Parable of the Bike

Parable of the Bike

One of Plato Negro's students gave him a bike. It was a nice bike, a Schwinn. When Plato Negro rode to his Academy of da Corner and his brother came through, Plato showed him the bike. His brother said, "Nigguh you had to get 70 years old to get a Schwinn bike."

Plato replied, "Yeah, bro, you know we went to the junk yard to make our bikes. Didn't no nigguh have no Schwinn bike in the hood, not hardly. A passenger in a truck stopped at the stoplight heard the conversation and cosigned, "Yeah, couldn't no nigger's afford no Schwinn bike back in da day."

Plato was hopeful riding the bike would help him lose weight. His friend in D.C. had made him promise to do some bike riding as he does for exercise. When he was last in D.C., his friend, Baba Lumumba, gave him a bike so he could ride through D.C.'s Arboretum, which Plato actually enjoyed.

The Monday after Christmas he rode his bike from Berkeley to downtown Oakland. As he arrived at 14th and Broadway, he saw two of Oakland's finest police officers on their bikes passing the corner. He was familiar with these two black officers who patrol the downtown area and are known to dog the people, especially the young people.

As Plato stopped for the light, he observed the officers get off their bike to question a youth. Plato recognized the youth as one of his best students from the Academy of da Corner. This student had come through recently and seeing the latest book by Plato, picked it up and began reading aloud for all to hear. He is a young man who loves books and has obtained several from Plato. In truth, he is also a weed dealer and Plato knew the police stopped him because he was restricted from the downtown area.

Plato wished he could have assisted his student, especially one of his best students. Plato delayed crossing the street so he could watch the police arrest their usual suspect. He saw his student turn around and put his hands behind his back. They put on the handcuffs. They searched him up and down. And soon came the patrol cars to take him away. Yes, it took two cars to take away one black man.

Plato wished he could intervene, that he could tell the officers to release him to his custody, to allow him in the area only to attend Academy of da Corner. But he knew it would be a dangerous move that might get him arrested, joining his student on the long ride to Santa Rita Jail for New Year's weekend.

Plato knew the drill, a 24 to 48 hour processing time from his arrest to the time he'd enter his cell. During this time he would move from holding cell to holding cell, basically concrete benches and floors, packed with men crowded like sardines on the slave ships, some sleeping with their heads next to the latrine and toilet. The processing was worse than jail itself. At several points one must strip butt naked and show the jailers his asshole, hold his nuts and cough.

Plato didn't want to go through this, even to save his student as we entered the New Year. But it saddened him to see one of his best students in the hands of the slave catchers.

Plato wished he could connect with the retired black judge he heard was looking for him to get a copy of his book Pull Yo Pants Up fada Black Prez and Yoself, essays on Obama Drama. This was a progressive judge, Horace Wheatley, who used to sentence youth to get their G.E.D., and if they failed they were charged with contempt of court.
--Marvin X
12/28/10

So Much Trouble in the World - BOB MARLEY

Ishmael Reed Defends Obama Drama

“Defender” Ishmael Reed Goes “On Offense” for Obama

December 21, 2010

By Lee Hubbard, Post Newspaper Group

Ishmael Reed

Ishmael Reed has been called many things in a writing career that has spanned over 40 years. Now the Oakland resident and UC Berkeley professor, author and social commentator of over 20 books, has become “the defender” and gone on the political offensive in his support of President Barack Obama.
Reed, author of the recently published book, Barack Obama and the Jim Crow media: The Return of the Nigger Breakers,” feels the Obama presidency is being sabotaged by both the republican party and right wing critics, but also from the left wing progressives. In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, he wrote that progressives calling for Obama to “Man up” against the republicans are out of step with reality.
‘There has been a massive resistance to President Obama and his policies, just like it was a resistance to desegregation,” said Reed in an interview.
If Obama was to get angry at his critics, he would be portrayed as an “angry black man” or a militant, according to Reed, which would haunt Obama politically. Besides, Reed says Obama is widely popular still amongst black and Hispanic voters.
“Progressives do not understand the changing demographics of America,” said Reed. “They cannot see it, because they are largely talking to themselves, instead of ordinary Americans.”
In explaining Obama’s compromise to extend unemployment benefits and the Bush era tax cuts, Reed said that extending the benefits was something that had to happen for the unemployed, which Obama knows about from working amongst them in the Southside of Chicago when he was a community organizer. Reed said that the whispers of a potential 2012 democratic challenge to Obama from within the Democratic Party, would be “suicidal” and it would ensure the “democrats lose the black vote forever.”
While he has some problems with some of President Obama’s policy stands, he said the incremental change Obama is pushing, is a good thing, which will pay off in the end. He urged former supporters of Obama who have become disappointed or critical to get involved, get informed on the issues and recognize the resistance to President Obama and his policies.
“After Obama got elected, all of the people who supported him went home and left the fight for Obama,” concluded Reed. “He is by himself and we need to support him, for the long fight he is in.”
Next: MarvinX an early Obama Defender.

