RAM`s - Freedom Archives

Transcription

RAM`s - Freedom Archives
HLIIQ Amram,
Fall 1964, pap 1
WE CAN WIN 1
By Max Stanford
and defend yourself, It"s a -matter of life and dastb-
DOW soul sisterf
'In a
weetif with lm ad
oUets, w disammedd the blade revalution aid the blstsk
pawn' and m5mitaid
it. In other VMds,
no t+iifman
the Mack :
being vietetover this ooantrl
"riom if fhm is .a racial eafflist (mar In the United
States,
There we sawf tkiggs T would 21he to clarify
in tibia letter an this gusstiom, especially since thus
is se much comftmim in the black oommd,ty eonaernif
the direction of the sowing bdmk revclatian.
(here am two Conflie" sieve; the first pose our
psffle as witimons denied thsdr rights rind, believes
that thr will be assialated a I
ted W i*dhlg%is% refaas, . or other memo into the ibite A mricm
mW ot life which cause smplsitafon or am-ahiite
peaVdss. The other sees our people as a nation within
the besndarlaa , of mother. nation, a nation in captivity
striviM to obtain . - . . - . - self-determination, or
natimmi liberatiau One of the main reasons idp ~
of amrZpenphe wise the position At integration, amir
Aaaati
on, or non-sisinst ntraftL is because they don't
burrs ue odd min
atif
thetbm "s a rum mar is this
ecsoto . YW lock
ogPsssesr's statiatias and
let ms joaition at pmur, and say it** isposaible to
thmp this poem' rdthurt the help or support at whito
HOW tvatbsrs and sisters cm the street rill
drat the white men has all the guns: he controls
00 So mbar 16 really holding our people bade
radium their paws of being victorious in revo~
iattm need thdr positIm as a black fgtion, is their
+osw aefstist attitds.
Vill, oar, as rids aatmft prepares to become an Amtright (
state, 'tie Afrohmericom as longer has a
SbAM to am ., easld b ado ar mt, can. b is aooMpted
or not. Mw
now has to most about I
survival . he A44oAmeriman is boded scatmet a mail.
with noehlsre to go but fm%mrd, asst std is
his n4
d wme time Afratmor"m Is
fmmad to thick like a pseilla fighter. b
Is the goastim dtetber wm ors outnumbered or Use plain and simpler whom tame or four
see sashisg tawaewhs you to kill !rues, alt Van am
act
.
In abed are the tactics roe see b ease to defeat then
In mder for the Afrdlweelern to hew a Cowrie prwof defeat.
pectus, he mast first deatrW the pbilosopkW
most
im
is
the black
om
mity .
we
uadsrstsed our
historiaaa destim and developments !n the msrld, in
order to bar's a clear visr of our position in the Moos
reaslation. rivet at an, we mast fomst stout +iet}1si .
or not mw loos have all the arm and mast stop
that because in dom"t have cep ,aC the arcs, +m can't
min. This " defeatism and defeatism is =IoW slav+sr.*! MA Or+du' to !gym ourmams RONOll,T. we met
saes the poem' black people have in this oometa .
These pacers ors, on, the power to stop the meohinavy of government - that is, the poseur to .same ohaa"
and mist the situation swab that nothing rwma . Two, is
the poser to hart the sema r. With blank pacpls oreatif sass chaos - especially in the aJW urban areas
in the &rth _ and disrupting the agricultural setVP is
am South, the eacmoepr of the appMW would cam to
almost a stadst1ll. Three, is the pcrrv at melsashiatg
Violence . me is the power that bleak people have to
tear up -%Wiis's" horse. This is acaethIM that Probably OFQ77 Asian, African, and Latin Asrieaa rsvolutiasary wished he could do. But this SOW to left to
the AfroAserican.
All Af
rlcams mast via to tMrk film psrilla
fighters, since w are all "blood brothers* in the
struggle. Lot us lasso from Car misters is
Appealing to a pacer structure does no ;cod. tea WIF
thin$ that pomer =sets to is m pacer. If w daft
think'mi am ashen, tits threw is no oar is trying. Cowards give up whoa the odds lack bad. A gmrillA
fighter !nave he or she is right and attemAs to +win OR
matter what the odds am . YAW of we saT she em create
chaos, bet can't taim state power. This is not tress.
Others Sly Me Cannot be saeoessM without fir pa'aioal
help of cur Asian, African, end Latin Aamri.cm rwsolr.,
donors brothels . This is also a d" 'ee Or dsrs&Usm"
It is true theft firs struggla is part at a woos~!! blsk
revolution, and w must mdte with !hs 'iaae
say that
tames, trot it is imeaerset sad ds"ist to
(aomtinoed m peer 2)
BLACK AMICA, Fall 1964,
(continued from page 1)
we cannot win under any circumstances. We meat, under
all conditions, be united with our Asian, African, and
Latin American brothers and aistera, but as Fidel Caa~
revolution ."
tro says "revolutionaries moat make the
(Afrokmericans) must make our own
This means that me
revolution . Also, we must be willing to accept the responsibility of revolution and be willing to go all the
way, no matter what happens .
The failure to realize our power and position in this
country has been the failure .9f . AfroAmericans to see
themselves as revolutionary nationalists. In doing
this, they don't see our struggle se-a national liberaour struggle has previously
tion struggle . Instead,
been defined along class. lines only . This leads to
confusion and failure to make a clear analysj* .- bebecause there are more factors involved than olasa .W.hat
most y6ung black intellectuals must do, is stop seeing
themselves, our people, and our struggle through "Char
lie's" eyes . We must become familiar with our revolutionary history as an oppressed nation .
For a period of three hundred years, the United
States was the scene of constant revolt . During this
period, White Americans - especially in the South - Developed a fear of the "black hordes ." The South was an
armed camp, with every white man delegated with the authority of law and order im matters concerning the
black man . But then, as now, lair and order has meant
the enslavement of a black nation . What most young
black intellectuals fail to do is thoroughly study the
slave system, the development of slavery from the six- .
teenth century on to the twentieth century, how our
nation was taken into bondage, and the psychology of
White America during this period . Contrary to the oppressor's statistics,- the slave revolts were well organised, involved thousands of slaves, and sometime
had international implications . These revolts occurred
on the average of every three weeks for a three hundred
year period . The international perspective of the Denmark Vesey revolt with his attempted coordination'with
Toussaint L'Ouverture (military leader of the Haitian
revolt which had defeated both the French and British
shook White America to its
armies in liberating Haiti)
roots. .. .With the population of African captives in
the United States much greater than "Charlie" has ever
been willing to admit, White Americans were faced with
a black take-over or black revolution: Black revolution plagued them constantly. There was never Ky
peace of mind . The fear of having a Haitian revolution
on United States soil played a major role intthe official abolishment of the slave trade. The Hit'Turner
revolt shook White America so much that t1m idea' of
entirely
abolishment of the slave system
became a feasible and practical concept .
Contrary to what most white historians would have us
to believe, the Turner revolt was so well coordinated
and planned, that it involved hundreds of slaves . Turner struck fear into all of White America by his tactic
of "strike by night and spare none ." Though the revolt
was short-lived, many persons in positions of power
realized that they would have to cope with a black
revolution if the slave system wasn't destroyed. They
knee that .V"thgy didn't dp swaething quick, the slaves
would develop national organization and they feared
2
that the "blacks" wcu~d take over the oomtry . , The
horror of thinking of what the "blacks" would do to the
whites if-they were in power, was the nightmare of
America. Vim slave system would have to go
order to
to "save the
Unicn" (White . America) . This was the
situatign that led to the, Civil War. White power had
to fight,vhite pover in order to keep control over the
"blacks."
in
The next step is to develop the tactics for national
liberation as "blood brothers and sisters" in the
struggle . What we must understand is that "Charlie's"
system runs 'like an IBM machine . But an IBM machine
has a weakness, and that weakness is its complexity.
Put something in the wry place. in an IBM machine and
it's finished for a long time . And so it is with this
racist, imperialist system . Without mass oommnioa
transportation,
tions and
rapid
this system is
through. The millionaires who control this country
would be isolated from their flunkies who do 'their
dirty work . When war breaks ost in this country, if
the action is directed toward taking over institutions
of power and "complete annihilation" of the racist
capitalist oligarchy, then the black revolution will
and police will mean no.
be successful . Guns, tanks,
thing . The Armed Forces x111 be in chaos, for the
struggle of black revolution will be directed against
the racist government of White America. It will be a
war between two goverrmisntss the revolutionary AfroAmerican government in exile against the racist, im-
perialist White American government . It will be a war
of the forces of the black liberation front against
the ultra-right coalition.
Black-men and women in the Armed Forces will defect
and come over to join. the black liberation forces .
Whites who claim thv milt to h*lp the revolution will
(concluded on page.22)
BLACK AMICA, Fall 1964, Pw 3
BLACK AMERICA, Fall 1964, p~ f
INTEGRATION A AND DEMOCRACYY
TWO MYTHS THAT HAVE FAILED
By James Boggs
ua
;~yths, superstitions and folkore have been with
down througn the ages and perhaps will always be with us
often served a useful purpose because they
They have
give emotional feeling to a philosophy . Hut myths endure much longer than philosophies because people will
hold on to a myth even when cold reason tells them that
the philosophy no longer has a basis in fact . It is
then that what began as a philosophy becomes pure and
simple myth, and it is then also that myths became particularly useful to the rulers of a soeiety,whether
be tribal chieftains, feudal lords or capitaliafe,
these
Today in the United States there are two philosophies
that'have become myths ; Democracy and Integration . The
first, Democracy, is not uniqueto the U.S .A . Belief in
deiapcracy has been shared .by almost all Western- nations
another tried to impose it
who have ha'v'e at one time
upon the rest of the world. However, Integration as,a
philosophy 'ts unique to the-U.S .A . because this is tke
been built upon the systematic
only country Which
assimilation of successive waves of immigrants into the
system . Each of these
American, i.e . the capitalist,
waves of immigrant was assimilated into the American sys.
al
tam by climbing upon the backs of others, first
and then on the backs
ways on the backs of the Negroes,
of other immigrants until each reached a status .more or
less equal to that of the "Founding Fathers." The word
"Integration" was not used to describe this systematic
process of assimilation until the Negroes (who had came
here at the same time as the Founding Fathers) , began to
demand assimilation upon. the same basis 'as the immigrants
i~-was only,thsn that the concept of assimilation began
to appear revolutionary rather than a natural part of
or
has
and
the system .
has
However,
the first thing that every revolutionist
to be clear about is that Integration is not in itself a
revolutionary concept . What it means is assimilation insystem rather than a
to the Americah, i.e . capitalist,
radical transformation of that system upon the basis of
that has
new values and new methods . The only thing
made Integration seem revolutionary up to now is the resistance that has been put up to it by whites, and
by those whites who have most benefited byparticuly it the former immigrants . And it is this resistance which
is beginning to reveal the mythical elements in the
of Democracy and Integration.
philose
Any radical,
revolutionist or militant, socialist or
rtic-'i~-~ern-~&Y,soeiety thinks of a revol. pcs"ocesh i.w
takip!g
puce through the . _ :democratic
ution
deluding Mimeo(
:s
and
i7,lusion
myths
and
propagating
There is no question'
and those whom be claims to lead .
otherwise,
the Negroes will have
that in fighting to integration
character. But
a
ravolutiofrY
actions
of
to
to resort
could ac-.
1
i
f
the
Negroes
that
question
there is also no
system by the demohieve Integration into the Amerioan
a revolution . .A
cratic process, that would not be
away
taking
Of'P~r, economi°,
involves
the
olution
one section of society
political and social power, by
of society (the c'p"
(.the oppressed) from another section
Marxists hove been
most
Western
now
pressors) . Up to
Democracy
reconcile
trying
to
themselves
frustrating
for axample, . VbY
with revolution. They have wondered,
support of the majority
fstro (who s&ittedly has the
democratic electconduct
does
not_
people,
of the Cuban
that democratic
face
the
fact
ions . . That' refuse to
eloctidKs in Cuba would mean encouraging the old ruling
rev-
seek
xhich They
power
could only wid"with
Masses to
the support of the military forces of imperialism. They
refuse to face the fact also that it,was the democratic
prooses which created the conditions making the revolunecessary in the first place .
tion
It is only when one begins to look at the whole world
and see all the nations that have been dominated and
exploited by the democratic nations of the ikorld that
one can begin to examine scientifically whether Democra.
cy has been a philosophy for liberating 'the world or
for subjugating the world. And unless one looks at Democracy in terms of the whole world, one is~propagat1Jk ;,
a myth which is as much a vise around the
a of
plc as any superstition or folklore has ever been .
i9
pso_
WHO INVENTED DEMOCRACY?
Ilemecracy has. been used for so long to describe so
a source of confusmany different systems that is
ion for revolutionists . The capitalists use it, the
socialists use it, liberals use it,
Communists use it,
extremists use it, fascists use it, racists use it . 'It
makes no difference what economic system is involved,
what political objectives are at stake, nor what methods are being employed. The U.S . is in South Vietnam
fighting for Democracy ; it- seeks to overthrew Castro
in the nanm .of Democracy. Wallace is in Alabama fighting for De~raMy -" and Goldwater is all -over AmerJca.
(continued on-page 5)
only
(continued from page 4)
no South Africans a". upholding Democracy In- South 'Af, 'rise. It sakes no difference that the U.S . World newer permit the Vietnamese to vote in an election on who_
. ther they want the U.S . in Asia or that the South Africans would never permit the Africans to voter on what
kind of government they want . So long has Democracy
been used to obscure and' evade issues that the" real
. questions of "how", "what", or "where" to understand a
system or to resolve any crucial issue can no longer be
faced.
This confusion and evasion are built into the vcncept of Democracy. The Greeks invented the word to desaribe equality in the political arena. But-Greek Demoorscy did not give political equality to the alaves .It
gave no slave the right or the power to free himself
from slavery. Instead it rested upon the foundation
of slavery. Similar1y Western Democracy has rested upon capitalist and imperialist exploitation .
And the
American Democracy of which this country has been so
proud has rested upon the worst kind of exploitation of
all - a class system of exploitation that is based upon
the systematic exploitation of another ra" .
Thus democracy-.teas never been nor was it ever meant
to be a process by *hieh an exploited people could make
a revolution. At its best Democracy hasbeen a means
whereby minor reforms could be achieved inbetween revolutions . It has allowed the process of negotiation to
take place during these interim periods between opposing sections of society, for example, through the union
or a civil rights organization . But it has never been
a "means of making revolution because a revolution means
the taking of power, and the taking of power means can_
fronting the armed forces of the state by the armed for
ales of the op~reased.
THR SOCIALISTS AND DEI'VCRACY
The socialists who say "Come the revolution" so glibly have never faced this question s6rionsly because they
have based their perspective upon a working class which
is constantly growing in numbers and organization in the
=process of production and which will be forced to revolt
,iy..ths agony of the work proceap and the unequal distrib4ticn of. material wealth. Far years in the U .S .A . part
. ioalarly, socialists have visualised the revolt casing
- .:tbrough the democratic process because of increasing un--itr, organization and control of production by the workarm inside the plant. Then, in the 3os they witnessed
the labor movement taking over the plant but not taking
-power in the political arena which
is the only arena
` .here they could control the'military and other police
Proem of the, state . Since that time they no longer even
.
. the revolution in terms of the taking of power .
T*r policy centers instead around moral persuasion and
_dibarrassment of the powers-that-be, accompanied by a
vague hope that some dayanother Great Depression in the.
U,S,I. . will clause the proverty-striekcen +masses to unite
and fight again. Thus their perspective for revolution
is based more on a catastrophe vverta3dng the capitalist
class than on anything the people will do or could do or
should do to take power.
SLACK AMERICA, Fall Iqu. h. Damp .̀"
Today few socialist envisage a. revolution by the
workers of North America or'deatern Europe . t a
admit it or not, they know that these workers
thee actual prop which support the counter-revolution of the
U.S .A . all over the world. Wherever it " goes, whatever
it does, whomever it supports, the U .S . does it to save
Democracy. The American workers are not ignorant of
what this country is doing. Yet never do they oak tbenselves whether the U.S . is doing what it does by a majority vote of the people in these countries or an the
invitation of now puppet minority which wants to pre_
serve
its political power, its social privileges, and
its economic exploitation of the majority .
r
Today, Whether Negroes realize it or not, as long as
they demand Integration and Democracy they are demanding the right to become capitalist exploiters, first of
each other and then if this is not enough,imperialist
exploiters of the underdeveloped world. Yet the Negroes
should understand this better than
other Americans .
For war 300 years they have livedany
as a semi-colonial
people inside the U.S .A . where Democracy has meant racist
degradation of anyone colored and class exploitation of
MWana poor .
For any socialist or black nationalist to be revolutionary today, they must be for a total change by revolutionary leans of this society and the construction of a
society which eliminates the exploitation of other races, classes and nations which are inseparable from Cau..
italism and Dasocracy, Tw
particularly,
(concluded an page 6)
BLACK AmiCA, Fall 1964. page 6.
(concluded -from'1aam S)
where for the first time-in'.human history.a majority is
enjoying the material abundiaoe'' of an'iffluent society,
they have to be clear. that majority rule does not mean
of society but rather cona revolutionary transformation
substantial
minority through
tinued repression of the
whose super-exploitation this affluent-socisty was built.
At this point in particular they must grapple with the
fact that majority rule inAid . the U.S .A . already means
full-fledged fascist rule over the peoples of Asia and
Latin-America, and is leading to fyV-fledged fascism at
home, as already reflected in the white backlash majority
radicals and
and the growing retaliation against Negroes,
liberals in every sphere who threaten the democratic rights
fruits
of the majority to uninterrupted enjoyment of the
become
of exploitation . Thus majority rule can easily
krfcarn
for all Americans the fascism that the Negro has
The role of the revolutionist is not to encourage others to became part of a system. It is to change the
whole system . The aim of the revolutionist is not more
to, create a system
Democracy or more integration. It
which assures the equal right of all, regardless of race
or class or nation, to-live as full human beings . Today
a revolution has Wsn place in technology .whieh makes it
possible to free non for the first time from the slavery
of the work process and the machine and yet provide enAbs
ough material goods for this country and same of
developing world, so that exploitation and domination of
classes, races and nations are, no longer necessary and
universal citizenship can be a reality. But such a way
of like cannot come by voting . nor by wishing nor asking
nor persuading nor praying . It can only came by the Re-
is
volution .
all his life .
'
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mrNL
~t~oec~ing ~v~ItP+~+crl
BLACK AMERICA, Fall
1964,
page 7
ROOTS OF
REVOLUTIONARY NATIONALISM
Excerpts from the writings and speeches of
Marcus Garvey, J.A .Rogers, Elijah Muhammad,
W.E .B .DuBois, Robert Williams, Malcolm X,
Harold Cruse, Rev . Albert B .Cleage Jr .,
Max Stanford and James Boggs
Marcus Garvey
By Marcus Garvey
BLACK .LIBERATION
of or+'We of the Negro Race are moving from one state
ganisation to another, and we shall so continue until we
organization
have thoroughly lifted ourselves into the
years the
of GOVERNMENT . . . . . .For -- over three hundred
naturally is
and
he
our
oppressor,
man
has
been
white
- the
not going to liberate us to the higher freedom
to litruer liberty - the truer democracy . We have
berate ourselves."
FORCE
". .the posters opposed to Negro progress will not be inour
fluenced in the slightest by mere verbal protests on
protests of this
part . They realize only too well that
in making
kind contain nothing but the breath expended
enslaving
success
in
realize
that
their
They
also
themp.
due
and dominating the darker portion of humanity was
solely to the element of FORCE employed (in the majority
Presof cases, this was accomplished by Torce of arms) .
but
other
forms,
may
assert
itself
in
course,
sure, of
brought to
in the last analysis, whatever influence is
must
bear against the powers opposed to Negro progress
its
contain the element of FORCE in order to accomplish
only
alethat
this
is
the
is
apparent
purpose, since it
ment they recognize ."
From LIBERATGR
PRESENT DAY CIVILIZATION
"We see a small percentage of the world's population
feeling hatwY and contented with this civilization that
man has evolved, and we see the masses of the human race
on the other hand dissatisfied and discontented with the
civilization of today - the arrangement of human society. Those masses are det4rained +- Anwtrov .the svetems that hold up such a society and prop such a civiA
lization . . . . . . As by indication the fall will came .
fall that will cause the universal wreck of the civilization that we now.see, and, in the new civilization,
the Negro
called upon to play his part . He is called
upon to evolve a national ideal, based upon freedom, hu-
is
man liberty, and true democracy."
MAN INOW THYSELF
"For man to know himself is for him to feel that for
him there is no human master . For him, Nature is his
servant, and whatsoever he wills in Nature, that shall
. . ."To me, a man has no master but God.
be his reward ."
Man, in his authority, is a sovereign lord . As for the
460,
so of the individual race . . . . . . . If
indivddual ,man,
to
know
themselves,
get
to
know
000,000 Negroes can only
is an authority that
that in - them is a sovereign power,
we
then in the next twenty-four hours,
is absolute,
not from
resurrected,
empire,
nation,
an
would have a
but from our own dethe will of others to see us rise world
what the
termination to rise, irrespective of
thinks ."
s y 1.A. Royns
-
ON THT BLACK MAN.-Aim
:CIVILIZATION
nTo ancient Europe Africa was, far fully two thousand
year's, the civilized world. 'How low the savage European must have looked to the Nile Valley African looking
north from hue Pyramid of Cheops'.-, says Professor Dorsey. When this Wonder of the Ancient World was some two
thousand years old; Greece, - first part of the European
continent to be touched by civilisation, was a wilder
ness . Athens, later to became the leader in world culture, was as late as 1500 B.C . totally unknown.
came to Greece from Egypt by why of the island
Civlzaton
of Crete, as Sir Arthur Evan has shown .
"And this civilisation was Negroid. For this, we have
the word of Herodotus, (484-425 B;C .), who travelled in
Egypt and saw the Egyptians of his day . In .Book Two,
chapter 57, -he says they ware 'black', and.in Book Two,
chapter 104, they were 'black and iod y-Haired .' The
hair of the Ethiopian, he said, was 'very wooly*' He
adds that in other parts of the Near East he visited, he
saw other natiofe with the,same .racial characteristics
as the Egyptians."
"As for West Africa,.Songhay, with its capital, Tim .
buctoo, which flourished in 1500 A.D ., and was mare advanced than most countries, of Western Bwope, was known
Other civilisations as the Man
only to rare scholars .
dingo Empire, Yoruba, and Ifs ware totally forgotten .
Ghana, one of the greatest, had its name corrupted to
"Guinea .'
Then the world's richest producer of gold,
its name was given to England's largest gold coin - the
guinea."
"As regards 'race', which was thrust upon me (I had
never felt otherwise than as a member of the human race)
I realized that the further back the Negro's past 'could
be pushed, the more ridiculous would appear the old
slave-holding dogma of 'Negro inferiority.' . I saw, also, that the white overlords, to inflate the ego of
their cam group, had reached back to claim the coalblack Ethiopian, the mulatto Egyptian, the black-Hiridau,
the Negroid Polynesian, not to mention certain individuals of Negro ancestry as Esop, Terence, Cleopatra,
xuhammad, as white. Later, I saw Mussolini trying to
prime his people bar telling them of their great Roman
pasb ; and Hitler puffing up his by calling them Aryans,
and- claiming that the ancient Egyptians were really Teu
tons . In snort, Negro history use only a rebuttal of
this braggadocio of the white masters."
By ELiiah Muhamsnod
TO BLACK AMERICA
"We must remember that ws are two different people and
w
.e must be separated. That is the allay way out . The
so-called Negro here in. America does not have a future .
Twenty-million people, but -zW own nothing and hardly
have the privilege-, of having a job. I say, my beloved
people, we must unite and get together, and go for our
selves . We must pool our knoeledge ; pool our little
_
earnings ; and do e®ething-far ourselves."
"In Asia and Africa, in 1959, when I visited there, I
saw people weeping over your condition, wishing that
they could give their lives for you. This demonstrates
that they see and understand .
You are born in it . You
are bruised and murdered, yet you cannot see your own
hurt as well as the people 5,000 or 10,000 miles from
you. Why? Because you were made blind, deaf, and dumb
when you were babes . There are no civilized people . on
the earth that will love their enemies as they love
themselves . But you do - because you don't know . They
call this hate teaching. But, I say, does White Amerims
lovw aTr ^nemies of theirs? It is . true that White Ameirica does not 'love her enemy . If she doesn't like one
of ua, she goes to war and - tries to get rid .of
that
one .
TO WHITE AMERICA
"We are 20 . million people .who have come (according to
the old prophets) through 'toil and tribulation.' We
are asking for freedom that you claim you have -given to
us . Freedom to go for ourselves. We don't want to be
beggars. But, if we are given freedom INDEED, we can go
'build for us the same that you have .. .. . . . Our people educated in your colleges and universities,, our technicians and,enginsers of all kinds why.shouldn't they go
and make a way for their am people as a nation ; build
and oenstrgct a government for their people as your fathers did for yon when they crossed the Atlantic?"
By w,E-B. DuBois
ON - PAN-AFRICAN SOCIALISM
"When now, witn a certain suddenness, Africa is whirled by the'bitter struggle of dying private capitalism
into the last great battleground of its death throes,
you are being tempted to adopt at least a passing private capitalism as a step to some partial socialism .
This would be a grave mistak&. .. . . ..Fnr four hundred
years Europe and North America have built their civilisation and comfort on theft of colored labor and the
land and materials. which rightfully belong to the
oo
lofial peoples. .. .. .Those in control today , of
the
eaminant exploiting nations are willing to yield-owe to
the demands of the mass of men than were their fathers.
But, their yielding takes the form of sharing the loot not of stopping the looting. It takes the form of stopping socialism by force and not of surrendering the fatal mistaken of private capitalism... .. .. ..She (the West)
offers to let- ages ref your. smarter' AW loss samIIUlous
leaders become fellow capitalists with the white exploiters i9 in turn the# _wduoe the nation's masses to
BLACK AMERICA, Fall 1964, page
I
W.E .B. DuBois
oaf th- av°hl cost,. This has: happened in the West In-,
dies and in South America . -This may yet happen in the
Middle East and Eastern Asia . Strive against it with
every fibre of your bodies and souls."
"The cemi g world man ig colored.
For the handful of
whites in this world to dream that they with their present declining birth rate can ever inherit the earth
and hold the darker millions in perpetual subjection is
the wildest of wild dreams . Humanity is the goal of all
good, and no single race, whatever its color or deeds,
can disinherit God's anointed people ."
" Theyroblem bf the twentieth century is the vroblee
. of he color line , the question as to how far differences of race -which show themselves chiefly in the color
of the skin and the texture of the hair - will hereaftar
be made the basis of denying to over half the world the
right of sharing to their .utmost ability the oppoatunities and privileges of modern .civilization ."
"Awake,
awake, put on they strength, 0 Zion! Reject
the weakness of missionaries who teach neither love nor
brotherhood, but chiefly the virtues of private profit
from capital,
stolen-from your land and labor. Africa,
Put on the beautiful robes of Pan-African Soawake!
cialism."
By Robert Williams
ON BLACK SELF-DEFENSE
"I do not mean to convey the impression that I am
against non-violent tactics when feasible . I
advocate
'peaceful demonstrations' when conditions permit . The
possibility of this type of struggle succeeding dimenishes daily. What Negro leaders call 'peaceful' is more
realistically being viewed as a guarantee of immunity
from jurft retribution for sadistical brutes .
'Non-violance' is fast becoming. .a sophisticated term for selfimposed paralysis of the natural human nerve system and
its automatic reflexes of self preservation . Many 'nonviolent* proponents are advancing the theory that violence is 'immoral.' They speak of all forms of violence
in the same terms. They fail to distinguish between the
righteous violence of the noble patriots of Concord,
Lexington, Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Harper's Ferry
Richmond, and the great revolutionaries throughout the
history of the world,
and that of the savages who mur-
0ua
Ist
9
I
mainri
y.
J
Lr harliie7;
look b
ehllafy
u[
IL
Robert F. Williams
dared William Moore, neagar Nvers,
and the innocent
children of - Birmingham: The word 'non-violence' is being used too loosely and mechanically in a deceptive
way. . . . . . .Self-defense is not a love of violence . It is
a lave for justice . Oppressive and malicious aggression
show manifestations of love for violence and sadism .
Are the so-called.non-violent forces so overwrought with
the sensual pleasure they derive from the violence of
non-violence that their emotions obscure the clear-cut
differ-ericr .bstweeh self-defense (self-nreservation) and
oppressive aggression? Their actions suggest they are .
When an AfroAmerican proclaims the right of self-defense, non-violent elements, without qualification, uncategoricall.y squeal like probed pigs that the 'self-de-,
advocate is a 'violent black racist .' No amount
Tense'
of polemics can prevail upon them that the self-defense
advocate means anything other than a declaration of his
love for violence and that all 'white folks' indiscriminately should be murdered in cold blood ."
"We must defend ourselves . We must fight back . We
must reject the unwritten commitment that
so-called
Negro leaders have made guaranteeing our brutal oppressors immunity from retribution for their heinous acts of
violence against our defenseless people . Not only must
we defend ourselves violently, but we must do it collec
tively . We
must condition ourselves for defense, both
physically and psychologically . We must became adept in
the methods of massive defense."
-"Yes, we should all advocate peaceful and non-violent
remonstrations in order toomobilize the masses of our
people, and to o_xpose the true nature of U.S . racism to
the world, but let us not be so naive as to believe that
we can appeal to the conscience of a brutal oppressor to
the extent that he will voluntarily release our people
from almost 100 years of shackles and the dark dungeon
of .slavery and misery ."
"Let us not develop a hatred of whites simply because
they are white, but with the passion of our hearts hate
oppression and the savage conduct of those racist savages who dehumanize us . Let us hate oppression to such
an extent that we becoma fanatical in our determination
to live in human dignity and freedom. Does not history
prove that so-called fanatics constitute the greatest
force in shaping world society? IT IS BETTER FOR OpPRESSED PEOPLE TO BE FANATICS FOR FREEDOM AND JUSTICE
RATHER THAN TO COW TIMIDLY AND SUBMIT TO THE EVILS OF
DEHUMANIZATION AND SLAVERY .
MAC)t All=, Fall 19b4t page l0
P*aoh, Whereas tld other savant or scion in America
.. lurom as the nationalist, black . nationalist r is
interested in bmwan rights than in civil rights. "fhs
differmarce between thb thinking, and hs. ma=ps of African-Americans who am involved . 1n the hman rights
struggle and those involved in the civil
straggle
is : those involved in the hamas rights straggle . doa't
look upon themselves as Americans . 11ey lo* upon thin. .
selves as a part of dark mankind. They am the whole
struggle as . not within the confuse of the : Aaaissn
stage, but upon the world stage . And, -in -the world . eontext, tbay see that the dark mean oats the hite
norm. On the world stage, the white man is just a microsoopic minority ."
rests
. Bar Awcelw X
OtiR STROQOLES WILL MM
"There am some whites in aids' country mho -are still
complacent when they see the possibilities of racial
strife getting out of hand ; and you argtostplaceet sia .
ply because you think you outrumber, the racial minority
in this country . What you have to bear in mind, is
whereas you outnumber us in this country, yet don't out-'
masher us all over the earth." . . . . "And any kind of racial explosion that takes place in this country, today,
in 1964", is not a raeial+.uplQsion than am be confined
to the shores of America. It is a racial explosion that
can ignite the powder keg that exists all over the
planet we call earth . Nor, I think nobody would disagree that the dark sasses of Africa, Asia, and Latin
America are already seething with bitterness, animosity,
hostility, unrest, and impatience- with the racial intolerance that they themselves ' _ bsvs experienced at the
hands of the white West . And just as they themselves
have the ingredients of hostility towards the West in
general, here ice also have twenty-two million African .
Americans - black, brown, red, and yellow people-in this
country - who are also seething with bitterness and impatience, and hostility and animosity at the racial intolerance# not only of the white West, but of WVte
America in particular ."
"So 1964 will see the Negro revolt evolve and serge
into the world-wide black revolution that his, " been
taking place, on this earth, since 1945. Now, the black
r0ailution has been taking place in Africa, Asia ; and
IAWvAssrias . Now, when I say black, I mean nonadtiti .
B0ak brown red and "llow. Our _brothers and sisters
lit af
Asia who more dolonised by the Buropeans,
WA, in Latin America, the peasants, who vere-polonized
b7 the Europeans, have been involved in a struggle since
1945 to get the colonialists, or the colonizing powers,
the Europeans, off their lands, out of their countries ."
sL
"Asmg the so-called Negroes i:} thin country, as a
rule, the civil nights groups - ,those who .believe in
civil rights -'sprnd-most - of their time trying . .to prove
their am Americans . Mlir thinking to psuallY domestic
- confined to the boundaries of America- : and they always look upon tliemsslveii as a minority . When they look
upon the American NtiP4 theAmerican stage is a white
stage . So, a black man standing on that stage, in
America, automatically is in the minority . He is the
underdog, and in his struggle, he always uses and approach that is a begging 'hat-in-hand', compromising ap-
" . .So, in this country, you f=ad two different types a
Afro-Americans : -tire type who looks upon himself as a
minority, and you as the majority - because his s amps is
limited to the American scene ; and then you have the
type who looks upon himself as part of the majority, and
you an part of the miorosoopic minority . And this .one
uses a different approach in trying to straggle for his
rights . He doesn't beg ., He" doesn't thank you for shat
y6h give his, because you are only giving him what he
should have had a hundred years ago . He doesn't think"
you am doing him any favors ."
Ry
iurcld Cruse
ON DOIIFSTIC COLONIALISM
"The American Negro shares with colonial peoples many
of the socio-economic factors which form the material
basis for present-day revolutionary nationalism.- Like
the peoples of the underdeveloped countries, the Negro
suffers in varying degree from hunger, illiteracy, dig_
ease, ties to the land, urban and semi--urban slums, oultdral starvation, and the psychological reactions to
being ruled over by others not of his kind .
He experiences the tyramty imposed upon the lives of those
who inhabit underdeveloped countries ."
"From the beginning, the American Negro,has existed as
a colonial being ._ His enslavement eoinsided with the
colonial expansion of European Powers and was nothing
move or lead than a condition of dam
golo:tialisar .
Instead of the United States establishing a colonial
empire in Africa, it brought the colonial system hams
and -installed it in the Southern states, When the -Civil
Was broke up the slave system and the Negro was emancipated, he gained only partial freedom . Emancipation
elevated him only to the position of a semi-dependent
man, not to that of an equal or independent being ."
"It is not at all remarkable tten, that the semi-colonial status of this Negro, ban given rise to nationalistic
movements . It - would, be surprising if it has not . Although Negro Natithalism today is a reflection of the
revolutigftary hatimalias that is changing the world,
the prsiont nationalist movement stem from a tradition
dating back to the period of the first, World War . . . . .
