Greetings and Solidarity to each of you. In recognition of your individual voice, influence, and cultural following among current generations of Black people/Africans in the Diaspora and on the continent, we salute you.
While we only know you from the public domain, we know that many of you come from backgrounds where you faced poverty, police brutality, lack of healthcare and other forms of oppression like most Black people. We all recognize that we are in a watershed period of economic and government failure, a pandemic and now a resistance movement from which things will never emerge the same.
What we all do in this period will directly impact the fortunes, survival and freedom dreams of Black People, and others around the world who suffer from the same oppression. Whether its South American Favelas, South African Shanty Towns, Palestinian territories or the Black urban ghettoes of racist America, capitalism and white supremacy has turned the entire world into a ghetto for the profits of a few. So, we should pay attention to each other, because here, in the heart of racist America we are all we have, and along with our true allies, are truly all we need.
Individually we who write this letter are former members of the original Black Panther Party, co-founded in 1966 by the late Huey P. Newton, and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California. We were targets of the FBI’s infamous Counter Intelligence Program (codename COINTELPRO) which killed many of our comrades, including Fred Hampton, Mark Clark, and numerous other Panthers and revolutionary freedom fighters. We are veterans of government search and destroy missions that forced our beloved Comrade Assata Shakur into exile. We are former Black Political Prisoners who spent decades in U.S. prisons, like our comrades Russell Maroon Shoatz, Romaine “Chip” Fitzgerald, Sundiata Acoli, Jalil Muntaqim, and Mumia Abu-Jamal who are still locked down today. In short, we were on the front line of government efforts to kill and destroy the Black radical movements for civil/human rights including the right to self-determination.
https://youtu.be/UK0Onr8gDSUSome of us were also racist law enforcement’s worst nightmare, armed combatants in the revolutionary Black underground, the Black Liberation Army (BLA). Much of our history in our people’s struggle has been kept away from you and seemingly unavailable to your generation as you reinvent what was done in the past. Our people’s enemies haven’t changed, circumstances and conditions have. History never repeats itself – but it damn sure can rhyme.
The question is where do we, Black people, oppressed peoples, go from here? What is to be done? Make no mistake, we are still at war. A war that began when, as Malcolm said, “Plymouth Rock landed on us” and it has continued to this day unabated.
It is our duty as revolutionary freedom fighters to pass on lessons, wisdom, knowledge and experiences to the next generation of freedom fighters, cultural workers and activists. In that manner, an oppressed people can resist domination from one generation to the next without reinventing failures, pitfalls, or the mistakes of the previous generation. It is our enemy’s job to prevent this, and isolate one generation from the other. It is their duty to denigrate the history of militant and radical traditions and burnish the history of integrationist who think we can simply vote our way out of this problem. It is for this reason that we have stepped forward at this neo-fascist moment in history driven by the current crisis of capitalist culture, an ongoing pandemic and the now renewed attention and massive demonstrations brought on by ongoing police murders in our community.
We have chosen to focus this letter on you because our enemies constantly target you to help “calm” the people down. They hope your new class status will outweigh your racial and class analysis. You have a chance to prove them wrong and with your resources and influence you can be crucial to the collective survival of our people. Tattoos, expensive cars and private jets don’t inoculate anyone from a disease and don’t render you bullet proof. We have to collectively provide for our own human agency and not delude ourselves into thinking it’s safer to integrate into a maligned system of greed and dehumanization.
Some may say we as Panther veterans are not the Black people you should be seen talking to. Niggas should know their place we’ve been told and this is one reason that powerless Black folks have sports figures, actors, musicians and bought-off politicians as their public opinion makers. The voices of the disenfranchised is only heard when they rage against the machine that has ground down their lives.
We have all been encouraged by the energy of the Black masses and our allies in protesting the murder of George Floyd, but as each of you are well aware the murder and brutality visited upon our people is nothing aberrational or new. The butchering, torture, and dehumanization of Black people extends back to the days of bullwhips, castrations and mass rape on the plantations of America’s European “founding fathers” and continues to this day. This is the legacy from which modern law enforcement in America derived its overarching purpose, the protection of property and wealth, not people — especially not Black people. No amount of training, social sensitivity, counseling, or smaller police forces will change the current impact of this history on law enforcement. Only our control of public safety in our communities will break this historical context for modern law enforcement. This begins with decentralization of the police, and community control of public safety.
This season of political struggle is indeed about the “Ballot and the Bullet.” To organize the former, (ballot) all progressive and radical forces in America need to come together in a United Front Against Fascism and the militarized police state. This is what the BPP did at the height of the tumultuous sixties, resulting in delaying the outright consolidation of right-wing racist takeover of American foreign and domestic policy.
https://youtu.be/3T9bz3KJWG0We must also look beyond solutions that are strictly based on legislative reform, voting, or individual capitalist enterprises. Black folks must survive institutional racist paradigms of power and exercise political and social self-determinant power. The public platforms each of you have can go a long way in creating this tactical and strategic organizing vision. With this in mind we ask you who have a certain sway over the attitudes and minds of today’s Black youth to do the following.
