimore City, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has called the behavior in this case “disgusting”.

The real disgusting thing is that his involvement in the case only got him a suspension and that the Mayor refused to fire him or lock him up. The real disgusting thing is in the way the case was handled, the African working class community deserves better and needs to organize itself politically in order to achieve the democratic space that they need in order to fight back. Only through this path will we be able to break free of Capitalism a rotten, oppressive and exploitive, inhuman system that drains the lives out of its victims.

Our children deserve more than candlelight vigils they deserve justice and in order to combat this colonialist legacy of horizontal violence we must begin to institute a cultural revolution which stress the need for a new moral vision inside of our domestically colonized community. This vision must encompass the revolutionary theory and practices of liberation for the African working class and the establishment of true power under the leadership of the African working class.

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Make It Plain: Understanding the Historical Task In Front Of Us

The Completion of the Rebuilding The Pan-African Liberation Movement/Revolution And Understanding The Effects Of COINTELPRO On Our Movement

By Abdul Jabbar Caliph

“Specific steps should be taken to inhibit coordinated activity of the Black movement in the U.S. …Bing into effect a special program designed to perpetuate division in the Black movement to neutralize the most active groups.” (U.S. National Security Council Interdepartmental Group for Africa, National Security Memorandum No.46 [NSC-46]” 1973 Carter Administration 

Uhuru Comrades

I greet you with the Kiswahili word meaning freedom, the most important word in the vocabulary of a Pan-African Revolutionary and the number one priority in the minds of any real Pan-African solider! Currently we are faced with the incredible task of rebuilding a movement that was crushed during the mid-seventies by a ruthless anti-African counterinsurgency program. 

It is because of this defeat that today we find our movement in such a dire state of weakness, a weakness that has kept the people in servitude to the colonialist-capitalist structure that exist in the United States. Meanwhile, the rest of our people are forced in a live of political oppression and economical exploitation throughout the Diasporas by an internationalist monster known as imperialism because of the natural resources that exist in Mother Africa. Those resources being the human labor that we supply and the natural resources that are unearthed daily. 

In order to overcome this crisis we must examine the tactics that were used to halt the Pan-African Liberation Movement (PALM) of the 60’s and 70’s. The counterintelligence program of that decade, better known as the COINTELPRO was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had five stated goals and objects that had a global impact on our movement while it was in its infancy. Those stated goal and objectives were as follows:

1. The prevention of the coalition of any black militant nationalist organization, for in unity there is strength. They realized that this might be the first step towards a real “Mau Mau” in America, the beginning of a true black revolution; 
2. The prevention of the development and raise of a “Messiah” figure that could have the ability and the desire to direct a unified black militant nationalist movement
3. The prevention of violence on the part of black militant nationalist organization, this was of primary importance to this program. The identification and neutralization of any potential troublemaker to the internal security of this nation and its oversea interest
4. The prevention of any black militant nationalist organization from gaining any type of respectability
5. The prevention long-range growth of black militant organizations, especially among the youth.

It is because of this counterinsurgency program that we have lost many of our noble son and daughters of Africa due to political assassinations, imprisonment, forced exile and political slander conducted by this government. This program has not only affected us physically but it has damaged us psychologically. Many of our comrades are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder due to the affects of being under the constant threat of death in war time situation, low-intensity-conflict.

Comrades what we need to understand is that no domestic counterinsurgency program can be successful without it’s international counterpart. The Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, National Ssecurity Aagency, and all the other US spook organizations, have made it a habit to practice the domestic repression campaigns overseas. While many of us recognize the counterinsurgency program COINTELPRO many of us are unaware of the counterinsurgency program established by the CIA in the United States of America to destroy the domestic part of the Pan-African Liberation Movement.

Three such programs have been identified as being launched by the CIA domestically to help crush the movement. The United States Senate reveled this information after they conducted an investigation into the illegal activities of the CIA during the late 1960s and the early 1970s. The first counterinsurgency program was identified as Project CHAOS which involved illegal tampering with mail by the agency of those organizations identified as security threats on its “watch list”. The next program to be identified was named Project RESISTANCE which illegally gathered and compiled counterintelligence information on a number of alleged radical organizations. The last program to be identified during this period was called Project MERRIMAC which illegally operated in this country from the years of 1967 to 1973. Its primary mission was to conducted anti-black operations of infiltration of various Black political organizations.

During the 60’s many of us were already aware of the CIA involvement in Africa to a certain extent. They were responsible for the death of Patrice Lumumba and overthrowing Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana through the use of the military, through the use of coups d’état. They attempted to assassinated Castro of Cuba over 100 times, only to fail. We know that they followed Malcolm X while he was overseas and are even believed to have tried to assassinate him. Who can forget the assassination of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark here in the United States? Yes, this is the type of stuff that the United States government does to those who wish to free their people from political oppression and economical exploitation and establish justice under a socialist government that will truly offer real change.  Hell, in 1969 we witnessed the death of 28 panthers and the arreste and imprisonment 749 people who were activists.

"The nationalist liberation movement in Black Africa can act as a catalyst with far-reaching effects on the American Black community…(D)ue weight must be given to the fact there are 25 million American Blacks whose roots are African and who consciously or subconsciously sympathize with African nationalism.”    (U.S. National Security Council Interdepartmental Groups for Africa, National Security Memorandum No.46 [NSC-46])."                                          

The international implications of this counterinsurgency programs on the movement is not really understood nor is it discussed among us. We have to realize that every since 1963 the FBI has been requesting CIA intervention in the illegal investigation of Americans abroad. It was through these procedures that the FBI secured the assistances of the CIA in conducting illegal investigations of black militant leaders and antiwar activists who went overseas.  The United States Government is no fool, they recognized the fact that Pan-African Liberation Movement in Africa could act as a catalyst with far- reaching effects on Black people here in America. 