Negro Nationalism came into its own at that time with
the appearance of Marcus Oarrey and his "Sack to Afrioa"
Garvey mobilised large sections ds the-dismovement
oontenQ urban petit-bourgeois and working class *laments from the West Indies and the South into the greatest mass movement yet achieved in Negro history . The
a ~3
'Garvey movement was ravoluticnaw
being expressed in the very heart of western capitalism ."
,BLACK AFRICA,
Fan
1964, page 11
A STRATEDT OF CMAOS
By Rev. Albert B
. Cleage Jr.
"In terms of the realities of-the situation, we have
to evolve a strategy of chaos . Deliberately me have got
to tear up everything that doesn't give us an equal
shake . They say Negroes always had a genius for tearing
up things . I'm not talking about that natural ability
that we have to tear up things . I'm talking about a deliberately conceived plan to tear up those things from
which we are excluded, those things that do not give uz
equality of opportunity, anything that exists in these
United States . . . ."
"You know the old game the kids used to play on the
highway - they call it "Chicken ." Two people get into
cars and drive towards each other, and see who chickens
out first. Well, that is what we are playing now. And
if the white camaunity thinks we are going to chickenout first, they are in for a terrible disappointment .
Because we will play Chicken right up until the explosion coma ."
ON UNITY AND BROTHERHOOD
"Black Nationalism or Black Brotherhood offers a
powerful weapon ready at hand because it has been forged
the chains and shackles of oppression, hinery hand
which has been raised
strike a .black man down, has
driven . all black men closer together . The
Negro has
been persecuted, .abuse&, oppressed,
and disorindnated
against BECAUSE 'he is black . The white man's hand has
not been raised against him because of anything
;done, but of what he is . . .BECAUSE HE IS BIACK.", .. . *So s
the white man's hatred has fashioned a BLACK NATION
WITHIN A NATION . A BLACK BROTHERHOOD OF
NECESSITY IN
WHICH BLACK MEN MUST UNITE AND IAPE EACH OTHER IF THEY
ARE TO SURVIVE!"
to
ON INDEPENDENT BLACK POLITICAL
ACTION
"We have come a long wary. We have used a lot
of methods, We :"havi cane to the point where we can see
without a6y question that the only possibility for effective
notion W make basic changes in the Negroes' condition
in American life, the only sensible approach to the
Negro problei, is a political approach .. .. . . . .We have got
to take acme kind of action. The only step which
now is
obvious to more and more of cur people is the fact that
we have got to take independent. black nolitical action .
WE HAVE GOT TO MBILIZE THE MASSES Of NEGRO PEOPLE INTO
AN SENT, BLACK POLITICAL MDVEMENT . The masses of
Negro people have got to understarad.that this ie.a power
strngslw, that we are engaged in, a power
le
against the white man in all phases of life, and
d
hkve
gp'4o bring to bear, in this power struggle,
our Raga
political strength. We must mobilize this oft a nationwide basis ."
By Max Stanford
WE ARE AT WAR IMH WHITE AMERICA
". .As revolutionary black nationalists, we do not believe that standing on the street corners alone will
liberate our people . Revolutionary black nationalists
must act an a vanguard to show our people how to seize
power so that they may gain some control over their
lives. The main reason they are treated the . way they
are is because they are powerless. In the school coiatruetion site demonstration, our people saw the system
denying them opportunity. As our struggle developed,
that' saw that the police who represented the state, or
state power, were not on our aide, but an the side of
those who uphold racism . This brought in the concept of
community
government, protection of the
by a black
people's police fdroe, and the concept that we are-at
war ui~_WUtte
viol . Thus, *'our action, our people
gained a vital lesson in the need for a revolutionary
organisation that has power by physical example and involvement."
THE WORLD BLACK REVOLUTION
"RAM's philosophy may be described ae revolutionary
nationalism, black nationalism, or just plain blackism .
It states that black people of the world (darker races,
black, yellow, brown, red,
oppressed peoples)
are all
enslaved try the ease forces . RAM's philosophy is one of
the world black revolution or world revolution of oppressed peoples rising up against their farmer alavemaster$ . Our movement is a movement 'of black people who
are coordinating their efforts do create a 'new world' .
BLACK AMMICA, Pall 1964, page 12
free from
tstiM_4nd .vpprssfion
o2
man by ran."
Fln the world today, there .is a strujgle for vqrld
Power ~ween two camps, the 'rhavw (Western or white
cafitalist nations), and the "have-note" (Eastern or
rrca r
nenr~l independent nations straggling, for ind
socialist nations) . There are two types of natiaralOne type suppresses or oppresses, that is, a naims .
tion or particular group reaps profits or advances
slavery, or
materially at the expense, exploitation,
torture of another group or nation . In'this nation, and
considered
in the , world today . this nationalism is
the white
of
the
cooperation
',hits' nationalism, or
Western nations to keep the newly emerging, oppressed
rmotiorsrry
world in bondage. This is capitalist or
nationalism
.
i s to libof
The
other
type
nationalism.
erate or free from exploitation . That is the bindigi
torte of a nation or particular NVV to free iwou
from a grow or ration that is suppressing Or OMea~rSng
It .' In this country, and in the world, th1m is considered 'black' nationalism or revolutionary nationalI=. . . . . .We can see that black nationslief is .the apposite of white nationalises ; black nationalisn being revo8180,
lutionary and white being reactionary . We use,
that nationalism is really internationalism, today ."
By James BeWs
TIM LAND CF OPPORTUNISKs
O1`ne slogan of Mack and White, Unite and Fight, 0
which is explicitly or implicitly accepted bar so many.
liberals and radicals, is based an the .erransoas can.
ception that there bas- been, a working-class unity be
tween the races in North Anarioan history . The fact is
that the white workers have been-gaining at the expense
of the Negroes for so long, that for than to unite with
the Negroes would be lila tatting their own throats.
After the Negroes were set aside to be systematically
exploited, every white Immigrant pho walked off the
~gsngplank to make his way in America was walking on to
the Negroes' backs . The classless society,, of which
Americans are so proud, is the -society in which whlta
workers have been able to climb on the backs of others
This
ant of the working class . into the middle-class .
been possible because there has
backdiraing has any
underclass at the bottom as society
always been a Negro
to take the leavings of the jobs, hones, schools, public
buildings, ate ., as technological development and so*node expansion created better opportunities for the
whites . . . . . .Thns the Amarigan Dream has been a reality
for the-,"ts- ~an only'because it was a nightmare for
the black wen."
BLACK AWRICA, Fall 1454, nag@ 1?
A Study in Conflicts Bireringhan, Spring 1963,
ay 'Aax stanfor?
THE LONG HOT SUMMER
By Rolland Smelling "
(This article was written in June, before the
now
famous riots in Harlow, Brooklyn, Rochester, and the New
Jersey tams of Patterson and Elisabeth.)
As America - White America - prepares to net the
"Negro Revolt" head-on this summer, with its now famous
"White Backlash :" people are wandering just where this
stroggle'e going to end. The "irresistible .force"
(Black America) meeting the "unmovable object" (White
America) in the hopped-up atmosphere of the turbulent,
American Isixties . . . .will greatly affect White America's future and, i.e the "Free World" for the years
to Came .
In the Deep South, the freedom nhovapent led by SNCC
and Martin
has
Luther King, Jr .'s SCI&j
begun to hear
the death knell for civil rights - as the black masses'
smoldering consciousness starts its turn from "non-violence" to the sane and vigorous policy of self-defense
against the racist beast. National. mass communication
has'beat its drums long and load-concerning the liberal
"Freedon Summr Project" (a kind of Peace Corps) taking
plioe in Mississippi, flowering heart of the rabid, racist South. The Johnsons, - Paul - Mississippi's governor, and Lyndon - America's Presidbnt - are doing all
they can to *keep order" and uphold "the traditions of
the American Way of Life" - whatever that means.
Not only are'the Civil Rights organizations faced with
the crisis.of eserging awareness And vengeful anger developing among the blacks ;. but now SNCC is being shaken
with anew and deadly crisis from within . This new criaim steers from the revolt of black field workers
at
the white-led offices :. Main and Field. White
orals
and radicals .. it some - have infiltrated an3d torme
p6imrhloas within the deatsion-making structure-at the
group.. . .thereby css?trating and inralidating the .potenr
tials of this outspoken organisation . The SkW'crisis
now raging within the Deep *outh is another exa=le o"
the deadliness of the astute "fifth column" of "liberal"
and "radical" whites working to undermine and nedtralize
the black freedom struggle . This "fifth column" - if
"radical", - seeks to exploit the black masses by using
them as a hammer to wear down the Southern power structures; and i£ wholesale violence erupts, seeks to use
their bLod to force federal occupation prelude to "reformist" change within the structure . Now any revolutionist knows - studying White American history - that
all the Northern whites have to do is recall their
troops ( as in Reconstruction Times) and watch the Southern slaughter of the blacks begin. It is also common
knowledge that capitalism - international or domestic can't "reform* itself, being a power system without a
"conscience" to appeal to . To continue : if "liberal"
this underground seeks to dilute their (blacka')militant
drives and natural instincts of
self-preservation;
brainwashing then with MLrKn '"uther "inx . * and twill!"
"Gandhiiem" : .thereby blunting their legitimate thoughts
of righteous . ret-i'rnition ; Mating sheep: thereby maintaining the American status quo.
In its sacred crusade to st4fle black liberation ., the
choicest weapon in its arsenal of candid trickery and
righteous platitudes is the white female . "Beastina" the H-bomb of the arsenal - in ,vented right and left crushing down the prise, young liaders and rendering
militant action impossible . The yearly SNCC "conferences" - called *orgies" and "other things" by militant
blacks - are nary time the stage for infamous can.
Smsts . For example: if a certain young leader is known
(concluded on page 14)
BIACK AWRICA, Fall 1964, page 14
(eonclnded from page 13)
many whites ea13r
to have been "sauding . off r about too
the shots, if he's been devising schemes to "leap
i
the'Saitli," :f
'Charlie' in tlie -76rth 3'LC Kis orfin "lead" blacks
tend
to
whites
about
the
way
he complains
"lead" . whites
and fear to go in (white ec®wuiities) .and
mili. .. .they assign "Beastina" to "persuade" him that 71o_
possible
(K=ANCE
the
way
4
not
itanbe is
"love" will
lance - meaning wounded white folkel), and
to the
congaar all. This "persuasion" sometimes goes
and
depths of drugging the young leaders with alcohol
concerning
theft
with
"brainstorm
sessions"
getting into
"sessthe next day's decisions concerning policy . These young
ions" followed by sexual seduction of the dazed the
leaders leads to astounding changes in policy-making
.
following day. Yes, unfortunately, this "LOVE" does
leaders,
that
young
militant,
seen to conquer. .. .all the
informed
is . So deadly has this tool became that
Executive
the
control
white
females
aairgee have it that
Secretary, and, also, the bespectacled intellectual
Further,
chairman of the Mississippi voting project .
sources have it that "Besutina",broke up the marriage of
the young Executive Seeretary. . . .and not controls SNCC
policy-making from the top.
With these problems - "Beastina," and the decadence
running rampant among the young field cadre - sleeping
around, interracial coupling before the eyes of an increasingly angry commmity, the "fakir-haired, 'Charlie'
girls,
freedom-fighters" chasing black high school
drunkeness and other scandals - looming unsolved .. .these
alone will eliminate SNCC from the running-if the violent vigilantes don't themselves . (Whilo I write, three
. disappeared
field-workers _ two white, one black - have
in Philadelphia, Mississippi. . . Nothing found of thse
except a burnt-out station wagolyr) . These Ame .ra4st
beasts have at least 60,000 wen armed with the best of
modern weapons - machines guns, 10 lb . bombs, submachine
guns, high-powared rifles, hand greslades, cannons, ete.t
all fife - organised'terronem _'against iiitarmsd, mate,.
ly unorganized black folks. Sources 'have it that sacs
SNCC brothers sought to pat weapons in the threatened
"Freedom Houses" whene the workers sleep, and in the offices - the targets four mW threats and occasional bar.
binge. This move - it is said .. sent the slain offices
into a panic and they took immediate moveb to cenoure
those "violent, black racists" (reportedly sending one
to an analybt . .. .he HUST'VE been insinal) ; firing them
from their projects and shipping them throughout the
state. "SHOO" - they reportedly said - .wig non-violent,
and when one becomes 'influenced" by any other philo
sophy; one should leave the organization ." This,writer
wonders what their rhetorie-will be when the vigilantes
came bombing and burning;. raping and shooting; beating
and looting liberals and black folks alike.
The facts are becoming increasingly clear in the North
and. South alike. 'Bourgeois Refotvmism" (Civil Rights) with its policies of "turn-the-other-oheekism," lascivious interracial coupling, and hedonistic decadence is on its way out as a philosophy for black people .
With the resentment against whites - a}1 whitest - now
brewing within the awakening black communities: the long
awaited BLACK backlash (recently, waves of indiscriminate terrorism in the northern cities, by exploited
black youth against whites, have been reported) yes, the
state is being set for a new kind of freedom-fighter ; a
Universal,Revolutionary Freedom-fighter - as with Asia,
Africa, and Latin America; a fighter. who wonlt sham a
gun to liberate his people .
As the. smoldering masses of Black America march forward through heroic struggle, they will develop their
WN INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP, which will lead them - with.
the BANDUNG Spirit of the world's colored peoples - out
of the dark caverns of racist oppression and into the
brillant light of the long awaited SUNRISE!
READ
xu~"Itr
MQNVILU NEWSLETTER
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NOM Americ" 1 Es
BLACK AMtICA, Fall 1964, page 15
RACK YOUTH
AND AFRO-AMERICAN LIBERATION
By Don Freeman
May . 1-3. 196q, the Afr~ an Student Moversnt,
tim young nationalist groups and ten& QOies
repr
thraeghou& the North and South, convened in Nashville,
Tennessee, to form a Black Nationalist Youth Movesrent .
The first conference session evaluated "bourgeois
-eformism" -- the integrationist civil rights organisItiona . The prevailing view was that the current acti "
rities of Chi&, SCLC, SNCC, NAACP etc . substantiate Dr.
d.E .B .DuBois' conviction that "capitalism cannot reform
itself, a system that enslaves you, cannot free you."
perceptive militants are
Progressively fruWated,
gravitating toward nationalism. The anticipated "long,
hot sneer" will disillusion milli ons of Afrokmericans
and enhance the potentialities for the emergenoe of a
viable Nationalist Youth Movement . The conclusion was
that nationalists could accelerate this process by forging a concrete alternative not.
Traditional American Marxism was also analysed. The
conference oonourred with Harold Cruse's Liarn of r articls, "Marxism and the Negro," especially his statement .that the racist American working class reef
form of capitalism, not to revolutionise the social orto
der, leaving white !Marxists without a proletariat
lead. Since the only revolutionary force in this society is embodied in the AfroA'srican struggle, anr
revolution in the United States rust be led by MACK
radicals, not opportunistic white Koft-xdsts .
The impotence of traditional or "bourgeois" nationalise was examined . The delegates agreed that the traditional nationalist approach of rhetoric rather than
action was ineffectual because it posed no programtic
alternative to "bourgeois reformist" civil rights activities . It was merely "catharsis" street oratory for
the masses of Harlem . Nationalist demands for an autonomous Black American sconosw weft termed bourgeois due
!b failure to differentiate such an economy from capitalise and unfeasible because of the white and Jewish
capitalists' intention to perpetuate "suburban colonialisa" --their exploitation of Black Ghettoes . The
ooncensus was that AfroAmaricans mast control their
neighborhoods, but the realisation of this aim necessitates, in Rev . Albert Cleags'a terms,, a "strategy of
(concluded an page 16)
(eencluded from page Z5
chaos" involving mdre davastatiif.c vi1 disobedience
than the kind undertaken by the 'established reformist
The participants supported Minister Malcolm (X) Shabats's contention that it is erroneous to define AfroAmeriea'a fight as "civil rights' and protest exclusively in congress ; instead, we should utilize -the UN Declaration on Hunan Rights, and petition in the United
Nations for "human rights ." Furthjr the conference
maintained that the federal government's refusal to enforce the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments renders
AfroAmericans slaves or a colonized Black Nation, not
American citizens, thus relegating them to - a position
analogous to that of Afro-Asian and Latin American nations under Western imperialism.
young vanguard criticized the "domestic orientation of "bourgeois reformist" leaders or their refusal
to align AfroAmerica's struggle with the colonial revo
lutions in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. They demanded that AfroAmericans vehemently oppose American imperialism and neo-colonialism in the "Third World" or
nonwhite nations, and endorse the Pan African objectivef
of the Addis Ababa conference .
A young Pan Africanist and African scholar presented a
critique of contemporary Pan Africanism, delineating
Western neo-colonialist machinations to thwart it . He
accused African nations of deviation from the original
Pan African unity encompassing all peoples of African
descent and concerning themselves solely with removal of
Portuguese and British colonial rule in Central and
Southwest Africa, and elimination o£ apartheid in the
Union of South Africa . He commented on the lack of appreciable progress toward political, economic, and cul-;
tural union of African states . He emphasized the neces-.
sity for resurgence of the universal Pan Africanism man.
ifested in the Dr . DuBois, Nkrumah, Kenyatta sponsored
Manchester Conference of 1945 . He remarked that only'
permanent revolution that annihilates nee-colonialist
"puppet regimes" and establishes eomnletely socialist
African societies can achieve the goals of Pan African-'
ism and relate Africa meaningfully to the AfroAmerican
strurele-
BLACK AMERICA . Fall 1964, pane 16
The young nationalists insisted that prerequisite to
a
genuine Black Revolution is a fundamental "CultE&~a3
sv u ion" -ge&fricanization"of Black People
America . "Rakfricanization" repudiates decadent es
goods, materialistic values, and the . "rat_race" 7r
"pathological" egoism aril individualism inherent . ..
American society. It embraces a humanism
derivative
the African Heritage which exalts aesthetic,
intellect
ual, am spiritual development, and "Communalism"
0,0
cooperation rather than exploitation .
"ReAfricanizatim" is preferable to American materialism
a sources
of cultural values . AfroAmeriean must know as
their au
entIs history in Africa and America in order
to'demolish
the "Psychological rape" or inferiority instilled
American "indoctrination ."
The AfroAmerican's
self
image and conception must be revolutionized to
foster a.
sense of "collective ethnic identity" as a
Mack
.Peopled, _before Black Nationalism can emergeunique
triumahaa t .
Pan Afrieanism, "ReAfricanization."
"Strategies of
Chaos," and anti-American and NATO imperialism conatituts a revision of Black Natiorolim that incorporates
Dr . DuBois' and Marcus Garvey's theories which are rele=vant to the Present crisis of Black America . This DO-tent ideology eradicates the "Ideological
confusion"
prevalent today, and facilitates the, formulation
of
strategy and tactics which will enable nationalists to
'participate more- meaningfully in the AfroAmerican freedom struggle, and exert a significant influence on the
revolutions of , the "Bandug" nations and Latin America.
The assembled nationalists asserted that young natio
nalists are the vanguard of a Black Revolution in
America, but they must create - 1) an organizational apparatus to "translate" Nationalist ideology into
effective action ; this requires Black financing to insure
Black control . 2) Dedicated, disciplined, and
decisive
youth cadres willing to make the supreme sacrifices to
build and sustain a dynamic Nationalist Movement . The
profound commitment of this young nationalist vanguard
Werence to AfroAmerican liberation is superbly pr o-.
claimed in Br . Fidel Castro's Second Declaration of Havaa .. ."it is the duty of the rjsvolutionary to make the'
Revolution."
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''VOTENTUL OF A MMORffY REVOLUTION
"The very essence of revolution is
radical change . Revolution is neceasiated by abusive and reactionary power . This abusive and oppressive power
.perpetuates itself through the medium
of violence . In the outset the oppfesaive force commands the
superior
power . If it did not, violent revolution would not be necessary. If the
oppressed controlled the-deans of pmw,
or, a peaceful transition could poss;.
ably be executed by virtue of the wZ].
of the oppressed ." _ ROBERT WILLIAM
P°WAa :`Z, OI `19, ps
"y`
11. 6
d Sweli
17
n:gs
SONG of FIRE
(to
Asia, Africa, Latin America,
and emerging Black America)
Tears that weep for shattered Sunday schools
Are lost
the earth will shake as Calvary at crimson sunset .
like diamanda leaving .,
ebon
South African sands :
lost_loat.. .and
Save your
tears!
When it comes _ like a tropic swamer storm:
hands - among the dark
never foundl
Save your anguished cries!
Save your prayers to barren,
silent skies:
Wait-wait awhile!
Blood will stain the moon ; snuff out the stars'
.
Blood will clog the wheels of Mighty Juggernaut
and send him crashing from his Atom Throne?
BLOOD will wash your pain away!
(Fire!)
For soon the Damn will come to men once more -
Bright red flames, Burnt, charred death!
and Buddha's eyes will smile from burning
Grinning skulls, rolling asyes and mad-mad
saffron robes and charred pagodas
cries to - rate Madonnas :
Shango
will shout his rumbling song
joyous Congo tom-tams . . . in
to
the night .
Allah
will scorch the "lonely crowd" with
death's embrace
like Mushroom Suns . . .in mutant Hiroshima.
(Fire!)
will send his flaming sword a whistling
will vindicate the blues ; sanctify the earth
;
through the "chosen land". . .and bellow:
resurrect the mangled Jesus from-the
Nordic
Free-doal.
Here
comes
Free-doml
the Rising Sun!
AM HM . .. my twenty-million, tortured,
lynch_treel
(Fire!)
will cauterize the racist plaguel
ohosen.children:
your day will comet
(concluded on page 1Q,
BLACK AMERICA, Fall 196+, psge 18
for Mr mother's `tomb .
Here I stand - at ?eenty-five, dark . . .and lonely
An sngry, fiery man - awaiting Nature's call
to act out
my deadly hour .upon the Western Stage.
"all
fall down!"
H=Iaimed the anguished poet .
He is right.
"All
fall down!"
And so, we will all fall down someday.
But, to start anew - the old mast fade away
or burn . ..or.. .cramble in the savage wind .
Therefore :
the hordes that plundered Rome
werw bringing in a Now Age - and the Hun
. . .beoame a Herald of the Dawn .
So hush, now air wooly-headed lambs - dry your eyes!
Lift your withered hearts ; throw your chains away
and wait for: .
small of HRIrSTQHE!
BLAVK ANERICA, Fall 1964, page 19
Uncle Sam,
I'm dark from Alabam
You give nee this gun .t o fight
for you and Freedom
But Uncle Sam,
Hear 'bout me
Via
dark from Ala-bam
If I live through this war
For you and Freedom
Can I take some home to Ala-bam4
Answer :
"When you are ready for it, boy."
moo
(Declaration of Conscientious Objectorahip to
Local Board 90)
Charles W. Johnson, Jr .
#20-90-41-667
"There are some wars . . . that the American Negro will not
support. . ." -- James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time
I do not believe that Uncle Sam really wants this
black. man in his army. And he'll know it when he
reads this declaration. I certainly' want no part of
this 6Wte M'h'o- army . ' The army itself discriminates,
as do a7.1 of America's armed forces, against the black
man; anti-Negro insults and other racist degradations
are standard procedure on all army bases . The army
serves iri turn as the chief repressive instrument of
America's racist-thug society which systematically ex,ploits the AfroAmerican and imperialistically exploits
and oppresses my non-white brothers around the world.
I will not Fight in the service of such a brutal,
beastly .white imperialist and racist aggressor nation .
The black man in America is brutally
subjugated into
a subordinate caste position in this society. His
"place" - to which the-'S~umett Till murderers, Barnett
of -fasciit, police-state, 106') American Mississippi,and to which other well-adjusted, "normal" American refer - is that of a brutal .attacked SUB-HUMAN, SUM.
This is the
so-called
EXPLOITED .BEAST OF SURD
"place" of-the American black man in this anti-Negro
color caste society, North or South. In the South, the
"White Devil" is an open, honest fascist; in the North,
he is a hypocritical ."liboral" who will lynch you from
"a low, low limb ."
super-exEither ,"WhitW must cease to oppress and
black people will get
ploit black people in America or
expl9itative,, unjust .
together and smash this rotten,
201
on
page
(concluded
(concluded from page 19)
society., .
. V6 get our human rights inmediatelY . 'or we'11i
.ar it up . and: nobody gets nothin'I
decadent
It- is both outrageous . and insulting to Negroes for
th=e racist society: to . try . . ard draft black men into
such an .anti-Ilegra,machine
d .the U.S . ARMY . I grin
resist and fight .WV saahi ave as regards me person.
ally : But ;if I a%4natched in over my objections, I
pledge tci ~pe0PU .to AgLt_ats among black soldiers to
unite. theA ,crowd the following revolutionary principlee:
1..
'VEMEKHCE
2. ,
'
ACTION
3, TO FIGHT FOR "INTDGRATION" : INTEGRATED POOLS
OF xm
The
policy will'' . be# as noted by Mao Tse-tung, brillant
leader of the Chinese people, "to give tft-for-tat and
to .fight for every inch of land." And furthermore, as
?aao wrote on, "we will not hook unless attacked ; but
if we are attacked, we will ftiftlWy counterattack. . .to
Wipe you out RF.SOLUMY, THOROUGHLY, WHOLLY, COY,
AIM UTTMLY ." Since everybody in the world knows that
America is going fascist, and that AfroAmericans will be
the scapegoats of American fascism, black people mast
adopt these. principles of blue Tse-tung and unite at once
under independent, all-black leadership to fight for
survival .
BLACK AmmiCA,, Fall 1964, page 20
common street dog has acre rights than a Negro. We are
denied the right to vote and are taxed azVxay. WE ARE
TREATED LIKE MODERN-DAY SLAVESI Four little,
intlocent
and beautiful. black girls get blown to bits, and the FBI
.. which so vauntedly and zealously persecutes progressives and black militants - can't turn up a clue . White
rapiste and out-and-out murderers get away soot-free for
the most heinous crimes against Negroes ; Negroes
of rape of miss' Anne cart~t get safely to trial pact . hgqling lynch mobs . The whole court system, North and South
is anti-Negrol
The Negro cannot "integrate" into this anti-Negro machine. We're alrea& integrated into a "no-citizenship"
position of subhuman, super-exploited beasts of burden.
The only ouligation we have is to fight for the destrncticn of all racists . The only sense you can talk
of "integration" is in reference to the integrated pools
of blood that will result from black people using their
guns, razors, and lye-cans against frantic white attacks.
THERE AIN'T NO WAY IN HELL that I's' going out like a
fool and fight wean-white brothers is Asia,, .Mr`iaa ..
and Latin America for- "white Devils ." In fact ; I ain't
going to risk mpi life fighting against raw
,enemies. I like to see "White-Eyes" killing each other
for a change. And aVy, I
everything you oppose and apps everything you support.
.
Obviously, I regard it as an insult to saw intelligence
for the racist white man to have the audacity to draft
black men into its cannon-fodder carps. The whole world
knows that the U.S . AraW is nothing but a bunch of
rapists, napalm-bombers of helpless civilian nee-White
men, women, and children (in Japan, in Korea, and cur
rently in South Vietnam, where in spite of genocidal
practices by America, the glorious P
-s beret
Fret or Vietcong is beating the U.S . into the ma) ;
they are arrogant racists and cynical cowards with wham
it would be a dishonor to serve. I want amt of such
an outfitt
You nest think I an a gimp fool to go out and risk nq
precious life in the service of a callous white beast I won't call him a man - who before ,the whole world,
showed his willingness to use the white man's best
friend .' the vicious killer-dog - on unarmed. black wen,
women, and children, and to train high-pressure fire
hoses onto these cam freedoR fighters. Hell, you didn't even do that to the Japanese or Koreans and Chinesel
Ind everyday, the fascist, racist-thug, mad-dog police
are even further unleashed against black people,as anti?legro "zoo-keepers* to brutally terrorise and subjugate
the Negro into his "p1acm," and to add insult to atroaious injury by herding black freedom fighters into Ri tlCT..like concentration -caums with electric prods used to
herd cattle to slaughter. .. .THERE AIN'T NO WAY IN HELL
that black people will remain nonviolent when white
beasts are trying to annihilate them! Such white savages must be OFFED (killed) and the rotten society that
breeds them smashed! .. .. THERE AIN'T 110 UAY IN HELL THAT
. .' :"-Y:?0 CAN ';:: C711-7 7 1 CI'1'Mr.J OF THIS IMLJ~YJF:'If n
`%est Ye Forger'
PATRICE EMMERY LUAUMBA
BLACK A1-ERICA, Fall 1964,
page 2L
GREETINGS TO
OUR MILITANT
. VIETNAMESE
BROTHERS
Vietnamese, meet to support kmeriean Negro struggle
July 4, 196++
On this Fourth of July 1964 when White America cale'brates its Declaration of Independence from foreign domination one hundred and eighty-eight years ago, we of
Ithe Revolutionary Action Movement (RAN) congratulate
the Vietnamese Front of National Liberation for their
inspiring victories against . U.S s, imperialism in South
Vietnan-and thereby declare' Our jndevendence from the
policies of the U;S . government abroad and at home .
RAN does thin because, as the Black Liberation Front
of the U.S.A . . our philosophy is one of the world revolution of oppressed peoples rising up against their
former slavemasters . Our movement is a movement of .
black people who are coordinating their efforts to
create a new world free from exploitation and oppresaicn of man by mean .
We of RAN know that , in South Viet~M today, U.S . in..
perislisn is trying to fill. thm yaeaml left by the
jpdochinesb rout of French imperialism, tea years ago,
as elsewhere In the world it is tryi4 to Idll the va
sanm left by Britain, Holland, and the other Iuropian
irlperial%pt powers. We are well aware of the undeclared war. . that the forces of U.S . imperialism- . Ace.,
hghtins today, against the people of Southeast Asia,
'in the name of the "Free World", and also of the intrigues by which U.S . imperialism seeks to divide your
country; in order to cripple its economy and make it
completely dependent upon U.S . aid. We know that U.S .
capitalism is the citadel of world capitalism. That is
why we of RAN do not seek assimilation or integration
into this "Free World." We do not want to share in the
oppression of our brothers aetyvhere on earth; we will
not join in the White American counter-revolution that
-is attempting - at home and abroad - to crush the
mounting revolutionary struggles .
We hope that our solidarity-will encourage our brothers if South Vietnam and the world over to intensify
their revolutionary efforts so that in the near future,
all of us will be abie to met and lay the basis for a
rlew world society in which all forms of colonialism) and
exploitation - political,_ economic, social and cultural - will have been buried arln all those who have
been oppressed.wi}1 hav* thq Roster to decide their own
destiny. Then SW only then will men be able 'folive
as human beings and not as slaves and slavemasters .
The F. No. L. -of South Vietnam
"The F.N .L. (Front National de Liberation) of South
Vietnam must not be considered simply as a maquis .
Within the territories'under its control, a genuine
administration has been established, and above all,
a new social, economic and cultural life is beginring. The struggle against illiteracy, by mass education, is being vigorously carried out . Intellectuals and artists who have escaped from the
cities
are beginning to produce A literature and art inspi
red'by traditional culture and the revolutionary
movement .
At the beginning of 1963, according to
statistics given by the "Agence Liberation-presse"of
the 17,000 villages (a "commune" is composed of several villages) of South Vietnam,4,400 were complete-
ly liberated ; in 8,980 others "the grasp of the American and Diem military and police machi" had been
broken," which is to say that the communal administration is only apparently under the authority of the
Saigon government . Some provinces, such as Camau,
Bentre, have been 90 per cent liberated.
Fifty per
cent of the total population has escaped Diem's control in order to live under a new
regime .
About
700,000 hectares have been retaken and distributed
to poor peasants ;
depending on the province, farm
rents have been cut 40 to 50 per cent since 19511
It is hence easy to understand why the Americans anti
Diem have wanted to force the entire rural population into strategic villages ."
From NGUYEN KIEN's "Ls Sud-Ylalnam dapuh a )Ian-ehn-Plrs", pubmslmd
Frrrgols msspsro, 2m, rum du CordInal-Lemoane, Pans Ya. Francs.
1M bar
'~=E
CAN
(-concluded from . page 2)
the. wldte communities to
divide theca,
and frustate the efforts of
the
counterrevolutionary forces .' Chace will
be everywhere and with the breakdown of
mass
mutiny will occur in great numbers ineaasirunications,
all facets of
the Oppressor's government . The
'stock market will
fall ; Wall Street will stop
ibwtioning; Washington,
D.C . will be torn apart by
riots.- officials every_
where will . run for their fir .
The George Lincoln
loekwells, '.rilliam ftcjdj:j~,
-aLdwaters,
Ikuponta, Car
negies, Reckefell~, kennedys,
Yanderbilts, Hunts,
Johnsons, Vallacea, Barnetts, etc.
will be the first
to go . The revolution will -strike
by night and sly
none .
Mass riots will occur in the
day with the
AfroAmerioana blocking traffic,
burning buildings
etc . Thousands of AfroAmericana
Will be in the street
fighting ; for they will know that
this is it . The
cry will be "It's Onk"
This will be -the AfroAss_
rican's battle for human
survival . Thousands of our
people will get shot den, but
thousands more will
there to fight on . The
black revolution will use
sabotage in the cities - knocking
out the . electrical
",dower first, then transportation,
and guerilla warfare
in the countryside in the
South . With the cities
cowerless, the oppressor will be
helpless .
be
sent
data
WIN
fight the fascists,
Turner's philosophy of "strike
by night and spVe
none" is very important because
it shows us that Turner
knew the psychology of White America, and
that xe .had
leadership with' . the guerilla instinct . Turner xnew
what black terrorism meant to the whites, and struck,
even though the odds were against his. His sense -of
annihilation of the eneaW is very important for our
struggle even today, because unlike Asia, Africa, and
Latin America, the Afrohmerican has a great bulk
of the
mass against him. White America can be neutralised
only by fear of high stakes . That is, if they know
that whole families, communities, etc. of their loved
ones will be wiped off the face of the earth if
they
attack AfroAmericans, they won't be too eager to go to
war against us . This will, be expecially true
if the
AfroAmrican revolutionary forces sake it clear that
they are fighting the capitalist ruling
class oligarchy .. but if White Americans fight on the side of
the white racist oppressor's government,
they will be
wiped out with no questions asked. For
to support the
oppressor's government is to be murderers, and they
would be treated like murderers.
With the terms of
the revolution'epelled out, this will
divide White America- So, we can see that just by observing Nat Turner, we can gain something for our caning revolution .
The whites have had to use terrorism in prder
to control ]Black America. By the proportion of the
population - in the South eapeciapy :
Afrokmericans oonsti_
tute a nation within a nation . As
in slavery times,
the only thing. that has kept as enslaved
is the white
man's superior political machinery. By
the political
machinery, I mean the governmental
machinery that cart_
trole the mass communications and
transportation has
kept the white man in power. If
w would look at our
situation today, w would see that
if the white man
didn't derv us the right to vote
or gerxywrder our
vote in the North, w would have
significant political
per - if not political control of this country .