See Marvin X's Pull Yo Pants Up fada Black Prez and Yoself, essays on Obama Drama, Black Bird Press, Berkeley, 2010.

Hanging in Mississippi, Lynching by police up south, get over it, this is America the ugliful

INFO: Blacks doubt death in small Southern town is a suicide--they want answers now

Blacks doubt death in small Southern town is a suicide--they want answers now

By Jesse Muhammad -Staff writer- | Last updated: Dec 16, 2010 - 2:57:58 PM Family, political leaders, activists want further investigation into hanging death of young man

The body of Frederick Jermaine Carter was found hanging from a tree and local authorities ruled the death a suicide. His family and Blacks, however, don't believe the young man took his own life.

(FinalCall.com) - The idea of a so-called post-racial America was widely discussed, debated and even seen as an achievement by some with Barack Obama's inauguration as president of the United States.

For Blacks in Greenwood, Mississippi, the notion that America has gotten beyond race isn't popular today. Many are angry over the recent mysterious hanging death of Frederick Jermaine Carter.

“This is 2010 and we still have Black people hanging from trees? They're saying he hung himself but I have doubt in my mind that he actually did that. That wasn't his character. This wasn't a suicide, this was a homicide,” said Sunflower, Miss., Mayor Michael Pembleton, Jr. to The Final Call.

The body of Mr. Carter, 26, was found Dec. 3 hanging from an oak tree in the predominately White North Greenwood area of Leflore County. The young man lived in neighboring Sunflower County, located several miles away.

Mr. Carter's stepfather told law enforcement that he was working in the area with his stepson when Mr. Carter wandered off.

County Sheriff Ricky Banks reportedly told the media the young man had a “mental condition and a history of wandering off.” He also publicly stated that he saw no signs at the scene pointing towards it being a crime or murder.

Mr. Banks said evidence shows Mr. Carter dragged an old frame of a nearby table, leaned it against the trunk of the tree and commenced to tying himself to the tree limb.

(L)Photos from the scene of the death, show the deceased and the area around where the body was found. (R) Some Blacks say police did not properly mark off the place where the 26-year-old died and may have allowed for contamination of the scene if foul play occurred.

“The frame probably broke, possibly because Carter kicked it out from under himself,” Mr. Banks told reporters.

The preliminary autopsy results by the Leflore County Coroner's Office declared it a suicide.

The deceased man's family and community leaders don't accept the official explanations and are calling for further investigation.

“Because there has been no investigation on the part of the local officials into this as a crime, we're calling on the federal government to conduct an independent investigation. We want the U.S. Justice department to look into this,” attorney Valerie Hicks Powe told The Final Call in a phone interview on Dec. 13.

Ms. Powe, who is based in Birmingham, Ala., is the spokesperson for the victim's family. “A crime scene was never established. They never roped the scene off and this has not been treated as a crime. There is no reason to believe that he would commit suicide. We appreciate attention being brought to this because we need an outcry from the people,” she said.

Funeral services for Mr. Carter were scheduled for Dec. 18 at Ark of The Covenant Church in Moorhead, Miss.

One of the most gruesome lynchings in U.S history took place in Money, Miss., which approximately 10 miles north of Greenwood. In August 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was beaten, shot in the head, his eyes gouged out, and thrown into theTallahatchie River with a cotton gin fan tied around his neck with barbed wire after accusations of whistling a White woman. Two White males were acquitted in the case while the boy's mother held an open casket funeral that made national headlines. It was also a watershed moment for the civil rights movement as the horror the Southern violence and brutality was put before the world.

Unanswered questions and appeals for outside help

Loved one and relatives want answers to questions about the death of Mr. Carter and the story thus far does not ring true, they say.“He didn't have a mental problem. His problem was he tended to not defend himself against others in conflict but he wouldn't kill himself. The family is requesting a second autopsy and want to also have an autopsy done by someone out of the state of Mississippi,” says Mr. Pembleton, who is also a cousin of the victim.

State Senator David Jordan was able to obtain gruesome photos of Mr. Carter's body hanging from the tree. He went to the scene himself and is also skeptical of what is being reported.

Photos of the tree and location where Frederick Jermaine Carter was found hung in Greenwood, Miss.

“There are a lot of unanswered questions. He reportedly had rope in his pocket but didn't have anything to cut it with? Why wasn't the scene of the crime blocked off? That tree limb is nearly 12 feet high. I'm 6'2 and I can't see how I could maneuver to do that so how could a boy his height hang himself like that?” asks Mr. Jordan, who is also a Greenwood City Councilman.