"With Africa now a crucible of great-power maneuver, we cannot afford to have our Africa policies hostage to the bitter memories still cherished by those who struggled for racial equality in America. We cannot let Africa become a stage on which America act out their psychic traumas. (Richard M. Nixon, The Real War, p.9)"

It is not widely known to the public that all law enforcement agencies, which are considered paramilitary organizations, receive some sort of counterinsurgency or counterintelligence training. This training is often masked as gang identification training. Those that are unfortunately labeled as such are identified under the label as “security threat groups” or “person of interest” and or often placed in photo binder with a photo of the individual(s) along with important information. Organizations such as Homeland Security, FEMA and other private agencies such as MARGIN and MACGLOCEEN often are given federal grant money to conduct such training programs. The majority of public gun ranges even conducted such training as well as the military with joint law enforcement agency.

Sister Comrade Assata Shakur was not wrong when she stated the fact that she believed that this program still existed just in another form. It doesn’t matter if you call it Safe Streets, Officer Friendly, McGruff the Dog, Weed and Seed, a War on Crime/Gangs or call it a War on Drugs they all are counterinsurgency programs designed to cripple the movement for the liberation of African People. Today we see the emergence of another counterinsurgency program designed to further oppress the people called the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which allows you to be illegally arrested and detained without questioning or due process of law, as if due process every really existed for  Black people. Under this act you can housed in a secret prison without anyone knowing for an undisclosed amount of time and be charged as a terrorist for what every crime the government see fit to charge you with: even for speaking out against this government.

It is because of this counterinsurgency program that we see the massive incarnation of the African working class today in the penal system of this country. Comrade Mumia Abu Jamal, a political prisoner points out the following in his article “From the Realm of the Dead” about the drastic effects of the COINTELPRO:

“The 1970’s marked a pivotal phase in U.S. history, as a time of the emergence of the Black Liberation Movement via militant groups like the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM), The Republic of New Africa (RNA), and The Black Panther Party (BPP). The striking emergence, the author argues, gave rise to the often startling disparity reflected in statistics which show, in 1990 rates, how whites, roughly 90% of the U.S. population, can become a minority percentage (46%) of those admitted to state prisons, and how blacks (to be precise, black men), roughly 12% of the U.S. population, can balloon upwards to a majority percentage (53.2%) of state prison admissions.”

State Repression is an everyday occurrence if you’re Black and a member of the African working class. It doesn’t matter if you are born in the United States, Africa or any part of the African Diaspora. Under the current global political administration, you have everything to lose including your life. If you’re down for the freedom and liberation of African people then you are at war with Imperialism and it Neo-colonialist, boot-licking henchmen

What do you think AFRICOM is doing in Africa? They are running another counterinsurgency program under the disguise of an aid for humanity program which is designed to destabilize African countries. No matter how much aid they offer we must never let our guards down. AFRICOM is there for one reason and that is control of the resources in Africa! If that means the death and destruction of Africa as we know it, then so be it, they are prepared to do what they deem needs to be done in order to maintain their control over Africa. The questions for us is: are we prepared to do what it takes to win the freedom and independence of Africa? 

Comrades I leave you with the following quote from the late Fred Hampton of the BPP, brutaly murdered by the State of Chicago on December 4, 1968: 

“You can kill the revolutionary, but you can’t kill the revolution. You can jail the liberator, but you can’t jail the liberation. You can run the freedom fighter all around the country, but you can’t stop freedom fighting.”

 

References:

1.       “Black Prison Movements” NOBO, 1995

2.       “Racial Matters” Free Press,1989

3.       “An Unlikely Warrior” By Iyaluua & Herman Furguson ,2011

4.       “Lockdown America” By Christian Parenti ,1999

5.       “The Plot to Destroy” By Ahamadiel Ben Yehuda

6.       “Agents of Repression” By Ward Churchill & Jay Vander Wall, 1998

7.       “Fugitive Thought” By Michael Hames-Garcia, 2004 

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Equality in Marriage: An Issue of Human Rights

By Abdul Jabbar Caliph

“We’ve got to find a way to reconcile ourselves to living in a community, one group with the other. To be successful, the struggle must be waged with resolute efforts that are kept strictly within the framework of our democratic society. This means reaching, educating and moving large enough groups of people of both races to stir the conscience of the nation.” Martin Luther King

All across the United States we are seeing a highly political charged issue being debated that will determine the future of millions of colonized subjects trapped within the decadent boarders of this country. Some have called it disgusting while others have come out in support of it. Whether you call it a civil union, domestic partnership or gay marriage it is an issue that has divide the community not just along racial lines but class lines as well.  

Here in the State of Maryland we have seen the contradictions around this issue; and we have seen how the capitalist power structure has used this issue to divide the masses of the people. This issue has and is being used to elevate a few individuals and professional political operatives to a higher political office at the expense of the masses. It is an issue that keeps the people’s attention misdirected, focused away from the real contradictions that exist in this capitalist society: the contradiction of political oppression and economical exploitation.