MAiC1C AMICA,
. Fall 1964, .page U.
_
We see that is the ::Southern states .. espeatally 1l
.ssissippi _ where blaef outnumber whites by a very
large portion - the situation- would be
e
turned around . And with us controlling our ca®qties
in the North, w could have the ten ma;~w urban centers
tied up. If White America wasn't_ a racist, capitalist
state, half of Congress would be black. The mkites
in
control know this and this is why the federal govern ..
mat will never do anything to change its racist okaractor. Yes, it's the United States government who per.
petrates racism. The Southern °cracker" (bigot)
doesn't onunt, because the U .S . government is a "orankarw
government . Knowing our position, our historical
destiny, w should be willing to go all the way.
Neither the CIA, FBI, National Guard, Army or local
to control our people ; due to their
The oppressor's racist gawerrsasnt
will weaken and begin to fall more and more with every
day of revolutionary struggle on its hands. Fosaign
imperialists' holdings x111 be seized by the various
revolutionary movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America . U.S . lackey governments will topple everywhere,
once the racist White American government is no lodger:
.able to come to their aid. With the Wh#s *wriean
ruling class wiped off the face of this planet, and the
remaining reactionary forces suffering eventual defeat, .
the. revolutionary AfroAmerioan government will call on
the help of other revolutionaries and revolutionary
governments to help restore order and to fulfill the
ultimate objectives of the world black revolution.
police will be able
internal conflicts.
Thus me will have the fulfillment of a four hundred
year degtiny, and with the Beast (Western Imperialias)
destroyed - the birth of a Now World1 . .. .We wet realize that w are the key to the world black revolution
and that the rest of the world is waiting
us . We
moat remember that Hiptary is on our aide . Not only
can w win, w wU1 win!
.
for
Your Soul Brother,
Max Stanford
BLACK AI+MCA, F&II 1964, pare ?.'
OUR
TRIP TO CUBA
The members of the Blaek liberation Front composed
of AfroAmericans who traveled to Cuba feel compelled
to issue a statement as to why they felt that it was
necessary to defy, the travel ban to Cuba . We are
members of an dppressed group living within the scene
of United States power and influence, but not a
significant part or major force of the power and
influence . We are brutalized, murdered, raped, discriminated and segregated because we are weak, because
we are disorganised, because we are black. The can.
stitution of the United States has never ¢reserved,
defended or protected our r"Lts as American citizens .
We seek solutions to our problems, solutions thit will
preserve our people, who are being systematically
liquidated in many sections of the United States by
organized Military, police, pare-military forces, and
by mob violence . This activity, must stop now. Ma?w
non-white societies outside thp. .United States are attempting to merge the mutual interests of their black
and white citizens . . Cuba in our judgment is having
success while the ariLted States is hard Mosed_ to
ant
is black citizens t
r total
is den the
Constitution . In Cuba black~ooen and woman fought with
Fidel Castro in the mountains and streets. the alleys
and byways ; therefore demonstrating their I0YaltV ~to
the revolutionary aspirations, of the Cuban Rev61ution . Black men and women have fought in every major
struggle , ever - carried on by the United States Government . We have shed blood, died irrespective of the
cost to ham and family . Today one of the black revolutionaries who fought with Fidel, Juan Alemida, is
a vice-.minister and tog leader in the Revolutionary
Army . In.the state pf Georgia white racists shot and
killed a black, high-rang military officer because
of .their hatred, their hostility to his rank, his influence in the military service.
on9 of the,most far-reaohirieL and important developments of the Revolution has been in the area of -mesa
rarsnmant has
eduoaticp. In Cuba, the Revoluti~m
carried. out a program that has virtually e17rd-natfx
of ilthe scourge of illiteracy while huge pockets
the United .
o£
southern
areas
in
many,
remain
literacy
white stn-,
States . In all sections of Cuba black and
living
together,
dents are working together, studying
toile,
together, eating together, sharing together the
theirs in
be
to
feel
are
sure
they
the reisarda that
new Cuba .
We, the Afro-Americand who traveled to Cuba, were
privileged to be a part of this vitality, this new
Cuban
1156k in Cuban education. We were the guests of
Professors, teachers and students at Cuban urniversacandar7
sitiee, Cuban technical schools, Cuban
and
schools, `at Cuban schools for. the elementary
k~dergarden level children and! t the extraordinary
teacher training' gchools in themo=tains OYxxaambray in Las Villas Province and in the Sierra Maestra
mountains of Oriente province .
ruwkere
Black Cubans work as teachers, students,
rdw:rd
regidne
08
both
mountain
and technicians at
power took
fighting that proceeded Fidel's march toat Minas De
place. At the teacher training school
Cubans
Frio in the Sierra Maestra mountains, black
bodYI
the
student
of
large
number
not only make up a
positions
but what is even more important .occupy vital
acadeer# and ideological
th the cadministrativel
day, in Minas De
levels of the schod!6. At our last
of the
Frio one of the black Cuban sub-directors
the role of the
address
on
moving
very
school gave a
haw the school case
school in the Cuban Revolution,
to the school
brought
into being, hour students are
at Minas Do
had
seen
what
we
to
relations
and what
States . The
the
United
return
to
Frio might be as we
,o~le~ge that
=is-education of Black Americans, the
states
productive life in a so-called freetheUnited
Aneriran edset
by
successfully
been
have never
educational
cational leaders. The numbers of blackthe deolining
teachers
;
administrators, professoysror
(cbncluded on page 24)
BLACK AK8ICA, Fall 1964, .page ?#
ated tight ." No black man, Woman or child _who sae;,
is or shy at acme fhtae date be" anath*O?vietia df
racist oppression, stands alone. We have ?basil that
we have friends all over the ;;;Id irho stand ready to
aid us .
( concluded-from. page 23)
ranks of
the numbers
and quality of Black Americans
who occupy positions of influence in American educational institutions attest to their lack of i:nf-uence in these centers of higher learning .
We have attempted in - this statement to address auraelves to the realities of life in Cuba and in time
United States for the Slack Cuban and for the muck
American respectively. To the black Cuban child life
holds great promise for a bright future . What is the
future of the Black child in the racist, fascist
state of Mississippi?
The inadequate, inaccurate role of American history
in giving due credit and justice to Black Americans
for their part in the crsatie6 and building of the
United States in widespread and notorious.
In Cuba,
one of their greatest military leaders,
was black while one"of their greatest
living military leaders - a black man - is an "Fl
pictures
Their
Comandante" in the armed forces .
in maxW hones all over Cuba ; their history is Cuban
history. This history is taught to all Cuban child-
Antonio
Macro,
It is the success of Cuban 'story in seeking salu
Lions to its racial, political, axial and ecomomi+e
problems that prompted Black Americans from sang sections of the United States to, risk life, limb, and
even prison in order that they might offer gcmoe -new
knoarledge, some vital experience to a stoaphoaae
mbich seems. to be destrgr1ng itself V useless racial
conflict.
ren black and -white.
In Cuba, am of their greatest trade unim leaders,
Jesus Menendez - a black Cuban, laid down Wx life at
the ague of 37 for the cause of the Cuban worker .
.That American trade union leader has shorn himself
milling to sacrifice his interests or his life for
the American works 'l!
the United
While Cuba builds on its rad4a1 pe
most r
vital. racial .
States is dectzmWing am of It*
groups . It was to adleess ourselves to this problem
further communication with i'nterr'acial soclA ties
Like Cuba becomes vital. The most oppressed racial
gyp in Amnrim, namely the Black Americans, draw
manni . atrengtbr and a ocatiarned inportanee from
In the am of personal involvement, the Black Arericans have set stay people, formed new relations,
and discasered aazV new allies hitherto indmoun who
have stated their vital interest in ow struggle in
the United States. To the black people of the United
'fates, we can say "Rake art,_ owe is not an i.so3t
COM . .
In California
APRO-AWRICAlt
that
suach
liberating
ruon as. Cuba. .
-
T
acts
as travel
to a disputed
AM ACTIVITY.
ASSKC3fITTM, 6532 Dover . St ., OakLw d,Calir., Donald larders, Chairman
SAW ASSOCIAT= (L .A .chx$er)* Ran Xarenga, Director, Phone 389-&5
AFRO-AKRICAlf CULTURAL AS90CIATIQ, Tno. i 5W-tth A" ., Ices Angeles, Franc Greenwood,
AFRO.AIORICAIf MEN FMK, 1302 West Samna Btrbara Ave., Los Angeles 37 .
UIMED AFRO.WOM*S
637 'nest UM St ., Los Angeles
.
Lam,
In IIlinoia
HUAAMD SPFJIIGS II96PAM,
lawn
63k
Chairman
East 79 St ., tlaicaso 19 .
Is
Central CaWregaticnal Church, 7625 Linrood, Dotavit 6, Res. Albert B. Clamps Jr.., Minister
Pres .
GOAL (Qr0%W an Advanced leadership), 17.605 Linvnod Ave., Detroit 6, diehard
THE floiL Sly (Afro~A.erien BroadeattiM. Co.), 11605 Liaaaod Ave., Detroit 6.
ILLUSTRATED 7DDiS, 53®5 Lovett St ., Detroit 10, Hush., Heary Cleage, Editor
MIMM" FREMM am puff, 5385 Larett'st., Detroit 10.
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LImxTOR, 244 $.
46
St., Raw Tae* 17, N .Y., Daniel H.watts, Editor
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Ii Ui$'is Hotel Theresa, Hw]ma, H.?., Malcolm X, Chairman
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am
BLACK AMERICA
Fall 19fA
Published quarterly hY HAM, 11lrrck Liherrrtion, Front of thc LI .S. :1 .
C O N T E N T S
_
__ Max Stanford
_______ -___ __
- ---------- .____James Boggs
Integration and Democracy: Two Myths That Have Foiled
Roots of Revolutionary Nationalism
Excerpts from the Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey, J . A . Rogers,
Elijah Muhammad, W. E . B. DuBois, Robert Williams, Malcolm X, Harold Cruse,
Rev. Albert B . Cleage Jr ., Max Stanford and James Boggs
Rolland Snellings
__ ..-_---------__
-----_The Long Hot Summer
We Can Win
Black Youth and Afro-American Liberation
- __
Song of Fire . -------------
-------
The White Man's Heaven is the Black Man's Hell
Greetings to our Militant Vietnamese Brothers -
----------S?atcment on Our Trip to Cuba.
Activity
and information
Centers of Black Nationalist
____ __
-- --
-
-__ Rolland Snellings
________ . Charles Johnson
--
____13
15
Don Freeman
---
--
__
17
19
21
------ - ----------- 23
------ 24
Cover: GA RVEY'S GHOST. wuft reolor 1>Y Alfi .r Stanford
25c a copy
$1 .00 for four issues
Bundles of 50 or more, 15c each
BLACK AMERICA
Summer-Fall 1965
BAM & MALCOLA X
Babu's speech in Harlem is probably one of
the most significant steps ever taken by an African
revolutionary toward greater connection between,
and understanding of, African revolution and the
developing black revolution . Therefore, Babu situating himself in Harlem where his entire audience
It's purpose is to bring clarity and give
was black, is a gesture that extends both backwards
direction in revolutionary struggle . To
and forwards in time. It goes back to Garvey and the
helpbuild revolutionary nationalist leaderessential
relationship between Drubois' Pan-Africanship .
ism as Afro-American's first envisaged it ; its forTo present a revolutionary program of
ward tendency lies in the fact that the oppressed
national liberation and self-determination
peoples
(colonial peoples), or what we call the
for the African captives en -slaved in the
"Bandung"
world are beginning to link up interracist United States of America,
nationally, to unite against the white slavemasters .
To forge a revolutionary unity among
Babu and Malcolm spoke on the same program
peoples of African decent and to give a new
that
night
. INe feel that Malcolm's assessment of the
international spirit to Pan-Africanism .
international situation lead him to the correct con
To unite Black America with the Bandung
clusions : In the international revolution now going
world (Asia, Africa and. Latin America) .
in the world, that Afro-Americans are an integral
on
To fight for the liberation of oppressed
part of that revolution . That we must "internationalpeoples everywhere .
ize our struggle," gaining strength in the process
Our message of the Black peoples of the
and uniting with our natural allies - our brothers
world : UNITE or PERISH-WE WILL WIN .
and sisters in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
This was Malcolm's great theme reiterated again
and again in varying situations . Some "civil rites"
leaders, James Farmer of CORE, in particular, try
to assert that brother Malcolm was moving closer to
.the "mainstream" of the "civil rights" movement.
Any such evaluation of Malcolm's political and
strategical thought is hopelessly erroneous. Malcolm condemned U.S. imperialism in the Congo and
Vietnam (see section Philosophies and Opinions of
Malcolm X in Afro-World), while often reminding his
black audiences that millions of Chinese supported
us in our struggle for liberation .
Malcolm gave brother Babu a warm soulful
introduction . He spoke very briefly about the nature
of real revolutionary action and what it meant. He
A rrc
praised the Zanzibar revolution as an example of
real struggle against the forces of imperialism . He
ROBERT FRANKLIN WILLIAMSchairman-in-Exile of the Revolutionary spoke briefly and was more interested in the people
Action Movement; Premier of the African- of .Harlem learning from Babu than hogging the show
himself.
american government-in-exile .
Babu is a revolutionary; as was Malcolm . And
CONTENTS
The
African-american
War
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
3
. . . .
as such both are essentially selfless . Revolutions
5
Unity, Dedicated. Discipline=, . Descisive . . do not grow out of bourgeois competition among the
7
New Philosophy for a New Age
various organizations, but instead, out of the imU
.S
.
Statement
of
Race
Terror
in
the
plied unity and cooperation of the revolutionary
9
11
The Relationship of the Revolutionary
groups . Malcolm knew this . But obviously the white
Afro-american Movement to the
ruling class and-Us instruments of terror and oppres.A.), also knew it.
Bandung Revolution
sion (F.B .I. and C.I
1"3 Black Nationalism on the Right
Editorial Committee
16 Destiny of the Afro-american .
PURPOSE
Black America is the theoretical journal
of RAM- Revolutionary Action Movement,
Black Liberation Front of the U .S .A . .
"loop on Paehln' . . Change in gonna come"
1E,A,RkA~AM,ERICM4,
or
NATI
ON THE NATURE OF THE LIBERATION
WAR
For five years now the Afroamerican
has been in the streets demanding "Freedom Now" and singing "We Shall Overcome .
What have we overcome ? We see thatwe
haven't achieved freedom yet, After five
years of so-called revolution we find we are
almost where we started . We are still the
last hired and. firstfired, we are still beaten and shot in the streets . Realizing this
we must ask ourselves, where do we go ,in
1465? With the climax of a race war brew ingour people must develope a newphilosophy for a new age . But before we can develop a new philosophy we mustbecome fa milar with two basic universal laws : "Know
your self and knd*your enemy." Ifwe know
our enemy we will win .
WHO ARE OUR ENEMIES AND FRIENDS
The western white man has proven to be
our enemy. He has built his system of capitalism of slavery of us and continously ex'loits us after a hundred years of so-called
freedom . He constantly attacks our brutalized and abused nation-Black America .
The western white man has the nature of a
beast. He is a slimy, sick sadist and re presents evil on the earth . We must understand he is a sneaky cheat and a unscrupulous liar, who hates blackpeople . We must
see this beast as our enemy. We must understand that his enemies are ourfriends
andhis friends are our enemies . We therefore must oppose everything he supports
and support everything he opposes . Our
alliance must be with our bandung blood
brothers (Asia, Africa and Latin America).
Knowing who are our -enemies. and friends
we can begin to develop a new philosophy
for black liberation .
REVOLUTIONARY NATIONALISMPHILOSOPHY FOR THE AFROAMERICAN
Black people mustrealize that they are
atwar with the white world . The white man
has distorted. history and everything else to
fit his needs to stay in power . The white
man is an international white nationalist
thinking of the white race, first, foremost
and only. As Mrs . Amy J. Garvey stated
in Garveyand Garveyism, "The only ground
on which white people are really united is
race * neither language, religion, nor political system . . divide them . "(1) In order
for blackpeople to survive in a white,hostile, evil, reactionary world they must
unite to destroy the universal slavemastezOur philosophy mustbe that no black per son is free until all black people are free .
We mustunite ina universal black liberationmovement to strike the universal slavemaster at one time, one blow, one warthe war of armageddon. We must have
one purpose, one aim, one destiny . One
purpose meaning-to be free black people
from the universal slavemaster (slang for
capitalistoppression), one aim-to develop
black people through struggle to the highest attainment possible, one destiny-to
follow in the spritof black revolutionaries
such as Gabriel Prosser, Toussaint L'
Overture, Demark Vesey, Nat Turner,
Sojurner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Marcus Garvey, Dr . DuBois, Patrice Lumumba, Robert Williams,
and. Brother Malcolm, to create a new
world free of colonialism, racism, imperialism, exploitation, and national oppression . When we state to free black people
from capitalist oppression it means the
destruction of capitalism . When we state .
to create a new world free of colonialism,
racism, imperialism, exploitation and na-
tional oppression, we mean the destruction
of the world order ruled by the racist capitalistandthe establishment of a newworld
order. Once knowing our philosophy-revolutionary nationalism-black internationalism, we must become familar with the
historical nature of our struggle .
THE HISTORICAL NATURE OF THE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN REVOLUTION
"The botigeois revolution of the west
was founded . . . maintained . . . on. . . national and international color injustice ." (2)
The nature of capitalist developement and
expansion was developed on the super exploitation of dark skinned peoples . Knowing this we see that Dr . DuBois"s original
thesis, "the problem of the 20th centuryis
the problem of the color line" . . . (3) is correct. If we face history realistically, we
will see thatracism is inherent~i capitalist
expansion, especially on the North American continent .
As previous revolutions begin to degenerate and become more reactionary, the
world revolution takes on a more racial
character whether we like it or not . We
see here in racist America with the white
community becoming more reactionary the
nature of the American revolution will be
drawn on racial lines . "During the last
hundred years the great majority of working people in the, exploiting imperialist countries have been cutin on a share of the sur pluses wrung from the labor of the exploited
races and therefore have a stake in preserving the- sysiemrof exploitation." (4)
Therefore the "subproletariat" (exploited
races) not the proletariat has becomethe
vanguardof the world revolution . "To wish
for a world revolution which does notpit
colored against white and which makes no
appeals to the pasthistoryand revolutionary
solidarity of the colored peoples is exactly
the same thing as wishing for no revolution
at all." (5)
The historical reality is that the "subproletariat", not the proletariat, have created revolutions, are leaders of the world
revolution, vanguard and dictator ship of the
new world. The nature of the world revolution will be drawn on racial lines bythe
;rery nature of history . This does notmean
the world revolution will adopt the capitalist doctrine of racism but it does mean,
that itwillmake appeals to the pasthistory
and revolutionary solidarity of the colored
peoples of the world . Upon knowing the nature of our struggle we must know the conditions that our people live and must know
the ghetto psychology .
THE PARADOX OF THE AFROAMERICAN
Our people live in a dual existence ; being the super exploited "subproletariat" and
as long as we collaborate with the racist
U .S . government we are helping to exploit
our blood brothers in Africa, Asia and
Latin America . We are living in a paradox
being the exploited and part of the exploiter
at the same time . One of the reasons for
a lack of political conciousness among our
people is that they can get a Cadillac, a tel evision set and can think of themselves as
doing good when compared to other oppressed peoples .
Though very few can afford
this and often these material gains are shortlived they serve as examples to woo our
people to sleep . The contradiction for the
Afroamerican is that he thinks he has to
give up something toget freedom whereas
all other peoples seem to gain something
andhave nothing to lose . But the Afroamerican must learn is that he has nothing to
lose but his chains .
For isn't it better to
standing
on
your
die
feet like a man than to
live on.your knees like a pig ? The contradiction the African-American must face is
that he must tear down the very society he
builtbut was not allowed. to participate in. .
The African-American mustnow chose between the materialism of the west and the
humanism of the east. The reason why our
struggle must become anti-imperialist is
because the contradictions of our existence
are too great.
The only segment of Black
America that has reacted. positively to this
paradox is black youth . Part of this is due
to the new humanistic ideas of the World
WarII war generation and the dilemma fac-.
ing Afro-youth .
THE DILEMMA OF BLACK YOUTH
Con't on P6 . 12
D E D I 0 A T I 0 N
.D I S 0 I P L I N 9
D E 0 1 2 1 V I N 9 8 5
a
We are all. BLOOD BROTHERS "
SAMM/
Brothers and sisters, I'm really honored
tonight to be able to talk to you and tell you
something about what is happening in Africa .
I know the story of Africa is a very long
story and it will be difficult to compress it
in a matter of minutes . . . or hours . . . , it' s
a long, long book which our children will
write, which your children will write and
The revof which we shall all be proud.,
olution in Zanzibar was a serious thing . It
was very serious because Zanzibar was a
feudalist society supported, by an imperialist power . We were ruled by a sultan who
had been ruling the islands and indeed the
whole east coast of Africa . For two centhey were responsible for the most hideous
slave trade that you ever had . I have no
doubt that quite a number of our friends,
our black brothers in the Americas, must
have come throughthe shores of Zanzibar .
I have no doubt at all .
The revolution of Zanzibar is significant
because it summarizes the whole tragic
history of Africa of double deck suppression
of slavery and colonialism . This justshows
youthatas Mao Tse-tung said., "the imperilistare paper tigers'! ,they reallyare paper
tigers, In four determined hours we toppled
the .whole oppressive apparatus which ruled
the country for two hundred. years in the
form of the sultan himself, which enslaved,
the people, exported, the people like cattle .
We uprotted the whole machinery of imperialismwhich was set up there . . . in four soIf this does not show that the
lid hours .
imperialists are "paper tigers" , : I don't
know what else will show it.
What is needed is unity . Unity and discipline .
Unity and discipline and a 'solid,
leadership,
Leadership which can
correct
never be bought over . Leadership which
HARLEM
7
MOHAMMED
BA BU
X Pg O',, 12
does not think of itself. Leadership which
could never be isolated from the people .
That is the kind of leadership which helped
us to overthrow this double deck system of
oppression . Wherever there is oppression
this experience will certainlybe a very useful contribution . If it is contributed we shall be absolutely satisfied . The revolution
was plotted for nearly'six months, long before independence ; ew had a fake independence in December and in a littleless than
one month the independent government was
overthrown and a government of the people
took over . But for six months before the
revolution people organized it; and not just
one or t,*o people . . . hundreds and hundreds
of people were involved in it . . . .and. nota
squeak. This is the essence of discipline .
Not a squeak came out, and when it happened the entire spy ring of the British and the
CIA was upset and cables went back and
forth from embassies in Zanzibar asking
them, "how is it that this thing has happened we're spending so many millions of dollars to get this news ?" Why is it that this
thing has happened and we did not hear
a word about it?" It cost some of the top
people here their jobs and you know we know it-some of the top people here have lost
their jobs because of lack of rnformatidn ,
about Zanzibar . Their job was to forewarn
the imperialist superstructure about what
was to happen .
Six or seven hundred people kept a secret in a small country-and you know a small
country or a small town is the most difficult
place to keep a secret, because . people-feed
on rumors . They've nothing else to do
No cinemas, no television, no football matches, nothing exciting but rumors . Talk
about what the Jones next door have done.
and what they are intending to do . In a
town like this, if you are able to keep a secret for six months without a squeek-this
has shattered imperialism ; It shows how
little they understand of the determination
o ¬ the African people today in asserting ;
their rights in their own country, w1fatever
the consequences . And our people have
been killed . . . died . . . they've lost their li
ves . But they, lost their lives happily be
cause they were setting up a society*hick will be for the interest of their offsprings . And. some of them were young
people who were not even married, mere
girls and boys lost their lives in order to
op=portunity
keep us free, in order to give us the
to build a country in which any
oppres sed man could walk free and feel that he's living in a free country . They lack
this understanding . The imperialists misunderstand us comp ;etely . You hear the
the experts . They write big books . . . big
reports an the Arican Character , the Es sence of African Revolution or African Post Independence . Research books, study
books, well learned books . . . you know with
Rockefeller foundation money. They dish
out money for scholars to write books about the African mind, African Post Independence, Africa Pre-independence, Africa Between Slavery and. Independence ,
Africa Pre-slavery . They write all sorts
. of things to understand our mind and yet
they don't know it. They don't know it because they have never made an actual effort to view the world from our point of
view . They are viewing the world from a
paternalistic point of view that they want
us to view the world from, and consequently they miss the whole point . And when
things happen they get surprised ..amazed .
How did it happen?
Today, they are shattered. They thought
by intervention in the Congo (they have stooges all over the place, you know-somebody
will get up with a big . robe and a big stick
or one of those things-you know-a big chief
a feudal lord from somewhere-would be brought here to defend intervention-to defend
civilization against barbarism .) They thought that they would intervene and then
leave the country-clear everything ; massacre the lot they wanted to massacre ; clear
the country and then come and. fight their
case in the United Nations . This is what
they thought . And they thought they could
"bamboozle" the entire continent of Africa
and it would come back here meekly begging
because we want aid therefore we won't be
able to challenge the treachery which the
imperialists are inflicting on our continent .
But they are mistaken again. They thoughtgoing by their experience of what they've
done to the "banana republic' in South Amer
ica-they thought they were going to introduce
the same pattern in Africa . We told therr4
"Brother, you've had it."
This is the continent of the oppressed
people and when they tell you about oppression they know what they mean. There is
no other continent in this earth that has 9uf feredtheoppression thatAfricahas suffered.
There is no other continent that would serve
th'6 worldbetter than Africa . Africa understands oppression of human beings . When
the spokesman of the imperialist stands up
there in the security council of the United
Nations condemning Africans of racialism
he thought the whole world would tremble,
but instead the world laughs at them . They know it is a lie . . . a "white" lie . They
know that this is not the time when they
could conduct massacres in Africa and cover
it up .
They know the whole world would
know, and we know it because not every
white man is evil . . . There are some of
them who couldn't "stick it" and they've
written some very useful documents and
they're piling them up . Some of the mercenaries who wentthere as soilders of for tune - who never had sympaties with the
Africans, but because_ they got sick of
killing too much killing . . . men, women and
children, burning them alive . . . . it was too
much for them ; and they the Tshombe regime and went back to England and wrote
stories ; and we've the copies . They can
never hide it! They tried all sorbs of things !
Accusing the Africans of going "backto barbarism, " etc . And now they're exposing
themselves ; the native hatredof the African
which they've been trying to cover under
the name of "liberalism :' They're now exposing thenselves at the security council,
because the statement that Mr . Spaakof
Belgium has made only three days ago reCan't on r6 . 17
We will win . .ORY any means nesessary .
A
N EW Philosophy f4W
s~ NEW A6 E
One of the main reasons why Black America
has not made sufficient progress toward self determination - as witness other colonial peoples in
Africa, Asia and Latin America-- is due to the total
lack of a broad and powerful philosophy which is
anchored in the realities of the present age .
Black America, unfortunately, is operating, or
semi-operating on philosophies developed or rooted
in the latter part of the nineteenth century, and the
early years of the twentieth century. These two
ancient philosophies are "Bourgeois Nationalism"
(based upon Marcus Garvey's militant improvision
and implementation of Booker Washington's "self
improvement" theories for the black masses), and
"Bourgeois Reformism" (based on Dr . W .E .B . DuBois's opposition to "Booker T.-; ism", and initiated
by the then embryonic NAACP) .
"Bourgeois Reformism" and "Bourgeois
Nationalism", though dynamic and fertile in their
era, do not meet .the current needs and realities of
black people trapped within the technological barbarism of White' American civilization .
The question giving reasons why the black
intelligentsia, and bourgeois leadership has not
overhauled these two philosophies, or invented
"new" philosophies geared towards liberating their
people . The answer - a tribute to American "education" and the "'American Way of Life" - is that aftet, being. "Processed" and channeled through the
"freak Factories" known as "Negro Colleges " ,
they are only fit for the inferior roles of inferior
people produced by these institutions . These monstrosities (actually glorified high schools) stunt,
deform and drain every ounce of creativity out of
their minds and souls.
On the other hand, the White American col.
leges are - in their conformist decadence - geared
towards producing only one creature: the White
American, middle-class male or female, cog for the
wheel of imperialism. So, in essence, that's what
our youth who attend these institutions become:
White American, middle-class males or females who
happen to be black in complexion and despise them-
selves and their whole race because o f this fact .
So how - I ask you - can one expect anything from people who've been so maimed and
twisted? This. systematic mis-education and alienation has resulted=- for almost half a century - in
the stagnation and castration of original, black
political thought, -and serves as a partial explarna
tion of why we haven't produced any noteworthy
political theorists.
I will attempt to examine and analyze both
philosophies and to explain why they are inadequate and obsolete in these times, beginning with
BOURGEOIS REFORMISM .
Bourgeois Reformism
"Bourgeois Reformism" or Civil Rights, as
it's popularly known, is that philosophy which
states that black people are "second class" citi
zens, -or citizens -"denied their full rights," and so
being, have a definite stake within the social &
political framework of White American society. Its
adherents feel that these "first class rights and
privileges" can be obtained by legal action in the
courts, and by "direct action" with massive nonviolent demonstrations of protest throughout the
country; especially of the racist domain of the
south.
They rely upon the strategy - advocated and
implemented by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - of,
appealing to the "conscience" of the White Amer
ican system . .The movement relies upon the aid and
support - morally and financially - of the white
liberal element, i.e. "good white folks", it has
been the most highly publicized and dramatized
"black" movement in American History. As for its
general effectiveness: it has served to awaken certain segments of Black America - namely certain
students, Christian congregations and clergymen.
it has been able to bring to public light the great
areas of oppression, hopelessness, and degradation
smoldering within White America. It also has exposed the latent hypocrisy of the white liberal, .
NEW PHILOSOPHY
radical element-The latter is caused by the withdrawal of "liberal" economic support when black
demonstrations get "out of hand" .
But its overall weaknesses are: 1) the fact
that with the exception of the church-people, ministers, and a few students, it has no mass support;
because non-violence is unacceptable to the justifiably hostile temperaments of the angry, exploited
masses . 2) in its appeal to the conscience of the
society, it overlooks the hard facts that White America
is a power-operated system feeding upon human exploitation that functions without a conscience.
3) The leaders, -strategists, and adherents fail to
recognize power relations within modern society
and, therefore, -spend their energies and resources
upon such shallow goals as integrated movies, libraribs,, restaurants, ~ churches, beaches, schools,
etc. (although, recently, there have been moves by
rebel elements towards fighting for better housing
and jobs, using methods of social dislocation and
disruption to achieve these goals. .The New York
World's Hair "stall-in" incident is a good example.
4) By depending upon white sympathy and economic
aid, the leaders are vulnerable to the whims of the
white liberals, -and have developed the false attitude that blacks are "unable to make real progress
without white aid or participation."
Also : there are the more recent cases of these
organizations being "infiltrated" by a "fifth column" o¬ white "radicals" who form blocs within
the organizations and eventually obtain control of
the offices and policy-making bodies through intrigue- and seduction.'. These "radicals" tend to
play a reactionary role - a growing tendency of
"of ay" left - by seeking control of the black
masses ; by using them to "hammer" the racist
power structure (the black masses being the most
dynamic force in America today) ; -and by cynically .
experimenting with their lives . These "radicals"
generally; tend to follow a line of forcing "change"
(reform) within the existing structure" ; a kind of
"domestic" peaceful co-existence with White America. Usually, when indigenous (black) revolutionaries appear and attempt to steer the people in a
more militant direction, -these "ofay" radicals become reactionary and clash with the indigenous
revolutionaries .' Needless to say, ~ the infiltration
of these "radicals" into "key" positions completely neutralikes any-remaining militancy that the
reformist brgani zatibn might muster up .
Bourgeois Nationalism
or militant
Nationalism",
"Bourgeois
".Booker T."ism" (self improvement) states that
black people should . strive to control the areas of
the black ghettos and communities, substituting
black-owned businesses and establishments for the
white-owned businesses. The "radical" wing of
"Bourgeois Nationalism" seeks to separate the
black people from White America by either acquiring
separate states within this nation, or being allowed
to establish a repatriation program back to Africa,
to help develop . it into an economic power, The
more moderate wing seeks to develop black palitical power by forming an independent political
party within the current structure; thereby electing
congressmen, assemblymen, -and other, officials, to
office - responsible to said party. . .. "'Bourgeois
Nationalism" identifies with the "winds of change"
sweeping the African continent, and endeavors to
re-educate black people toward the African past by
initiating programs dealing with African history and
culture.
As for its general effectiveness: "Bourgeois Nationalism" attempts to move in a positive
direction through its messages of racial pride and
racial "self-improvement" . Unfortunately, due to
its policy of inversion ("black" capitalism for
"white" capitalism), -it does not get to the core of
the black situation: the question of the elimination
of "exploitation." Unconsciously - relying upon
its western values of middle class "scorn" for the
masses; - it merely changes their "masters". ... ..
"Bourgeois Nationalism" is incapable of making
the "internal revolution" or "revolution of the
psyche" essential (to all revolutionaries) to develop "soul", or the embodiment of the aspirations
and longings of the masses of the people. It also
tends - especially in its "radical" or "separatist"'
wing - to develop into exclusive "cliques" separated from the "grass-roots" (masses) and any milt- .
tant action that clashes against the racist power
structure.
,
As time goes by, - "Bourgeois Nationalism"
becomes increasingly conservative - losing its
militant stance and potential initiative ; emphasiz
ing "culture" and "economics" instead of politics .
To proceed even deeper into this philosophy . is to
discover its childish attitude towards White America. Numbered below are some of the faults and
contradictions which seriously mar the effectiveness of this philosophy .
1). While America who - operating . internationally as a wing of Western Imperialism - has
been oppressing not only Black America, but three
quarters of. mankind, is going to "give" "Bourgeois Nationalists" separate states, is going to
can't on Pi. .10
AND STATEMENT 011 RACE' TERROR -IN USA
HAVANA, CUBA -- JUI,Y 23, 1964 . Human decency demands that the cavil
.
ized people of all the world vehemently, condemn racist America's campaign of
genocide against her citizens of African descent. Imperialist America's tradition
of racist terror and violence against colored humanity has become more than jest
a natural reaction, emanating from a desire to perpetuate her cast system inherent
in the "American way of life", it is now an elaborately contrived plan to systemal:cally exterminate. that portion of American society which is nonwhite . All over
racist America defenseless colored women and children are being. savagely gunnod down for no other crime than having been born black in the so-called "free
world of representative .democracy." Churches and homes are being bombed,
burned to the ground and fired into . In barbaric America, the- land that proposes
to bring white supremacy justice to a mull :racial world, by force of arms, the
racist government gives aid and comfort to facist terrorists while the blood of
Afioamericetna, begging for police protection, flows -through the streets.
t
Afroamer~cans have long pleaded to President Johnson for protection from
racist terrorists to no avail. The President has responded to the pitiful cries of
mercy by championing the rights of the oppressor to be secure in his acts of brutal
oppression . He has ordered the press to suppress and conceal facts of the true
nature and the vast extent to which terror and death are being visited upon black
Americans . He has ordered the racist and reactionary federal Bureau of Investigation to ruthlessly crush 'the feeble Negro self-defense elements in order to render
Afroamer :cans more susceptible to extermination. He has ordered an investigation
of those desperately struggling for human rights instead of those fascist elements
that have sworn to eliminate black people from the American scene. President
Johnson has ordered the Negro-hating F.B .I . to take ruthloSs action against the
perennial victims of terror and oppression rather than against those who have
long practiced it in the name of Christian white supremacy.
