In 1970, during my second self imposed exile from the USA because I refused to fight in Vietnam, I departed Mexico City for British Honduras, now Belize. I departed against the advice of my Mexico City host, revolutionary artist Elizabeth Catlett Mora, who was also the witness, with her husband Poncho Mora, of my civil wedding to Fresno State University student Barbara Hall who joined me in my exile. After a few weeks, my wife and I were tired of Mexico City and when we were invited to BH or Belize, Central America, decided to go there, even though she was now pregnant. Of course I should have listened to the advice of Betty Mora who reminded me British Honduras was still a colony, but I was bored hearing Spanish and looked forward to hearing English, even from colonized Central American Africans, though they were on the eve of Independence.
My additional mistake, although I didn't consider it as such, was connecting with brothers in Amandla, the Black Power Movement in Belize, Evan X Hyde and Ishmael Shabazz who were on trial for sedition because they said the government was engaged in games old people play, thus their trial was a turkey fight of little substance. But the government was serious about silencing leaders of the Black Power Movement.
Not only did I attend the trial but attended as Foreign Editor of Muhamnad Speaks Newspaper and filed stories on the trial. The brothers were found innocent of sedition but my association with them as a black power advocate were grounds for my deportment back to the USA, although while under arrest, the African police gathered around me and when the circle was full, asked me to teach them about black power! I told them,"Brothers, Marcus Garvey came here in 1923 and told you to get the Queen of England off your walls. It's 1970 and you still got that bitch on your walls! The police cheered and said I was all ite, all ite!
At 4PM I was put aboard the plane to Miami FL where two gentlemen met me when I departed the plane.
They escorted me to Dade County Jail and Miami City Jail, a federal facility where I awaiting transfer to San Francisco County Jail to await trial for draft evasion.
--MARVIN X
2/9/21
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