We in the Pan-African International Coordinating Committee (PICC) have taken the following political position on this issue. First, we recognize the fact that this a highly charged political issue that is being used to divided the masses. Second, this is not a civil rights issue but an issue of human rights, humanity’s treatment of humanity. Third, we have taken the political position of the original Black Panther Party (BPP) on this issue: as along as a comrade is doing the political work to be free from political oppression and economical exploitation then we have to respect their rights to be a part of humanity, and live the kind of lifestyle they choose. As long as that lifestyle is not harming the interest of the people involved, or the community at large, we have no right to interfere and you had better not touch them. Finally, we also realize that this issue opens the door for other forms of marriage to be accepted such as polygamy. Maryland State must recognize the fact that they cannot regulate true love or what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes.  

We realize that gay bashing can only stop when humanity decides to stand up and end capitalism as a tool of oppression, only under Socialism will gays be able to be recognized as human beings. Second, in order to win their rights of equality the LBGT community must close ranks if this is too be achieved? They are too divided among themselves right now. Third, that which passes itself off as the progressive left in this country must take a stand and stop vacillating on this issue. This community has reached out for help and they deserve an answer. We recommend that instead of waiting and looking for support on this issue that the LBGT take charge and push forward their political campaign.

The LBGT community has not awakened to the fact that the issue homosexual couples being able to marry is being used to elevate certain political officials to higher office. Even through the issue passed both the Senate and the House the bill will not be signed into law by legislators. It will go to a referendum and the people will decide the issue.

This is a tool that relives Maryland States political officials of having any real commitment to the issue, not only that but the bill can still be defeated by gathering 18,579 signatures to stop it from going to the November 6, 2012 ballot. Del. Neil Parrot, a Western Maryland Republican is believed to be heading up the opposition to this bill. He has established a websites making it easier for people to see exactly how their names are listed on the Maryland voters roll so that you can see if the petition is signed correctly. The Ujima People’s Progressive Party (UPP) is establishing such a program in order to become the first Black official independent political party in the State of Maryland.

As we have suggested to a few of our comrades in the Liberate Baltimore Coalition (LBC), the LBGT community must take the lead on this issue. They must be willing to establish and give direction within the campaign, not only must these members be willing to do this they must seek the support of the coalition in order to develop strategy and tactics (goals and objectives) that can be achieved realistically. They need to recognize the fact that this campaign is far from being over.

Malcolm X was right when he said that we have to demand Human Rights not Civil Rights. Civil Rights get passed as Amendments into law and or voted on every 10 or 20 years to see if they are still of importance. The Voters Rights Act is such an issue. Human Rights are the right that you are born with and the rights that everybody must recognize

In closing I want to encourage the people involved in the fight for human rights for the LGBT community keep their heads up and come out swinging with both fist on this issue. If they wait for someone else to take charge of this campaign, they may never get another chance.  

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Make It Plain: Marshall Eddie Conway - Political Prisoner of Action

Abdul Jabbar Caliph


Uhuru Comrades!

For the past four decades we have witness the noble courage of Marshall Eddie Conway, a political prisoner and victim of one of Americas’ most inhuman, anti-black counterinsurgency programs every developed. A program better known to us under the acronym of the "COINTELPRO", or COunter-INTelligence PROgram, the U.S. government run action that was responsible the imprisonment, death and exile of many of our comrades during the 1960’s and 70’s.

Eddies’ case, like many of our fallen comrades, highlights the vicious tactics that the federal government used to destroy a movement that was established for the betterment of humanity. A movement that worked to end the political oppression and economical exploitation of the working class in this capitalist-colonialist country. Eddie is one of literally thousands who worked to establish a socialist agenda for the betterment of society as a whole, and his case is significant for numerous reasons, the most important of which we should understand:

1. Comrade Conway's was associated with  the Pan-African Liberation Movement(PALM) and was an active member of the Black Panther Party(BPP) that was established during the Civil Rights/Black Power era of this country;
2. Comrade Conway’s very existence in this country was that of a colonized subject, therefore he realized that his people suffered from political oppression and economical exploitation more than any other race of people. Eddie was clear then and still is clear that black people exist in this country as colonized people;
3. Comrade Conway’s ideology and political affiliation like many other is why he is still considered a political prisoner/prisoner of war and remains trapped inside Maryland prison system.

We need to understand the legacy of the Black Panther Party (BPP)/Black Liberation Army (BLA) and its effects on the political movement for the liberation of the African working class; along with its relationship to the struggle for the betterment of humanity. Through hard work, they were able build a serious international movement to address the plight of the African working class in this country and throughout the world. They were able to form alliances with other progressive and revolutionary organizations that represented various racial/ethnic fractions that existed at the time. Political coalitions were formed with various labor and student unions, as well as with organizations such as the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Brown Berets. They were also able to establish survival programs for the people that addressed their needs such as the sickle anemia program and the free breakfast program for children before they went to school - two programs the U.S. government has appropriated for its own use.

Comrades, this is the legacy of the Black Panther Party, the work that Eddie was involved in and this is the reason that Marshall Eddie Conway remains in prison to this very day, characterized by the Criminal (In)Justice System as a security threat to this nation. Despite being framed for the alleged murder and assault of a Baltimore City Police Officer, Comrade Conway has refused to give up his fight on the behalf of the people. Despite the fact that we have seen two city resolutions passed on the behalf of this comrade, caling for his freedom, one of which was signed by Gov. Martin O’Malley, this man still remains in prison as a political prisoner! 