Jesse B. Stoner, national Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan .and vice-presidential candidate of the National States Rights Party, is openly campaigning for
"the Christian white people of America" to "eliminate' African savages from
America." These righti s t forces have sworn to make America a white only country.
They have already openly formed fascist armies armed with machine guns, light
ar4lleery, bombs and other light weapons of modern warfare currently used by
the U.S . Armed Forces . Local police forces and National Guard units are working
hand in hand with terrorist groups . Racist judges and their courts are racist instruments of the Ku Klux Klan . Black freedom f ghfers are helpless in legally 'defending themselves in these kangaroo courts serving as the legal arm of terror=st groups .
White supported and Government approved Negro leaders are being forced
to denounce outside support as possible interference in America's internal affairs.
These Negro mercenaries are ,being ordered to proclaim themselves impartial
and
objective while proposing to lead a partisan struggle . The racist slaughter of helpless black Americans in America is as much the affair of the civilized world
as South Africa and Portugal . America has no special writ from God to be exempt
from norms of civilized conduct and international law. The U .S .A . stands arrogantly
:n contempt and violation of the Human Rights Charter of the United Nations.
It is time for justminded peoples of the world to brand her as a barbaric, uncivilized, outlaw nation .
As exiled leader of the Revolutionary Action Movement, I beseech the decent
and civilized peoples o¬ the world to support the Afro-American in has desperate
'struggle for survival . We ask for support from all the civilized world in our.
just struggle for human rights, in America, and when possible, we ask that moral
support be supplemented' by more tangible aid. The preSent situation is so desperate that armed self-deense is becoming mandatory, if our savagely bessiged
people are to survive, we also need finantial and arms aid. We call upon all
decent minded peoples to aid us through those who will soon be personally
solicitng aid abroad .
Robert I' . William, Exiled leader of
The Revolutionary Action Movement
NEW PHILOSOPHY
gy of "peaceful co-existence", - they neglect .the
"allow" them to return ro Africa (which Western
colonial revolutions - championed by China Imperialism is exploiting for all it is worth), to stir
which rock the "co-existence' boat ; and emphasize
up trouble for the West and its lackeys!
the building of socialist societies, into propaganda
Since White America operates internationally
showplaces of "peaceful" competition).
as a wing of Western Imperialism oppressing the
So we see, from this description, that
Bandung or non-white world, Black America's freeblack and white "nationalism '1 is really
dom struggle now becomes a part of the world
internationalism .
" Revolutionary Black
struggle against the "universal Slavemaster",
Internationalism
"
also
refutes the "BourWestern Imperialism . Therefore political organizageois Reformist" theory that Black Ameritions operating within this structure are in the long
cans are "citizens denied their rights" . It
run, inadequate (except as organs of mass-educagoes on to state that Black Americans are
tion through struggle for immediate gains ; at best a
colonial ]2eople , and that the United States
temporary solution) - because in order for Black
contains two distinct nation s :White America
obtain
America, Africa, Asia and Latin 'America to
-citadel of Western Imperialism - and the
universal self-determination : the present economic
captive nation, colonial Black America .
and political structure of White America - citadel
It states that White America following the
of Western Imperialism must be totally changed .
European colonization of Africa -also de.2) . "Bourgeois Nationalism's inversion of
veloped its colony - internally - within the
community control leads to the "capitalist outslave - holding south instead of the African
look", i.e. exploitation - economic and political
homeland
.
Thus began Black America' s
along with the attitude of businessmen (profits befreedom
struggle
; lasting more than three,
fore loyalty), and materialistic hedonism which is
hundred years .
rampant in the West. As to the idea of black conBlack America's fight for self-determination
gressmen, assemblymen, and other officials : to reis
tied
up with the colonial revolutions of Africa,
iterate : this is at best a temporary solution . The
Asia and Latin America, Thus, we are involved in
main power within the structure will still be wielda new age, an age of Universal or Planetary Revolives
by
ed by whites: furthermore, White America
lution
: three quarters of mankind against the Unithe "law" which states that "might makes right"
versal Slave-master ; and the blazing voice of
Even if we elect these officials, they can be neu"Revolutionary Black Internationalism" marks
tralized by the armed might of white military forces
Black America's entry upon the revolutionary stage
within the country (as witness Reconstruction
of
history - linking up with her colonial brothers .
times after the Civil War). What Black America
Furthermore : as an oppressed, colonial nation,
needs in the long run, is not black businessmen,
Black America is justified in using every method
congressmen, or bourgeois leaders and officials,
that
other peoples use to obtain self-determination
but militant, revolutionary leadership rooted in the
.
.. . .In so doing, "Revolutionary Black Internationmasses of the people, articulating and implementing
alism" repudiates the narrow, cowardly, . latently
their highest aspirations .
masochistic philosophy of non-violence in the face
of
racist terrorism carried on by sadistic beasts.
A New Philosophy
Though approving of, and advocating racial
The new philosophy is "Revolutionary Black
pride and racial elevation, "Revolutionary Black
Nationalism", or more specifically, "Revolutionary
Internationalism" repudiates the outmoded and con
Black Internationalism" . It states that the world is
tradictory philosophy of "Bourgeois Nationalism"
divided by two nationalisms : "white" and "black" .
by-totally rejecting Western Capitalism and its . sick
'Europe
tLn ;or
with
the
nationalism
dealing
"White"
values in favor of the humane principles of Pancoloniansm,
policies
of
Western nations with their
African or "Bandung" socialism with its inherent
Capitalism, White Supremacy, or racism which has
philosophy of class destruction and peoples demled to the oppression - economic and political -ocracy (true democracy ; rule by and for the people
"black"
or
:
i.e.
the
quarters
of
mankind
of three
through their able revolutionary parties and leaderred, yellow and brown peoples .
ship) ; and also rejects . the clique of "separatism"
(Russia and her eastern European supporters
(from militant action by the black'masses) by total
West
itheir
and
closer
to
the
drifting
closer
are
"locking with" the oppressor's racist system in
following
the
strateChina
.
In
ideological war with
every feasible way.
Con't on ?g. 20
10
THE RIELATIONSHIP , APREVOLUTIONARY AFRO-AMERICAN MOVEMENT TO- THE
BANDUNG REVOLUTION
"The Black Revolution's Relationship to the
Bandung World" was the point of ideological departure for the second Afro-American Student Movement
(ASM) Conference . This conference preoccupied itself with . the consolidation' of eAsting revolutionary
Afro-American Youth potentialities and the development of a revolutionary Black Youth Movement, in
depth, that can initiate and sustain revolutionary .
action .
The nature and essence of the Revolutionary
Afro-American Movement's ideology was delineated
by veteran Black Revolutionists. In these presentations, the anti-imperialist rather than bourgeois
reformist character of the Black American's struggle
vas emphasized .
The goal of the Black American Revolution is the
biternational eradication of "Yanqui" (U .S. &
NATO) imperialism, not integration within this decadent imperialist framework . Therefore these AfroAmerican radicals denounced neutralism in the bipolar struggle between capitalist and, socialist
forces, and demanded global polarization of antiimperialists and capitalist imperialism . They asserted that the Afro-American revolutionists have a
vanguard role in this historic task, by virtue of
theif unique four hundred year endurance of "Charlie's inhumanism" and their strategic domestic
bondage within his "belly"
The critical problems confronting the African
Revolution, especially the Congo, and Asia and
Latin America were analyzed. The hypocritical
stance of bourgeois African nationalist leaders who
via neutralism have abandoned anti-imperialist
African revolutionists such as the Congolese under
Gbenye, was condemned. The lack of an - uncompromising commitment to anti-imperialism has relegated the Organization for African Ututy to the
status of a medium for "neocolonial subversion"
of the African people's free,;,- m : Thus genui1ne
revolutionists are forced to align thems&ves with
China. China, ^Cuba and Zanzibar comprise the
vanguard of the Bandung Revolution now pervasive
in the non-Western World, North Vietnam, Indonesia,
and Algeria are also responding positively to these
bi-polar conflicts . The Revolutionary Afro-American
Movement pledges solidarity with the Bandung
Revolution and ,regards itself as the North American
Vanguard of this "emerging World of the Future ."
The second ASM conference defined the goal of the
Bandung Revolution as the eradication of "Yanqui"
inhuman imperialism and the establishment of a new
world -based on the humane socialist values of
"Bandung Humanism," the humane aspirations of
the Bandung Revolution .
"Pandung Humanism" constitutes a revolutionary revision of Western or traditional Marxism to
relate revolutionary ideology adequately to the un
precedented political, socio-economic, technological, psycho-cultural developments occurring in
the post World War II era. The failure of Marxism to .
revolutionize Western Europe and the United State,
especially in the depression era of the 'thirties, has
forced committed Afro-American revolutionists to
formulate "Bandung Humanism" or Revolutionary
Black Internationalism. This ideology was initially
proclaimed at the first or May conference of the
Afro-American Student Movement. "Bandung Humanism" envisions a "dialectical eschatology" or
apocalyptic culmination of the conflict between the
inhuman "Yanqui" imperialist thesis and the antiimperialist humanist Bandung antithesis . The humanist synthesis of this dialectical "Armageddon"
is a socialist "classless" world democracy predicated upon the total demise of "Man's inhumanity
to . Man" in terms of war, socio-economic exploitation, and moral decadence and psychosis.
The Afro-American corollary to this "dialectical eschatology" is that the historic destiny of
Afro-America has, through its four hundred year
travail, created the socio-economic, cultural foundations of the dominant imperialist thesis and as a resuk of "Charlie's" inhuman oppression becomes
internal humanist anti-thesis, the "Samson" of the
decadent "Yanqui" imperialist social order and the
"David" of the humanistic Bandung World or Synthesis of the Future . `This prophetic mission is implicit in the Afro-American music of modernists
such as Bird, Miles, 'Trane, etc. The task of the
Revolutionary Afro-American Movement is to express via political action the dynamism embodied in
Afro-American music. The invincible optimism manifest in the second Afro-American Student Movement
Conference is evident in its adoption of the motto
of the Cuban Revolutioe:
Venceremosli (We Will Winll)
"The automation revolution in American
industry is . . . "fast" . . . sweeping away the
economic gains of Negroes made during two
world wars . "(6) The segment of the black
community that is affected by this the most
The Afrois black working class youth .
american World War II war baby generation
is faced with a new dilemma . They are
faced with the fact that this system so highly developed no longer needs them . The
paradox the Afroamerican must face is that
he built this country off his sweat, blood,
slave and semi-slave labor only to be completely shut out of it (the society) when he
was bestprepared to be assimilated in it. .
This contradiction polarizes forblackyouth
since theyare the generation thatwouldhave
emergedas the assimilatedpetty bourgeoisie of the Afroamerican . But since America
is both a racist caste and class society this
is impossible . Black youth are now faced
with nowhere to go but to the streets . Black
youth are being forced by this society into
becoming an unemployed mobile force in the
wake of economic stability for white Americans . Due to the tighting of the automatized clamp Afro-youth have no alternative
but to revolt . The question may arise, "Now
that we know this, what about unity among
our people? "
UNITE OR PERISH THE ALTERNATIVE
FOR BLACK AMERICA
The population in the U .S . will unify
of
necessity.
This necessity will be
out
brought about both.!from inside and outside
of its ranks . As the struggle becomes more
intense, a Mau-Mau of apolitical form will
probably have political ambitions which the
house niggers, (uncle toms) and the public
racist will be unable to fulfill . It will probably assassinate racist leaders and house
niggers who don'tfollow its line . The cry
in the black community will be "Liberation
or Death t" Oti the other hand the greater
the black community struggles, the uncon.
trollable ultra right (John Birch Society,
KKK, Nazi's, etc . ) and the controlled right
(CIA, FBI, Secret Servive, etc .) will step
up their programs of black extermination .
The black community will unite for human
survival _or perish .
The question most of
us get hung up on is, "Can we win?"
CAN WE WIN
Yes, we can win . In the fall 1964 is sue
of Black America in the article, "We can
ivin", it described how we will win . We
will win because our struggle is just, and
because our forces will have superior wills,
minds, armies, strategy and tactics . His torywil.l absolve us and dissolve the enemy.
Just because our analysis defies the "holy
trinity" of the ofay left, does not doom us
to defeat, extermination or hell. The only
absolute we know is change and change we
will . . . the history of the world. We can
and will win ! When blacks talk about winning, racial solidarity, repudiating western
values, not waiting for or giving a damm
about the white racist working class and
what it thinks, ofay so-called radicals scream "RACIST" and say our analysis is unscientific, shows bougeois tendencies and
has contradictions .
WHY WHITE AMERICANS FEAR
BLACK NATIONALISM
Mostwhite Americans either don'tunderstand-or fear nationalism among black am ericans because they usually have paranoid
tendencies concerning the racial situation
This
in the U .S . and around the world .
usand
is
from
their
guilt
complex
corms
ually covered by paternalism . White America know# what their ancestors have done
to the Afroamerican and they usually feel
that one day they will have to pay for their
deeds . Whenblacks start talking about killing whites and destroying the U.S . so-called
white radicals say that we are not talking
about "real" revolution .
WHAT IS "REAL" REVOLUTION?
"Political power comes from the barrel of a gun ." (7) "Real" revolution is
apolitical economic war that is, a war with
political objectives waged by theoppressed
to destroy the oppressox's power over them .
When white radicals talk about revolution
without destroying the existing American
society they- are not talking about "real"
revolution . What they fail to understand
is htat you have to destroy the old society
in order toccreate a new one . TheyfAil to
understand that the racist ruling class oligarchy stays in power because of it's ma-
.- 1:8,
8,
on Pg
BLACK NATIONALISM ON THE RIGHT
During the past two years there has, arisen
across the country, - a reactionary sort of so-called
"black-nationalism" which has confused the con
cept of Black Nationalism, and in particular, the
concept of Revolutionary Black Nationalism . In its
present article this phenomenon which we. are tentatively describing as "cufl-ud nationalism" will be
analyzed; -in a future article an alternative to Black
Opportunism will be offered.
"Black nationalism on the right" has its
roots in the post-slavery program of Booker T.
Washington . The greatest difference between Wash
ington and his modern-day counterparts, however, is
the stronger identification of these "nationalists"
with Mother Africa and also, their seeming militancy
(which can only be interpreted as "loud-mouth"
conservatism), - when it comes to speaking out gn
"Black" issues .'Just as Washington had thoughts
of establisting trade with Africa during his time,
'. 'nationalists" today are often heard spouting their
schemes of ''trade" between the Afro-American
Community and- developing African nations. What
kind of trade proposed is left vague, but one is
given the impression that this "trade" centers upon
African art imports to the U.S. (which - we will purchase with our $20 billion, naturally :).
In order to establish a .stronger identification
with Africa it is customary for "cullud nationalists"
to take on African names; this is seemingly a mili
tant position (and can be), inasmuch as it is "radical" for Black people in the context of the "American way of thinking ." However, when we consider
the opportunistic policies that those "nationalists"
pursue, ~it can only be concluded that .their names
should be relegated to the class of the Tubmans;
Kasavubus, Mobutus and Tshombes, all o¬ the reactionary, African "leader.''
The seeming militancy of reactionary "nationalism" arises when we consider the manner in
which these "nationalist" groups vociferously denounce both the so-called "black bourgeoisie" and
the present "Civil Rites" movement. It is certainly
true that the bourgeois elements within the Black
community should be denounced; it is equally true
that :the- "Civil Rites" program is leading itself up a
"blind alley" to the extent that it depends on the
Federal Government to step in at the point where the
movement has,reached a "dead end", or where it
relies upon .the morality of WHITEY to bring about
a solution to the multitude of contradictions inherent in the Black man's presence in America. Thus,
criticism of the "Civil Rites" movement is indeed
justified in many cases.
The greatest contradictions of reactionary
"black nationalism", however, present themselves
when we examine the "nationalist" program for the
solution of the dilemma of the Afro-American ; what
. most of our "cullud nationalists" propose is some
sort of ambiguous "self-help" program, complete
with befuddled slogans as "each one teach. orte,"
"Pride and Dignity", etc., as if "self-help" by
itself were going to solve the basic problems of
Afro-Americans (let alone slogans) . It is our belief
that these "nationalists" expect "Pride and Dignity" to arise from a vacuum, especially when, we
consider that self-hatred among Afro-Americans will
disappear only when Black people either establish
some sort of control, over the white-oriented mass
media or at least have the power to project a satis=
factory black Image to the masses. Our position on
"self-help" as advocated by these reactionary
"nationalists", is that their program has not developed to such a point that it might benefit the
masses of Black people in the racist U.S. In fact,
"Pride", "Dignity", and "self-help" alone cannot
and will not accomplish the arduous task of Black
Liberation, a point upon which we shall elaborate
1 ater .
One, implication ~f the "self-help" program
is that Afro-Americans ought to pursue the same
path that virtually every minority group in the U.S.
has followed, at one `time pr another, during its
history, in the raeist quagmire; that is, by rejuvenating, the ghettos in which they live (in terms of
improvement of buildings and of stimulating greater
economic activity in the Black community), going
BLACK NATIONALISM ON THE RIGHT
banks, ahd from this dream (and it is a dream) create
through the "bootstrap scene", and eventually becoming an integral part of the so-called "affluent
a vast network of Black businesses on the spirit of
the "American Ethic," which is an ethic of demasociety", Now, all of this above nonsense would
make prolific material for a very interesting Horatio
goguery and "tricknology ." All are myths.
In the first place, we lack the surplus capital
Alger novel (as applied to the "success story" of a
with which to invest in the dubious undertaking outmass of people), but in terms of economic realities
lined above. Oftentimes the figure of approximately
it is strictly not on the case . First point: during the
time which minority groups made their "debut into
20 billion dollars is offered as being the purchasing
the mainstream", the U.S. Economy was in a state
power of Black people in the U.S. This is quite an
of expansion therefore affording the members of
impressive sum, especially when we consider the
these groups ample opportunity for "upward mobilfact that it is at present greater than the Gross
ity" . Today we find U.S. capitalism in its highest
National Product of Canada. But where does this
$20 billion go? The ans-wer is that thissum is dis- .
stage of development (that of Imperialism) and tosipated in the" Afro-American's expenditures for
tally inadequate in providing a sufficient number
basic necessities. This "purchasing power" merely
of jobs for white workers, let alone black workers.
goes toward maintaining Black people on .a subsistEven if racial discrimination in the U.S. were
ence level : that is, the majority -of the $20' billion
to be abolished, Afro-Americans would be in few
pays for an often inadequate supply of food for the
areas of the economy `.in which they could expand
(besides those decadent, economic waste lands of
Black family, rent payments (which on the average
are higher than those for white families,) and for the
real estate, mortuaries, and drinking establishcost of utilities. In 1959, according to the latest
ments.) Second point: Jews, - Italians, Poles, GerBureau of the Census Report, the median income of
mans, and others who came to this country of their
non-white households ( .families and unrelated indiown volition have always had a group which they
viduals) was $2,520 or 49 .5% of the median for
could exploit economically in order to "make it" on
white households (which was $5,08$) . This dis'American
was
the
Afro-Amerthe
scene, that group
parity is shocking, but the brutal reality of the
ican community. Presently, the only group which
Afro-Americans can exploit LA themselves (who else
Black man's position in the "wilderness of North
America" is even more startling when we consider
is on the bottom?) This does in fact, occur, and
that, economically speaking, Afro-Americans are in
thus arise the internal class contradictions within
virtually the same position that they were ten years
.the captive nation of Afro-America, with the result
ago; "The previous Census (of 1950) didn't collect
of further entrenchment, economically, of the "black
similar figures by color. But the Census did conduct
bourgeoisie" into "WHITEY'S" economy (and the
a comparable sample survey. It showed for 1949, a
relative economic downfall of the 431ack masses.)
median
of $1,.533 for non-white households, or 48.9%
It is characteristic of these reactionary,
of the $3,138 for white households . No matter how
"nationalists" to spout cliches about a. non-exone measures it, Negro incomes are still less than
istent, American "free-enterprise; if our brothers
half those of whites, and have not made any signifihad done their reading on economics faithfully, they
cant gains in narrowing the margin during the past
would perhaps realize that "free-enterprise" was
decade . When allowance was made for the larger
dead in Europe in the late 1800's and was on the
size of the average Negro household, it turns out
decline in the U.S. during the early 1900's (along
that
the median per capita income of non-whites is
with the formation of the first billion-dollar trust in
only around 44% by a first approximation of that
history, United States Steel.) The free-enterprise is
of whites . The effective difference is also inspoken of as if it were still a reality in the racist
creased by the fact that Negroes generally have to
U.S.A. It just doesn't exist any more, and in actupay more for poorer quality goods and services, and
ality exerted itself only for a short period of time
by -other considerations . In order to substantiate our
during the Industrial Revolution in the U.S.
our position further that "self-help" is a necessary
Let's "bring it down front" : "self-help" for
but not sufficient condition for Black Liberation,.
brutalized Afro-Americans at the present stage (of
let us for a moment examine the situation of Afrodevelopment) of "WHITEY'S" economic system is a
Americans in that jungle known as Mississippi. The
necessary but not sufficient condition for Black
per capita income of Mississippi is $1,173, ; the
Liberation . Evidently, some Afro-Americans feel
lowest per capita income of any state in the union.
that Black people need only pool their financial
If, -however, -you are a Negro living in one of five or
"resources," establish Black-owned and controlled"
14
BLACK on the RIGHT
this has already occurred .
six counties studied by the U.S. Commission on
only
$531
Now, we realize that the American black bourCivil Rights, you may have an income of
a year. In the last 77 years there have been 578
geoisie would like very much to reap the economic
lynchings of which 538 were of Negroes.
goodies from the Motherland, but let us not overlook
If you have children in one of the 151 school
another important fact: it is precisely the markets of
districts (none desegregated) the state will expend
Africa, also upon which our "nationalists" focus
intense interest . Thus, concomitant with their
$174 a year on your child - less than any other
state. . Federal funds for the Negro Public Schools
"self-help program they wish to help themselves to
amounted to 42% of $193,061. "If you are a Negro
Africa's magnificent source of wealth; their desire
wQm.m n and had a child in 19$9 .and.the-child died at
to explout our Blood Brothers and Blood Sisters in
birth, it was one o£ 51.3% per 1,000 Negro infants
the Motherland in order to raise their own economic
who digd that year in Mississippi .
level in the U .S. takes on the characteristics of
Finally, if we consider that from approximatereactionary, "culled" opportunism .
ly June to October of 1964, 34 churches were either
Brother James Lacy, an Afro-American
bombed or set fire to by white racists, we can well
presently in Accra, Ghana, had this to say
imagine what might occur if any appreciable number
in an unpublished paper : "Why should Afriof "self-help" businesses were estabhshed-by Afro
cans help a segment of the largest capitalAmericans in the "deep" South.
istcountry in the world, even a Black segHow in hell could a program of "self-help"
ment, to strengthen its position and in that
function under the conditions of such a decadent
economy? Doesn't their entrenched econo
society as this, unless one is speaking of "helping-self" to bazookas, cannons, and mortars? These' mic interests represent another source by
which Africans will be exploited ? Doesn't
facts underline the bankruptcy of the "culled nathe strengthening of the Black man's econotionalist's" program which is out of touch with ecomic position in America imply that Amerinomic realities in the North and completely impotent
can government action in Cuba, South Vietin the South.
nam, the Congo, South Africa, and Latin
It's been pointed out previously that "Whitey"
America have to be supported by all who
has found himself in a "trick bag" relative to the
have interests in the American Economy?"
prospects of continually expanding the U .S. Econo
Let us keep in mind, that the racist U.S .
my (at least with respect to the present job situadidnotbecome a "have" nation and the vast,
tion); - U.S. Imperialism is suffering more and more
Black World-Africa, Asia, Latin America
each day as a result of the head-whipping it is rebecome
a group of "have not" nations simceiving in Southeast Asia.
ply
because
"Whitey" worked, diligently
At . o reaent con~wence of non-aligned nations
while the rest of the world set back on . its
in Cairo, "Whitey" was denounced for his involvehindquarters ; the role of U .S . "tricknology"
ment in the. Congo fiasco . Now, - the Beast needs
and imperialism with respect to the Black
markets and cheap sources of labor and natural
world is well documented, and need not be
resources in order to insure his continued realizabelabored here . However, the point which
zation of super-profits, but because of his past
we have made in preceding paragraphs is
trickery he finds that many nations now close their
not irrelevant to our present discussion .
doors when they see him coming. What is the soluAfro-Americans will definitly find it
tion to his problem? At least with regard to Africa,
necessary
to procure support for their stWhitey is attempting to gain a greater economic
ruggle
from
peoples through out the world,
foothold through the "patriotic" acts of "culled,"
particularly the Black World . In order to
bourgeois mercenaries (including such Negro Mytholacheive this support it is imperative that
ogists as publisher John H. . Johnson of Ebony MagAfro-Ame ricans not only denounce, but boyazine and Uncle Ralph Bunche, Carl T. Rowan,
cott (among other things )the system which
Emerson Player, etc .) "Big Charlie" is not particuseeks to destroy humanity . Any other polar which Afro-American lackey he sends abroad as
sition taken by Afro-America offers only a
long as this lackey "brings home the ham hock."
send
reactionary mythic solution to its problems ;
He would logically, therefore, be willing to
a "solution" which, because of other realireactionary nationalists to Africa as well as Uncle
ties, is destined. to fail .
Toms in order to do his bidding; as a matter of fact,
Can't- Next Issue
Dr . W .E .B . DuBois . theoretica l father
of the reformist civil rights movement,
ultimately realized that such a decadent,
"sick" society "cannot reform itself ;any
Man
Alienation is the plague affilicting
society that enslaves you, cannot free you,"
The Afroin the contemporary world, Man's response and he repudiated his "baby'%
indictment
to this pervasive condition determines his
revolutionist's
basic
American
destiny, because according to existentialism of Martin Luther King, Jr . and the other
The burden
existence precedes essence .
bourgeois reformists is their desire to asof creating freedom or enduring slavery
similate or integrate Black People into the
totally
rests on modern man's shoulders-is
"polluted" American mainstream of exploihis responsibility ; the oppressed. must lib- tationandinhurnanity, which is now underRevolution is not only
erate themselves .
going its final stages of decay and collapse .
Black
Man's
responsibility,
the American
Only a movement which embodies the aspiit is his redemption . Only total revolution rations and emotions expressed in the Afrocan resolve the pathological contradictions
American's music can captivate and galvaby
the
Afro-American's
utter
engendered
nize Black America . Marcus Garvey's
alination in the United . States .
nationalism elicited unprecedented AfroThe revolutionary implications of the
American attention, but Awas dialectically
Afro-American's fate have become increas- or historically premature . Never-the-less
ingly more manifest in his music-jazz . The
only an idelogy which incorporates the antiwork of Bird, Diz, Monk, and co . initially
imperialism of Garvey and DuBois can libSuch an Afro-Ameappeared so perplexing because it repreerate Afro-America .
revolutionary
development
sented an abrupt,
rican anti-imperialist movement, united
beyond traditional Afro,.American music - with those of the Bandung World, can revspirituals, blues, and swing . Aesthetically
olutionize the globe .
rebellious
expressed,
the
Afro-American's
it
The consumnate historical irony of the
but more sophisticated posture toward. his
Afro-American's "travail's in the United
alienation in post World. WarII America .
States is the revlation that it has been has
A fundamental "ennui"-spiritual paraly- his propheticm'islionviahislabor, tobuild,
sis besets the Western world . The "bohe- the economic foundations of the most deca.
mianism" of the European and American
dent imperialist empire, produce its only
intellectual embodies a romantic posture
cultural contributions to the world., and ultitoward their "spiritual wasteland " ;but today ,matelyto annihilate the "imperialist beast"
romanticism is anti-dialectical or counterthat its toil created . In essence, the Afrorevolutionary'because it is decadent and
American produced the "imperialist" thesis
degenerate . Nineteenth century romanticism (United States), and its oppression in the
was a critique of the materialistic, anti - United States has ultimately forged itinto
humanistic character of the bourgeois sothe anti-imperialist humanistic antithesis.
revorder
produced
by
the
industrial
cial
Thus the emerging Afro-American Revolu .
However, Marx emphasized that
olution .
tion is an aspect of modern "dialectical
artistic and sociological criticism must be eschatology"-Armageddon, the ultimate,
oriented toward transforming society . The final confrontation of the inhuman West and
Nietzchian assertion that " God. is dead." in
the humanistic Bandung World-Asia, Africa
The resultant
bourgeois society, compels man to resur Latin and. Afro-America .
humanistic "Bandung Synthesis" will create
rect God. via revolution . The failure of romanticists and Marxists to revolutionize the a World devoid of imperialistic contradic.
West condemned them to a permanent "ennui" tions-Man's inhumanity to Man and the conwhich is apparent in contemporary Western- sequent dehumanization in terms of poverty,
art, literature, and music . Only the Afro - racism, chavinism, psychosis and"ennui" .
American has not completely capitulated to
The nature of Afro-America's problem
pathology",
this
is
percepthis "spiritual
is international, therefore its solution must
tible in the perennial vitality of his music .
be international . . creation of the "Bandung
DIALECTICAL ESCHATOLOGY
DESTINY OF AFRO-AMERICA
by El Mahdi
veals the entire thinking of the NATO powers
and western imperialist . . . what they think
of the Africans, because' were shattered for
the first time in the history of the United
Nations . The African : nations came together
collectively and told the United States, " you
are an imperialist power!" Thiswas never
said before .
Never, never said before .
Because each of our leaders, perhaps, seared that Wall street might withdraw its
investments or the donor countries would
withdraw their aid . But today we Is°ay we
couldn't be worse, "you can go away with
your aid and couldn't be worse ." We have
suffered long enough and we'll struggle
on our own effort and build our own country,
if we have to do it .
They misjudge the activities of Africa
but we always come forward with new stories . . . with new activities . For the first
time in the history of the world, a continent
has come together and formed a continental
union in the form of the Organization of
African Unity .
No other continent in the
world. has done this .
You hear about the
Organization of American States but we know it is not an organization of American
states ; it is an organization against Cuba .
We know it. And we know also, that it is
not an organization of equal or free .people ;
it is an organization of master and slaves .
But the organization of African Unity is another matter . For the first time in the his tory of this world, people are prepared to
sacrifice their sovereignity inorder to bring a new unity on earth, and that is the
African Unity, African Unity is so vital ;
it is not merely a racial unity . It is an
African Unity to safeguard our interests,
because we know what these people have
done to us . We know the treacheries of
imperialism . . We don't have to go through
them . . . we don't have to repeat them .
We know what they have done . . . millions
of people have been killed in order to serve
the imperialist role ; in order to build . big
cities and countries . . . to traizsport them
from one corner of the world to the other
. . . .and under horrible conditions and we .
know thatif you're notalive and you're not
united the same sortof thing will corne .back.
We know it .
That's why they are trying to shoot the
Congolese people . Theyare testing . They
are testing our position on this questionof
the Congo .
It is a serious test because if
today they can prop up a Tshombe---that
renegade who can sell his own brother and
sisters (the Tshombes are the same type
who sold their brothers and sisters two centurie s ago), and if they can keep that rene gade then we are weak. To whatextentwill
the people of Africa resist him ? Iftoday
they succeed in the Congo, tomorrow it
will be Mozambique, it will be Kenya, it
will be the United Arab Republic, it will be
all of Africa .
And so we say, we stand united on this
issue . The whole of Africa is standing united and I can guarantee you, if there are
any renegades among the African leaders
who are prepared to be soldout on this particulat issue of the Congo, the African people in their countries will be the answer .
Tomorrow you will hear a verybig line from
a very inportant man . You'll see in your
papers tomorrow; (I'm sure the imperialists
will make full, use of it. ) This man-we call
him the "Voice of America"- this man is
shamelessly talking against his own folk
and kin-supportingmassacres in the Congo.
He'll get a very big line-splashed all over.
A bank balance . A hugh bank balance . I've
no doubt about it. But in Africa there will
be activities . These people can stand and
act shamelessly on the behalf of imperial.
ism-supporting massacres in Africa as if
we haven't suffered enough! As if we must
repeat history all over again. These are
the very people who want to enslave us as
they fatten their coffers . But we tell them
Africa of today is not the Africa of yester day . There are five million of us . We shall all fight and fight until we keep Africa
free . And it shall remain free . UHURU!
BLACK AMERICA
Box 359
New York, N.Y.
Enter my subscription to BLACK AMERICA .
Please send
copies .
I want to contribute to BLACK AMERICA .
Enclosed money order or check, $
,
25~ a copy, 1 .00 a year, bundles of or
more, 15~ each.
chine . This machine controls all of the in stitutions of American society . If one is
serious about "real" revolution he will realize that American society as it exists
must be destroyed. Blood flows in "real!'
revolution . Millions of¬ Americans ., blood
will flow-both white and black in the coma ng
revolution .
This description is built on
realism not utopianism . It is built on the
concept of two different ways of life clashing, essentially two different nations-white
America vs . Black America . Our concept
of revolutionis notdesigned,to frighten off
punks, spineless and gutless people . It is
important for us to know what "real" revOnce knowing what "real"
olution means .
revolution is we can estimate who will be
on our side and who will be against us . To
do this we mustknow what ha s been the relation between Black America and white America .
THE HISTORICAL RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN WHITE AMERICA
AND BLACK AMERICA
The American white working class has
benefited for over one hundred years from
thh super exploitationof the Afroamerican.
The white working claashas been those who
have led lynch parties and castrations against us .
The only time the white working class has ever united with the Black
man, (something the ofay left Always brags
about)is when it could use the black man to
attain a higher status in American society .
Ever since the African-American was stolen from Africa this has been happening .
Whether the movements were sucessful or
wt, the African-American never gained
from his alliance and still remained. an outcast,
During the revolutionary war, the Black
man was . promised freedom from chattel,
slavery if he foughton the side of the Amer
ican patriots . This promise was left unfulfilled . In fact so blatant was the racism of
the American patriots that theyclassified
the African-American as 3/8 human to justify their continued enslavement of him in
their newly found constitution of the United
States of America . The U .S .A . government
of the people, for the people and by the peo-
ple ;that is . . .white people . During the civil war the African-Americanwas promised. if he fought on the side of the union he
would get, "forty acres and a mule" . Again
the promise was broken .