Mr. Jordan met with the victim's mother, Brenda Carter, when he obtained the photos of her son. “She told me her son loved life too much to take his life. We want another autopsy now,” he said.

Wendol Lee, president of the Memphis-based Operation Help Civil Rights Group, said some 300 residents petitioned his group to get involved because of “paranoia related to the history of lynching.”

“The area where he was found hanging is an area that Black people do not go into according to what residents have told us. Blacks get harassed and stopped by the police in that area so why would this young man go way over there to kill himself? We believe someone took him over there and killed him,” said Mr. Lee, who also works with the National Action Network.

Mr. Lee's group has been on the ground interviewing residents, who he also says do not believe Mr. Carter would take his own life. “He was a good young man who was seen always helping the children,” he added.

On Dec. 9, Mr. Lee's group led a press conference with the family in Greenwood to express dissatisfaction with the investigation and issue his group's call for a national federal probe.

“We know Whites that are in power in Mississippi have never shown favor to Blacks. We're reaching out to Attorney General Eric Holder to order an investigation on the federal level because we're getting conflicting statements from the police,” said Mr. Lee.

Following the press conference, Mr. Lee said they went back to the scene and found what could possibly be “an extra set of footprints. We're leaning towards that this was a killing because everyone we talked to has never seen Frederick in that area before until his body was found,” he noted.

Ground photo of high tree where Frederick's body was found.

“How did he (Mr. Carter) get out there so far? That's a serious question. I'm concerned about the way the knot was tied around his neck. That's a very particular type of knot that you don't see Black people walking around with,” said Larry Muhammad, Nation of Islam representative in Greenville, Miss.

A major protest in Greenwood maybe brewing, according to Mr. Lee. “This is not the old days. You can't just hang Black people today and think nothing is going to happen. If need be, we're going to invite Al Sharpton to get involved. We going to get ready to shake up this town!” vowed Mr. Lee.

Leflore County Supervisor Preston Ratliff is questioning the reported suicide as well. “I have not made many public statements because I'm still waiting for more information but I do think it is strange that he would hang himself in such a remote area. The mere fact that a Black man is found hanging in a White neighborhood is disturbing based on the history of the Delta,” he said.

According to Mr. Ratliff, Leflore County is approximately 65 percent Black and 35 percent White in population. He doesn't deny the racial problems in his area but points out that it's not as bad as it used to be.

“It's better than people think, but we still have a long way to go. I simply want the truth to come out in this hanging. If it is proven that this is the result of foul play, then those who are responsible need to be found,” said Mr. Ratliff.

“What attracted my attention was that it took place in this big field in a White community. I went to the scene and I didn't see any evidence that a struggle took place. The first autopsy says suicide but nobody believes that is the case,” said Dr. Eddie Carthan, who heads Good Samaritan Ecumenical Church in Tchula, Miss.

“I'm striving to look at this objectively. Right now we're not sure and we're still investigating,” he said.

“There is no sign that we could find whatsoever that anyone else was involved. I haven't seen anything to change my mind, and I'm looking really hard,” said Sheriff Banks to the media.

Blacks in the area don't see it the same way. “We can't have a young, Black man hanging and we just go back to business as usual. We can't sit by and let this go (on). People want stuff like this to get swept under the rug,” countered Mr. Jordan.

Joyce Gordon Gallery Reading, Feb. 19, 3-6

Celebrating Release of the Poetry Issue, Journal of Pan African Studies











The Joyce Gordon Gallery
14th and Franklin, downtown Oakland
presents
Academy of da Corner Reader's Theatre

Saturday, February 19, 3-6pm

Reading from
The Journal of Pan African Studies, Poetry Issue

Guest Editor Marvin X
Marvin X has always been in the forefront of Pan African writing. Indeed, he is one of the innovators and founders of the revolutionary school of African writing. --Amiri Baraka

An excellent collection of poetry from some of the best poets in America. The best selection of poems that any Guest Editor has ever put together!--Rudolph Lewis, Editor, Chickenbones.com















Invited Poets
These poets have work in JPAS

Al Young, poet laureate emeritus of California
devorah major, poet laureate emeritus of San Francisco
Ishmael Reed
Phavia Kujichagulia
Kwan Booth
Toreeda Mikell
Niyah X
Ayodele Nzingha
Avotcja
Ptah Allah El
Opal Palmer Adisa
Itibari Zulu, Senior Editor, JPAS
J. Vern Cromartie
Fritz Pointer
Anthony Spires
Kilola Maisha
Charles Blackwell
Nykimbo Broussard
Renaldo Manuel Ricketts
Marvin X, Guest Editor
Reader Theatre Performers:
Paradise
Alona Clifton

The Journal of Pan African Studies is an online international journal of Pan African literature.
A hard copy of the poetry issue is available from Black Bird Press, approx. 475 pages, $49.95.