Comrade Dhoruba bin Wahad (Richard Moore), former political prisoner of war and member of the Black Panther Party, summed it up correctly when he stated the following about the BPP:

“In fact, the BPP never posted a serious military threat to the U.S. government, it was the popularity of Ten-Point Program, our beliefs in the guaranteed rights of everyone to food, clothing, decent housing, free health care, education, etc., that terrified the government and motivated them to launch an all-out attack against us.”

This was confirmed despite the fact that J. Edger Hoover, the former head of the FBI, declaring the Black Panther Party to be “the greatest threat to security of this country”. Eddie goes on to point out the following in his book The Greatest Threat about the attack on the Black Panther Party when he stated:

“The opposition that the BPP faced presented to the U.S. world image could have been crushed. That would have been easy enough militarily, but the real problem of ideas would remain. It was necessary to not just destroy the BPP but also to demonize and criminalize its actions to dissuade future generations from its course.”

Nearly four decades later we see that COINTELPRO was successful in it goal of destroying a movement and leaving its victims to languish in prison or in exile, labeled as criminals. These comrades have paid the ultimate price and have sacrificed and suffered on the behalf of the people! Many of them are suffering from psychological and physical trauma that no human being deserves to be subjected to and yet they still refuse to give up on the movement - even through the movement, and in many cases, have given up on them and has failed to build a successful political prisoners/ prisoners of war movement. Many of these comrades are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to the constant threat of death along with being the subjects of low-intensisty-warfare. These were the goals and objectives of this government’s cowardly program:

1. The prevention of the coalition of any Black Nationalist organization, for in unity there is strength. They realized that this might be step towards a real “Mau Mau” in America, the beginning of a true black revolution;
2. The prevention and development and raise of a “Messiah” figure that could have the ability and desire to direct a unified black nationalist movement;
3. The prevention of violence on the part of Black Militants Nationalist organizations, this was of primary importance of this program.
4. The identification and neutralization of any potential threats to the internal security of this nation and overseas interest;
5. The prevention of any Black Militant Nationalist from gaining any type of respectability;
6. The prevention of long-range growth of black militant organizations, especially among the youth.

It is important that we understand what a political prisoner/prisoner of war is. Comrade Eddie's book “The Greatest Threat” defines the two:

1. A political prisoner is a person, sanctioned by the movement, involved in character and deeds, who is held in confinement for support of, or identification with, a people struggling for the freedom from an oppressive government or against its oppressive policies.
2. A prisoner of war is a sanctioned national combatant or ally of an international armed conflict who is held in confinement for acts in support of people struggling for freedom, self-determination, or independence from oppressive, colonial, alien dominated, or racist government regime and its policies.

J. Soffiyah Elijah, a Harvard Law School Professor and leading attorney in the political prisoner/prisoner of war movement, is also quoted in Conway's book as giving the following description in her article, “The Reality of Political Prisoners in the United States: What September 11 Taught Us About Defending Them”:

“Political prisoners are men and women who have been incarcerated for their political views and actions. They have consciously fought against social injustice, colonialism and/or imperialism and have been incarcerated as a result of political commitments. Even while in prison, these men and women continue to adhere to their principles. This definition of the term “political prisoner” is accepted throughout the international community.”

Comrades, no matter what social, cultural, political or religious community you are apart of, you need to understand that these comrades, because of the path that they took and because of the racial and class structure they represent, are often given the harshest sentences possible! You also need to understand that while the United States does not recognize political prisoners (PP) or prisoners of war (POW) the rest of humanity does and no matter how you define these terms, political prisoners and prisoners of war do exist. 

Comrades I believe that we have chosen the correct path and have selected the correct campaign to develop and work on, the campaign to free Marshall Eddie Conway! The Liberate Baltimore Coalition has once again risen to the occasion and set the correct path that any progressive organization/revolutionary movement must take if it is to truly represent the people! No movement can represent the people if it does not or will not speak about the issue of political prisoners and prisoners of war!

In conclusion, I leave you with the following quote from Eddie’s book Marshall Law and may it endow you with the spirit to keep fighting on the behalf of those who have been wronged because of their race, class, religion or sexuality and beliefs.

“Resistance is a natural response to oppression and the story of African descent in the western hemisphere is one of rebellion and broken shackles. Women and men marching on; these rag tag armies of black, brown and yellow soldiers armed with farm tools, the occasional musket and a plan to kill the slave master. Rising up out of their bondage, the rebels intended to be free in this world, or the next. Get free, or die trying. Charles Deslondes. Makandal. Nat Turner. These names would produces a fear so strong in whites that the thought of an armed and angry black man would echo that fear for generations to come. The race (class) struggle of the late 1960’s called to mind the same fear and anger.”

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Make It Plain: Class Struggle in Africa - Which Way to Freedom, Socialism or Capitalism?

By Abdul Jabbar Caliph, Chief Editor

For years the people all over the world have asked themselves which path will the people of the U.S. follow. Will it be the parasitic path of Capitalism or will it be the path of Socialism, the only path of liberation for the masses of African people, particularly the African working class? In 1994 Nelson Mandela became the first black President of South Africa, a doomed state. Despite the fact that he was a political prisoner for 27 years, Mandela choose the path of Capitalism, a path of continued oppression and exploitation under the administration of Neo-Colonialism. 

Recent activity inside of South Africa (Occupied Azania) has proven that a new form of defiance has emerged among the masses, particularity among its youth. It is this population that is suffering the most from lack of employment, denial of educational opportunity, and inadequate health care due the raise of HIV/AIDS. It is this segment of the population that this author is attempting to reach out to in order to give guidance to.  They are the advanced guard and true hope of achieving the liberation and freedom of the toiling masses in this Neo-colonialist state. 