Historians say
that there were clashes between the Blacks
who seized the landand federal(union)troops
after the war . So it goes on and on .
The
Populist movernent"united" withthe AfricanAmerican as small farmer movementbut
when it's bid for power was defeated. i t
The labor movement
turned racist again.
developed. along similar lines and the Amercommunist movement which evenpromised
the African-American a "Negro nation" ended up selling out to the Roosevelt machine .
The present .day leftpromises the Afroamerican everything from racial, economic
and political equality(integration)in a soc ialistAmerica to the right of self-determination ("Negro''nationhood in southern states) and the right to separate(one or more
states as a nation) . The relationship of unity even in, radical ranks has been of as exploitative nature; to use the African in America as a propaganda tool to get it's (ofay
left) program across.
THE OFAY LEFT
"The ofay left refuses to recognize that
America is a caste and class society . The
nature of the American caste is racial ;
therefore, any revolution in racist America
will be on racial lines . "(8) The only organized force in the white community capable
of attempting to sieze power is the ultraright. If the ofay left sees this development
then it's historical role is to go into the
white community, organize it for revolution
and. fight the facist. The American left has
lost it's roots in the white community . It
is broken into a hundred different pieces
wasting time debating among itself while the
ultra-right continues to gain power . The
ofay :left which spends most of it's time telling us what to do ahould. shut up for a while,
until it gets itself together and then talk to
those white working class bastards that
lynch, castrate,rape, murder and brutalize
da ily .
78
c on' t on Fg . 19
sis for the racist U.S.oligarchy . An example ofa limited effect of this was the
F . L . N .liberation fighters of South Vietnam .
With racist America having to cope with a
revolutionary war within her borders and
pressured from the outside by anti-imper ialist forces, it Nf~°ould suffer a political and
economic collapse . It would be to the advantage of every revolutionary to wage war
against the U .S . and it's lackeys in every
way possible during this crisis because it
will be the weakest period. for world imperialism . The Afroamerican revolutionary
would. become therefore the- pivotal,f)oint for
the destruction of world imperialism .
THE RESPONSIBILITY AND
THEORETICAL POSITION OF
THE AFROAMERICAN REVOLUTION
The Afroamerican revolutionary being
inside the citadel of world. imperialism and.
being the Vanguardagainst the most highly
developed. capitalist complex has problems
no other revolutionary has had . His position is so strategic that victory means the
downfall of the archenemy of the oppressed
(U .S . imperialism)and the beginning of the
ON INTERNA'1'IONAL SUPPORT
birth of a new world.
Since America is the citadel of imperiThe African-American revolutionary
alism, ( twentieth century Rome ) and it
awaits the day when Black humanism will
(America) can temporarily bring the world prevail over white decadent materialism ;
revolution to a stalemate, it is to the ad- for on that day the oppressed will see the
vantage of all revolutionaries to come to aid. sunrise again, the redeemers will walk the
with,political, economic and physical support earth, Hir arr : shall awaken and. the meek
in the course of a revolutionary war inside shall inherit the earth! Up you mighty revthe racist U . S . A . . . Latin American revolutionaries, you can accomplish what you
olutionaries especiailyplaya strategic role w ill !
REFERENCES
in thisbecause theyare in aposition ofim1 . Mrs . Amy Garvey- Garvey and Garveyism
med.iate physical support . A young Black
Revolutionary was told. recently that FALN, L . Editorial- Monthly Review , "The colonial
the Armed Forces of National Liberation of
War at Home", May 64-page 6 paragraph, 1 .
3 . Dubois- The Souls of Black Folk .
Venezuela, had.blown up one of Rockefeller's
4 . Editorial-Monthly Review, " The Colonial
imperialist investment in Venezuela in supwar
atHome ", May64-pages8, 9 ;paragraphl,
portof our struggle . This - incident, it was
5 . Editorial- Monthly Review , "The Colonial
stated ., occured concerning the bombing of
War at Home", May64-page8 ; paragraph 1 .
the six Black children in Birmingham .
H
. H . Edwards-M . R . Nov, 64, "The Colonial
When revolutionary war breaks out in
War at Home", except for the word "fast"
the U .S .A . it would be to the advantage of
replace the word "first"-author's addition .
Latin American revolutionaries towage war
7 . Mao Tse-tung quoted, in Mao Tse-tung
against their reactionary regimes who are
On Guerrilla Warfare , translation by Samuel
lackeys of U .S . imperialism because the
b, Griffith .
U.S . would be unable to come to their aid .
8 . From Black youth conference ; The Black
The seizure of and or destruction of the imRevolution's Relationship to the Band.ung
perialistproperty would.create a major criWorld .
THE NATURE OF OUR STRUGGLE
As the Afroamerican war baby generation attempts to fightfor integration(an impossible goal under the racist capitalist
system)and becomes frustrated from such,
it will begin to repudiate white America's
value and lean towards nationalism . By the
nature of oppression and struggle they will
realize that they must seize, control and
maintain state power before achieving any
goal (integration, separation, migration
back to Africa, black nationhiid, assimilation, ect. ) . The faster the African-American struggles for assimilation in racist
America, the faster he will become discouraged about integration a s a goal a s
counter-revolution (so called white backlash)grows inwhite America . As the south-.
ern Afroamerican pushes for the rightto
vote, raising the question of self-determination ;he will recieve more resistance from
the southern state apparatus and it will be
easier to show him ti is to his advantage to
ieze state power,
19
DIALECTICAL ESCHATOLOGY con't
Synthesis", a new Lumanistic world order .
As a result, the Afro-American revolutionist is an international outlaw, the "North
American Vanguard" of the Bandung Rev olution . His "Blood Brothers" are antiimperialists of the world, the balance consists of actual or potential enemies ; there
Thus the Black
can be no neutralism .
American radical and China are the paramount polarizers of the globe, dedicated to
precipitating Armageddon, "Dialectical Es .
chatology", or the final showdown between
"Yanqui" Inhumanism and Bandung Humanism .
The Afro-American revolutionist is
the Humanist of the furture whose life is
consecrated to the obliterating of U .S . and
NATQ- (Yanq. ui) Inhumanism,
To him nationalism is an anachronism,
"no anti-imperialist nation chabe an island
unto itself"-; the liberation of all Bandung
Peoples is predicated . upon their unity and
collective consecration to total war against
the "Yanqui" oligarchy . Nonalignment is _betrayal because it subordinates international
freedom (humanism) to national neo-colo nialism . The intent of Western economic
aid is to perpetuate "neo - imperialism",
not bury it .
The dialectical progression of modern
history has conferred a crucial role upon
the Afro-American revolutionist because
of his strategic position within the national
boundaries of the prime imperialist, the
U .S .A . . Only the Afro-American can devastate the "North American Collossus"
internally .
Thus all genuine Bandung revolutionaries
must unequivocally support the Revolutionary
Afro-American Movement . The Black American radical is a redeemer who must resurrect a colonial people who suffered centuries of spiritual and psychological genocide, and who acknowledge but one historyConsequently, before the Afroslavery .
American can revolutionize the world, he
must revolutionize himself ; he must reject
the decadent, bourgeois syndrome of materialism, hedonism and egoism, and create
new humanistic values for himself, his peo
The Afro-American
ple, and the world.
revolutionary is the humanistic antithesis
Central to the imof the inhuman West,
potence fo Maxism irrthe West is the absence
of this total humanistic conception of socialist proletarian revolution . Socio-economic
change alone cannot regenerate an inhuman
bourgeois order, societies must be revolutionized culturally and spritually in order
to establish a genuine world socialist democracy . It is imperative that all socialists
realize tha t humanism, not industrialization
is the essence of socialism ; otherwise all
revolutions will suffer betrayal . The task
of the Afro-American revolutionist is first
to fashion a humanistic ideology which embodies politicallythe humanistic dynamism
of the Afro-American music creativity of
Bird, Monk, Miles, 'Trane, etc . andthrough
anti-imperialist revolutionary struggle, demolish the American oligarchy and its global
lackeys - the personification of Satan on
Earth ."
BLACK AMERICA
Published quarterly by FRAM,
Plack Liberation Front of the U .S .A .
In Sumsary :A New Philosophy
We now witness the emergence of a new
philosophy for Black America - sfemming from the
universality of Dr. DuBois, and the militant, mass
oriented action of Marcus Garvey linked with the
anti-imperialism of the Bandung world. . It is one
with this age of Universal or-Planetary Revolution
against the Universal Slavemaster, Western Imperialism, it is pushed forward by a new generation of
black men and women dedicated to the total liberation of Black America - and, i.e. the Bandung
world - by all forms of revolutionary struggle. We
of Black America - the captive nation of North
America - join hands with our brothers throughout
the world, as we march from the crumbling bastions
of this Spiritual Dark Age - four hundred years of
universal servitude - into the blazing, -glorious
valleys of the long awaited SUNRISE!
Purpose of the REVOLUTIONARY NATIONALIST
The purpose of the REVOLUTIONARY NATIONALIST is to clarify, give direction, program methods of organization and to discuss problems of Revothe
lutionary nationalists . The REVOLUTIONARY NATIONALIST functions as .
Black
Nationalism
internal bulletin of the May 1,1964 Conference on
REVOLUTIONARY NATIONALIST is published by the permanent secretariat of
the conference . they REVOLUTIONARY NATIONALIST will interpret and further
develop the theories, aims, projects and actions of the May 1st Conference
and events which are pertinent to the cause of liberation of our people .
The REVOLUTIONARY NATIONALIST will also develop the philosophy of the
conference - Pan African socialism or what is publicly referred to as
Revolutionary Nationalism - Black internationalism .
13 Points from the May 1st Conference
1 . Development of a permanent underground'secretariat to carry out
plans .
2. To push the Bourgeois reformist as far "up tempo" as fast as
possible, while at the same time laying a base for an underground movement .
3 . The Conference united with the African, Asian ana Latin American
Revolution
4. Adopt Robert F. Williams as leader in exile .
The achievement of Afro-American solidarity (to push the Restoration of the Revolutionary Spirit to Pan-Africanism) .
6 . Conference philosophy - Pan African Socialism .
'] . The establishment of Internal Bulletin for Conference.
Construction of a Pan African Student Conference .
9 . Secretariat contact all student Liberation Organizations around
the world to develop rapport and coordination .
10. National Public organ, name : BLACK Ar"ZhICA .
11 . Charge genocide against U.S . Imperialism before the United
Nations .
12. Secretariat develop program for Revolutionary Black Nationalists .
13 . Develop two Revolutionary Centers .
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
Cove r
Purpose of RevPage 2 .
olutionary Nationalist .
The Next Step and
Page 3 .
the Road Ahead, Los Angeles proves we will win .
Page 6 .
Warfare
Urban Guerrilla
Page 7 . U .S .A .
Revolution
Minorit y
Strategy and TacPage 8 .
tics of Black Revolution
Page II-
losophy
Warfare
Page
Notes on the Phiof Self-Defense
13 . We Can Win .
The Next Step and the . Road Ahead
Ernest Thomas, founder and field
organizer for deacons for Defense
and Justice .
is part of Deacons' gear . During marches, walkie-talkies were
used to report any incidents to organization's far-flung patrols . As demonstrations
passed through white area, some Deacons mingled with crowd, others waited in cars .
Communication system
The Deacons for Defense signify a major development within our struggle .
For the first time since 1958 black working class leadership expounding
and practicing self-defense has emerged. With-every 15,000 members the
Deacons are definitely a force to be dealt with. Self-defense changes
the whole character of our movement and allows other questions to be
raised . Self-defense intoduces the concept of a black liberation army
for protection and survival . This in return raises the question for
every black man in America : "Should I join or support charlies' army or
the black liberation army (Deacons)?" This is the historical question of
the hour . For our people to understand this question, our movement must
become anti-imperialist-anti-U,S, racist government . Therefore, the next
step in our struggle is to develop a black anti-imperialist movement .
These questions were dealt with during the May 1"st and October 30th Conferences . Since both conferences, we: have consolidated and developed
many of our objectives . In order to intensify the quality of our ranks
REVOLUTIONARY NATIONALIST feels it necessary to discuss pare-military
warfare, Robert Williams' concept of urban guerrilla warfare, etc, We
feel that these articles may help in the next step and the road ahead.
On the Eire of Black Revolution : Los Angeles proves We Will Win
The national rebellion against racist oppression
The events in L.A. show we are at war with the United States government .
With the national guard being called in to crush our peoples struggle for
national liberstion we see that we are in the . same . situation we were in
over 102 years ago when the federal troops were called in to crush our
This shows we are still slaves, i .e ., colonial subjects,
slave revolts .
not citizens denied our rights .
In spite of the small number of weapons our people were still able to
stand off the highly organized white right wing police of L.A. This shows .
when our people make up their minds to fight for their freedom they are
uncontrollable . Also noted was a growing consciousness among our people
of the nature of their situation . . . "This is the Negro revolution we want
the world to know ." . . ."we want to set fire .right here (in L.A,) rather
than to go to Vietnam and fight . We'd rather fight for the Negro here" .
<x,n'S. -ecj . A.,
In The Name of Mlalik
`Get Whitey!'
"by any means necessary"
this
There was considerable comment that he people were. leaderless but youth
saying
the
themselves
by
contradicted
was not true ; thec newspapers
were leading . Therefore-the leaders in Los Angeles were the ghetto youth.
These same youth who emerged to lead the struggle in L.A. are constantly
caterorized as criminal : by the white. society and are proven to be the
most feared element among our people . The L.A . insurrection once again
rights
exposes the bankruptcy of the "responsible" leadership of the civil
although
they
made
_our
people
establishment . They had no control over
the
radio
.
order
over
law
and
appeals for maintaining "whities"
As to the international ramifications of this revolt, it further exposes
the U.S. as A racist colonialist prison for black people to the Bandung
(colored) peoples of the world and shows that,the African enslaved in
raAmerica is not a satisfied "Uncle Tom" waiting to integrate with the
we
are
victims
also
shows
that
cist imperialist beast society, and this
of domestic (internal) colonialism. This lates insurrection shows that
our people are learning through struggle, as witness the semi-gurrellia
tactics of our people in L.A. If there are black troops a.^nong the ranks
of the national guard they should turn their guns against their true
enemy and not shot their own people for the white racist .
With the war of resistance against racist oppression and brutality spreading to Chicago and Springfield, Mass . we see that the African enslaved in
America is involved in a pare--military protracted wari for national liberation . The semi guerrilla tactics being used in L .A. is proving our people
are.geginning to learn how to use guerrilla tactics of applying ten against
one.and one against ten - that is using superior numbers against the ene.
mies weakest point, constantly attacking, harrassing, annihilating and using one against ten as decoy to harass and demoralize the enemy .
The shooting of two brothers last weekend in Brooklyn,, N .Y. by white racist police;is the third shooting of a brother in Brooklyn this summer . The
shooting represents a systematic plan by the John Birch Society which has
successfully infiltrated the northern police force departments of creating
incidents in an attempt to annihilate revolutionary nationalists forces in
urban areas. before they have developed a sizeable organizational base . The
recent proposed challenge by the power structure of the validity of Jesse
Gray's petition.for candidacy for Mayor of New York city shows that the
white power structure will stop at nothihg to keep black people from obtaining BLACK POW R . Such events lead black people to only one solutioai.
the destruction of White America and the establishment of a Black peoples
government having its own liberation army . The riot which occurred in
Boston, Mass, that whitie tried to keep a secret, between the black and
white soldiers proves RAM's 'Revolutionary Action Movement) statement on
July 4th 1965 to the black soldiers to throw down their arms to refuse.to
be against white racist in the:
fight anA to let their battle ass,,
U.S .A: is the only alternative left for any sane Africanamerican in charlies'
white racist Yankee imperialist forces,
cwKa,r* to
TNF RACIST USA.
an Junior
.a7
Hi h
ro-American Sf
t
Overt social protest for tire
Afro-American student ..allybegins in the union high school . By
the time a back youth reaches the
age of 14, he begins to feel the
contradictions afhis relationship to
thissociety. He is led to believe in
school that he is white, "can make
it if he tries," and after school he
becornesblackagu in andenterf into
the hip world. The feeling of being
run smack into a brick veal' by the
educational system is being felt by
junior high and high school students. In the South more and more
juniorhl~F, andhigh school students
are lead(ng the movement, whereas
In 1460 it was the black college
youthwho were the vanguard of the
movement . We see in the North
black high and unior high school
youth touched off the riots in tar
fern and played a mayor role In the
riots in other citigs . If black college youth are feeling that there is
nowhere forthem to go,then it will
surely mop down to the black high
and junior high school youth. The
only tale left for them Is to rebel .
.e
TIE TORCISI OF
gMigurlow
Gangs
Almost every black camm.rrity
irng of belmg powerless over ane's.
has gangs . Very few people =r!
destiny(them_anhas control of that)
stand the nature of these gangs and
and of being less than a man .
how they can be transformed into a
Gangs are the most dynamic fOrce
constructive force for black libernrIn the black community. Insfeod of
tion . Gangs develop because black
fighting their brothers and sisters,
youth have no out in thiswhite
theycan 6si'trained to fight -Charman's racist, capitalist system .
lie ." Theycon be developed into a
Afro-American youth have no room
blood brotherhood (black youth
for axpsession in this savage soarmy) that will serve as a liberacieYy . They have no image of mm- tion fame In the black revolution .
hood or womanhood that they can
-identify with . Black youth know ~.,....r~..+
unconsciously that they are not a
The only alternative left far
part of "the man's" world. Thus in
Afro-American youth Is to unite for
contiast, the hip world develops,
a confrontotlon with "the man."
The gang represents orpan izat*on,
Black Intellectuat youth (coileQe
identity andpoveer for black youth .
must unite with black youth In fire
Living in a hostile world they ex~tto" black yoylh must units
perience none of these things . The
thre~~allheraijwggyto liberate
feeling ofAmlonging, being part of
black America and destroy "Char
something "boss" is a big part of a lie." The meseage that Revolutiongang . This sense of identity leads
ary Black Nationalists have for the
to organization of a gay and from
Afr~rAmerlcen student Is, UNITE
the gang's strength and influence,
to be the vanguard of the Afrocomes its power. For Afro-American
American and world revolution . . . .
youth, especially boys, gauge am
OR PERISH .
tire only thing in the black cammunitythat can give them a sense
ofpower. This comes from the Feel-
Role- of the Black Youth
&M feels that black' youth are the key to our revolution, We.see youth
all over the world leading the revolutions of our geople e In the Angolan
liberation army the soldier's age range is 17-20 " in the Congo-Is guerrilla
force. called "Youth" the age range is 1 .1+--2U ;, in the Viet Cong the age
range is 14-1 .9 " in Kenya the.Mau Mau was started by roving bands of youth.
In Cuba Castro{s forces :were very young .
Revolutionary
~11119IZZA
lyAIIFARE
Nationalist
,
Unity
by John Lewis
Need Unity
"If we could return to the
c l o s e brotherhood forced
upon our forefathers during
the days of slavery," Lewis
said, "when the -beating of
one salve brought cries of
anguish from all, then we
could cope with the problems .facing us . We trust remember that we need unity
because no matter what
kind of laws are passed, the
Klan and other racists won't
s t o p fighting over night.
They must f i r s t be detate_ "
-olitic
P
Zara_3L i
by Robert F. Williams
Boo
List
GARVAY AND GARVLrYISH . . . .A. GARVEY
PHILOSOPHIES AND OPINIONS OF MARCUS GARVEY . . . . vol 1&2
BLACK NATIONALISM .-UDOM
NEGRO LIBERATION . . . .HAYWOOD
5. AMERICAN NZGRG SLAVE REVOLTS . . . .APTHEKRR
6 . BLACK RECONSTRUCTION . . . .DUBOIS
7 . RECONSTRUCTION . . . . ALLER
cMMISH . . . .PADMORE
n. PAN AFRICANIsmTHEORUNITED
STAT&5._FRAZIER
9 . THE. NEGRO IN
10 . BLUES PEOPLB. . . . Le Hot J=es
11 . . BLACK JACOBINS . . . .C .L .R . JAMBS
12 . NEGROES WITH GUNS . . . . WILLIAMS
13 . BLACK BOURGZ091E- .FRAZIER
14. POLITICAL CHANGR IN UNDERDEVRLOPED COUNTRIES. . . .
. . . .Praeger
15 . PARTISAN WARFARE
WARFARE. . . . HRILBcXNH
. . . .CHE GUEVARA
16 . GUERRILLA
MAO-TSF-TUNG
WARFARE.
.
.
GUERRILLA
17 .
18 ., WAR,?OLITICS AND POWER . . . . CLAUSMUTZ
HOFFER
19 . THE TRUE BELIEVER . . . . ERIC
20 . GUERRILLA AND COUNTER GUERRILLA WARFARE . . . . POHBOSY
21 . POLITICAL THOUGHTS OF MAO Tag TONG
22 . ANTHOLOGY ON MAOION PRACTICE
ON CONTRADICTION
ON PROTRACTED WAR
PROBLEMS of WAR AND STRATEGY
. WHAT Is To BE DONE ? . . . . LININ
. STATE AND RBVOLUTION . . . . LENIN
25 . COMMUNIST REVOLUTIONARY WARFARE
26 . RIGHT OF SELF DET&RNINATION . . . .LXAIL1
. . . .JAMES ELIOT CROSS
27 . CONFLICT IN THE SHADOWS
213 . 150 gTT'aSTIONS FOR A GUERRILLA . . . .
WAR
PEOPLES
ARMY.
...
29 . PEOPLES
30 . PRIMER FOR AEVOLT . . . . STREETS . . . .
SHALL
FIGHT
IN
THE
31 . WE
32 . GUERRILLA WARFARE . . . .YANK BERT LEVY
, 3. MODERN GUERRILLA WARFARE. . . .
34 . PRINCIPLES OF W . . . .CLAUSEWITZ
35 .. THE WAR OF THE FLEA. . . . TABOR
1.
2.
the Coming Of Massive Violence
. We must reject the unwritten
We must defend ourselves We must tight back
guaranteeing our brutal
committment that so-called Negro leaders have made
of violence against
oppressors immunity from retribution for their henious acts
ourselves violently, but we
our defenseless people . Not only must we defend
ourselves for defense, both physically
must do it collectively. We must condition
of massive defense.
and psychologically . We must become adept in the methods
masochists among us, whose
There are those mercenary Uncle Toms and
encourage them to reject the first
missions are to demoralize our people and
that we cannot win any conflict that
law of nature . They are quick to inform us
do they not tell the racist
may degenerate into a state of massive violence . Why
not tell them that they consitute
oppressors that they cannot win? Why do they
the racists are the ones who will lose
a minority in the world? The fact is that
sensitive
to withstand such a shock . The optoo
.
America
is
such a conflict
and oppressed in such a
the
dehumanized
to
lose
than
have
more
pressors
conflict . Our people have nothing to lose but their chains .
have proved to us that
We prefer peaceful negotiations, but our oppressors
for reform and that they will
they are not susceptible to such mild pressures
massive violence
utilize massive violence to attempt to contain our struggle . When
and chaos. The factory
comes, the U.S .A. will become a bedlam of confusion
streets to report to their jobs . The
workers will be afraid to venture out on the
. All transportation
telephone workers and radio workers will be afraid to report
and looted . Property
will grind to a complete standstill . Stores will be destroyed
be reduced to ashes. Essential
will be damaged and expensive buildings will
sabotage will occur.
pipelines will be severed and blown up and all manner of
will occur inside the
firestorm
.
A
clash
like
a
terror
will
spread
Violence and
world local revolutionaries will
armed forces . At U.S . military bases around the
covered by the holocaust, U.S .
the
vast
area
Because
of
with
Afro
G.I
..s
.
side
workers, who are caught
forces will be spread too thin for effective action . U.S .
families . Trucks and trains
on their jobs, will try to return home to protect their
big urban centers. The economy will
will not move the necessary supplies to the
fall into a state of chaos.
his knees, simply
This racist imperialist oppressor will not be brought to
of Black Freedom Fighters and
because of the fighting ability and military power
the creation of economic : c_antic
their allies inside the U .S ., but because of
organs
otal disorganization, frustrat!Qao his essential and titrarvRal
_
' ion
~rId~wid~ Ilberalorr
a arsec~Trditlons cr
of~ro,~.,.~u iton, an
ill la prey to the new co
'struggle.-such formi a e en
lack of psychological
-Be
atof his ultra-modern and automated society and the
by almost
conditioning of his forces . Our people have already been conditioned
and
hunger
.
terror
years
of
violence,
400
a
new
- The new concept of revolution defies military science and tactics .
,ban co-mmu ea
cones t la
tn1VA campaigns conducted
and spree ng to the farm
e bTnW7tolnml~nini
e oral is reacFl1tig
- ca~rt'a wer'are, as carried out from theTlfflsand
areas. The old met o o gue
Any such force
YryiTde, would be Ineffective in a powerful country like the U.S .A .
would be wiped out In an hour. The now concept Is to huddle as close to the
new
enemy as Vosvlble so as to neutralize his modern and fierce weapons. The
whether they want
concept creates conditions that Involve the total community,
.
to be involved or not . It sustains a state of confusion and destruction of properly
to the
It dislocates the organs of harmony and order and reduces central power rioting
day sporadic
level of a helpless, sprawling, octopus. During the hours of
takes place and massive sniping. Night brings all-out warfare, organized fighting
campaign will
and unlimited terror against the oppressor and his forces . Such a
bring about an end to oppression and social Injustice In the U.S .A . In leas than
the U.S . Constitution with
80 days and create the basis for the Implementation of
justice end,equality for all people .
can
Of course, there would be great losses on the part of our people . How
admonished
we expect liberation without losses? Our people are already being
to sacrifice our
by the nonviolent forces to die for Freedom. We are being told
only
lives in situations of diminishing returns. If we must die, let us die in the
the tried
way that the oppressor will feel the weight of our death . Let us die in
revolution, let us
and proven way of liberation . If we are going to talk about
know what revolution means.
USA : The Potential of a Minority Revolution
by, Robert F. Williams
on the part of
The lesson of Monroe teaches that effective self-defense,
massive
or ani at a
quires
people
're
our brutally oppressed and terroized
~no
e allowed
forces
must
oppressive
External
d
o
w
central
must be
the
state
to relieve the besei d racist terroists. The forces of
The
white
supremacy
.
many places simultaneously
kept under pressure
masses must be forced to retreat to their homes in order to give security
to their individual families .
The weapons of defense employed by Afroamerican freedom fighters must consist of a poor man's arsenal . Gasoline fire bombs (Molotov cocktails),lye
or acid bombs (made by injecting lye or acid in the metal end of light
bulbs) can be used extensively. . During the night hours such weapons l
thrown from roof tops, will make the streets impossible for racist cops to
patrol. Hand grenados g bazookas light mortars, rocket launchers, machine
guns and ammunition can be bough clandestinely from servicemen anxious
to make a fast dollar . Freedom fighters in miitary camps can to contacted to give instruction on usage*
9
Extensive sabotage is possible . Gas tanks on public vehicles can be choked up with sand . Sugar is also highly effective in gasoline lines . Long
nails driven through boards and tacks with large heads are effective to
slow the movement of traffic on congested roads at night. This can cause
havoc on turn-pikes . Derailing of trains causes-panic . Explosive booby
traps on police telephone boxes can be employed . High powered sniper
rifles are readily available . Armor piercing bullets will penetrate oil
storage tanks from a distance . Phosphorous matches (iiitchen matches)
placed in air conditioning systems will.cause.delayed explosions which
will destroy expensive buildings . Flame throwers can be manufactured at
home. Combat experienced ex-service men can easily solve that problem.
Techniques mentioned here are generalized and require a closer study however, let the cynics take note that the mighty USA is not as snug an&. secure as it once-was . Yes ! a minority war of self-defense. can suceed.
The Afroamericau can, win . We need not submit, passively to racist extermination and brutality. The race. question is America's Achilles heel.
America's great abundance is what makes America America, without it she
would be a wretched land of chaos . Her economy is already under stress
and her military might is spread out too thinly throughout the world,
The bourgeosie has very little stomach for massive blood and violence .
They love their property t the source of their power and wealth. They are
highly susceptible to panic . The majority white supremacists do not command the loyalty of the entire race . There are a few John Brown type students and militants .
Afroamericans must remember - that such a campaign of massive self-defense
should not be based upon a lust for sadistical gratification . It cannot
be a campaign for vengeance g however $ sweet and deserving vengeneance may
be . Such a campaign of self-defense and survival must be based on the
righteous cause of justice. It must not be anti-white but anti.-oppression
and injustice. Uncle Toms should be as much a target as racist whites .
When a brutally oppressed and dehumanized . people are denied the peaceful
channels through which to activate redress 9 and when their peaceful petitions are answered with ruthless violence g the only recour, e left to them
tbn .
on TX3 . %2
Section 1 .
The Strategy-and Tactics of Black Revolution
Black revolutionists who are serious about revolution should study the
oppressors's system very closely and learn how it operates inside and
out, "Chuck's" weakness is his complexity and he can't stand simplicity
because it is Eastern and because it is against his nature, With black
people not having any power in this society the revolutionary nationalists
must begin to see their ranks as an opposing nation or government and
must see themselves and their ranks as "outlaws" of this society . Therefore, their government ranks) is an outlaw government or government in
exile .
The first thing revolutionary nationalists should be concerned with is
the protection of power for their government(ranks) . Therefore, their
immediate concern would be the development , of an army that coult . protect and liberate their nation. . But what is more important is that revolutionary nationalists must know what to do with their armies of National
Liberation once developed .. In the process of revolution the mass communications system should be the first to go . Why? Because the enemy's
populace and supporters retie on the mass communications system to know
how to relate to events . By destroying the oppressor's communication
system the revolutionary nationalists creates a vacuum .in the oppressor's
apparatus and isolates him from his machinery. Also, it sets the oppressor to a great disadvantage because he will have to attempt to rebuild his system in the middle of a battlefield . The electrical plants
should be the first target, then radio and T..V. stations - after a revolutionary broadcast by seizing it, newspapers next --the destruction of
newspaper buildings, including the press etc . In urban areas transportation lines would be the number two target - sabotage of subway systems,
derailing of trolleys or trains, etc . The destruction of airports, especially the tower dents the beasts transportation system ; telephone
lines should be cut . In rural. areas the roads leading in and out should
be set up for ambush and traps for trucks,etc . In urban areas gasoline
across highways, road blocks hold up traffic for hours . With Wall Street,
Madison Avenue, and half of the complex in Washington blown to bits the
oppressor will have to function under wartime plans . The destruction of
property,(the concept of private property being the basis of his system),
would be the chief concern of the revolutionary national liberation
fighters . The demolition of industry would come after communication and
transportation . The destruction of steel plants, auto plants,(the Detroit
complex) chemical plants, oil fields and plants would divide the energies of the oppressor. The complex outside of cities like New,York,
Detroit, Chicago, Buffalo N .Y. Lansing,Hichigan,Philadelphia Cleveland,
etc . are convenient for revolutionary nationalists . The destruction of
such complexes could be achieved by stationary mortars or mortars from
an automobile . The mayor's areas should also be completely demolished .
This keeps the lower elite..section of the capitalist ruling class isolated in the suburbs for days without communication with the outside
world. Bombs on trains would stop the commuters system entirely ; occasionally terror raids in the "super elite" sections killing important
executives would create chaos in the oppressors isolated communities .
The next phase would be taking power in the black communities, holding,
maintianing and sustaining it . If psychological warfare is used with
physical, then the oppressor's forces and supporters will be put at considerable disadvantage . We can see through phase one - destruction of
communications system, destruction of transportation system destruction
of important property of the oppressor's (Wall St .,Iadison Ave .,etc .)
i~ugtrial complexes, steel, auto, iron, chemical, oil, gas industry, etc .
how the revolutionary nationalists, using the proper strategy and tactics,
can put the oppressor on the defensive: In section two we will discuss
how they can keep the oppressor on the defensive .
Section II
In section I we discussed the stage of mobile lightening guerrilla warfare
of strike at night and run and hide during the day. Though section I described primarily the Northern front, this stage would take place simultaneously in the South. Birmingham Alabama is the main industrial complex
in the South and would be the number 1 target for lightening guerrilla warfare in the South. Being that the social, economic and political structure
is divided into .two different categories, our partisan war of national liberation must have a dual front . The South is a rural area, but because of
communication, terrain (basically flat) and transportation (highways) it
takes on a semi-urban character . The North is highly industrialized being urban, almost super urban, on the East coast . The dual front of our
forces would be a semi-urban campaign in the South and an urban campaign
in the north. The struggle in the North would take a more terroristic and
sabotage form because there is less area of mobility, and potential supporters are outnumbered, even though they constitute a large section of the
major cities . So emphasis in the North would be to wreck the oppressors
political and economic apparatus - government buildings, assassination of
government officials state and city, police machinery army, etc ., business executives and Lusiness buildings . Strategic raids in certain suburbs at night ; blowing up executives homes would be total social dislocation of major cities and will be the type of activity of the northern campaign . While in the South there will be semi-urban guerrilla warfare with
more emphasis on occupying (liberating) certain areas establishing peoples
governments and waging campaigns against the enemy. This type of warfare
would take place within the Black Belt area - Louisiana, Mississippi,
Georgia and South Carolina . In this area black people constitute near the
majority and live in an area that extends from the Atlantic Coast to the
Gulf of Mexico . Partisan warfare and the establishment of peoples liberation bases could cut the oppressors forces in half. Blacks constitute
at least 45% of the population of Louisiana, 59% in Mississippi 45% in
Alabama., 40% in Georgia and 55~ in South Carolina . The revolution would
probably spread from the Northern cities to Southern cities then to Southern rural areas, then the intiative would fall. on the rural area defeating the enemy in small campaigns while liberating the community. The
Southern front would shift quickly from guerrilla to mobile warfare . At
this time the oppressor would be forced to call in the National Guard and
the Army battle forces would be divided because of internal descention
due to the race issue . The National Guard and Army would be called in to
crush mobile warfare in rural areas because it would be the most advanced
form of guerrilla warfare . At this time guerrilla units in urban areas
could engage the enemy in "mass ambush" while the enemy is preparing to
mobilize against the Southern front . The elite of the mobile guerrilla
Southern forces could wage an encirclement offensive on one of the major
Southern -work-centers . At the same time the Northern guerrilla could wage
a suburban offensive throwing the Northern military apparatus far into
White America then the Southern mobile guerrilla could close the enci.rclement extending the war in a protracted manner splitting the enemies forces
in two . The occupying of cities black communities would be basically in
the South where there a great number of black people both within and out
of the city . The play of movement would develop sabotage within a south
.ern city with mass riot, assassination of racist leaders, then transforming the semi-rural areas lfarm areas), taking over plantations, etc .