- Let’s meet and talk through a strategy based on liberating Black People and our respective roles in that fight.
- Let us create a Pan-African Refugee and Relief Agency where we become our own first responders in times of natural and/or human-made disasters/pandemics.
- Help create a consortium so we can develop a new cooperative economic system where ownership is shared and is directed towards the needs of our people/workers, not consumerist enterprises.
- Support radical and revolutionary Black organizations that have a history of accomplishment and institution building in our community that is independent of major corporate donations, government grants or foundation founding.
- Through your social media reach support the current rebellion in the streets and mass organizing for radical change.
- If you are opposed to property destruction then instead call for massive demonstrations at key government and private instillations and give free concerts to ensure large numbers of people come out.
- Work with us and others to create and fund an independent Black electoral platform and candidates with radical demands for Black control and redistribution of this country’s wealth and reparations for Black people.
- Fight for the demilitarization and the decentralization of the police. Create local community boards that can control the hiring, firing and disciplining of police in their community.
- Let’s create a not only new policing paradigm and a community restorative justice model and an end to the prison industrial complex.
These are just some of the things you/we can do to create a united Black Liberation Front to challenge our oppressive conditions in the united states and erase the class divide between the overwhelming majority of our people and those few like you who have some wealth and influence. This is all our opportunity to do what’s best for our people and be on the right side of history.
Original Black Panthers Members,
KATHLEEN CLEAVER, SEKOU ODINGA, CLEO SILVERS, JAMAL JOSEPH, YASMEEN MAJID, VICTOR HOUSTON, PAULA PEEBLES, BILAL SUNNI ALI, JIHAD MUMIT, DHORUBA BIN-WAHAD, KIM HOLDER, HAROLD WELTON, HAROLD TAYLOR, ARTHUR LEAGUE, RASHAD BYRDSONG, KHALID RAHEEM, ASHANTI ALSTON.
Supported by Community Movement Builders.
Any media inquires please contact Kamau Franklin at kamaufranklin@gmail.com
I read the letter. I think it has some good information and ideas, although there is an unfortunate misspelling of Mumia Abu-Jamal’s name, but at least it links to other articles about him, as well as other Panther political prisoners. I relate to the ideas as an oppressed person and stand in solidarity with the struggle for Black Liberation and for the liberation of all oppressed people’s and all life on this planet.
Not sure appealing to celebrities is going to move everyone forward. Some celebrities have certainly used their position to educate. But most media is just distraction, controlled by corporations.
Also, organizing through social media is such a strange idea because, again, it’s all owned by the corporate billionaires; and their AI offers a way to surveil everybody- I always have misgivings about even posting my comments- but it is a platform for communication nevertheless.
I’m malcolm x
2020 is the,104 yr., impact on the Century.
The African International, warriors , UAL Universal African Legions globally had ; men, 200,000 in uniforned, and 100,000 wise and military trained;
our women, in African Motor Corp, Black Cross Nurses,and additional “auxilary”were uniforned, beyound, 250,000; with minimal skillfully taught in Garveyism, and soldier warrior trained, at a minimum of upward of 150,000, women.
Thank you for quoting the practices of El Hagg Malik Shabazz, Malcolm X.’s 12 yrs. NOI; and way short of two yrs. after, March 8, 1964.
When El Hagg Malcolm X , formally departed , Nation of Islam.
My, our season Elders; what happen with Spanish American war of global imperialism; who put on paper that, “Negroes will be given, equal protection under, their laws by participating in wars for “”freedom””,liers, horritific terroist; in the USA, abroad, and, with indigenous people, at home and abroad, locked up predominately on reservations, globally.
Elders, of the October1966-1974; core yrs. of Black Panter Party for Self Defence, with RAM, BLA, other comrades ; how do elders, others, and allies, and other ethnic, deal with their on racist, oppressive; class privilege, including “”white””, skin, euro-american privledges, in their own communities, as they want to be authenic allies ?
Elders, iam a jr. Elder, out of Seattle , before the formal BPP, in early Winter 1967, and Winter 1968, in Seattle.
Being that a few Black students in Summer became members of the Universal Negro Improvement6 Association and African Communities Leagues, (UNIA&ACL) Evergreen Division# 50, Black Cultural Center, and student helpers of; “”Free Breakfasf Program, and eventually, Medical/Health stations.
In closing, to call for a “”United African Liberation Front””, today, tomorrow, the future; and, unintentionally, omit the African Nationalist,including, Louise Norton Langdon Little, Earl Little’s generation who died, and institutionalize, as, hundred of thousands were “red baited”.
