the movement, december 2017, children's issue, print edition

Leroy James, Patron of Marvin X and the Black Arts/Black Liberation Movement, Oakland

Left to Right: Leroy James, Patron of Marvin X and the BAM/BLM; his brother, Hasan James, both believed in the do 4 self teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. The brothers helped Marvin X produce the 1979 Melvin Black Human Rights Forum at the Oakland Auditorium; the 1980 Oakland Black Men's Conference at the Oakland Auditorium; Recovery Theatre's production of the docudrama, One Day in the Life by Marvin X, featuring the scene of his last meeting with Huey P. Newton, fellow student from Merritt College and co-founder of the Black Panther Party.

Leroy and his brother Hasan supported X's production of the Kings and Queens of Black Consciousness Concert at San Francisco State University, 2001 and the San Francisco Black Radical Book Fair in the Tenderloin, 2004. 

Hasan Larry James and Marvin X

Leroy James has joined the ancestors. Although little know to the public, Leroy James, an Oakland, CA wealthy real estate investor, was also a long-time patron of the Black Arts Movement.  A West Oakland boy who attended McClymonds High, Mr. James became a wealthy real estate investor and Marvin X's chief patron of the arts. He helped Marvin X publish such titles as Love and War, poems, 1995; Confession of an X-Wife Beater, poems, 1995; In the Crazy House Called America, essays, 2002; Somethin' Proper, autobiography, 1998, etc.

I cannot recall when or how I met Leroy James, although we grew up in West Oakland, but he was a few years younger than I, so in the age-grade society of West Oakland, I would not be hanging around with Leroy, so I didn't know him growing up in West Oakland.  FYI, on the other hand, another most dear patron of the arts from West Oakland is my childhood friend since Cub Scouts until this very moment, Mr. Leon Teasley and his wife Carolyn, who have supported me throughout my writing career. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Leon and Carolyn Teasley. Lone Live West Oakland peoples!

But Leroy James allowed Marvin X to write at his many properties throughout California: Oakland Hills, Castro Valley (across the street from Lake Chabot); Cherokee, Ca. (17 miles north of Oroville where Marvin X lived five years in solitude on the ten acre estate of Mr. James and his brother, Hasan). During those five years of solitude, Marvin X produced five titles:  In the Crazy House Called America, essays; Beyond Religion, Toward Spirituality, essays; Land of My Daughter's, poetry; Wish I Could Tell You the Truth, essays and How to Recover from the Addiction to White Supremacy.

Leroy James also helped Marvin X with his productions, especially the Recovery Theatre's production of Marvin's docudrama One Day in the Life, also of the Kings and Queens of Consciousness Concert at San Francisco State University, featuring Rev. Cecil Williams, Dr. Cornel West, Amina and Amiri Baraka, Rev. Andriette Earl, Dr. Julia Hare, Dr. Theophille Obenga, Destiny Muhammad, Ishmael Reed, Tarika Lewis, Avotcha, Rudi Mwongozi, et al., 2001).and the Black Radical Bookfair in San Francisco's Tenderloin, 2004.

When Marvin X produced the Melvin Black Human Rights Forum at the Oakland Auditorium (5,000 blacks attended) to protest the monthly police killing of black men, Mr. James offered housing for Marvin's participants, including Minister Louis Farakhan, 1979. Leroy helped Marvin produce the 1980 Black Men's Conference at the Oakland Auditorium and provided office space at one of his properties.

He was a real estate investor but apparently lived his artistic inclinations through helping Marvin X.
Through Marvin X, Leroy met all the Black Arts Movement icons, especially LeRoi Jones, aka Amiri Baraka, Mrs. Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Sun Ra, Askia Toure, Sam Anderson, Ishmael Reed, Drs. Julia and Nathan Hare, et. al.

To return favors to his patron, Marvin X paid for Leroy and his partner to accompany him on one of his east coast book tours.

For all those well heeled black people, let Leroy James be the model of how they can share their wealth by funding the publication of works by struggling artists and provide housing so they can write and create without stress. Amiri Baraka once said, "Your artists give you visions and prophesy. If and when you don't support them, you shall get no visions or prophesy!"


All praise is due Allah for my patron of the Black Arts Movement, Leroy James (RIP)!
--Marvin X/El Muhajir
12/3/17

New poem by Marvin X: I decline membership in the human race!

I decline membership in the human race
race to nowhere
rat race bob marley said
I am not human
humans like to steal lie murder
mass murder
religion bitcoins
pussy and dick murder
abuse of pussy power murder
abuse ego power
rape ain't fa pussy
rape is rape
take pussy
cave man patriarchal power addiction
Oliver lost turned out on way to granny's house
Thank you Whispers!
tried human way
be nice
nice guys end last!
Shirley Caesar sad Come to the front of the line
been in back too long
be nice
people ungrateful
helped family get one million dollars
police killed baby boy
didn't give me a chicken bone
one million dollars no chicken bone
ain't workin fa humans
life and death fa Allah
ungrateful human beings
hate ya fa hepin' dem!
ignut nigguhs
hate ya fa hepin'
can't hep a nigguh
no por favor
Learned in Mexico City
everything thing por favor, please
por favor por favor por favor
no human por favor no more nada mas
uncivilized savage
kill money pussy position kill
me no human
human drop out
traveling to upper room father's house
many mansions
upper room
no dungeon life
savage
greedy
wanna take somethin' don't own
land gold uranium cobalt souls
of men women children
where you at where you at where you at?
precious metals cut off arms legs Congo
Lumumba
humans on cell phones no human
robot zombie human
no conversation
text me
text sex love
ritual myth
no feel me touch me
zombies on phone dinner
toilet
sex
walk
sleep
me no cell phone nigguh
can't write talkin' on cell phone
think human thoughts
where you at where you at?
I'm outside the door bitch ass nigguh
open da motherfuckin' door!

me no human
no want cell phone woman
talk touch feel smell taste
tried human
to no avail
smarter than human shit
make believe world
fake news fake blues fake jazz fake hip hop fake humans
minds gone drunk dry drunk same
minds frozen in/end time
The End.

I am divine
Walk Divine Mind
Seek refuge Divine Mind
Divine Mind
Sami allahu liman hamida
Rabbana laka al hamd
God hears those who praise Him
Our Lord to Thee is due all praise!

I am divine.
beyond human rat race
let me out dis car
I walk to my Father's House!
up da road in da cut
Upper Room
leave me 'lone leave me 'lone
I'm home home home............

No more human fa me
human hate kill lie power
abuse children
women men
nature trees water mountains rivers
minds
garbage toxic waste food
plastic water food
oil pesticides insecticides fertilizers dyes food
yacubian genetic engineers
dead food dead zombie opioid dead
must kill pain of make believe life tex message love
no kiss no hug no love fuck
fuck friend fuck
pay da ho ta go fuck
where love fuck
what love gotta do wit fuck Tina said
go to moon
one way
go love
be loved in return
AB said Is it difficult faya?
Sun Ra said These ain't the people I used to know
Birmingham, Alabama
Brother? What kind?
Man beast what?

Divine!
I am in Allah
Allah in me!
Lakum dinu kum waliya din!
To you your way and to me mine!
--Marvin X/El Muhajir (The Migrant)
12/11/17

Part One: From the archives of Marvin X and the Black Arts/Liberation Movement