Then the knocking out and taking over of roads leading into the city would
be the ne'xt form of developing support on the outside with political
cadres building support on the inside and returning to the city after engaging through small campaigns,
He will be forced to reinforce his weakening forces
in the rural areas while waging a political struggle within . Therefore
his force will be divided both inside and outside the city with the ene.
mies forces suffering defeat their force will decrease, there will be mutiny'
among black soldiers who will come to join the black liberation
front and also white soldiers will desert to protect their homes . Such
a campaign will lead to total chaos and dislocation within the enemies
forces that he wiii be unable to sustain his efforts against a protracted
guerrilla war whether its 90 days 9
years or a year.
,Through this outline and perspective of a partisan war of survival we can
see that the Afroamerican can and will win a protracted war of national
liberation .
c:o.it fro,., pc~ . 3.
The surrent situation shows us that Africanamericans are at war against
the U.S . government and in order for us to achieve liberation it (the U.S.
government) must become a thing of the past . With congress passing a law
making it a penality of five years in prison or $'10,000 fine for burning
draft cards the Africanamerican's situation id synonymous with his African
brothers in another place called the U.S .A. kUnion of South Africa) where
they are also jailed for the burning of pass cards . Under these conditions
no black man should join charlies army and go to Vietnam to fight his black
brothers but should remain within racist America to fight for self'-defense
and survival . If he lives in the South he should join the Deacons for
Defense and if he lives in the N rth he should join the Black Liberation
Army ( the developing guerrilla ?oices) . Any thinking Africanamerican
should see by now that conditions are developing into a racial war and the:
only way we can survive as a people is by developing an Africanamerican
peoples liberation army . Such an army when its in the mobile guerrilla
warfare stage should organize itself into small squads so that it can be
extremely mobile and should develop guerrilla units of three to harass to
harass the enemy especially at night. When spontaneous action develops
the guerrilla forces should use this as decoy against the enemy and should
strike at the adminstrative operations of the enemy-i .e ., police stations,
city buildings, electric plants, etc . Up until recently the level of guerrilla warfare. has been the destruction of property in the ghetto's . This
does not bring severe damage to the enemy. Urban guerrillas ahould concentrate on the destruction of the enemies material - then the moral and the
actual lives of his men . This would mean as rebellion breaks out within
the black ghetto's, guerrilla units would disperse themselves in the enemys'
complex, usually downtown, destroying key buildings or, on the outskirts of
the city destroying electrical plants and industry. Urban guerrillas main
emphasis will be on the intangible thing called organization . The political
prospective for the urban guerrilla would be to dbvelop- a dual - front and'dual
mrgAnizstfon . 'The dual front' would be - black people not partidipating
in the
war .in Vietnam apd -a - black. united. front _of a war of resistance
against
racial oppression in the U .S. The dual organization would be
public and
mass armed organization for the consolidation, expansion and adevelopment
of
black power and successful Black revolution coordinated with the
development
of an underground guerrilla force . Our message is resist
in the racists
both home and abroad . Fight tit for tat, an eye for an eye,
tooth or a
oo ,
e . or a. 1fe and use any means necessary to achieve justice
and
freedom in Johnsons great fascist racist society . Unite
:for a war. of selfdefense and survival or Perish .
15
Notes on the Philosophy of-Self-Defense Warfare
20
IMPORTANCE OF PROP GANDA AND O GANIZATION
"Guerrilla leaders spend a great deal more time in organization s instruc-
tion, agitation and propaganda work than they do fighting, for their most
important job is to win over the people . If the political temperature is
right, the fish, however few in number, will thrive and proliferate . It
is therefore the principal concern of all guerrilla leaders to get the water to the right temperature and to keep it there ."
from Mao Tse Tung's . . .
On Guerrilla Warfare
THE LAWS OF WAR
pruvrVt-
"The first law of war is to pressure ourselves and destroy, the enemy ."
Mao
HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE
"Historical experience is written in blood and iron."
Mao
ON ORGANIZATION OF GUERRILLA WARFARE '1
"What is the organization for guerrilla warfare ? Though all guerrilla
bands that spring from the masses of the people suffer from lack of organization at the time of their formation, they all have in common a basic
quality that makes organization possible . All guerrilla units must have
political and military leadership. 'leis is rue regardless o
e source
or size . o suc un s .
Mao
UNORGANIZED GUERRILLA WARFARE
'Unorganized guerrilla warfare cannot contribute to victory. . ."
Mao
GUERRILLA STRATEGY
F'Guerrilla strategy must be based primarily on alertness i mobility and
attack. It must be adjusted to the enemy situation, the terrain
existing lines of communication, the relative strengths t the weather s and
the situation of the people."
Mao
ELEMENTS OF THE GUERRILLA ARMY
"Since each guerrilla group fights in a protracted war,its officers must
be brave-and positive men whose-entire-loyalty is dedicate& to the cause
of emancipation of the people . An officer should have the following qualitiess great powers of endurance so that in spite of any hardship he sets
an example to his men and is model for them; he must be able to mix with
the people ; his spirit and that of the men must be one in strengthening
the policy of resistance . . ."
"A soldier who habitually breaks regulations must be dismissed from the
army . 11
"Victory in guerrilla war is conditioned upon keeping the membership
pure and clean."
Mao
POLITICAL PROBLEMS OF GU
RILLA WARFARE
"The fundamental problems are: first, spiritual unification of officers
and men within the army ; second, spiritual unification of the army and
the people ; and last, destruction of the unity of the enemy ."
'"A revolutionary army must have discipline that is established on a limited democratic basis . In all armies, obedience of the subordinat?s to their
superiors must be exacted . This is true in the case of guerrilla discipline, but the basis for guerrilla discipline must be the individual conscience . With guerrillas, a discipline of compulsion is ineffective ."
We further our mission of destroying the enemy by propagandizing his troops,
by treating his captured soldiers with consideration, and by
for
those-of his wounded who fall into our hands . If we fail in caring
these respects, we strengthen the solidarity of our enemy."
Mao
.
GUERRILLA INITIATIVE
"Guerrilla initiative-is expressed in dispersion, concentration, and the
alert shifting of forces .."
Mao
PLMiNG OF GUERRILLA ACTION
"Careful paanning is necessary if victory is to be won in guerrilla
war,
and those who fight without method do not understand the nature
of
guerrilla action ."
Mao
Ctd-k from Pg .7
is to meet violence with violence .
We do not advocate the violent overthrow of the U.S . Government . We
merely advocate self-defense for brutalized Afroamericans . If in the process of executing our Constitutional and God-given right of self-defense,
the racist U
.S, Government, which refuses to protect our people, is destroyed the end result stems from certain historical factors of social
relativity.
RAM Philosophy
RAM philosophy may be described as revolutionary nationalism
black nationalism or just plain blackism. It is that black people of the world
(darker races, black, yellow brown, red, oppressed peoples) are all enslaved by the same forces,
philosophy is one of the world black
revolution or world revolution of oppressed peoples rising up against
their former slavemasters . Our movement is a movement of black people
who are coordinating their efforts to create a Onew world" free from
exploitation and oppression of man to man,
W's
WE CAN WIN !
Dear Soul Sisters
In a recent meeting with you and others, we discussed the black revolution and the black man taking power and maintaining it. In other words,
the black man taking over this country by being victorious if there . is a
racial conflict (war) in the United States . There are some things I
would like to clarify in this letter on this question, especially since
there is so much confusion in the black community concerning the direction of the coming black revolution .
There are two conflicting views ; the first sees our people as citizens
denied their rights and believes that they will be assimulated or integrated by revolution, reform, or other means into the White American war
of life ; which means exploitation of non-whita peoples . The other sees
our people as a nation within the boundaries of another nation, a nation
in captivity striving to obtain independence, self determination or national liberation. One of the main reasons why many of our people take
the position of integration, assimilation or non-violent struggle is because they don't believe we.could win if there's. a race war in this country. They look at the oppressor's statistics and at his position of power and say ft's impossible to change this power without the help or support of white people . Many
all brothers and sisters. on the street will say
"But the white man has
the guns ; he controls everything :" So what isback
from realizing their power of being victorireally holding our people
ous in revolution and their position as a black nation, is their own defeatist attitude...
Well now, as this country prepares to become an outright facist state s
the Afroamerican no longer has a choice to worry could he win or-not, can
he be accepted or not . The Afroame~er can now has to worry about human survival . The Afroamerican is backed against a wall with nowhere to go but
forward, and standing in his way is White America. More and more the Afroamericam is being forced to think like a guerrilla fighter .. No longer is
the question whether we are outnumbered or not . It's plain and simple$
when three or four people are rushing towards you to kill you, all you
are thinking about are the tactics you are to use to defeat them and defend yourself. It's a matter of life and death.
In order for the .Afroamerican to have a correct prospectus, he must first
destroy the philosophy of defeatism in the black community. We.nust
understand our historical destiny and developments in the world in order
to have a clear view of our position in the black revolution, kirst Qf
all, we must forget about whether or not we now have all the arms and must
stop thinking that because we don't have any of the arms, we-can't win.
This is defeatism and defeatism is mental slavery j In order to free,ourselves mentally, we must know the power black people have in this country.
These powers are, one, the power to stop the machinery of government that is, the power to cause chaos, and make the situation such that nothing runs . Two, is the power to hurt the economy . With black people
creating mass chaos - especially in the major urban areas in the North and disrupting the agricultural setup in the South, the economy of the
oppressor would come to almost a standstill .
Three ., is the power of unleashing violence . This is the power that black
people have to tear up #charlie's" house . This is something that probably
every Asian, African and Latin American revolutionary wished he could do.
But this goody is left to the Afroamericaa .
All Afroamericans must begin to think like guerrilla fighters, since we
are all "blood brothers'A - in the struggle . Let us learn from our mistakes
in the past . . Appealing to a power structure does no good . The only thing
that power; reacts to is more power. If we-don't think we.can win then
there is no use in trying . Cowards give up when the odds look bad . A
guerrilla fighter knows he or she is right and attempts to win no matter
what the odds are . Many of us say we can create chaos but can't take
state power. This is not true, Others say we cannot to successful without the physical help of our Asian African ! and Latin American revolutionary brothers . This is also a degree of defeatism. It is true that
our struggle is part of a world black revolution and we:must unite with
the '"Bandung'l~ forces, but it is incorrect and defeatist to say that we
cannot win under any circumstances . We.must, under all conditions, be.
united with our Asian, African and Latin American brothers and sisters
but as Fidel Castro says "revolutionaries must make the revolution ." This
means that we (Afroamericans) must make our own revolution . Also, we
must be willing to accept the responsibility of revolution and be willing
to go all the way, no matter what happens.
The failure to realize our power and position in this country has been
the failure of Afroamericans to see themselves as revolutionary nationalists . In doing this, they don't see our :struggle as a national'liberation struggle, Instead, our struggle has previously been defined along
class lines only. This leads to confusion and failure to make a clear
analysis - because there are more factors involved than class . What most
Young black intellectuals must do is stop seeing. themselves, our people,
and our struggle through 0
-charlie's" eyes . We must become familiar with
our revolutionary history as an oppressed nation .
For a period of three hundred years the United States was the scene of
constant revolt. During this period, White Americans - especially in the
South - developed a fear of the "black hordes'" . The~South was an armed
camp, with every white man delegated with the authority of law and order
in matters concerning the black man . But then, as now, law and order has
meant the enslavement of a black nation. What most young black intellectuals fail to do is thoroughly study the slave system, the development of
slavery from the sixteenth century on to the twentieth century, how our
nation was taken into bondage, and the psychology of White America during
this period. Contrary to the oppressor's statistics, the. slave revolts
were organized involved thousands of slaves, and sometimes had international implications . These revolts occurred on the average of every three
weeks for a three hundred year period. The international perspective of
the Denmark Vesey revolt with his attempted coordination with Toussaint
L'Ouverture (military leader of the Haitian revolt which had defeated both
the French and British armies in liberating Haiti) shook White America to
its roots . . .With the population of African captives in the United States
much greater than "Charlie* has ever been willing to admit, White Americans
were :faced with a black take-over or black revolution . Black revolution
plagued them constantly . There was never any peace-.of mind., The fear of
having a Haitian revolution on United States soil played a major role in
the-official abolishment of the slave trade . The Nat Turner revolt shook
Vhite America so much that the idea of abolishment of the slave system
entire
became a feasible and practical concept .
Contrary to what most white historians would have us to believe the
Turner revolt was so well coordinated and planned, that it involved hundreds- of slaves., Turner struck fear into all of White America by his
tactics- of "strike by night and spare none ." Though the revolt- was shortlived-, many persons in positions of power realized that they would have
to cope with a black revolution if the slave system wasn't destroyed,
They knew that if they didn't do something quickly, the slaves would de.
velop. national organization and they feared that the "blacks" would take
over the country. The horror of thinking of what the "blacks" would do
to the whites if they were . in power was the nightmare. of America. The.
slave system would have to go in order to "save the Union"tWhite America) .
This was the situation that led to the Civil War .. White power had to
fight white. power in order to keep control over the "blacks" .
The next step is to develop the tactics for national liberation as "blood
brothers and sisters" in the struggle . What we must understand is that
*Charlie's" system runs like an IBM machine . But an IEM machine has a
weakness 9 and that weakness is its complexity. Put something in the wrong
place in an - IBT4 machine and it's finished for along time . And so it is
with this racist, imperialist system. Without mass communications and rapid transportation ) this system is through. The millionaires who control
this country would be isolated from their flunkies who do their dirty work.
When war breaks out in this country, if the action is directed toward taking over institutions of power and.'complete annihilation" of the racist
capitalist oligarchy, then the black revolution will be successful .: Guns t
tanks ) and police win mean nothing : The Armed Forces will be in chaos
for the struggle of black revolution will be directed against the racist
government of White America,' It will be a war between two governments :
the revolutionary Afroamerican government in exile against the racist s
imperialist White American government . It will be a war of the forces of
the black liberation front against the ultra-right coalition.
Black men and women in the Armed Forces will defect and come over to join
the black liberation forces . . Whiten who claim they want to help the revolution will be sent into the white communities to divide them, fight the
facists and frustrate the efforts of the counter-revolutionary forces.
Chaos will be everywhere and with the breakdown of mass communications,
mutiny will occur in great numbers in all facets of the oppressor's government . The stock market will fall; Wall Street will stop functioning ;
Tlashington, D,,C . .will be torn apart by riots, Officials everywhere. will
run for their lives . The George Lincoln Rockwells, William Buckleys q
Goldwaters, Daponts s Carnegies i Rockefellers Kennedy$ Vanderbilts, Hunts,
Johnsons Wallaces Barnetts, etc . Will be the first to go . The revolution will '°strike- ty night and spare. none ." Mass riots will occur in the
day with the Afroamericans blocking traffic burning buildings, etc . Thousands of Afroamericans will be in the street fighting- for they will know
that this is it. The cry will be "It's Ont" This will be the AfroAmerican's battle. for human survival . Thousands of our people will get
shot down but thousands more will be. there to fight on . The black revolution will use sabotage in the cities - knocking out.the .electrical power- first, then transportation,, and guerrilla warfare in the countryside
in the South. With the cities powerless, the oppressor will be helpless.
Turner's philosophy of "strike by night and spare none"-is very important
because it shows us that Turner knew the psychology of White America s and
that we had leadership with guerrilla instinct. Turner knew what black
terrorism meant to . the whites ? and struck, even though the odds were against him. His sense of annihilation of the enemy is very important for our
struggle even today, because unlike Asia, Africa and Latin America, the
Afroamerican has a great bulk of the mass against him. White America can
be neutralized only by fear of high stakes .- That is, if they know that
whole families, communities, etc . of their loved ones will be wiped off
the face of the earth if they attack Afroamericans they won't be too
eager to go to war against us, This will,be especially true if the Afroamerican revolutionary forces make it clear that they areifighting the
capitalist ruling class oligarchy - but if White Americans fight on the
side of the white racist oppressor's government, they will be wiped out
with no questions asked . For to support the oppressor's government is to
be murderers, and they would be treated like murderers . With the terms of
the revolution spelled out, this will divide White America. So, we can
see .that just by observing Nat .Turner, we can gain something for our coming revolution .
The whites have had to use terrorism in order to control Black America.
By the proportion of the population - in the South especially -- Afroamericans constitute a nation within a nation. As in slavery times the only
thing that has kept us enslaved is the white man's superior political machinery. By the political machinery, I mean the governmental machinery
that controls the mass communications and transportation has kept the
white man in power . If we would look at our situation today, we would
see that if the white man didn't deny us the right to vote or gerrymander our vote in the North, we would have significant political power if not political control of this country.
We see that in the Southern states - especially Mississippi - where blacks
outnumber whites by a very large portion - the .situation would be completely turned around. And with us controlling our communities in the
North, we could have the ten major urban centers tied up . If White
America wasn't a racist, capitalist state, half of Congress would be
black . The whites in control know this and this is why the federal government will never do anything to change its racist character . Yes it's
the United States government who perpetrates racism . The_ Southern ~cracker" (bigot) doesn't count, because the U.S. government is a "cracker"
government . Knowing our position,our historical destiny, we should be
willing to go all the way.
Neither the CIA, FBI, National Guard Army or local police will be able
to control our people- due to their Internal conflicts . The oppressor's
racist government, wili weaken and begin to fall more and more with every
day of revolutionary struggle on its hands . Foreign imperialists'- holdings will be seized by the various revolutionary movements in Asia,
and Latin America . U.S ._ lackey governments will topple everywhere Africat
once
the racist White American government is no longer able to come to 'heir
aid. With the White American ruling class wiped off the face of
this planet, and the remaining reactionary forces suffering eventual defeat, the
revolutionary Afroamerican government will call on the help of other revolutionaries and revolutionary governments to help restore order and to
fulfill the ultimate objectives of the world black revolution.
Thus we will have the fulfillment of a four hundred year destiny, and with
the Beast (Western Imperialism) destroyed - the birth of a New
World$ . . . .
We must realize that we are the key to the world black revolution
and that
the rest of the world is waiting for us . We must remember that History
is
on our side . Not only can we win, we will win I
Your Soul Brother
Published
by IMAM .
Black Liberation Front of the U.S .A .
:1~~~i,~~i~~1~~~'l~!l
VIBRATION
September 21, 1968
Issue 3
Editors: Norma Jean Freeman
Don Freeman
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the Editors.
VIBRATION
dedicated to
The Resurrection of the
Mentally and Spiritually Dead
VI B RA TI O N
PROLOGUE:
Vibration focuses its third issue on the race
problem which affects the future of the "American
Empire". The Report of the President's Commission
on Civil Disorders asserts that the United States is
disinte rag tiny because of its racial crisis . Racism is
a major consequence of "Yankee Imperialism" and
the decadent bourgeois culture that have corroded
American morality . It is imperative that the American People finally comprehend the "dialectical
(historical) inevitability" of the Black Revolt . The
"Twentieth Century Rome" is now reaping the death
and decline that it has sown.
An historical analysis of the devolution of Western civilization since the nineteenth century reveals
the ethnocentric (racist) orientation o.f capitalism .
The capitalist elite has utilized racism as a means to
i-mperialistic ends - "divide and conquer" of the
Western and Non-Westerri>Peoples of the World.
Although the majority of White America has
economically benefited from "Uncle Sam's" neocolonialism, they are now experiencing retribution
via the escalation of the Vietnamese and Black
American Liberation Struggles.
The liquidation of the late President John F.
Kennedy and his brother Senator Robert Kennedy
expose the "Twentieth Century Rome's" inability to
protect its "Caesars". Therefore it is obvious that
actual security is non-existent for any American
citizen. The "American Empire" is collapsing at
an exponential (geometric) instead of an arithmetic
rate. The counterviolent reaction of the "Power
Elite" to the Black Rebellion indicates that the
"American Pharoahs" do not intend to "Let
Black People Go" except via extermination .
However, a humanistic minority are aware that
the "cause and effect" process of "Black Genocide" will eliminate White America also . The
American People are confronted with their supreme
challenge ; they must positivelY respond now, otherwise they are doomed.
EDUCATION IN THE AGE OF CYBERNATION
Part II
Prerequisite to revision of American education
is the repudiation of the "Protestant Ethic" and the
redefinition of work in a "cybernated society".
Since technology is rapidly displacing human physical and several categories of mental labor, it is imperative that American society be revolutionized,
thereby enabling the creative potential of its people
to be positively cultivated . The vested interests
of the American oligarchy have postponed this
inevitable Apocalypse (Revolution) . However,
the exponential rate of the contemporary Dialectic (change) has confronted them with an
ultimatum - democratize the "American Empire"
or become a "Garrison State" . The facist reaction
of the Establishment of the reformist program of
students and the needs of underclass youth indicate that this nation is becoming a "Totalitarian
Empire". The ignorance and impotence of the
majority of the "body politic" facilitates the
reactionary maneuvers of the "military-industrial
complex" . These are crucial aspects of the "Generation'gap" which prevents meaningful consensus and
reform in the United States. The "Protestant Ethic"
- oriented majority of adults cannot understand
the preoccupation of the youth with intrinsic
(inner) fulfillment through creative endeavor rather
than extrinsic (monetary) compensation for meaning
less effort .
Social and behavioral scientists have not publicly
presented the critique of the socio-cultural and economic fabric which is implicit in their research . Consequently academia are not providing rational alternatives to the "cultural anarchy" which now threatens
the survival of the "Twentieth Century Rome".
Dr. Frank Riessman has advocated "new careers" to
diminish poverty. But his proposal has not appreciably
materialized because the "social-industrial complex"
is not willing to alter the formal education criteria for
employment in the social services . The public sector
is not allocating the funds necessary to expand the
social welfare and the fine arts fields . Thus vocational
education policies are still governed by a pre- cybernation frame of reference. The private sector's mania
for maximum profits rather than social utility perpetuates senseless human deprivation in the midst
of material abundance. Thus capitalism constitutes
the principal barrier to solving the educational
problems of the United States .
John K. Galbraith stresses that The New Industrial State must evolve beyond the profit motive in
order to alleviate the dysfunctioning of American
society. The "Power Elite" can not evade its own
liquidation via the « permanent war economy
(Viet Nam, etc.) it must now either revitalize itself or perish . The "pluralistic economy" must now
promote the welfare of the Poor by transforming this
nation's education and employment systems. The
"opportunity structure" can no longer afford to include the "Other America" on a quota basis. Neverthe less there are increasing critics of the "American
Empire" who endorse the conclusion of the late
Dr. W. E. B . DuBois - "Capitalism can not reform
emu-."
itself; a system that enslaves you can not free
There in the hill of silver
is silver
and
There in the swamp is the slime
So when you decide to make
your move
remember to Believe
as you climb
C. M. F.
CREATIVITY = INDEPENDENCE = LIFE
(Part III)
Black America must implement an Educational
Revolution in order to develop its spiritual, mental,
and material potential. Indoctrination and training
will perpetuate Black subservience to the "American
Empire". Black parents must discover that integrated
hour eois schools are not the solution to "ghetto noneducation" . Many White youth are rebelling against
these academic complexes. It has become evident to
a few Americans that genuine education is non-existent .
ich melts into resentme
hich melts into purpose
constitutes the unshaka le will.
"Black Power" advocates must realize that much
more than Black People's Heritage is required to revolutionize American educational theory and practice.
Education must embody a positive scientific philosophy
of Life and Human Development. Without this revolutionary conception of Man's "Raison d'Etre" (Life
Pu ose , meaningful education is impossible . Train
ing not learning is the obsession of American schools
and colleges . They are the "academic factories"
that produce the "technicians" necessary for the
maintenance of "Twentieth Century Rome". Unless
a student submits to the "military-industrial complex",
he is subversive . Criticism of middle-class values and
2. He paused to think . Once done
the sculptor began his work .
3. We live only for our
children's children's
children . . .
Hugh Sakubeti
~
3
seeking individual wealth and power to the detriment
the "Protestant Ethic" evokes the wrath of the "capiof the collective advancement of Humanity . Their comtalist status quo" . Thus Educational Revolution has
become the sole alternative to American Youth "Growmitment to Human Liberation will enable them .to f_ul
fillthe dialetical destiny of Black America - "the
inQ Up Absurd."
Spiritual Resurrection of Mankind" .
White racism is merely a symptom of what confronts
the Black Revolution in the "Brave New World". The
United States is an "affluent death trap" in which the
majority spiritually die in economic abundance while a
minority. of the~onulation "rot" in material poverty.
This utter dehumanization can only be supplanted by an
"Educational Renaissance" (rebirth) whose essence is
spiritual. Man must begin to cherish spiritual progress
more than material progress . Jesus stressed, "Seek Ye
First the Kingdom of God" (Man's Hi er Self). Although Mankind has deliberately and inadvertently
"procrastinated" for centuries, human survival is now
predicated upon spiritual revolution. Therefore the
REALITY OR ILLUSION : "I LOVE THE FOLK"
"spiritual maturation" of "homo saniens" (Men) is the
primary objective of Educational Revolution.
The "pathology of the Black Ghetto" will not
diminish until its inhabitants uositively interact with
each other; then Black Unity will cease to be rhetoric .
Subjectivity motivates the behavior of Black Folk. They
lack op strive channels through which to activate their
emotions ; as a result they release their inner tensions on
each other. The ghetto dwellers are dying in "torture
chambers" aggravated by their frustrations. Their lives
are "vacuums" which they strive to fill hedonistically .
The Black Subculture has not provided an adequate
foundation for building Black Communities. It has enriched the popular culture of the Western world, but
has not liberated Black People from an inferiority complex. The bourgeois-capitalist culture of white America
continues to be the norm that governs the existence of
so-called American Negroes.
The "mutual suicide" pervasive in Black Ghettos
cannot be effectively counteracted by this nation's
resent political, economic, and social institutions .
Black Revolutionaries must establish a humane society;
but first they must humanize Black People . Therefore
educational innovation is prerequisite to Black Revolution because only a radically humanistic education
can inspire Black Americans to create their Freedom
Black Radical Humanists will repudiate the "decadent
bourgeois value syndrome" of egoism, materialism, and
hedonism. They will not "yield to the temptation" of
Love is mostprecious It is fulfillment of the
Law and deserves our knowledge, understanding and diligence to preserve it, guard it from
tarnish, injury or destruction. Love never
fai/eth.
~`
Currently it seems to be in vogue to run around
making loud impassioned declarations of love for the
folk . To say "I love the folk" may be inspiring to the
speaker. It may kindle a sense of kinship and brotherhood with one's people . But the statement alone is
not enough, for it is just a fact. And facts, until they
are applied to the art of living, are void of meaning.
Utterances of love bring into being only the form of
love . It is the act of loving which fills this form with
substance. Love is a drama which continually wills to
be acted out. A lot of us know this, but we do not
understand it. And the absence of understanding accounts for the glaring contradictions between the form
and the substance of our love for the folk .
Perhaps it would be wise to try and determine
exactly who one means when he says: "I love my
people ." Who is "my people?" Is it first of all the
person himself? Is it his wife, parents, bloodbrothers and sisters, neighbors? It has been said
that "Charity (Love) begins at home ." And if we
assume this to be true and accept these persons
as part of the amorphous "my people", then we
should consider how love for them is manifested .
Is kindness, consideration, respect and unselfishness in evidence? Or can disharmony, disrespect,
selfishness or neglect be discerned? There is also
the possibility that "my people" embodies some
vague, unknowable mass of people "out there"
somewhere . If this be the case, then these "My
People Lovers" are in serious trouble.
We can begin to deal with this trouble when we
have started the process of reuniting understanding
with knowledge. Not only in relationship to love
and loving, but in all man's relationships, especially
(in terms of priorities) man's relationship to himself. When one's knowledge of himself begins to
show itself through his thinking, speaking, acting
and feeling, then he has begun to narrow the gulf
between his knowledge of self and his understanding
of self. As long as one's knowledge of self is not
manifested in his thinking, speaking, acting and
feeling, then understanding of self is still absent .
It is the same with Love . If the knowledge of love
does not appear in all the areas of expression
(thinking, acting, etc.) open to man, then one is
not truly experiencing love . That which he is
calling love is only one of the embryonic stages
of Love.
Obviously to love, in the true sense, is not
easy. Actually it is even beyond difficult because
for most of us (due to the condition of the world
and our own levels of development) it is improbable
that we will reach the stage of true loving. We
usually only experience one of the stages of embryonic Love. The rarity of Love (for anything
or anybody) in this society attests to this. However, the improbability of attainment does not,
should not, and must not negate the constant
striving towards Love . This striving is important
for keeping us "alive" and in touch with one
another. Without this striving to talk about
loving the "folk" is of no significance .
Through knowledge and understanding one
must come to the level of loving self. Then one
moves to the next level of loving those close at
hand and continue to work outward until loving
one's people is an actuality and not just an empty
high-sounding platitude. Making love a reality
requires time, effort and continual (not always
painless) growth. And for our people (as for all
people) I suspect it is the unifying agent that is
sorely needed . Many say it is Power which is
needed to unite us. If they are speaking of the
Power of Love, then I would agree. However,
I would be suspicious of any other Power.
Economical, Political and even Educational
Powers have the abilities to unite and/or
divide . Only Love consistently solidifies.
Hence this business of "loving the folk"
must cease to be a part of the meaningless
rhetoric currently circulating in the ghettos.
Let us begin to "put our actions where our
mouths are". For when we really tighten-up
on Love, it will be unnecessary to talk about
loving the folk since Love itself will "speak"
so loud our words will be drowned out. Let
us diligently work to shorten the time between
then and now, when "loving the folk" will be
a reality and not an illusion .
AN EXPLORATION OF ALTERNATIVES
Serious consideration must be given to the
establishment of communities of young Black
intellectuals who would live for an extended
period in a section (or sections) removed from
the various urban centers of the United States .
Essentially this whole idea centers around what
we might call an "exile concept" and would
occur in the form of "colonies" - relatively
autonomous communities of talented and creative Black people whose basic purpose would be
to investigate various alternative solutions to
the American racial problem from, let's say,
a non-Western point of view.
or link-up . And the ultimate objective would be
the eventual emergence of an organization which
would allow the two separate camps to coalesce
into one struggling whole. (This level of development - the ultimate organization of the two would most likely be preceded by an intra-racial,
intra-leadership fight for control or cooperation.
It would depend upon the individual strength of
each camp and the tactics used by each camp in
struggling for power as to which would prevail or cooperate.)
Ideally, the population of these communities would be composed of people talented in
the various social sciences, the "pure sciences"
(mathematics, medicine, statistics, etc.), and,
of course, writers, linguists, and those with
background in cultural, philosophical, and
religious study. Practicable and practical
analysis and theory (tactics and strategy)
would have to be one of the main purposes of
life in each community . Research, study, and
discussion would be the principle activities .
And those gathered there - in these "colonies
- would have to be people with some degree
of experience in the areas of active protest,
active organizational projects (both political
and economic), or in the realm of either
revolution or reform . People active from,
let's say, the period between 1958 and 1968.
During these years, roughly, it would be my
guess that the largest variety of projects and
programs - of approaches and experiments have been attempted to reconstruct the lives
of Black people in the modern United States.
All of which sounds reminiscent of the "ThinkTanks" (Institutes of Defense Analysis) which are
presently in operation in key locations throughout
the United States, sponsored by and created for the
power structure. But such coincidences should not
be the major concern. (You may call the "Colony
of the Disengaged" the "Institute of the Offense
Analysis", if you so wish.) What IS the main concern is that, in essence, the American system is
geared automatically in such a way that a huge
number of Black people are going to suffer largescale progressive genocide - both physically and
economically - between now and the next fifteen
years or so.
But the vital point is that our young, talented
potential leaders and thinkers need to assess the
racial situation from a more or less semi-isolated
and removed vantage point. Quite obviously
there would have to be some kind of a communication system or complex set up by which contact
could be kept with the activities going on in the
cities - in the places where active political and
economic movements were still in motion. And
quite likely we could predict that no small
amount of hostility, disagreement, and dissension would arise between those who decided
to remain in the actual "thick of things" and those
who chose this semi-exile brand of revolutionary
activity that I am speaking of. In addition, we
could safely predict that this kind of development
would create a recognizable and overt schism in
the leadership . There would be two camps : "the
Engaged" and "the Disengaged" we might call them
for convenience. In fact there would have to be an
initial spirit and understanding that the activities of
"the Engaged" could not be led nor controlled by
"the Disengaged" - and vice versa. There would,
however, have to be some kind of communication
maintained between the two. Some kind of liaison
Careful observation of the education and
training and jobs being provided under the Poverty
Program will reveal that at best Black people are
being given elementary and short-term preparation
for life in the future . For example, this society will
not be needing people who can merely read, write,
add and subtract in approximately ten years. As
for employment, the misleading "concessions"
that big business and industry are making to hire
the hard-core unemployed are at best agreements
to accept QUOTAS of people . The genocidal
(fatal) part about it is that the so-called "jobs"
involved in this quota system are jobs that will
shortly become obsolete as a result of automation, computerization, and a cybernetic economic
establishment. And, finally, there is the wellknown fact that America will be forced to police
its own national boundaries eventually - which
will mean that America's military might will be
substantially withdrawn from without, and it
will become poised and concentrated on the continental United States themselves . Needless to
6
(continued from page 5)
say, Black revolutionaries can hardly combat a
force that has for fifty years or so felt equal to
conquering the entire world - especially seeing
that Black people are in their present state of
disorganization and factionalism .
No, I'm NOT saying that armed, tactical and
strategic alternatives must be dispensed with or
abandoned. My point is that serious reassessment
and re-evaluation has to occur before any new
programs are initiated by and for Black people .
And I say this with a great deal of qualification ;
for it is questionable whether there have been
any programs initiated l~Black people to date that is, outside of the Muslims and Marcus Garvey.
Booker T . Washington's program is not even bad
with severe updating and alteration . At least
under Washington's program people were being
trained for the basic crafts . They knew how to
use the hammer, the saw, and the square rule ;
they could head into the direction of the building trades - even though they couldn't engage
in profound philosophical discussions. Today
Black people can't paste two pieces of wood
together with Elmer's glue - even after being
given a complete demonstration . If this weren't
true, then how in the hell do you think their
apartments and tenements became so damned
run-down? How do you think they got to the
point where they were literally at the mercy
of the landlords? Why, they've nearly lost
all knowledge of how to repair things - which
is ironic, tragic, and somewhat of a paradox.
Remember, they were the ones who were
~
brought here and enslaved to do all the building, construction, and labor.
Like I said, re-assessment and re-evaluation
must occur before any more programs are initiated for the so-called benefit of our race .
We ve got to re-organize (or, really, organize) a
value system for ourselves . We must sit down
together somehow in a united, common-purpose
fashion and decide precisely where we are going
to place emphasis. We have to order and list
our priorities ; we have to choose between the
important and the unimportant. For instance,
we have to begin to understand that education
must have both functional and survival value.
We have to learn that it essentially means
nothing when we observe that Johnson &
Johnson Co . is not manufacturing Band-Aids
that match the different shades of our skin .