Donations support Academy of da Corner Reader's Theatre.

Admission to the poetry reading is $10.00, but no one turned away. To confirm your participation or for more information, please contact Marvin X at jmarvinx@yahoo.com.

Journal of Pan African Studies, Poetry Issue

CONTENTS

Groundation

● JPAS: Dedicated to Dingane, Jose Goncalves
by Marvin X
Page 1

● The Poets
by Marvin X Page 2

● Letters to the Editor
Page 4

Some of the Journal of Black Poetry Poets, Photo Essay

Page 13

● Dingane Joe Goncalves, The Journal of Black Poetry & Small Non-Commercial Black Journals
by Rudolph Lewis
Page 17

In My Negritude

● Shaggy Flores, page 32

Ras Griot 44

Phavia Kujichagulia 48

Chinwe Enemchukwu 60

L. E. Scott 64

Rodney D. Coates 76

J. Vern Cromartie 78

Dike Okoro 80

Neal E. Hall 82

Marvin X 89

Mohja Kahf 106

Ayodele Nzingha 114

Askia M. Toure 126

Michael Simanga 129

Amiri Baraka 133

Kalamu ya Salaam 136

Kola Boof 145

Louis Reyes Rivera 146

Aries Jordan 152

Ptah Allah El 156

Hettie V. Williams 160

● Teaching Diaspora Literature: Muslim American Literature as an Emerging Field
by Mohja Kahf
163

● Mother Earth Responds by Askia Toure
review by Kamaria Muntu
168

Tainted Soul by T. Ptah Mitchell..

Review by Zulu King 175

The Whirlwind

Tracey Owens Patton 179

devorah major 180

Anthony Mays 190

Bruce George 193

Jeanette Drake 193A

Itibari M. Zulu 204

Renaldo Manuel Ricketts 206

Nandi Comer 207

Al Young 210

Ghasem Batamuntu 212

Mona Lisa Saloy 215

Eugene B. Redmond 220

Fritz Pointer 222

Gwendolyn Mitchell 226

Felix Orisewike Sylvanus 229

Rudolph Lewis 231

Kamaria Muntu 238

Ed Bullins 245

Mabel Mnensa 247

Kwan Booth 250

Tureeda Mikell 252

● Poetic Mission: A Dialogue on the Role of the Poet and Poetry
by Rudolph Lewis (dialogue team: Marvin X, Jerry Ward, Mary Weems, and C. Leigh McInnis)
253

● The Poetic Mission: Art II: Reviewing a Life, A Calling
by Haki R. Madhubuti 262

Amour of Ancestors

● Everett Hoagland 265

Charles Blackwell 268

Jacqueline Kibacha 269

John Reynolds III 271

Darlene Scott 280

Jimmy Smith Jr. 282

Sam Hamod 285

Opal Palmer Adisa 292

Amy ‘Aimstar’ Andrieux 302

Lamont b. Steptoe 308

Avotcja 311

Anthony Spires 319

Benecia Blue 325

Neil Callender 320

Tanure Ojaide 334

Pious Okoro 345

Tony Medina 349

Dr. Ja A. Jahannes 355

Brother Yao 361

Zayad Muhammad 369

Nykimbe Broussard 377

Kilola Maisha 379

Niyah X 380

Adrienne N. Wartts 381

Greg Carr 382

Darlene Roy 384

Tantra Zawadi 385

Ishmael Reed 388

Quincy Scott Jones 392

Bob McNeil 396

Ariel Pierson 398

Marie Rice 401

Yvonne Hilton 403

Bolade Akintolayo 404

Latasha Diggs 406

Felton Eaddy 413

B. Sharise Moore 415

News, Views, Reviews

● Medical Mythology
by Ramal Lamar
419

● Qaddafy’s Apology for Arab Slavery: A Dialogue Between Poets
by Rudolph Lewis, Sam Hamud, and Kola Boof
422

● Prize and Award: Chinua Achebe and Haki R. Madhubuti
432

● Two Poets in Oakland: Ishmael Reed and Marvin X
by Ishmael Reed and Marvin X
436

● A Pan African Dialogue on Cuba: From Black Bird Press
by Dead Prez, Carlos Moore, Pedro de la Hoz, and North American African Activist, Intellectuals and Artist
452

● Black Arts West Celebrates Amiri Baraka at 75
a photo essay by Kamau Amen-Ra
467

● Amiri Baraka Entertains SF: ‘Lowku’ versus Haiku Revives Fillmore Spirit
by Lee Hubbard and Marvin X

473

Groundation

● JPAS: Dedicated to Dingane, Jose Goncalves
by Marvin X
[ view PDF ]