Elders, i dont like to start calling names for the human liberation of the freedom loving people of the World; however, Paul Roberson, Hubert Henry Harrison, Cladia Jones, Amy Ashwood Garvey; and all those of , Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas,Oklahoma, Arkansas’; who impacked, the West Coast, Gulf Coast, Great Lakes, and Pacific NorthWest.
Lest we make the missteps of our “”youth””; as John Henry Clarke, Dr. Richardson of Marcus Books, quoting Carter G. Woodson; ” No matter how many mistakes Garvey made, his profoundness is that he through the UNIA & ACL, mobilize , organized more African Negroes in the United States, the Western Hemisphere, Africans on the Continent, Central, SouthAmerica, including Austria.
Yes , we need to communicate to the generations; however, social engineering is studying, reflecting, passing on our revolutionary practices; and the mistakes, missteps of Pan African Liberation, in our times; and those before, century by century.
2020 Centennial of African Liberation International of the 20th Century, that added to the “Freedom Loving People of the Oppress World, versus, the 1% few.
As i pause, and welcome discussion on what has been shared; i remain, your obedient and humble servant;
T. A . ODUNO , servant leader , garden motivator, disciple of the generation of, Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey’s generation, their revolutionary predecessor .
I am in support of all things peaceful and though myself and other citezens were programmed to believe BPP is not peaceful, this letter clearly supports peace and mutual respect of human beings. I would like to contribute with efforts within my capaacity and would hope someone would reach out to me through Face Book so I can meet with someone in the Bay Area. Sinserely Reda Carr. Redacarr@facebook.com
The above reading food for the soul to last decades. Is it black enough for us,,,,I would say so. We are the prized and proud all in a million! HOTEP
Thank you for coming to the forefront and for rallying the troops once again….Once enough of us stand up, the game is over! Checkmate!
As an elder who participated in the original BLM (LIBERATION) I am so pleased and proud to read your principled critical analysis.
I recommend adding a dialectical, historical dimension to your crit that recognizes that ALL segments of our PB are not antagonistic to revolutionary struggle. This is particularly historically. true of our cultural artist. Beyonce is no Nina Simone, T.I. & Killa Mike might not be “The Last Poets” but to the extent they heed this call to action and take DIRECTION from the Black grassroots movement, let them. Most importantly, raise up and politically develop a current crop of cultural warriors. WHO do you suggest? If there’s another EMORY or Sonia Sanchez out there find/recruit them! As a good brother used to say, “If you don’t like that news go out and make some of your own!” (Mackie McCloud WILD-AM Boston)
A LUTA CONTINUA Bro. Damani
This is high time we all join hands
And build a system that will be for the advantages of black lives matters.
So its high time we come together as strong and powerful black people. As we are we all have been victim of this police brutality
This will be the Greatest Story ever told!! I we are getting the message that We are Our greatest asset and when we Unite the House Will Finally Stand! I longed for this Reunion. There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF, but not even then
The New Afrikan Asafo People’s Vanguard stand solidarity with you and will work to carry our the above request.
Htpu dear elders..FIRST, let me say I am grateful for yall, your great works and its revolutionary impact on black people worldwide. Our people cannot thank , support and honor y’all enough. In fact, we have not and this saddens me..It is one of the contradictions of the black liberation struggle that MUST BE ERADICATED. You we must honor, take direction from and support including financially. The late Elombe Brathwaite was my first mentor. He saved me from a whitewashed existence at 19 years old. It was through Elombe that my political consciousness was born. He ignited a fire within me for self determination and spawned my political activity. It was through Ellombe that I was introduced to your great and fearless works. I honor and respect yall HIGHLY. Therefore it greatly saddens me to see this open letter to those who chose to be the enemy of our people. Some of these “artists” you are appealing to are blood drinking WORSHIPPERS of demonic forces (Baphomet and Moloch). They have NO interest in life giving, black liberatory activities. They are members of what you our elders have taught us were the petty bourgeoisie class which was created by our enemies as a buffer to work against black liberation. They are controlled by our enemies. Why then are they being summoned to assist with our liberation? I am TOTALLY shocked and confused by this open appeal to those who have proven to be ENEMIES of black liberation i.e. Jay Zzz’$, Beyond seeing and Con yay Westernized..SHOCKED by this open letter at a time when the masses are FINALLY RISING UP. Why not lead them and draw financial resources from this powerful movement of resistance? I say this in sincerity and with the highest respect. You have taught us to utilize our mental faculties for critical political analysis. You taught us, like El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, to be politically uncompromising. You are the leadership of the black liberation movement..the BLA..I honor you..please explain this political position and public statement. – Hmt HetHeru RaatMwt
I hear what you’re saying but anyone can change. A lot of young people including young entertainers are lost and some are still finding their way on many levels. What better way for them to learn and grow in wisdom, and potentially have a profound voice against systemic racism should they come to the table being willing, ready and eager to be mentored by those in the struggle for a long time!