For these and many more reasons I am
pretty much convinced that some of our people
must organize for the purpose of temporarily
removing themselves from the midst of this
misdirected, so-called revolution . They must
set up an intellectual community of students
and scientifically-oriented revolutionaries who
can commence with the work of separating the
wheat from the chaff. Once done, we'll know
better what to fight for - and perhaps how.
And here's another thing to remember something that each individual must remember
to teach and remind to others . By exploiting
the existent African hierarchal system, the
colonial powers (the British outstanding) were
able to introduce the practice of "indirect
rule." On the other hand, the United States
employs a variation of this same theme. Here,
in this country, they employ the technique
of "tokenism," or else that of using the Black
middle class as both a buffer and liaison between the power structure and the deprived
masses . In the American example the object
is not necessarily to rule, per se; but, rather, to
create an overall atmosphere and collective
attitude of appeasement and/or indifference .
This allows the power structure to operate unimpeded and uninhibited, whether its operation be a positive or negative force (that is, in
terms of the general welfare). Sometimes we
either tend to forget or become unaware of
the fact that the underprivileged will be indifferent to - or consent to - the effects of
the status quo. Even when the miserable
conditions of the underprivileged are created
~ the defenders of the status quo. It might
be added that there are even those who suffer
in such a manner that they properly belong to
that category described as "the underprivileged"
- Yet they have been so mentally conditioned
that they live with the illusion that they are true
members of the privileged class. Certainly an-
Africa, and Latin America) . As a result, White
America simultaneously exterminates Black
America, Vietnam, and neocolonizes non-white
nations.
other way of describing how much of a merrygo-round the American system actually is .
Or we could describe the American system
in another graphic sense . We could say that it is,
properly speaking, a system which maintains
order amongst the deprived peoples by weaving
a Web of Repetitious Appeasement . Like the
many programs of appeasement underway at
present. There are the multiplicity of Poverty
Programs . There are white politicians drafting
speeches which will convince many people that
the old-time, negative moral personality of
white America has at last transformed into an
honest-to-goodness "humane nature ."
Protracted conflict in Vietnam and urban
Black guerrilla warfare have "shocked" the
"affluent society" into contemplating the implications of its " lg obal mayhem". Thousands
of dissenters criticize the "permanent war
economy" and the "Land of the Frees" devolution into a "garrison state" committed to
containment of the "Revolution of Rising
Expectations" at home and abroad . To them
the "Stars and Stripes" are a symbol of imperialism and racism .
Hugh Sakubeti
The eighteenth century genesis of the
"Paleface's" imperialism is evident in the "removal " of the so-called Indians subsequent
to 1776. The rationalization of "gringo" invasion of Mexico and seizure of the present
Southwest during the 1840's elicited ineffectual protest from a political minority
including Abraham Lincoln. A major fe fect
of this continental imperialism was the
Civil War. The Northern capitalists' triumph
bestowed upon them the "booty" and the
power to shape America's "Manifest Destiny".
The "modus operandi" of Wall Street was
refined in the "Deal of 1877" which reconciled the "Dixiecrats" to Northern capital
via political abandonment of "Black Dixie".
Their liquidation of Populism in the 1890's
completed the internal consolidation of the
"capitalist oligarchy" .
IMPERIALISM, NATIONALISM, RACISM :
AMERICA'S "MANIFEST DESTINY" (Part I)
The "American Empire" has attempted to
become "E Pluribus Unum" (One of Many), but
the neocolonial plight of Black Americans signi
fies that the "pot never completely melted". The
Report of the President's Commission on Civil
Disorders acknowledges that integration of the socalled "Negro" has been rhetoric. To understand
why Black Folk can NEVER be assimilated, one
must study the evolution of the "Twentieth Century Rome".
The spoils (Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the
Philippine Islands) plundered from Spain in
1898 inaugurated the "American Commonwealth" . The U. S. State Department's
"Dollar Diplomacy" in Latin America augmented the opulence of the "robber barons".
The "White Man's Burden" became the universal rationale for "Caucasian rape" of
Bandung Peoples and a np 'mart' stimulus of
the "First Imperialist War" (World War I) .
"American versions" of history have deliberately excluded the authentic heritage of Black
People ; nevertheless a few individuals perceive the
ramifications of "American Historigraphy" . The
insidious indoctrination of generations of Americans has not merely fostered a dero a~ tort/ image of
Black Americans ; it has "poisoned the American
citizenry's impression of the Bandung World (Asia,
The "negative trinity" - imperialism,
nationalism, and racism - has dominated
8
Western Man's behavior since 1865 . These
ideologies were or anic developments of
Western capitalism which initially progressed
within national contexts . Therefore Northern
capitalists' defeat of Southern "feudalists"
was prerequisite to their industrialization of
the entire United States . "Wall Street" conclusively disposed of Southern "Bourbon"
resistance via the "modus operandi of 1877"
which provided a carte blanche green light)
for racism . The "Populist threat" disintegrated in the 1890's because of racist antagonisms between Black and White tenant farmers.
Similar hostilities curtailed the organization of
industrial labor. C. Vann Woodward's The
Strange Career of Jim Crow substantiates the
thesis that the escalation of racism internally
from 1890-1914 was commensurate with the
expansion of "Yankee" imperialism externally .
The ethnocentrism inherent in America's
"Manifest Destiny" is discernible in its "cultural
homogeneity". The capitalist elite established
its "WASP" (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant)
culture as the norm . To reinforce this cultural
bias, the heritage of the original Americans so-called Negroes and Indians - was deliberately maligned. Consequently EVERY ethnic group
via its acculturation acquired a dehumanizing
conception of Non-White humanity. The economic competition of migrated Black sharecroppers exacerbated the prejudices of
European immigrants, thereby precipitating the
"ethnic enmity" that persists in urban America.
Concurrent with the penetration of Western
imperialism throughout the Bandung world,
Western scholars promulgated Western culture as the sine qua non of human civilization
and the apex of human progress. Western
societies conceived of Non-Western peoples
as innately inferior .
In 1914 the imperialistic rivalries between
Western nations degenerated into "military
barbarism" and demolished the supranational
unity of European socialists . Marxists subordinated international proletariat solidarity
to national allegiance to capitalist states .
Nikolai Lenin and Rosa Luxembourg at-
tributed this "aberration" of Marxism to the
corruption of social democrats via national
economic concessions from capitalist imperialism. Thus the European working
classes relegated themselves to "mutual
extermination" from 1914 to 1918 and
recapitulated this "fraternal insanity" from
1939 to 1945 . The aftermath of the
chauvinistic Versailles "Peace Conference"
illuminated the ethnocentric nature of
Western nationalism, especially British
suppression of Mahatma Gandhi's
nationalist movement in India. This was
an indication that national "self-determination" applied exclusively to "Caucasians" .
The belligerent reaction to Japan's challenge
of Western supremacy in Asia also exposed
the racist complexion of capitalistic imperialism ; Japan insisted that colonialism was no
longer the prerogative of Western capitalists
The influence of Marcus Garvey after the "First
Imperialistic War", like the rise of Japan, embodied
dialectical inevitability . His Universal Negro Improvement Association (U. N. I. A. ) was a dynamic response to the resurgent racism of the "American
Empire". He galvanized Africa, the Caribbean, and
Black America, thereby disturbing monopoly capitalism internationally . The Garveyites were precursors of the nationalism that engulfed Africa and
the Western Hemisphere following the "Second Imperialistic War". Garvey profoundly understood the
confluence of imperialism, nationalism, and racism in
perpetuating capitalist genocide of Black America.
He maintained that integration is not feasible in the
United States and that the "American Dream" would
remain inaccessible to "niggers". Like Frantz Fanon,
Garvey acutely perceived the "psychic violence" inflicted upon Black People by "Uncle Sam's" caste
system . Therefore he emphasized the relevance of
self-determination to Black as well as White People .
His Africa-oriented Black ideology was an expression
of the Volk eist (Spirit of the Age) . Harold Cruise
asserts that Black America experienced "historical
discontinuity" in relation to its awareness of Black
Nationalism after the deportation of Marcus Garvey .
The emergence of Elijah Muhammad's Nation of
Islam in the late 1950's revived concrete Black
repudiation of the integrationist approach. A
giving some consideration to the intangible
aspect of racism as cancellation .
crescendo of nationalist revolts against Western
colonialism have erupted in Asia and Africa since
1945. The seeds of Black Rebellion sown by
America's Manifest Destiny were destined to be
reed also.
Intangibly racism as cancellation engenders
Hate. This Hate causes one to use his Will and
energies in a negative, rather than a positive,
way. One becomes so consumed by a desire to
retaliate that both thoughts and actions are
directed towards destruction with little consideration given to construction . This is a
deadly process. For destruction tends not
only to encompass the "enemy" but also oneself. Often the desire to wipe out the "enemy"
becomes so intense one is willing to annihilate
himself in order to destroy the object of his
hate. Still worse than a loss of life, this type of
imbalanced compulsion does not eliminate the
problems existing among men. It may at best
result in a temporary reprieve. If this were the
proper solution, then "man's inhumanity to
man" would have appreciably diminished centuries ago. Clearly racism as cancellation in
the realm of the intangible is a lethal poison
to man's psyche . For it enables the negative
within man to triumph over the positive . It
increases the difficulty of man raising himself
from a sub-human level to the level of a human
being. And until man becomes a truly human
being, there will always be "wars and rumors of
RACISM: THE CANCELLING-OUT THEORY
Racism is based on the theory of cancellation .
This cancellation is manifested in two ways : one
tangible, the other intangible . In order to deal
with it one has to understand racism not as it
appears to be, but as it actually is.
The tangible evidence of racism as nullification
is apparent in the way the masses of white and black
people are at odds with one another. The white
masses need racism to lean on in order to maintain
their belief in the illusion of "The American Dream".
The black masses (although increasing numbers are
realizing the hoax of racism) have to believe in the
doctrine of racism, because without a real understanding of the political and economic structure upon
which this country was built there is no other plausible
explanation for their plight . Unfortunately neither
realizes that the Ruling Minority's only concern with
racism is as a tool which enables it to maintain its
stranglehold on all the people . As long as the whites
and the blacks are at each other's throats, there is
neither time nor energy to deal with the REAL
problems of this society . The major difference
between the blacks and the whites is that millions
of blacks have awakened to the fact that their
lives are not their own and that they are among
the "living dead", while most whites still labor
under the illusion that they are in control of
their destinies. We will come back to this after
wars".
Taken both tangibly and intangibly, racism
was for the "Power Elite" a stroke of genius . It
has greatly facilitated their control of the masses,
both black and white. Fortunately increasing
numbers of white youth and many blacks are
beginning to recognize racism for what it is.
They are questioning whether ANYONE, white
or black; can live a meaningful life in this
society . Hence there is much talk about "doing
your own thing" . But is this really a solution to
what "ails" us? One must recognize the fact that
this society is preparing an environment to absorb
and encourage folks "to do their thing" . First of
all, this society is preparing to write off millions of
"useless" blacks and whites, via war, riots, and
various kinds of genocide (internal and external ;
physical, mental and spiritual) . Secondly, in the
emerging society the division among us will no
10
longer be racial (this will no longer be necessary) but
will be between the "creative" and the "non-creative"
This creative society will not be genuine in the sense
of striving to create a better world for all, but will be
pseudo-creative in the sense of encouraging people
to function creatively within the existing structure,
and the creative elite will address their creativity to
maintaining the present power of this country for
as long as possible . In other words, we are on our
way to trading the illusion of racism for a greater
illusion of thinking we are free because we will be
allowed to "do our thing" within the limits set by
the Ruling Class.
ON THIS P ANE A
Obviously in view of these things, we no
longer can allow ourselves to be diverted by something as paltry and meaningless as racism . Let us
begin to deal with ourselves and that which brought
racism into being. Let us cease being pawns to
those who presently rule the world . Let us stop
concerning ourselves with the negative which is
causing us to cancel out one another. Let us be
about the business of creating a world where
everyone can live as men and women and not
exist as thins.
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11
THE NEXT
Father
Sun
Moth r
Mo
U ' erse
E ernity
lack depths
of this earth
I am man
I have mind
I think
and I feel the presence
of other humans
of other things
that are on this plane
and the next
I will do that, That is for me to do
for I analyze life
on this plane and the next
for I balance good and evil
on this plane and the next
I desire the things of life
On this plane and the next
for I see that, that is for me
To see, on this plane and the next
for I use the things of life
on this plane and the next
I know the problems of man
on this plane and the next
for I believe
in Father
Sun
Mother
Moon
Universe
Eternity
Black depths
of this earth
for I am man
I have mind
I think
On this plane and the next .
tales of past glories
of evil men
are taught in school rooms
but the youth of this hour
seek out truths
that old minds dare not discuss
for they will only prove
themselves evil.
false prophets preach their religions
as their money bags grow fatter
and the cries of the poor
grow louder .
but those righteous few of
Times gone,
and in the wake of privation
of this hour,
who seek within their
own hearts,
hold the universal key
that will open the door
for so many asses
who seek to enslave
the minds of others .
d
d out
the lake,
ook out over
the green filthy water.
Our hopes would
go up in our hands,
then down to warm our souls.
X311 eyes look out, as
the bottle breaks the air,
and comes to meet the water
below. Once more
the wind comes in to hit our faces
like wet dish rags .
Sounds come in with the wind
like calls of distress,
from other cities
muffled screams,
from people
being choked to death
by deadly drinks,
of cheap hopes
and dreams
as they come in they call out
their cities
corners
and streets .
-msI®I®I
Poetry by Bill Russell
I®I~Is~~--
Many asses stumble
upon the stepping stone
of life .
Times gone, and
in the wake of privation
of this hour
politicians squabble,
as this society decays
12
BLACK NATIONALISM : PROBLEMS AND
PROSPECTS
italism cannot reform itself'. The Marxist
contention that the American proletariat would
eventually repudiate the "status quo" has been
a fallacy. Millions of blue and white collar
workers are sympathetic toward George Wallace
and Ronald Reagan. The American Left has
been continually frustrated in its efforts to unite
the Black Poor and White Dissenters. The Marxist preconditions for Social Revolution are
perennially non-existent in the United States
because of the affluence and racism of the
European-American working class. They strive
to emulate rather than eliminate the capitalist
ruling class.
Marcus Garvey was the father of Black
Nationalism in America ; Elijah Muhammad's
Nation of Islam has executed aspects of Garvey's
approach. Dr. W. E. B. DuBois ultimately inculcated elements of Garveyism. The late Malcolm
Shabazz inadvertently synthesized the doctrines of
Garvey, Elijah Muhammad, and Dr. DuBois. Booker
T. Washington's outlook constituted the origin of
the economics of Black Nationalism . These spokesmen have provided the ideological foundation for
contemporary Black Nationalist ferment in the
United States .
"Black Power" advocates are confronted
with the disconcerting reality that the majority
of Black Americans desire increased socio
economic mobility within the capitalist system .
Black Ghetto YOUTH, not Black Adults, are
rebelling against "institutionalized racism".
Consequently only a minority of Black People
are potential revolutionaries. The "Power
Elite" knows that most Black and White Rebels
"have a price" - can be bought . Also many
Black militants "turn each other off' because
of their "negative ego hang-ups". Internal
conflicts are impeding the progress of the
Black Revolt . Lack of mutual trust and respect
are amplifying the "pathology" of the Black
Ghetto .
Stokely Carmichael's pronouncements are a
sequel to the career of Malcolm X. Dr. DuBois,
Malcolm X and he have elaborated on Garvey's
Pan-Africanism and the Bandung (Latin American
and Afro-Asian) components of American imperialism and racism . Carmichael has also expressed the concepts of Robert Williams and the
Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM) in his
orientation. He and Rap Brown have attempted
to galvanize the psychic energies of Black Ghetto
Youth in a manner corresponding to the writings
of Frantz Fanon. Unfortunately many Black
Youth are embracing violence as the panacea
for their oppression.
The American mass media have assiduously
divided Black Americans via their distortions of
"Black Power" while simultaneously intensify
ing racist hysteria among white Americans.
Ethnic polarization is precipitating a "nightmare" of violence and counterviolence . As a
result of their emotionally-induced fears,
Black and White America have become preoccupied with Death to the detriment of
Life. The Kerner Report intimates that White
America's racism is producing the "scenario"
for the destruction of American society. An
utter "sense of political futility" is rapidly
overwhelming the American People .
It is evident that a coalition of Black and
White Radicals is not feasible in this racist nation .
The Black Nationalist refutation of the American Marxist strategy is empirically valid . Many
white leftists have difficulty ur in themselves
of their "cultural ethnocentrism" . They still
regard Western cultural values as the norm for
human behavior. The absence of sufficient
rapport among "Black Powerites" and the "New
Left" facilitates their suppression by the neofascist "American Establishment" .
It is imperative that Black Nationalists
implement a positive political and socioeconomic program; otherwise their failure
to achieve tangible amelioration of Black
America's plight will soon discredit them .
Unlike Marcus Garvey and Dr. W. E. B.
DuBois, the President's Commission on Civil
Disorders refused to acknowledge that "cap13
But effective political practice requires an
of
effective political theory . The relevance
the
much previous Nationalist ideology in
contemporary era is debatabl e. The economic views of Booker T . Washington, Marcus
Garvey, and Elijah Muhammad are quasiobsolete in the "Age of Cybernation" . The
thousands of Black soldiers dying in Vietnam
discloses that the Black adult population still
acquiesces to American imperialism . The "urban
guerrilla warfare" rhetoric which is now in vogue
is a prelude to the inauguration of "Apartheid"
in the Black Ghettos. Therefore the exponents
of "Black Power" must formulate a "blueprint
for survival".
THE DE-FEMINIZATION OF THE BLACK WOMAN
The emasculation of the black male has
become such a phenomenal and fundamental
frame of reference for black peoples' present
and past enslavement that quite soon (if not
already) American universities will be offering a field of study devoted exclusively to
analysis of the stripping of the black man's
masculinity . However little, or at best superwas
facial, attention has been given to what
to
done
also deliberately and scientifically
the black woman . In order for black people
to understand and deal with their problems
as a people, they must know what has been
done to both the male and the female and
The goals of Black Nationalism must be
conclusively determined, especially the future
relationship of Neocolonial Black America to
the "American Empire" . Specifically what does
seQaration mean and how is it to be accomplished?
Nationalists' position concerning capitalism and
socialism is still somewhat ambiguous, as well as
the question of solidarity with Africa . What are
the ingredients of Black Culture and how will
they be transmitted to Black People? How will
Black Cultural Values differ from the "decadent
bourgeois value syndrome" of the "Affluent
Society"? What kind of political and educational
institutions should Black Communities establish?
How can Black Folk be inspired to accumulate
capital instead of debt? Should Black People
demand reparations for their previous generations of enslavement? The ability of Black
Nationalists to solve these problems will fundamentally affect the fate of the "Black Nation"
during the collapse of the "Twentieth Century
whY-
Rome".
14
As has been stated, the dilemma of the
black woman has only been touched upon
superficially and often with great distortion .
This superficial and distorted treatment of
the black woman is to a large degree responsable for the past and present "static" existing
between the black male and female . )iecause
of the negative image created of her by the
historians, sociologists, anthropologists and
psychologists, and because of an almost total
lack of any self-knowledge, the black woman
is to a negligible degree completely bereft
of any identity . She has no real understanding of what it means to be a woman, neither
in relation to a man nor in relation to herself. Hence she is constantly vacillating
between being a woman according to the
model afforded by this society (which is
often, when stripped of its frills, not
femininity but just the opposite - masculinity) and being a woman in accord with
the natural inclinations and longings of
her essence . The neurosis which results
from this sort of oscillation should be
obvious to the most insensitive among us .
In all cases where any consideration has
been given to the qualities of the black
woman, she has been portrayed in such
a way that both her good and bad traits
have made her an accessory to the crime
of emasculation of the black male. This
puts her in the up-tight position of creating
a negative effect whether she uses her good
or bad qualities. All who praise the black female speak of her strength, courage, fortitude
and ability to make a way out of no way. In
the face of these attributes and because of his
sense of powerlessness, the black man feels he
is superfluous to the black woman. On the
other hand, negatively the black woman is said
to be domineering, demanding, and destructively
critical of the black male . This creates in the
male the feeling that the female is his worst
enemy and is bent on devouring him.
The de-feminization of the black woman
has in a major way precipitated this deplorable
and seemingly insurmountable situation. It
has caused the black female to relate to her
man not as a woman, but as a mother. It has
made her ashamed of not only her weaknesses
but also of her strengths, thereby making
her impotent in eliminating her weaknesses and
in utilizing her strengths. Hence generally the
division between the black male and female
remains as deep and wide today as in the past .
Also because of the omnipresent, thoroughly
depressing separation between herself and her
man, the black woman is so emotionally and
psychically tied to the black man that her frame
of reference for womanhood is the man. She
can not begin to deal with fulfilling "her"
destiny independently and/or complementarily
to the man. At best she sees herself as a supplement to man's needs, desires, and ambitions.
Usually she responds to this de-feminization in
one of two ways or fluctuates between the two.
She either (1) takes a very negative, condescending
"use them before they use you" attitude toward
males; or (2) completely submerges herself in the
male and becomes clay to be molded by his hands.
In terms of the potential contributions black
women bring to life, both these avenues are
dead-end streets. Black women must eliminate
their estrangement from black men and alienation from themselves by transcending the
process of de-feminization perpetuated in this
society. The black woman must know and
understand who she is and what her purpose
is just as the women of D. A. R. know and
understand who they are. The black woman
cannot and should not wait for the black man
to free her and tell her who she is. Freedom and
self-knowledge can only come from within The
black female must thoroughly and constantly
gain an understanding of who she is and then
have the courage to be just that. She must refuse to relate to her man as a mother or a child
but always as a woman. She must relentlessly
resist the stupid, senseless propaganda of this
society which subtly implies that woman is a
"thing", a useless ornament, a constant chorewoman, an unsatiable consumer, a never-ending
baby-sitter (both for children and men), a mere
extension of the male, etc., etc. And most importantly the black woman must refuse to bear
the burden of guilt for the emasculation of the
black male. This burden of guilt is so paralyzing
that it causes the woman at best to live vicariously through the man and her children, or at
worst to live a life of hopeless "quiet desperation".
As has been stated, the de-feminization
of black women was deliberately and scientifically planned . It is a manifestation of the
old plan to "divide and conquer" . For as
long as the black man and woman are at odds,
there will be no real freedom for black people.
Those who enslaved black people understood
this. Now it is time black people both understand and act on this knowledge. The black
male and the black female, functioning as "real "
men and women, together are an unbeatable
combination . The women are essential for removing the yoke of oppression from the necks
of black folk . For the men will take care of
now, and the women will take care of the future .
Women will bear the fruits (physically, mentally
and spiritually) of the men's labors. But real
women are needed to do the job. Part-time
women, grown-up girls, or men-women cannot
do what has to be done. In this society the road
to womanhood is difficult and deliberately ob
scured . But until black women consciously begin to trod that road, to talk of freedom is to
engage in meaningless rhetoric. It just won't be.
15
POET'S LICENSE
In the jungle of
My imagination
I am a primitive man
With no boundaries or
In the jungle of
My imagination
I name the stars ;
I awaken the dawn ;
I summon the night
And beckon the seasons .
The ways of nature
Are under my command .
I beat upon my chest
And howl to faraway mountains .
I run through wild forests
And make ground-fowl take
To the air in Flight .
I am Master
Over all creatures
On land and in the sea .
laws .
In the jungle of
My imagination
I stand unashamed, nude
And let the Rains of Contentment
Fall upon my proud body,
And I am as pure as
A nameless baby
Who has not yet
Departed his mother's womb .
I play as a child
With no concern for Time
Or Bein g .
In the jungle of
M y imagination
Nothing exists without me .
Only because I stand
In its midst
Is the field inhabited .
Only because I listen
Is there sound .
Because I am awake
There is light .
When I am absent
There is nothing .
In the jungle of
My imagination
I w orship no God ;
I fear no Caesar ;
I am free ;
For I am Conqueror of the Kingdom .
I am the Kingdom .
I alone am King !
In the jungle of
My imagination
I belong to no Order or Cause .
I am as the wind .
I sleep until I awake ;
I play until I am . tired ;
I eat only when I am hungry ;
I drink only when I am dry .
In the jungle of
My imagination
All these things I am .
And yet - am not!
In the jungle of
My imagination
I control all life .
I create all motion .
I am the before
And the after The cause and effect .
I am the soft bones
Of the New-Born ;
I am the wrinkles of the Aged
And all the ingredients
Between these - I AM!
- Norman Jordan
16
THE
UNIVERSE
IS
MENTAL
VIBRATION
December 21, 196$
Issue 4
Editors: Norma lean Freeman
Don Freeman
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the Editors.
VIBRATION
dedicated to
The Resurrection of the
Mentally and Spiritually Dead
VII~RATION~
PROLOGUE :
Thomas Jefferson proclaimed that "Vision is
Indispensable to Progress". Black and White Radicals
Intuitively Know that "Big Brother" (The American
Leviathan) will be omnipresent subsequent to Aries
(early spring) of 1970 (The Year of the Dog-Oriental
chronology). The premonition of former President
in relation to the "militaryDwight D. Eisenhower
,,
industrial complex has become Neo-Fascist
Reality" . The political prioritization of "Law and
Order" in 1968 was the prelude to the irrevocable
militarization of American society .
CREATIVITY = INDEPENDENCE = LIFE
(Part IV)
"There is noshing new under the Sun, All is Vanity."
Ecciesiasres
Part III defined Black American Revolutionaries
as Radical Humanists dedicated to creating a Humane
Society . These "Chosen Few" realize the urgency of
their formulating humanistic values that are antithetical to the "decadent bourgeois syndrome" egoism, materialism, and hedonism, that governs
Americans' behavior . Revolutionary Black values
must supplant alienation via the establishment of
viable Black Communities; thereby transforming
Universal Love from dream to Reality. These
`Arks" will exclude a Black Minority from the
institutionalization of a uni ue form of
The
negative Fate destined for the American People .
"Apartheid" throughout Black America is inevitable.
The "Fourth Reich" (American Oligarchy) regards
"Necessity Is the Mother of Invention" millions of the Black and White Underclass, Lower
Genocide amid the Neo-Fascist" collapse of the
~1ass, and Lower Middle class as expendable in the
"American Empire" is causing Black Radicals to
Space Age of Cybernation (2001 : A Space Odvssev) .
implement the concept of "national self-deterImplicrft in The Report of the President's Commission
urination" among Black Americans. Marcus
on Civil Disorders is the inexorable atrophy (wasting
Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Associaaway) of the Black Ghettoes . The abysmal dehumanition (U. N. I. A.) and Elijah Muhammad's Nation
zatio~a of the American majority is the cause of this
of Islam presented the Nationalist ideologies for
"Sick Society of Hollow People that, according to
Black Survival in the "North American WilderT. S . Eliot, "will die like a whimper" .
ness". Garvey succinctly expressed Black America's challenge in his dictum - "One God, One
«
Brother Hugh Sakubeti s An Exploration of
Aim, One Destiny" ; Black Unity is the pre Alternatives" (Issue 3) indicated that Black Salvation
requisite for Black Progress. Internal discord and
is predicated on bold cultural and political invention.
hostility have been the maior deterrents to the
White Dissenters and "Post Hippies" are endeavoring
advancement of Black Folk. Black disunity is
to establish "Parallel Utopias" . Unless the Promethean
the "Caucasian Slavemaster's" primary source of
energies of American Youth and Students are trapsstrength .
muted via Objective Commitment, they will be dissipated in nihilism . The "generation gap" is merely a
The authentic heritage of Black America
sympton of "Armageddon" (the Mental and Spiritual
provides profound insights concerning its colonial
Resurrection of Mankind). The "American Empire's
plight in the United States . The "Anglo-Saxon
"negative scientific strategies of survival are exercises
Oligarchy" usurped dominion of the American
in "diabolical futility". The "Twentieth Century
continent from the "Original Americans" - soRome" can no longer neutralize the Cosmic Law of
called Negroes and Indians" via "divide and
Rhythm (Life and Death) . It is an "historical anaconquer" . Unwillingness and inability to master
chronism" that will be dialectically supplanted by
Self (discipline, ego and emotions) have prolonged
the Radical Humanistic World Civilization of the
conflict among "so-called Negroes" . The travail
Twenty-First Century ("The Thief in the Night" of the Jewish People illuminates the significance
Book of Revelations) . Black and White "Rebels
of collective cooperation and aid. Without ethnic
with a Cause now have the unprecedented opporsolidarity the Jews could not have acquired their
tunity to become the Conscious Vanguard of the
American affluence and control of Israel . Unless
Universal Positive Scientific Apocalypse (Revolution) .
Black Americans achieve comparable unity, their
fate will be extermination in the "Fourth Reich"
(U. S. A.). E. Franklin Frazier's Black Bourgeoisie
and Nathan Hare's Black Anglo Saxon stress the
2
persistence of a "house-nigger" - "field-nigger"
dichotomy within Black Ghetto-Suburbia. Harold
Cruise's The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual explores
the perennial negative interaction among the intellegensia . According to "Black Nationalism : Problems
and Prospects" (Issue 3), many Black militants are
"turning each other off' ; consequently they "are
amplifying the "pathology" of the Black Ghetto".
The Zodiac is the Occult Symb®1 of Marcus
Garvey's "categorical imperative" for Black America Unity of Diversity. The fusion of individuality is
the foundation for the creation of the Black Community - the quintessence of Black Liberation . The
Black Man and Black Woman must spiritually and
mentally mature in order to revitalize the Black
Family . The renaissance of the Black Family within
a communal context is indispensable to the Resurrection of Black People. The Black intellectuals and
Black militants must obliterate their "negative egoism"
before Black Brotherhood and Sisterhood can materealize. It is crucial that Black Folk dispose of their
fundamental weakness - their chronic inability to
create concrete harmony.
The Radical Humanists are the Black Radicals
who have transcended their egocentricity ("Me
Consciousness"); their objective mutual relationships will enable them to develop autonomous Black
institutions . These humane innovations are the
tangible alternatives to the dehumanized bureaucracies of the "Brave New World". They constitute
a positive environment in which to cultivate the
talents of Black Youth, thus terminating their "Death
At An Early Age" . Independent Communities are
the basis for Black Emancipation from the totalitarian
system that has emerged in the United States .
The Black Humanists are the personifications of
"We Consciousness" (The Golden Rule). Their altruistic examples will inspire "The Meek To Inherit
The Earth" (create Utopian Communities) which are
the "Microcosms of the Second Coming". They are
the Manifestation of the Zodiac, symbolized by
Jesus and his Twelve Disciples. Their Positive Scientific "Will To Power" will ultimately demolish the
contradiction between the earth (appearance-Maya)
and Heaven (Reality-Nirvana). Then Homo Sapiens
(Rational Man) like Jesus will realize that "Man's
Kingdom Is Not of This World" .
I am
at the
bottom
of self
I will not
go out
the back
This time
some door
must fall .
~
~
I am
beyond
failure
beyond
defeat
I prepare
Myself
For the good
Earth
I will die
at the top
~ of myself.
Bill Russell
We became
and
become w~
instead of
I or
me
but even
poets die
and our problems
become poems
and our poems
become life
our life
after
~'"e
die
sababa. akil
the desire to do good has not been enough. Is Man
incapable of learning from the past and growing in
the present?
THE FAILURE OF "GOOD INTENTIONS"
Mankind's present crises validity the wise old
adage : "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." For obviously the masses throughout the
world are living in "hell" . This seemingly perennial
contradiction between intent and result has in each
of us raised the question : "Why have `good intentions' so frequently and miserably failed?"
In order to result in effectual actions, "good
intentions" must be rooted in knowledge . This
knowledge consists of an understanding of: Who,
What, Where, How and Why. At times Man has
known answers to some of these. Frequently he
does not know the answers to any of these. And
seldom does Man know the answer to all of these.
This is an indication of why folks have "good intentions" and get bad results. The failure of "good
intentions" is clearly a dilemma for all of humanity .
However, our concern here is the difficulties this
poses for black people in their emergence from
mental and spiritual slavery .
The American people are now backed up
against the wall by "good intentions" that have
back-fired . In the area of domestic affairs, wellintentioned persons are on a treadmill going nowhere because they have absolutely no knowledge
of how to achieve the results they think they want
to achieve . It is becoming more and more apparent
that all the old sure-fue cures of religion, politics,
economics, psychology, sociology, etc. have failed
and cannot be revived to solve man's present or
future problems. This has profound implications
for the American people in general and black
people in particular. For it should be obvious to
all observers of the American scene that black
people are this country's most urgent domestic
concern. Thus in order for black folk to understand and fulfill their destiny, they must transcend the failure of "good intentions" and avoid
getting hung-up on this hang-up .
In terms of transforming "good intentions"
into effectual actions, black people are working
with an extreme deficit of knowledge . Unfortunately they don't know who they were, who they
are nor who they should and must become . This
kind of knowledge is absolutely essential for determining fast what their "real" problems are and
how to solve them ; and secondly, where they
want to go and why. The former (what and how)
is concerned with knowledge of a pragmatic nature.
The latter is knowledge in the realm of values . In
order to harmonize what one wants with what one
gets, "pragmatic knowledge" and "value knowledge"
must be synchronized. Black folk must know how
and what to do, but equally important is knowing
why (the value) they ought to do this or that. The
validity of these values (whys) is contingent upon
the degree to which black people know who they
are.
Black people are emerging from a long, deep
and unconscious sleep. The emergence of a sense of
self-awareness as a people has precipitated a proliferation of "good intentions" . There is much
talk about "Freedom", "Self-Determination",
"Fulfilling One's Destiny" and "Realizing One's
Highest Potential", all of which are admirable
aspirations. However, quite often in the past
mankind has aspired to and worked toward these
same worthwhile concepts, only to have wretchedly
failed. Hence it would be wise for black people to
pause in their struggle toward "Freedom" to pose
the question : "Wherein lies the error?"
Man is continually motivated and directed by
his appetites rather than his needs. These appetites
appeal to and strengthen man's animal nature. They
tend to keep man down, rather than to lift him up.
Thus "good intentions" are often caused by appetites and not needs. This situation is certainly not
intentional . But because man does not know himself,
he cannot know what prompts him to do what he
does. Man, since the beginning of history and beyond,
has frequently wished to do the right thing. Clearly
4
There is a lot of talk about creating and adopting black values. The intent is good but the foundation is very shaky. . The words "black values" produce
a host of confused and contradictory opinions among
black people as to what they mean. All the various
views taken in toto seem to produce a mish-mash of
values borrowed from existing or past societies. This
is a clear denotation that black folk are not "about
their business", and do not understand their destiny
as a people . They know there is a need (for all
people as well as themselves) for the establishment
of new values. However, their eyes are focused on
the past and the present for a value pattern, rather
than on the future . If this condition is not rapidly
corrected and black folk begin to project their
minds into the future and elevate their conscious-
ness for the creation of values (as the American
scientific elite have projected into the future in
terms of technology), then the values fashioned
by black people will prove to be as impotent (in
satisfying "real" human needs) as the decadent
values mankind is presently limping along with.