● The Poets
by Marvin X
[ view PDF ]

● Letters to the Editor
[ view PDF ]

● Dingane Joe Goncalves, The Journal of Black Poetry & Small Non-Commercial Black Journals
by Rudolph Lewis
[ view PDF ] [ view PDF ]

In My Negritude

● Shaggy Flores, Ras Griot, Phavia Kujichagulia, Chinwe Enemchukwu, L. E. Scott, Rodney D. Coates, J. Vern Cromartie, Dike Okoro, Neal E. Hall, Marvin X, Mohja Kahf, Ayodele Nzingha, Askia M. Toure, Michael Simanga, Amiri Baraka, Kalamu ya Salaam, Kola Boof, Louis Reyes, Rivera, Aries Jordan, Ptah Allah El, and Hettie V. Williams
[ view PDF ]

● Teaching Diaspora Literature: Muslim American Literature as an Emerging Field
by Mohja Kahf
[ view PDF ]

● Mother Earth Responds by Askia Toure
reviewed by Kamaria Muntu
[ view PDF ]

●Tainted Soul by T. Ptah Mitchell
reviewed by Zulu King
[ view PDF ]

The Whirlwind

● Tracey Owens Patton, devorah major, Anthony Mays, Bruce George, Jeanette Drake, Itibari M. Zulu, Renaldo Manuel Ricketts, Nandi Comer, Al Young, Ghasem Batamuntu, Mona Lisa Saloy, Eugene B. Redmond, Fritz Pointer, Gwendolyn Mitchell, Felix Orisewike Sylvanus, Rudolph Lewis, Kamaria Muntu, Ed Bullins, Mabel Mnensa, Kwan Booth, and Tureeda Mikell
[ view PDF ]

● Poetic Mission: A Dialogue on the Role of the Poet and Poetry
by Rudolph Lewis (dialogue team: Marvin X, Jerry Ward, Mary Weems, and C. Leigh McInnis)
[ view PDF ]

● The Poetic Mission: Art II: Reviewing a Life, A Calling
by Haki R. Madhubuti
[ view PDF ]

Amour of Ancestors

● Everett Hoagland, Charles Blackwell, Jacqueline Kibacha, John Reynolds III, Darlene Scott, Jimmy Smith Jr., Sam Hamud, Opal Palmer Adisa, Amy ‘Aimstar’ Andrieux, Lamont b. Steptoe, Avotcja Jiltonilro, Anthony Spires, Benecia Blue, Neil Callender, Tanure Ojaide, Pious Okoro, Tony Medina, Dr. Ja A. Jahannes, Brother Yao, Zayad Muhammad, Nykimbe Broussard, Kilola Maishya, Niyah X, Adrienne N. Wartts, Greg Carr, Darlene Roy, Tantra Zawadi, Ishmael Reed, Quincy Scott Jones, Bob McNeil, Ariel Pierson, Marie Rice, Yvonne Hilton, Bolade Akintolayo, Latasha Diggs, Felton Eaddy, and B. Sharise Moore
[ view PDF ]

Baraka, Politics and News

● Medical Mythology
by Ramal Lamar
[ view PDF ]

● Qaddafy’s Apology for Arab Slavery: A Dialogue Between Poets
by Rudolph Lewis, Sam Hamud, and Kola Boof
[ view PDF ]

● Prize and Award: Chinua Achebe and Haki R. Madhubuti
[ view PDF ]

● Two Poets in Oakland: Ishmael Reed and Marvin X
by Ishmael Reed and Marvin X
[ view PDF ]

● A Pan African Dialogue on Cuba: From Black Bird Press
by Dead Prez, Carlos Moore, Pedro de la Hoz, and North American African Activist, Intellectuals and Artist
[ view PDF ]

● Black Arts West Celebrates Amiri Baraka at 75
a photos essay by Kamau Amen-Ra
[ view PDF ]

● Amiri Baraka Entertains SF: ‘Lowku’ versus Haiku Revives Fillmore Spirit
by Lee Hubbard and Marvin X
[ view PDF ]

Soulful Musings on the Unity of North American Africans

Soulful Musings on the Unity of North American Africans

Marvin X begins the New Year, 2011, with this collection of Soulful Musings on the theme of North American African Unity. Unity is the most critical issue of our sojourn in the wilderness of North America, the weapon we must use to end forever the oppression of North American Africans. With unity we can obtain, overnight, all that we are entitled: reparations, land, self-determination, sovereignty, independence and true freedom.