Recently, we have seen the firing of Julius Malema from his leadership position as the head of the African National Congress (ANC) youth coordinator. Malema was once considered the “future leader of South Africa” and on November 10, 2011 he was suspended from all party activity for five years after being accused of being a “reckless populist with the potential to destabilize South Africa and spark racial conflict.”  He dared to question the leadership of President Jacob Zuma, a Neo-colonialist administrator of white imperialism; he called for the nationalization of all industry in South Africa and dared to continue to sing the song after being hit with a two year sentence after calling for the death of the Boars. This gained him massive popularity among the youth of South Africa and, as is obvious, shocked the old guard, the regime of Neo-Colonialism. 

Julius Malema's proposal is by far the most radical position of any member of the ANC in recent times. This young man understands that by transforming the national economy to that of a socialist political economy that he would be thereby transforming society into that of a real Pan-African society, a Pan-African society under the leadership of the African working class, the main force in the history of social changge! Malema by now realizes that for any real change to occur such as those that he has proposed the following must happen immediately:

1. Malema must be willing to have open dialogue with PAC and other Pan-African forces inside of occupied Azania. This hopefully will led to a united Pan-African Front.
2. He must establish a way to unite the African working class in the participation of the development a new Pan-African socialist political economy which will be under the direct leadership of the African working class;
3. He must work towards the removal of all Neo-colonialist administrators from their political position and replace them with loyal, dedicated Pan-African political forces;
4. He must establish a method of releasing all Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War currently held in the penal system of South Africa;
5. He must be willing to destroy all of the artificial created colonialist boarders and sub-boarders inside of occupied Azania and inside of Africa itself. This will lead to the development of a People's Democratic Republic of Africa.
6. The greatest and possibly most difficult task for them is to separate from their current ideology and accept Pan-African Internationalism, the theory that calls for the total liberation and freedom of all African people all over the Africa Diaspora.

Comrades this is the minimum of what is required to free South Africa and the rest of Africa. There is no substitute for this task. We must either choose to move forward or forever move backwards into a total state of slavery and misery, forever at the beck and call of our former colonialist masters. To choose the second course of action is to betray our ancestors and to betray the African Revolution. It is the acceptance of Neo-colonialism! 

In order to free Africa of her legacy of colonial domination which is still in effect in Africa we must develop a Direct Action plan that will lead us to the liberation that we so desire! This action plan must include the common ordinary African citizens, the African working class participation within the struggle for the destruction of Neo-colonialism and the complete overthrow of Imperialism. This is the true course of action that must be taken, this is the course of action that must be used to unite the people and mobilize them towards true freedom!

Not only must Joseph Malema accept these truths so too must all of those who call for the total liberation of Africa. We must put aside our subjective, petty views and work towards the development of a society that is truly worthy of being called an African society, a society under the leadership of the African working class, the African proletariat the most noble and humble group of people in the world! 

The question we have to ask ourselves is, are we Africans or not? If we are African people then we have an obligation to rebuild Africa and transform her into a society truly worthy of being called an African society! It is an embarrassment to the descents of a noble nation of people to allow a small segment of Neo-colonialist and their imperialist puppet-masters to continue to oppress and exploited us! We are not chattel or property, we are human beings, we are African people and we should be proud!

 We as Pan-Africanist must realize that no amount of opposition must be allowed to stand in our way of seeing an unified Africa, an Africa that will usher us into a new era of leadership! It is this leadership that will pave the way for a new direction in the lives of African people as a whole throughout the Diaspora!

We must remember that no amount of protest or demonstration can or has every guaranteed a peoples liberation or freedom. No amount of environmental concerns will be able address the massive issues that we as a people face. Real power is achieved by the seizure and consolidation of power; therefore let the struggles inside of South Africa be the launching pad for the beginning of a new era inside Africa, the era of the Republic of Africa!

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The D.C. Job's Hustle and the Reality of the African Working Class

By Abdul Jabbar Caliph 
 

For the past five months we in the Ujima Peoples Progressive Party (UPP) have been struggling to build a broader coalition of progressive and revolutionary organizations to address the needs of the masses around the contradictions that exist here in this country, contradictions which have left the masses of the African working class suffering from massive unemployment and underemployment issues. These contradictions have revealed a host of other promenaded issues that non-whites in the United States of America of are suffering from under this current capitalist regime.

In September of 2011, Americas’ neo-colonialist President Barack H. Obama introduced a bill to the joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives. This bill was entitled the “American Jobs Act”, he then introduced a proposal for $447 billion dollars to congress to create job amidst what is perceived to be the worst economical crises since the Great Depression of the 1930’s. The economical issues of this nation can never be solved without first solving the political question first!   

The question that America must ask herself, particularly the African working class is if the Obama administrations plan can put us back to work and relive the suffering of untold millions in this nation?

We in Ujima believe that the answer to this question is no! With the massive issue of unemployment and underemployment growth being so rapid in this nation there is no way that we can trust the Capitalist administration of this nation, which has historically been an enemy of not only the African working class but also an enemy to all non-white people who have also been historically oppressed and exploited by this regime. For this regime has a Capitalist- Imperialist agenda for the suppression of all people and organizations that are opposed to it. 