The values which have to be formulated for black
people (and the world) must be based on the
fact that human nature can be, in the rp esent as
well as the future, kinetic rather than static . Internalization of this truth would cause profound
changes in black people's thinking, feeling and
acting in relation to themselves as well as the
world.
This view of the concept of black values
illustrates the impotence of "good intentions"
when they are not founded on the synthesis of
"pragmatic knowledge" and "value knowledge" .
What is true~ n terms of creating black values is
also true in arriving at solutions for poverty
(mental, spiritual, and physical). And this comprehensive poverty seems to be basic to all mankind's problems . Unless the synthesis of "pragmatic
knowledge" and "value knowledge" (along with a
deep understanding of self) are the foundation,
then the "good intentions" of black folks (as well
as other folks) will helU create a future TwentyFirst Century Hell .
A Movie Review
by Norman Jordan ~
SPACE AUDACITY
The movie, "2001 ", directed by Stanley
Kubrick, is another attempt by the white man
to escape his known fate. Not only did he try
to project himself beyond 2000, which is his
end, but he also tried to create a rebirth.
Kubrick believes in the proven theory : ONCE
A THOUGHT IS IMAGINED OR PROJECTED
IN THE MIND OR THE UNIVERSE IT AUTOMATICALLY MANIFESTS INTO REALITY.
What Kubrick failed to acknowledge is that the
destiny of the Caucasian has already been visualized
not only in the Bible - which was written before he
was on the scene - but also on the asteroids or the
universe, from which he gathers his thoughts .
Surprisingly, Kubrick did acknowledge a super
Black intelligence (The Black Monolith) in existence
while he was still walking on all fours and hiding in
caves in Europe.
It is a known fact that at the recorded birth of
the white man, or as Kubrick calls it, "dawn of man",
advanced civilizations of the Black man were already
existing in Africa and- parts of Asia, and that one
civilization of Black people had become so advanced
(Atlantis) it had moved on to another plane.
Kubrick didn't have any black people in his
2001 . I wonder if he was giving a hint about
something?
ESCAPE?
The college atmosphere becomes a pressing
problem for more and more youth each year. Away
from the family scene and with less "measured"
classroom hours, youth are confronted with a tremendous abundance of "leisure" time, with "nothing"
to do, when "nothing is happening" . The intellectual
environment tends to suppress development or even
awareness of the power of man's free will and the
meaning of life. What results after four years of
such suppression are unbalanced beings ready to
play the various roles in the "American Way of
Death". A paramount question that college youth
must ask themselves is: "Am I going to serve this
society or will I create an alternative?" Or simply if men live to die, what is life about? I will attempt
to deal with the causes (environment, pressures, and
escapes), then the effects, and finally the alternative
to the college "gig" .
There is an impersonal atmosphere that looms
over many campuses. Especially is this cloud dense
within the "living" facilities in college-town . Dormi
tory or other forms of "communal" living provide
little or no opportunity for individual soul-searching
and spiritual growth. Rather, the atmosphere tends
to influence and nourish impersonal habits and relationships among the youth. This causes many
(continued on page 7)
SOULS TO PEBBLED MOUNTAIN BROOKS
from innercity ash groves built of love and commercial smiles
limp the sooty souls of ghetto folk,
to the fresh fresh green of a chapel souls call harmony.
it's a chapel built on glassy surfaced lakes
that glitter sun yellow into shiny moon silver,
and mix winter's bluish white into windows of stained icicles.
WINTER WINDS AND A FIFTH OF SCOTCH
Thought the executioner shall I wait until winter comes,
so that howling winds and simple sparrows
can screech and chirp the final requiem?
walled by aged oaks and stately maple
it's a chapel whose sides brush the underfeet of God,
a chapel whose spires point the height of would be mind;
and within the chapel souls of soot
bathe in waters of pebbled mountain brooks,
to cleanse the Babylonian grime from souls created to outlast time .
Larry Gant ~ 1968
(with winter winds my mind might numb)
then the ruptured sphere in a burlap bag I could drop could swing and bash it against the frozen rocks could swing and smash it into a thousand not's.
or - shall I linger until summer comes,
'til simple sparrows and returning robins
fill the vineyards with melodies sad and scarred?
(a fifth of scotch could ease the task)
then the ruptured sphere in a burlap bag I could drop could swing and bash it against the sun-warmed rocks could swing and smash it into a thousand forgot's .
Thought the executioner my name is Man.
I have ruptured my world,
smashed the simple sparrow,
stomped the returning robin.
Aris
my electrifying
soulmate
created from
the temple of fire
Your Mars
melts in my Sun
Aris
my Black
Queen
who unfolds
endlessly
to fill my
undying needs
Aris
my inspiring
angel
my eternal
blessing
All my songs - I sing for thee.
I am, that am.
I am,
that should be,
no more .
Larry Gant ~
BRUCELLA
1968
6
Norman Jordan
youth to group themselves - with the individuals
of each clique assuming certain characteristics
particular of that specific clan . There also develops
an unnatural tendency of a gravitation toward the
negative forces or lower self. Outside forces also
provide food for this cancer . There is a good deal
of mental stress in the academic routine, emotional
stress in the social routine, and various other pressures from family affairs and internal grievances.
The amount of pressure exerted against each individual varies and therefore the means of escape
vary . Nevertheless, a vast majority of youth seek
release from the college hell.
Just as some people require one, others two or
more aspirins for headache relief, so do college youth
require different degrees of relief from their "headaches" . For quick pain relief, some youth (with
increasing numbers) resort to drugs of various forms.
Yet, although there are no apparent repercussions,
the inner self suffers. There is no short-cut to
reaching one's higher self and channels that are
opened prematurely or unnaturally only serve
against a positive self-development while nourishing
the lower self. Another "out" appears in the relief
attained through alcohol. However, the effects of
this are not only mental but very physical. Milder
"pain relievers" are experienced by the "fingerpoppin teeny-hopper" set, the sexual satisfactors,
and the material-comfort pleasure seekers. It
appears that remedies are plentiful so a balance
might be maintained . However, a life span could
easily pass away with little self-development. Yet,
for a conscious minority life moves - because man
does have free will.
Therefore, we do not merely have a choice : to
perpetuate this society or to escape, but we have the
ability if we utilize the will, to create a positive alternative . And if we choose to live we must create an
alternative to the hell that surrounds and influences
us. Necessity is the mother of invention. And college youth in this time have a unique job to perform,
for they will be the cause of the future (effect) . It
is on the part of selfishness and laziness that "degrees"
become means of achieving material "success" and
one is concerned only with gettin' his own gig together. But, time is of the ¬ssence and we must
create an environment to live. The question must
be raised again. "Am I going to serve this society
or will I commit myself to creating a new society?"
Crystal King
UNITY : IMPOSSIBLE?
';4
House divided againstitse/f cannot stand."
One of the original Negative Scientists (Ben
Franklin), who helped mastermind the plot which
resulted in the "Anglo-Saxons" taking this country
from those who were in power, told his brethren :
"Either we all stand together, or we each hang
separately ." The Negative Scientists, who are
presently ruling the world, never forget this
admonition . Thus, through their solidarity they
have been able to keep three-fourths of the world
in subjugation. Knowing this, black people still
have not understood it. Almost in direct proportion to the increase in an awareness for unity;
the disunity among black folks has also increased .
Why has not a greater awareness of what is needed
(unity) resulted in a closer achievement of that
which is needed? There are many reasons and
rationalizations as to why black people continue
to compound their disunity, rather than move
decisively toward unity.
Despite all the rhetoric about black folks
unifying and "doing their thing", most blacks (both
vanguard and rearguard) don't believe it can be done .
Many out of ignorance (ignorance of themselves and
of their people) don't believe it is possible. Others
feel unity among black people is an impossibility
because they themselves are not willing to go through
the processes that are prerequisites for unity, and
they thereby assume that other black people also
have the same reluctance and lack of will to do what
has to be done to GET WHAT THEY SAY THEY
WANT. There are good reasons for these two very
pathetic conditions. They reflect the fact black
folks are still internally committed to the values of
this society. Black people, just as the rest of American society, have come to look upon one another as
things » rather than as human beings . And things,
because they are "things", are static . Thus black folk
(and white folks as well) see one another as static
beings. This point of view places severe limitations on
shat one envisions as possible for himself and others .
As the brothers and sisters so frequently assert : "Black
folks ain't got together in all these years; what makes
you think they're going to do it now?" Those who
think and/or express this sentiment are justified in so
doing. For until black folks make a psychological
break with this society and effect a positive internal
change, they are not going to unify .
It does not move black folks one inch closer
to unity to continue talking about what the "Man"
did to cause our disunity . Besides, most blacks still
don't really know what the "Man" did to our ancestors (and what our ancestors did to the "Man"),
nor why or how. Therefore, until the record is
set straight, it is a waste of vital energy to harp on
about how badly black folks have been treated.
After a people reach a certain level of self-awareness they can no longer afford the luxury of justifying their degradation by incessant ranting and
raving about the "oppressor". A slave, after realizing he is a slave, remains one partially through
his own compliance .
Fundamental to black folks' inability to
achieve unity is: 1) their adherence to the pervasive, erroneous assumption that human nature is
static rather than kinetic ; and 2) the ability of the
"Power Elite" to continuously maneuver the sellout of would-be black leaders. Analysis of these
two mental and psychological roadblocks will
clarify why black folk have made so little real
progress, and how that can be rectified.
Many people (black and white) say they believe
man is a kinetic being; however their actions belie
their words. These persons' relationships, both
private and public, reflect the belief that people do
not and can not change . It is a "I wish people would
surprise me and transcend what they are ; but I know
that they won't" attitude. This automatically engenders a wariness among people, which makes it
impossible for them to come together even when
they genuinely desire to do so. The majority of
black folks (and the rest of humanity) are afflicted
by this static conception of mankind . At best they
see themselves and their brethren capable of change
sometime in the distant future, but not now. This
implies an acknowledged cynicism and resigned impotence in terms of effectively dealing with the
present. Thus the possibility of future human
growth and transformation being realized in the
future becomes dimmer and dimmer. Black folks
must understand they can only work with what
they have . And in terms of time, all they have is
the present; the now. So black people will have
to give up the illusion : "After while, by and by"
and "Somehow, some way, we will make it", and
begin to create and become the "Promised Land"
they have been singing and praying about for
four hundred years.
When black folks have broadened their understanding of human nature and have begun to internalize and reflect this understanding, then the aspiring
black leaders will become increasingly less susceptible
to the manipulations and dangling baits of those who
would stand in the way of black folk being free. These
black men and women, through knowledge of their
true nature, would cease to be "marketable items" in
the American market place and hence would no longer
have a selling price. For it must be understood that
most would-be black leaders do not deliberately sellout. It is usually because of ignorance that most
would-be black leaders betray their people, without
even realizing what they have done . This is sad, but
black people can no longer afford to be either sad or
ignorant . Those who rule this planet know what
human nature is, but have deliberately brainwashed
the majority of mankind to believe just the opposite .
If one would only closely examine the advances the
Western World has made in technology, then it would
become more obvious that human nature is kinetic.
However the kinetic character of human nature (as
reflected by Western technology) is confined mainly
to the physical level. Black folk's destiny is to reveal
this same dynamism on the mental and spiritual
levels.
Since unity is absolutely a necessity for solving
the problems of black people, one of the major concerns of black-americans should be - how best to
effect this unity. Black folks must evolve beyond
what they have been indoctrinated to believe, and
amve at the truth that man is not static ; that human
nature can change . Black folk must look at themselves and their brothers and sisters in terms of their
positive potential. They must constantly strive to
inspire the gradual manifestation of this positive
potential in one another. Black folks must relentlessly seek to eliminate their individual and collective
hang-ups which create barriers between them . They
must understand that whatever prevents them loving
one another and inspiring one another is wrong and
must go .
Finally, black folks have got to stop looking over
their shoulders at what was, but rather look to what
can and should be. Black people must understand
that their future unity is based on a mental and spiritual unification. This future unity calls for bold, imaginative and creative thinking and feeling. It demands
a transcendance of "history" and also of the present.
Black folk must cease to "treat the past as their
Asian and Latin American Revolutionaries
to resist the encroachments of the "Paper
Tiger with nuclear teeth" .
promised land" . The future unity of black people
is one of the requirements for them making their
destiny manifest . The unique destiny of initiating
the unfoldment of the dormant positive mental
and spiritual potential of mankind.
Liberal "apologists" have denied that the
"Land of the Free" is imperialistic ; but the
"Power Elite's" invasion of Vietnam and the
"Bay of Pigs fiasco" disclosed their naivete
and hypocrisy. Part I emphasizes that insidious indoctrination of generations of
Americans has . . . fostered a dero ag tory
image of Black Americans and . . . the
Bandung World . . . " Their chauvinistic
acculturation buttressed by histrionic anti-communism have engendered White America's paranoid
reaction to the "Revolution of Rising Expecta
tions" . Fred Cook's The Warfare State examines
the "permanent war economy", the political ascendancy of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the
resultant reliance on "the Big Stick rather than
the carrot" in American foreign relations. U. S .
Senator William Fulbright's Arrogance of Power
implicitly corroborates British historian Arnold
Toynbee's contention that the "Leader of the
`Free World' is the world's arch counter-revolutionary."
Hence the myth of the impossibility of black
unity must be demolished - not by rhetoric, but
by going through the necessary internal changes
which will result in the impossible being done.
IMPERIALISM, NATIONALISM, RACISM :
AMERICA'S "MANIFEST DESTINY" Part II
"The sins of nhe Fathers are visited upon the Sons"
THE HOLY elBLE
Frantz Fanon's Les Damnes des Terres (The
Wretched of the Earth) reveals the socio-psychological implications of the 1955 Bandung Conference of Afro-Asian states . His penetrating
analysis of the "Colonized Mind" provides
profound insight into the character of the
nascent nationalism that has engulfed the
Southern Hemisphere and Black America.
Fanon's seminal essays clarify the nature of
neo-colonialism - the "modus operandi"
between the "Have" Caucasian Minority and
the "Have Not" Non-Caucasian Majority since
1945 .
The dynamic of contemporary politics embodies a drastic disequilibrium of global power
relations Pax America (imperial America) superseded Western Europe as the paramount ca italistic empire after the "Second Imperialist War"
(World War II) . The Soviet Union became its
"Cold War rival" for influence in the "Third
World". The Marshall Plan, North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO), and eventually
the Common Market stabilized Western capitalism and perpetuated its "rape" of the
"underdeveloped nations" . However China,
North Korea, North Vietnam, and Cuba did
not capitulate to the "American Commonwealth" . Their examples encouraged Afro-
The United States' machinations in the United
Nations have overtly exposed the "American
Caesars' master plan" of planetary conquest. Its
clandestine coercion of several member nations to
prevent the entry of China, "Yankee sabotage" of
U.N . operations in the Republic of the Congo, and
its unilateral intervention in the Dominican Republic constitute blatant evidence of the "Twentieth
Century Rome's" violation of the sovereignty of
Bandung Peoples. The ne ative response of U. S.
delegations toward the increasing U. N. representation of Non-Western nations reveals the "Ameri, can Triumvirate s unequivocal commitment to
°°minority rule" of the planet Earth.
9
According to C. Wright Mills' The Causes of
World War III, American foreign policy has become
the principal threat to human survival . The "containment of communism" first enunciated by George
Kennan has been the principal threat to human
survival . The "containment of communism" first
enunciated by George Kennan has been the Pentagon's rationale for establishing military bases along
the entire periphery of the Soviet Union and subsidizing several Latin American and Asian dictatorships. Recent American aggressions to discourage
°°Wars of National Liberation" have exhibited the
"Garrison States" amoral ~rescrvation of its
vested interests . World War 111 is essentially
"The First Anti-Imperialist War" - the AntiColonial Revolution of "The Wretched of
the Earth" vs. the U.S .A . dominated-Western
Status Quo. Ronald Segal s The Race War
delineates the ethnocentric aspects of this
apocalyptic confrontation between the
«
Caucasian Rich and the Non-Caucasian
Poor .
The Pan Africanism of Marcus Garvey and
W.
E. B . DuBois was the genesis of antiDr.
imperialism among Black Americans in early 1900's .
They evoked the initial sympathy of so-called
Negroes for "Africa for the Africans". West
Indian Marxists George Padmore and C. L. R.
James also extolled the Pan-African movement.
The culmination of this trans-Atlantic collaboration of Africans, West Indians, and Afro-Americans
was the Manchester Conference of 1945 . At
this historic "rendezvous" Padmore and DuBois
were involved with Kwame Nkhrumah, Jomo
Kenyatta, and others in formulating the strategy
of the African Revolution . Subsequently Black
intellectuals such as Paul Robeson and W. Alphaeus
Hunton endorsed these Pan African goals. Accra
became an asylum for Black American expatriates
such as Sheila Graham Dubois and Julian Mayfield
during Nkrumah's leadership of Ghana. Even the
conservative "Negro celebrities" such as Roy
Wilkins and Whitney Young have applauded
African self-government . The psycho-cultural
"umbilical cord" between Africa and Black
America has been the principal focus of the
"North American pariah's" rapport with the
anti-colonial upheavals in the Non-Western world.
In 1902 Dr. DuBois stated that "The problem
of the twentieth century is the problem of the
color line . . . " The racist ramifications of
international capitalist exploitation have substantiated the Weltanschauung (world view) of
DuBois. China insists that a United States Soviet Union detente is subjugating the "Third
World". Consequently Chairman Mao Tse Tung
and Chinese Defense Minister Lin Piao advocate
that these emerging states encircle the West in
order to defeat neo-imperialism . At the Bandung
Conference Premier Chou En Lai emphasized
China's fervent support of the Algerian FLN's
guerrilla war against France and other AfroAsian freedom struggles. The demise of American Marxism in the 1950's rendered Elijah
10
Muhammad's Nation of Islam the sole persistent Black critic of the West's "imperial prerogatives" .
Cuban Pritne Minister Fidel Castro's sojourn
in Harlem during the 1960 U.N . General Assembly
Session irritated the "American Regime" ; the 1961
Black demonstration at the United Nations censoring U. S. State Department complicity in the
murder of Congolese Premier, Patrice Lumumba,
accentuated the "Establishment's apprehension .
Further deviation from the norm of Black American "silence" in regard to "Uncle Sam's" imperialistic ventures was explicit in the Pro-Castro
writings of William Worthy, foreign correspondent
of the Baltimore Afro-American. The late Senator
Robert Kennedy, then U. S. Attorney General,
"reacted" in the summer of 1962, by initiating
federal indictment procedures against Mr. Worthy
for "passport violations". A conference of Black
Students at Nashville in May, 1964, advocated
the formation of a Universal Anti-Imperialist
Youth Movement to eradicate American neocolonialism. The Revolutionary Action Movement
(RAM) designated July 4, 1964 to publicly proclaim its solidarity with the National Liberation
Front of Vietnam (American misnomer - "VietGong") . The October 1964 issue of Esquire
published William Worthy's "The Red Chinese
American Negro" ; this "expose" on RAM and
Malcolm X precipitated the intervention of "The
Invisible Government" (CIA) . During late January, 1965, three Black Radicals (one of them
met Che Guevera in 1964) were "framed" alleged "plot" to demolish Statue of Liberty
and Washington Monument ; February 21, 1965 Malcolm X was assassinated . Immediately subsequent to that "day of infamy" certain Black
Revolutionaries were "economically and politically persecuted" . The scope of this "liquidation process" became international - Juan Borsch
in the Dominican Republic, Ahmed Ben Bella in
Algeria, Sukarno in Indonesia, and Nkrumah in
Ghana.
By the summer of 1966 Stokely Carmichael
embraced the "Bandung Humanism" (Anti-Imperialist Unity of all Non-White Peoples) of RAM
and Malcolm X. The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)'s opposition to the
United States' annihilation of Vietnam, precipitated a schism among the "civil rights militants"
and influenced the late Dr. Martin Luther King
and the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) to
URBAN SCHOOLS AND THE
"OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE" :
"INSTITUTIONAL OBSOLESCENCE"
vociferously condemn the "incineration" of the
Vietnamese . Also a conspicuous young Black
minority asserted, "Hell No! We Won't Go",
to the wholesale conscription of Black American
Males. The "counter-insurgents" of the Defense
Department are now confronted with vehement
resistance to the draft. The dissent of these
"future Black mercenaries" is tantamount to
repudiation of "America's Manifest Destiny " .
O
The present commercial education and industrial arts curricula of U. S. public schools are
obsolete in the "Age of Cybernation" . These
curricula have not been appreciably altered since
the 1950's. Only a quota of secondary school
students have access to the data processing and
other recently instituted clerical courses. A
large percentage of these pupils are auantitatively
acquiring points for "attendance certificates"
(diplomas), but are not being qualitatively educated for "adult survival".
Q
Dr. Martin Essex, Superintendent of Ohio's
Schools, has advocated vocational education reforms to rectify this "institutionalized absurdity".
Nevertheless local public school bureaucrats have
not yet gravitated to his "remedies" . The absence of funds is not the prime cause of this
"unplanned obsolescence" ; many administrators
do not possess the concern, imagination, or
"will power" to effectively utilize available
revenues and subsidies. Some industrial arts
and business education instructors are not
professionally competent.
THE CAUSE
Universal Law signifies that there is a time
for killing, and a time of refrain . That same
divine law signifies that mankind still awaits some
form change in the nature of the wayward ones,
of the Caucasus . It is theatrically accepted, by
the Christian world, that Abel was the first to
fall victim to the blood lust of the opposite
thinking, of the unrighteous mind, of the beastile
element of mankind. It is celestially testified
that Abel was a product of earth. Cain, being a
Ram-Aries* Aryan .
Jesus of Nazareth, the first man to believe
that faith in goodness would somehow overcome
the evil spirit of the beastile element of mankind.
In spite of his faith, these same abominable ones,
who quarreled and fought among themselves, in
the old haunts, who in the end shed his blood.
He who sought to save them from the fate of their
own undoing. Since those times of past, to this
present day men die by these same hands, be it
his own kind or aboriginal man, he who makes
death come from the end of a rod, and fire and
death fall from the sky, as stated in Revelations.
These same ones would have us believe that the
spread of firearms, and various other types of
nuclear weapontry, is the overall cause of murder
and violence in the world at large. Keeping in
mind that these are the makers and hoarders of
these same weapons of destruction. He who
killed with club and stone.
Bill Russell
11
Vocational education theory and practice
must be radically transformed. Youth need
adequate development of their mathematical,
verbal, and reasoning abilities in order to
function in this ultra techno-scientific "Super
State" . However the research of Dr. Kenneth
Clark and others indicates that inner-city
schools have failed to disseminate the Three
R's. Learning in elementary and secondary
schools must allow every American to exercise
the "mental creativity and flexibility" demanded
in this era of escalating "occupational erosion" .
The orientation of vocational education can no
longer remain - the individual's acquisition of
a specific skill. The academic preparation of
high school graduates must embody cognizance
of the mental nature of the jobs emanating
from computer technology . The future "career
mobility" of both "Blue" and "White Collar"
workers will produce the necessity for retraining at least three times prior to retirement .
As a result the policies of adult education must
be expanded to encompass education of everyone
"from the cradle to the grave" . Guidance counselors must be re-educated in relation to the
socio-economic realities of the "Brave New World".
Without this "socio-psychological" comprehension,
their "counsel" will become more detrimental to
their "clients" . Genuine remedial instruction in
mathematics, reading, English, and logic are essential to the proper intellectual growth of ghetto
adolescents. Otherwise the faculty of slum schools
will perpetually process an "assembly line" of
functional illiterates .
ONE FOR ALL
The Commercial-Industrial Elite and Labor
Union Bureaucracy are guilty of " criminal negliof the
eg nce" in relation to the conservation
resource
valuable
"Affluent Society's" most
and
all
levels
American Youth. The universities
of government are " accomplices" in this "national
crime" . A4ichael Harrington in his "The SocialIndustrial Complex" (Harper's 11/67) comments
that the rhetoric of the "power structures" is not
materializing in appropriate action . Thus it is
empirically evident that they do not intend to
revolutionize vocational education . The American
"Inner Sanctum of Power" has sanctioned the
proliferation of meaningless training programs to
obscure the actual "opportunity structure" - nonemployability for unskilled and semi-skilled "lumpenproletariat" and diminishing employability for several
categories of skilled proletariat and middle-echelon
managers . Cybernation is relegating the "Other
America" to the role of spectators of the "Great
Society" . Henceforth the "American Commonwealth's" social stratification system will permanently exclude millions of Black and White "Plebians" .
Paul Goodman stresses that existing American
public schools promulgate "compulsory miseducation", thereby performing a negative role in the
maturation of their students. Christopher Jencks,
Edgar Friedenberg, and other astute social analysts
have also concluded that most educators, administrators, and teachers are "ignominious failures" .
Therefore "Radical Humanists" committed to the
realization of democratic ideals have a dual task 1) Devise the educational media that will develop
the total potential of "Have Not" Youth, and 2)
Create the socio-economic and political environment that will enable them to fulfill their "inalienable rights" to "Life Liberty, and the Pursuit
of Happiness" .
12
What we
give
to our children
let us
pray
it be given
to all black children
~
What we
desire
let us
desire
for our black
sisters and brothers also
Let us
be
brothers and sisters
and
mothers and fathers
of each
other
and let not
one of us
be
~otherless or sisterless
or
motherless or fatherless
Let us
eat
sleep and ove
as one
and
if a man
comes
to kill
me
let him
meet
us all .
Norman Jordan t~
BE YOU
THE TEMPLE WITHIN
Poems
about
Women
Black women
their moods
their moves
toward the throne
their smiles
their patience
(It's hard to
their remembrance
hip a fool
the revealing
that they
cause he thinks
are queens
he's already hip)
,y
Black queens
Queen Mothers
Trane was
inheritors of
heavy
heavy
the throne
because Trane did
they
move
his thing
back
Trane was in tune
black
with Trane
back
and his God
they
know
who they are
and his people
but when and
how will they move
~
too many good poets
how will they
are killing themselves
reign
trying to be
they
know
like LeRoi
Jones
Jones
now'
who they are
can take care
what they are
of Jones
but when
Don Lee raps for Don Lee
they are patient
Larry Neal and Bill Russell
but they know
create from Larry Neal and Bill Russell
It's getting
to be a thing
Man
Man
the dead empty
eyes
eyes
each time around
the same dead
empty eyes
sababa akil ~
(and we are all
blessed because
they do)
write your poem
sing your song
paint our picture
Be your own Black self
It's beautiful
to have power
to vision
the universe
and
the millions
and
trillions
bits
of life
that
makes it complete
let all
praises
be for Allah
who
blessed us
with
this huge
gift
It's good
to know there
really
is a
kingdom
a paradise
Be You.
Norman Jordan
It's
good
to be
alive
and it's good
to be
loved
and have the
power
to love in
return
let us
give
thanks to
Allah
who has
made this possible
13
(continued)
EVALUATION OF SURVIVAL
here within
Allah
we beg
you accept our
humble
thanks
you who
are
so great
and
so simple
Let us
bow
in humble
praise
for light
and
the wisdom
to vision
that light
into reality
Thanks Allah
for
the word
and
the sacred
power
of the word
Thanks Allah
for
the mind
and the holy
hole
it leaves
when it's absent
We
offer thanks
for
the seed
and
the will
and
knowledge
to
plant
and tend
Of old
as now
so said
The Prophet
and sagest,
that time brought
about also.
No man remains
all perfect.
Tirelessly
we as they
strive for
perfection,
each man
reaches
his fulfillment
each a perfect whole
To that degree
of achievement
be what it may.
Minds
human minds
infinite
universal
minds,
Think Black
or cease to contemplate
That is the thing.
It is hip,
To remain Negro,
or to become Positive .
Taking up a life of science
standing in opposition,
against a false world
of Christianity.
repelling death,
To come unto your own
No longer to delight
in hog bowls
or other white infatuations
to live, To love your self
To walk tall, as a man,
Leaving this decadent society
to die, in its own negativity .
Ending a life time of Atrocities,
escaping future Genocide
That is sure to come,
If we remain
in this den
of corruption .
A farewell to a life
of boyhood, of shame
of assimilation, of self.
Ha, The world,
would soon be at peace.
oppression replys no,
Time the mind responds
yes, yes, a thousand times
yes, I Aborigines man will be self
The devil is persistent,
as always.
The poor yet cries out,
Last
let us
kneel
in praise
to him
who
we are
all
a part
him
Who is all.
Norman Jordan
(continued)
14
To deaf ears.
but all in vain,
only the clink and ting
of cocktail glasses,
or some ass quoting
the price of rubber,
oil or steel enter their ears .
God's Judgment will come
as a thief in the night,
All will hear, All will see.
Minds
human minds
infinite
universal
minds,
Think Black
or cease to contemplate
in that divine thought
Each man will find self,
And the faith, of the faithful,
will again prove
to be true .
The entire spectrum of opinions on genocide
has, almost exclusively, been concerned with the
possibilities of the black minority being eliminated
by the white majority . The implications of this
is highly disturbing. However much more frightening is the probability that black folks will destroy
themselves. And unless some rather rapid psychological changes are undergone by black people,
this is exactly what will happen in the approaching
decades.
America and the world are moving uneasily
into a New Epoch for which the majority of black
folks (and the majority of other folks) are totally
unequipped to enter. The tempo of life and change
will continue to accelerate at such a rate that most
of us will be unable to keep up on any level (mental,
spiritual or physical). Because for hundreds of
years black folks have functioned as flesh and blood
computers in this society, and have accepted all
the negative information feed into them about
"negroes", they are filled with rage and self-hatred.
This is not now just coming to the surface. For
years black folk have been venting this venom on
one another. But only recently have large numbers
of black people become conscious of why they
treat one another the way they do. The unfoldment of this insight is very significant. This
knowledge means blacks have gained another key
to knowing themselves. However, knowledge
can be a very dangerous thing. Knowledge by
itself can do nothing. Knowledge with understanding can be used for either positive or negative ends. This is where black folks are now.
They know some of the reasons why they hate
themselves and one another. They must acquire
the understanding of this knowledge in order
to know how best to utilize it.
~
Bill Russell ~
SUICIDE PLUS FRATRICIDE = GENOCIDE
Is it possible for one to construct defense (or,
better still, offense) mechanisms effective enough
to neutralize the self-destructive urges within Self?
Can a people, through knowledge of the evil process, arrest the mutual mental, physical and psychological slaughter of one another? Are black people
capable of transcending their present march toward
Self-Genocide, and rise to the higher path of true
Brotherhood? A lot of very concerned persons
are wrestling with these extremely pertinent quesdons. There is an abundance of talk throughout
America about Genocide . The positions vary from
the inevitability of the genocide of black folks, all
the way to the impossibility of black genocide
occurring in this country.
Presently black folks are trying to drown
out their feelings of self-doubt and self-hatred
by loudly exclaiming : "I'm Black and I'm
Proud", and by trying to mobilize all their
collective hatred and direct it against white
folks. This is a positive change from many
of the things black people formerly did. But
in terms of how rapidly the mood in this
country is shifting to the right, it is not
enou . Besides, when we are really convinced
that we are "Black and Proud", we won't have
to sing it quite so loudly or so often . The Rulers
of this country are thoroughly aware of all this.
That is why they have so graciously lifted the
15
banner (via the mass media) "I'm Black and
I'm Proud" and are out-singing us praising the
beauty of blackness. Despite all the uproar
about being black, black folks are just as alienated
(if not more so) from one another as they have
been for centuries. However this country does
not intend to tolerate, indefinitely, black folks
channeling their hate toward white people and
"the system". When the "Power Elite" says :
"Enough", black people will not be directly
liquidated, but will be placed in economic,
political, educational, social, and geographical
confinement. Because the vast accumulation of
rage and self-hatred in black folk will not have
spent itself ; the twin monsters Suicide and Fratricide will begin to rear their heads in their most
naked and brutal forms. Because black people
will be unable to express their hatred for that
and those which their new self-awareness has
led them to believe they hate, they will become
unbearably frustrated by their impotence. And
because hatred has to feed on something, black
people will begin to feed upon themselves. To
even imagine this occurring is hideous; the actuality
is much worse than that .
RESU RRECTI ON
Universal
minds
relate,
Mankind
do
life,
human
life
Ne tune
callng
beware
cross
the hog
but death
Brothers
negative
Sisters
Awake
beware
Universal
minds relate hell fire
this earth,
hell fire
Cities
this earth
Negative .
awake
only
Mankind
death
doom
pinned
Nagasaki
This is not a possibility of the distant future,
in
but test
but unfortunatel y a p otential danger of the immediate negative
only
future . Therefore to say that black folks are not
death.
Scientist
Polluted
confronted with the problem of "identity" and being
on loose
air
"Black and Beautiful", but with the necessity of surrelate to
beware
would
not
be
an
overstatement.
If
Universe
.
vival as a people
negative
Earth
black folk don't finally realize what is really important
minds,
material
and what isn't, and what to do with what they know,
means
Vanity
then it won't matter to us whether we were black or
to destroy.
relate
green ; proud or ashamed ; beautiful or ugly; for we
Water
to
Spirit
will have become extinct via our own suicide and
pollution,
Allah
fratricide . Extinction does not merely refer to being
death .
absolute,
physically absent . Unless black people regroup and do Material
Negative
some correct thinking, feeling and acting together,
hope to
nothingness .
we will kill ourselves and each other physically, mendestroy
Neptune
Mankind
tally or spiritually . And possibly we may do all three
calling
germ
by stages . The possibility of the "Man" inflicting
Mankind,
Warfare
warning
genocide on black people is not nearly as terrifying
mean to
beware
as black folks inducing genocide upon themselves.
destroy
negative
Think about it.
Mankind
scientist
beware
on loose
~~~i
beware
Universal
birth
minds
Q~
control
relate,
pills,
beware
`l
Exterminates, negative
Scientist:
destroys
16
it
l
I
ape
Doomed
Awake,
dead
relats
Nothingness.
Neptune
calling
mankind
warning
beware
of self
unconscious
seek
Allah,
become
conscious
Jesus
comes
hell fire
this earth
Jesus
comes follow,
Muhammad
calls
answer,
Beware
Vedic
Hymn
singer
awakens
beware
Neptune
calling
beware
this
Earth
shall
pass
away .
Meaning
Earths
Plane
shall
he s
word
remains .
Material
world
Nothingness
Vanity,
relate
to spirit
relate
to higher
self,
Allah
Universe
absolute
relate
to higher
self
Awake.
The year
of the
dog
draws near
Eight year
Saturn
death
Mankind
Ghetto
death.
t/
tW'`
_,~..~
v
Bill Russell
THE
UNIVERSE
IS
MENTAL