--Publisher

Donation requested: $19.95

Your donation supports Academy of da Corner

14^th and Broadway, downtown Oakland

Black Bird Press

1222 Dwight Way, Berkeley CA 94702

www.blackbirdpressnews.blogspot.com

jmarvinx@yahoo.com

Soulful Musings On Unity

Of

North American Africans

Marvin X

20. Political Unity

Soulful Musings on the Unity of North American Africans

Political Unity


In the election of Barack Hussein Obama to the presidency of the United States, we saw the awesome unity of North American Africans, in symbiotic harmony with Wall Street financiers.
Two years later, that initial elation and euphoria has turned to disappointment and depression, mental and financial. Of course we were idealistic and romantic about the possibility of the first black president in our lifetime. It was something that we simply never imagined seriously, forget about Shirley Chissem and Jesse Jackson, they were merely harbingers of that great day that finally came to pass.


photo by Gene Hazzard



Now that the fog has lifted and we have been forced to take off our rose colored glasses, we should understand that deception is the nature of politics and President Obama has proven himself squarely in the tradition.

But it is also a truism that politicians respond to pressure, yet we have not pressed him to pay attention to our agenda, while he has placated Wall Street, the US military and others in the military, corporate, university complex. The bankers who financed his election or selection have been reimbursed to the tune of trillions, yes, rewarded rather than punished for the global financial meltdown. The corporations are again awash with money, the banks as well, and again hubris is their hallmark card, for they outright refuse to share the wealth with those they robbed and left half dead on the roadside. For sure, Obama is not the Good Samaritan, but has sided, aided and abetted the robbers. The tax cut for the rich was his latest capitulation, although in his mind it was compromise, yet in the long term it shall do nothing to address the structural problems in the American economy, the jobless crisis and/or the housing foreclosure tragedy resulting from the sub prime loan scam.

In short, the masses have gotten nothing for their vote except a sexual orgy without Vasoline. Certainly, there is no change we can believe in, a belief is worth nothing, anyway. What do you know? We know what Frederick Douglass told us that no struggle, no progress, so only through protracted struggle and eternal vigilance shall we arrive at our political goals.

There are insurmountable obstacles in our path, if we allow them to be insurmountable, for we shall overcome with active struggle, not resting until we achieve our goals. It would be helpful if our elected politicians kept the pressure on Obama, also if we had radical lobbyists to advocate our cause. Perhaps we should be prepared to pay them their requested fees, especially if they deliver.

But most importantly, there must be mass mobilization to let it be known to all concerned that we are serious, yes, it is a matter of liberty or death! There must be mass protests, rallies, marches until politicians realize they must submit to the consent of the governed. We must be so forceful that we cut the umbilical cord of the finance, military, corporate complex that has politicians by the testicles.

The obstacles include the muzzle mouthed media who have largely joined in the attempt to crucify Wikileaks for revealing the hidden truth about the American empire. The Chinese say a thief is great until he's caught, so we thank Wikileaks for catching the thief who hid truth from the global village, in the manner of Ishmael Reed's Jim Crow Media and the Nigger Breakers and Gore Vidal's description of the New York Times: the purpose of the NY Times is to enter the battlefield after the battle and shoot the wounded!

So we must transcend the sycophant media magicians who protect and perpetuate the white supremacy world of make believe, for the media is definitely part of the problem, not part of the solution to our woes unto heaven. Thank God Wikileaks has pulled the clothes off the emperor and his filthy empire of predators who have the grand delusion human and natural resources are infinitely for their pleasure, no matter what price in blood, bones and the destruction of Mother Nature, although we know it is man that is in crisis, not Mother Nature who shall reveal to man that he has no infinite and/or divine right to the air, water and land she has bequeathed. If you have a good woman and treat her right, she stays, but when you treat her wrong long enough, she will be long gone. We think Mother has had enough of man and is preparing to shake him off the planet. You blew it, buddy!

Through mass mobilization, including the general strike, we must sound the alarm bell to those who imagined we were in a deep sleep and cannot hear them burglarizing our hearts, souls and minds.

Without structural change in the economic system, the millions of jobs the blood sucking corporations have outsourced shall never return. And without fundamental change in the banking and financial system, how shall the people recover their basic wealth which is home ownership. We see how the selling of toxic assents has helped bring about the global economic meltdown. Yet we passively sit talking on cell phones, listening to ipads and watching happy shows on giant screen televisions, while the burglars remove everything we own, including our very lives and the lives of our children as well.

The capitalist predators are skilled at bait and switch, for they try to convince us socialism is bad while they practice socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor. They have their health insurance at our expense, yet we do not demand the same because they convince us health insurance should not be a human right, that it is not vital to the national security of the American people, but should be subject to free market forces. Have they convinced us everything is for a price? You know you shall be charged for the sun's energy, right? You want solar energy, pay for it and be glad about it!

Since the resources of the planet are finite, we are at the end of growth, although the American predators continued to consume 80% of the world's resources, though they are 20% of the population. This invites permanent war, and so it is. We were warned not to have a standing army, but such is required of an empire. When shall the people decide that the military budget is unsustainable and shall not provide us with national security but rather national suicide.