The issues of unemployment and underemployment for the members of the African working class and other non-white people far exceed the numbers of whites in this country. The overall unemployment rate in this nation has been officially reported to be at 9.1 percent which means approximately 15 or 16 million people are struggling to find some form of employment in the artificial created colonialist boarder of this nation. In reality we believe that the numbers far exceed this amount that has been reported, we believe that the number is in reality about 30 million after you take in to the equation the ethnic characteristics of this nation.

The official unemployment/underemployment rate of the Latino community is reported to be around 11.3 percent.  While the massive unemployment/underemployment rate for the African working class is estimated to be around 16.7 percent a drastic increase from 15.9 percent since July. This figure does not take into account the amount of males who are members of the African working class who have a rate around 18 percent according to a report in August. For those among our youth, the African working class youth these figures are estimated to be at an astounding rate of 46.5 percent.

We here in the city of Baltimore, Maryland under the leadership of Chairman Nnamdi Lumumba of the Ujima People’s Progressive Party have purposed a “Living Wage Campaign” to address the need of not only the African working class but the entire population of oppressed and exploited people who make the working class movement of this city. This is something that the Occupy Baltimore Movement has refused to do; the fact it is under the leadership of Red Emma, a white middle class anarchistic organization explains why!

We also realize that Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and her neo-colonialist cronies in her administration cannot solve the current political problems that plague this city and its residents. Baltimore city is a city that has a population of 620,961 plus with unemployment/under employment figure of 107,575 people. The African working class represents 418,951 or 64.34 percent of this city population; white working class members represent 205,982 or 31.63 percent of this city population and the fast growing members of this city population are the Hispanic community which have a population of 651,154 people.

Ujima People’s Progressive Party “Living Wage Campaign” addresses the following issue which affects the masses, particularly the African working class:

1.      The immediate end of unemployment/underemployment  as it relates to this nations domestic policy, full employment for all or employment for non (each according to his needs);

2.      The immediate end to all discrimination of descent and fair housing for of this nations population with an end to foreclosures and discrimination in housing and also the immediate end to the brutality practice of Homelessness;      

3.      The immediate end to mass incarceration which is directly reasonable for this nations vast growth of its prison population with an immediate end to police brutality on the streets and inside of this nations prison system;  

4.      The immediate end to all of this nation’s colonialist educational policy as it relates to the so-called citizens of this nation;

5.      The immediate end of gender and racial discrimination, we believe that these two issues have been exploited to their maximum degree to keep the masses divided.

6.      The demand for decent and acquitted health care for all, our motto is “Health before wealth”, this must be a reality in our life time;

7.      The immediate end of all imperialist war of aggression particular against Africa and her people. We believe that the money being used to wage these wars of aggression can be used to develop full employment for the citizens of this nation, let’s put America back to work under the governments full employment act;

8.      The immediate end to this parasitic relationship that exist between capitalism and the African working class by granting the immediate approval of Reparations to the African working class;  

9.      The immediate end to suffering and abuse that our elderly population has to endure, they deserve better treatment and our respect, don’t mess with their Social Security or their retirement benefits or Medicare;

10.  The immediate end of high tuition fees that are currently being charged students that are striving to receive a higher education that will allow them to be better productive members of society. 

We believe that by addressing these issues and building the first independent black political party in the state of Maryland that represents the African working class this will give us a chance to fight back along with the issue of networking with other progressive and revolutionary formations such as the Liberate Baltimore Coalition; the All People Congress and Fannie Lou Hamer Political Action Committee will be able to achieve our objectives of securing the rights of the African working class and building and establish a protracted movement under and around the development of the African working class leadership.

We also believe that the current capitalist political regime cannot address the issue of poverty that has run amok due to the issue of wide spread unemployment and underemployment here in this country. Currently the poverty rate in this country is at one out of eleven people in America live in poverty which equates to 22.3 million people who now trapped/reside in America’s lowest socially economical areas (America’s domestically colonized community’s/ghettos). Between 2000 and 2009, the number of people dwelling in these “high-poverty areas”, (low social economic areas) grew by approximately 10 million that is an estimated population up from 33 million to 43 million making it a poverty rate of 14.3 percent.

For members of the African working class that means one in four people live in poverty approximately 7.6 million people and for the Hispanic community that means one in six people live in poverty approximately 7.1 million people.  According to the census tract 30 percent or more of America’s citizens live in poverty. This is what capitalism means to the average member of the working class community who share slavery and misery, and who understands this better then the African working class. Capitalism was after all build and founded on the back of African slaves who were brutality treated as human beings by white America and native population, look at and study the history of this country Indian population particularly the Cherokee nation’s ownership of human beings, African slaves.

In 2003 the United States government defined poverty as an annual income for a family of four, one adult and three children to be less than $18,392.00 dollars a year about $8.89 an hour. Comrades you need to understand this important fact, the Census Bureau has been using the same formula that was designed by the Social Security Administration since 1964. This nutty formula was developed around the spending patterns of 1955. They have been robbing and tricking people for the past 56 years using this formula.

We in Ujima realize that the only formula that can alleviate the crippling conditions of unemployment/underemployment and poverty is the total transformation of this plague ridden capitalist economy to that of a socialist economy that will render justice to the working class which can only be accomplished under the leadership of the African working class, the most oppressed and exploited class of people on the planet. 