Except to plunder, why do we have 700 military bases in 130 countries. What is this but gunboat democracy, and we are reaping the blow back, for people are deciding they don't want white supremacy oppression, or any oppression for that matter. And we must join them, our brothers and sisters throughout the Americas who have said no more Yankee imperialism, Yankee go home. Masses around the world are saying this. Millions marched against the war in Iraq, yet America proceeded as if she were deaf, dumb and blind to cries from the global village.

The Democratic party is just as guilty as the Republicans, make no distinction, otherwise Bush, Chaney, Rice, Powell, Rumsfeld would be under indictment for war crimes or serving time. But no, African proverb says one white dog will not bite another white dog!

Our political responsibility requires us to get organized, unified and stand up to pharaoh and his magicians. But even if we do nothing, Nature shall take her course because resources are finite thus growth cannot continue, there shall be change that we should be part of, otherwise we are indeed part of the problem. We see America is bankrupt and ultimately revolution may be the only solution, so we must be prepared. And like the Jew, we must be prepared to stay and also prepared to depart.
--Marvin X
12/19/10

Book on Black Muslim Bakery

Book on Black Muslim Bakery to be Released on Eve of Chauncey Bailey Trial

It has come to our attention that a book by Thomas Peele of the racist/zionist/anti Muslim Chauncey Bailey Project, a consortium of Bay Area Journalists, is scheduled for release just weeks before the March, 2011 murder trial of the young men accused in the broad daylight assassination of Oakland Post Editor, Chauncey Bailey three years ago.

Members of the Black Muslim Bakery are the accused but there is substantial information they were fall guys for the Oakland Police Department's "Black Riders," a shake down squad of officers who were involved in drug dealing, money laundering, planting false evidence and false arrests.

The lead officer in the Chauncey Bailey murder was an adviser and mentor to the Bakery brothers. This officer was also in charge of the crime scene and drove away from the scene when approached by an eye witness.

Officer Longmire also visited the Bakery unofficially on the night before the murder. A raid on the bakery was scheduled and occurred the day after the assassination. The officer and his men were able to find the murder weapon and get a confession from a handyman at the bakery.
He then claimed the case solved in less than 24 hours, the quickest murder solved in the history of Oakland.

The author of the forthcoming book, Thomas Peele, has been the lead writer of the Chauncey Bailey Project that refuses to substantially investigate police involvement, rather his focus has been on the Black Muslim Bakery brothers and spreading hatred about Muslims. His book will continue his sham investigative reporting and further inflame the anti-Islamic phobia in the Bay Area and America.

If he cared about not inflaming the atmosphere on the eve of the trial, his publisher would at least delay releasing the book until after the trial. We understand the book is a history of the bakery and its controversial founder, Dr. Yusef Bey. It is an in depth account of all the sordid deeds that supposedly occurred at the bakery. We wonder will it explain the evidence found at the bakery after the murder of Chauncey and the police raid. How could numerous bullet casings be found on the roof by the new owner of the building if the police had done a thorough investigation?

Chauncey Bailey was killed because he was investigating police and city hall corruption under then Mayor Jerry Brown, now Governor of California. As Attorney General, Jerry Brown was requested by Mayor Ron Dellums to investigate the Bailey murder after suspected police misconduct, especially the behavior of lead investigator Longmire. In truth, the investigator of the investigation, Jerry Brown, should have been investigated!

We are for freedom of the press and speech, but, again, we think the release of this book just before the trial will do nothing but poison the atmosphere against Muslims and shift the focus away from the police and City Hall, the real reason Chauncey was assassinated.

His death above the US border is no different from the murder of journalists below the border in Mexico, Central and South America by politicians, police and soldiers in league with drug cartels. His death is similar to the supposed suicide of San Jose Mercury journalist Gary Webb who exposed US involvement in the Crack dealing of Nicaragua Contras in the ghettos of America to obtain money for arms in their war against the Sandinista Government in Nicaragua. Gary Webb was blacklisted and became emotionally distraught after investigating the US/Contra Crack connection.

We feel Thomas Peele's forthcoming book will possibly lead to bitter reaction by Muslims and/or Christians instead of securing justice for the real killers of Chauncey Bailey.
--Marvin X
12/15/10

Marvin X was an associate of Chauncey Bailey. See his collection of essays Who Killed Chauncey Bailey, Black Bird Press, Berkeley. They are also in the online archives of the Oakland Post and the San Francisco Bay View newspapers. Marvin X, probably the most prolific writer in America, completed seven book in 2010, including a massive poetry edition of the Journal of Pan African Studies, available online.