Comrades we are calling on all Pan-African forces, progressive and revolutionary in this country to adopt a “Living Wage Campaign” and to organize the African working class to fight back against the oppressive and exploitive conditions that they may find themselves within. We believe that this tactic will allow us to best expose the contradictions that exist under this Capitalist-Imperialist Administration and its relationship to the African working class.  As Pan-African Internationalist we realize the current global economy and it parasitic relationship to the African working class movement is based on the rape, looting, and murder of African people. It is our job to awaken the masses and to organize the people to strike a blow against their former slave master and put an end to the parasitic relationship that exist between us, white supremacy and their neo-colonialist allies.

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Make It Plain: Pan-African Culture-What It Should Look Like and Accomplish

By Abdul Jabbar Caliph, Chief Editor

“The time has come to draw practical conclusion from the years of studying African problems, to sum them up in formulas that are as clear as possible and easy to apply.”  Cheikh Anta Diop

Uhuru Comrades, Brothers and Sisters!

I greet you with this Kiswahili word meaning freedom, for freedom should be the most fundamental issue on the minds of African people of all over the Diaspora! As a Pan-African Internationalist I understand the importance in the need for the development of a Pan-African culture that is reflected of the values and morals of African people. In order for this to be accomplished it is important for us to understand that we must replace the values and morals of the old colonialist regime that we suffered under with the values and morals of the new society that we wish to develop. 

These values and morals must be developed along an African centered approach to life. This means that we must not only understand our history we must also understand some of the traditional concepts of African culture and begin to chart its’ development and progression as it relates to African people all over the world. Some of this traditional customs must be disregarded for they no longer have any value or importance to the new society which we are seeking to develop.  They are out dated and ancient. 

The new society in which we seek to develop requires that we educated and train our youth in the Pan-African Internationalist concept of social living instead of the individual based concept taught to us by the colonialist approach to life that we have been trained within. Under colonialism we existed as slaves and under the new society that we are seeking to develop we will live as free men and women who control their own destiny. We will live according to means of production that our society needs, no waste no mess. Each person must live according to his political means and the political needs of family.

In order for this to happen we must have a complete radical break with the bourgeoisie culture that has been the dominated culture in our life. This can only occur with the complete transfer of power to the African working class, the most proletariatarian class that exists in the world! This break must be a total and complete break with parasitic capitalism.

Comrades we must understand that our struggle here is a twofold struggle, a struggle against racism that also has a class component. We who call ourselves Pan-Africans would do well to not forget this. For it is through the combination of the two that we will be able to insure that our people never again experience the African holocaust (MAAFA).  It is through this process that we will be able to control our destiny, control over the political economy and the means of production of Africa’s natural resources.

A new form of education must emerge out of this process, an education that will be free of our former 

colonialist masters’ control. It is through this educational process that our people will learn the true history of our people and the purpose of their historical mission, the liberation and freedom of Africa and her people throughout the Diasporas. It is the completion of this mission that will allow us to control and establish a global economy that will launch Africa into the next phase of development as the rightful masters of our own lives and put an end to the capitalist-imperialist parasitic relationship that has dominated non-white people for centuries.

We must remember that as we seek the destruction of this parasitic way of life we must also be about the work of serious transformation of our society, a society that is in serious need of healing. We must educate our people about how to control the means of production that currently exist in our Pan-African society and the development of a new approach to this very end. To fail to do so will mean the failure of the revolution, it is a betrayal of the revolution and history may not absolve us!

Let us as Pan-Africans remember the wise saying of Amilcar Cabral, the leader of the PAIGC who was brutality assassinated by imperialist forces nine months before Guinea-Bissau was to achieve it liberation, “Always remember that people are not fighting for ideas, nor for what is in men’s mind. The people fight and accept the sacrifices demanded by the struggle in order to gain material advantages, to live better and in peace, to benefit from progress, and for the better future of their children. National liberation, the struggle against colonialism, the construction of peace, progress and independence are nothing but hollow words devoid of any significance unless they can be translated into a real improvement of living conditions.”   

To achieve the afore mentioned objective we must begin to established Liberated Zones, the transformation of our neighborhoods and domestically colonized communities into communities of political consciousness and awakened freedom fighters who willing do the work of fighting for the rights of the African working class. This will give us the democratic space that is needed to broadly organize the people into future cadre forces that will focus on the seizure and consolidation of power into our own hands. The establishments of survival program such as food co-operatives, after-school and weekend programs for African Children are examples of dual and contending institutions that will help achieve this mission. 

Comrades this is what a true Pan-African culture should look like and be able to accomplish.  For it not to accomplish this mission is to mean that we failed as Pan-Africans in winning the revolution, a revolution that our ancestors died to see fulfilled, they laid down their lives to see their children and future generations of African people grow up to live a life free of slavery and misery! 

We must accomplish this noble sacred mission. We must complete the revolution and free our people in order to assume our rightful place in society. This mission can only be accomplished by the African working class, the most noble and humble race and class of people on the planet!

In conclusion, I would like us to remember what Barry Munslow said “The greatest danger was that the state might well be able to transform the revolution before the revolution could transform the state.” This means that we as members of the African working class must be the organization of the people, educated the people and mobilize the people to participate in their own liberation. 

 “African development is possible only on the basis of a radical break with the international capitalist system, which has been the principal agency of underdevelopment of Africa over the last five centuries.” Walter Rodney

Long live the Revolution!

Long live the struggle for African Independence!

Bread, Peace and Black Power!

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Make It Plain: The Death of Muammar Gaddafi - What significant is there to the Pan-African Liberation Movement?

The Death of Muammar Gaddafi - What significant is there to the Pan-African Liberation Movement?