Journal of Pan African Studies is Online

The Journal of Pan African Studies works to become a beacon of light in the sphere of African world community studies and research, grounded in an interdisciplinary open access scholarly peer-reviewed construct, simultaneously cognizant of the multilingualism of our audience, and the importance of universal access in cyberspace; regardless of geography, economic, social or cultural diversity. ::More Information ::Editorial Board ::Contact The JPAS ::Instructions for submitting a manuscript Gadgets powered by Google CURRENT ISSUE Volume 4 • Number 2 • 2010 This special issue of The Journal of Pan African Studies is edited by guest editor Marvin X and dedicated to Dingane aka Jose Goncalves, the publisher and editor of the Journal of Black Poetry, which has published some 500 poets. Groundation ● JPAS: Dedicated to Dingane, Jose Goncalves by Marvin X [ view PDF ] ● The Poets by Marvin X [ view PDF ] ● Letters to the Editor [ view PDF ] ● Dingane Joe Goncalves, The Journal of Black Poetry & Small Non-Commercial Black Journals by Rudolph Lewis [ view PDF ] [ view PDF ] In My Negritude ● Shaggy Flores, Ras Griot, Phavia Kujichagulia, Chinwe Enemchukwu, L. E. Scott, Rodney D. Coates, J. Vern Cromartie, Dike Okoro, Neal E. Hall, Marvin X, Mohja Kahf, Ayodele Nzingha, Askia M. Toure, Michael Simanga, Amiri Baraka, Kalamu ya Salaam, Kola Boof, Louis Reyes, Rivera, Aries Jordan, Ptah Allah El, and Hettie V. Williams [ view PDF ] ● Teaching Diaspora Literature: Muslim American Literature as an Emerging Field by Mohja Kahf [ view PDF ] ● Mother Earth Responds by Askia Toure reviewed by Kamaria Muntu [ view PDF ] ●Tainted Soul by T. Ptah Mitchell reviewed by Zulu King [ view PDF ] The Whirlwind ● Tracey Owens Patton, devorah major, Anthony Mays, Bruce George, Jeanette Drake, Itibari M. Zulu, Renaldo Manuel Ricketts, Nandi Comer, Al Young, Ghasem Batamuntu, Mona Lisa Saloy, Eugene B. Redmond, Fritz Pointer, Gwendolyn Mitchell, Felix Orisewike Sylvanus, Rudolph Lewis, Kamaria Muntu, Ed Bullins, Mabel Mnensa, Kwan Booth, and Tureeda Mikell [ view PDF ] ● Poetic Mission: A Dialogue on the Role of the Poet and Poetry by Rudolph Lewis (dialogue team: Marvin X, Jerry Ward, Mary Weems, and C. Leigh McInnis) [ view PDF ] ● The Poetic Mission: Art II: Reviewing a Life, A Calling by Haki R. Madhubuti [ view PDF ] Amour of Ancestors ● Everett Hoagland, Charles Blackwell, Jacqueline Kibacha, John Reynolds III, Darlene Scott, Jimmy Smith Jr., Sam Hamud, Opal Palmer Adisa, Amy ‘Aimstar’ Andrieux, Lamont b. Steptoe, Avotcja Jiltonilro, Anthony Spires, Benecia Blue, Neil Callender, Tanure Ojaide, Pious Okoro, Tony Medina, Dr. Ja A. Jahannes, Brother Yao, Zayad Muhammad, Nykimbe Broussard, Kilola Maishya, Niyah X, Adrienne N. Wartts, Greg Carr, Darlene Roy, Tantra Zawadi, Ishmael Reed, Quincy Scott Jones, Bob McNeil, Ariel Pierson, Marie Rice, Yvonne Hilton, Bolade Akintolayo, Latasha Diggs, Felton Eaddy, and B. Sharise Moore [ view PDF ] Baraka, Politics and News ● Medical Mythology by Ramal Lamar [ view PDF ] ● Qaddafy’s Apology for Arab Slavery: A Dialogue Between Poets by Rudolph Lewis, Sam Hamud, and Kola Boof [ view PDF ] ● Prize and Award: Chinua Achebe and Haki R. Madhubuti [ view PDF ] ● Two Poets in Oakland: Ishmael Reed and Marvin X by Ishmael Reed and Marvin X [ view PDF ] ● A Pan African Dialogue on Cuba: From Black Bird Press by Dead Prez, Carlos Moore, Pedro de la Hoz, and North American African Activist, Intellectuals and Artist [ view PDF ] ● Black Arts West Celebrates Amiri Baraka at 75 a photos essay by Kamau Amen-Ra [ view PDF ] ● Amiri Baraka Entertains SF: ‘Lowku’ versus Haiku Revives Fillmore Spirit by Lee Hubbard and Marvin X [ view PDF ]