By Abdul Jabbar Caliph, Chief Editor

On October 20, 2011 Muammar Gaddafi was brutally murdered by pro-capitalist insurgent members in an effort to usher in new era oppression; exploitation; rape and pillage within the colonialist boarders of Libya for African people! This is a fact that we in the Pan-African International community full understand, for we are aware of the implications of the murder of Gaddafi and what it means to the African Liberation Movement and it forces! As Revolutionary soldiers of the movement we understand that it is our task to help you to understand what this means to the movement!

Libya is a country that approximately made up of 679,362 sq. miles. It is located in the northern part of Africa that is heavily populated by Arab speaking people. Its economy is heavily depending upon the production of petroleum (oil) and petroleum based goods which only employs a small percentage of it people. Libya also products a small amount of gypsum, iron ore, lime, and natural gas along with sulfur. The rest of this country economy is based on service industries, construction and agriculture goods. Currently Africa is responsible for 25% of the world’s oil export.   

Into his death Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi had been the head of state since September 1969, 42 years, due to a successful revolution that overthrew the King and allowed the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) to seize and consolidate its power base. Immediately upon becoming the head of State he begin to preach an ideology, Pan-Arabism, that was detrimental to Africa and her people in an effort  to gain unity among various Arab States. They out rightly reject any type of unity with him regardless of the fact that he was an Arab and a Muslim. 

Throughout the Seventies and Eighties Gaddafi begin supporting a number of liberation movements throughout the world, particularly the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Chad, Morocco, Uganda and Western Sahara region of Africa. This had led to many so called leaders publically coming out against him. Because of his stance against the imperialist aggression shown towards people of color he had a fall out in 1986 with the United States of America, this result in breaking off all relationships with Libya and accused Libya of supporting international terrorism.  

This resulted in a bitter war between these two nations. In March of 1986, the government of Libya opened fire on US military aircraft over the Gulf of Sidra, a clear violation of Libya’s airspace. This resulted in the United States launching a vicious bombing campaign against Libya. The second part of this war erupted in 1989 when two United States of America military aircraft shot down two Libyan military aircraft flying over the Mediterranean Sea.

Because of this bitter antagonism between these two nations and a drop in Libya oil price Gaddafi was forced to improve relationships with other nations and establish a more promenade role inside of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) now called the African Unity (AU). A group of weak, spineless neo-colonialist bootlicking Negros, they don’t even deserve to be called Africans. Gaddafi sought leadership inside of this organization by daring to offer them the chance for serious change in the affairs of Africa.

The death of Gaddafi exposed some serious weakness and contradictions in the African Liberation Movement and in the socialist movement as it exist under its’ current backward leadership. First, no African country or socialist country came to the aid of Gaddafi, instead they stood by and watched his cold bloody murder and that of thousands of Africans living and working inside of Libya. Second, the African Union never ones opposed the bombing of Libya (only in lip service) and the removal of Gaddafi if they did they would have never recognized the current regime as representatives of Libya, some people will do anything for money. Third, the death of Gaddafi ushered in a new era of capitalism and neo-colonialism that is a planned attack against the masses of African people not only in Libya but also throughout Africa itself. Finally, the plans of imperialist conquest have been espoused for all to see through the use of AFRICOM, an imperialist counter-revolutionary army that is involved in military campaigns in Southern Sudan; Somalia; the Congo and Uganda for the control of the natural resources in these countries.  

As a Pan-African Internationalist is my duty to point out to you that Neo-colonialism poses a serious threat to the security Africa for it defines its relationship through its ties to Imperialism. It is this relationship that is responsible for the current backwards development inside of many African nations.  Neo-colonialism is responsible for the continued rape and pillage of the natural resources of Africa and the oppression and exploitation of many Africans because of the lack of development of an infrastructure that will support the positive development of any Pan-African institution that will push forth the liberation and freedom of African people. 

Comrades let us remember the words of Kwame Nkrumah when he pointed out the following facts about neo-colonialism “Neo-colonialism is the worst form of imperialism. For those who practice it, it means power without responsibility, and for those who suffer from it, it means exploitation without redress.” Neo-colonialism must be crushed and overthrown for it is just a cancer and must be surgical removed.  

 Before his untimely death Gaddafi purposed such revolutionary changes as a central African Monterey Banking system that would have freed African people of the parasitic relationship that currently exist between Africa and the International Monterey Fund (IMF) which charges Africa an enormous price for development loans of the resources that she already owns and of which the global economy is based upon and the formation of a United States of Africa as purposed by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah a revolutionary giant that fought for the freedom and unification of Africa. 

 

Comrades if Africa is to truly know any freedom and independence then she must complete the revolutionary phase of the sixties. She must begin so by demanding the immediate removal of AFRICOM from the shores of Africa because of her imperialist wars of aggression, along with the demand for the immediate dismissal of the neo-colonialist agency known as the OAU/AU for its ineffectiveness and betrayal of the revolutionary principals put forth by the African working class. Immediately after issuing these two demands we must begin the immediate mobilization for the establishment of the Republic of Africa under the leadership of the African working class this would allow for the removal of the artificial colonialist boarders that currently exist in Africa today. 

Comrades let us be about the work, the work of gaining genuine independences and freedom for all African people particularly the African working class who are suffering the most. Let us be about the work of making revolution; progress and establishing a Republic of Africa under the leadership of the African working class, the only class that loves Africa and is fit for leadership! It is this class that will led Africa and her people into a new glorious future ending the parasitic relationship that has currently existed for over five hundred years. 

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