Gullahland

GEECHEE GULLAH CULTURE SPOKESPERSON FROM SAPELO ISLAND, GEORGIA ANNOUNCES NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION

The Regeneration Of An Indigenous Culture

ATLANTA, Georgia – Geechee Gullah Culture Spokesperson Reginald H. Hall announced today the establishment of the Geechee Gullah Culture Non-Government Organization, Incorporated. The NGO consist of an executive accountability team, a tribunal, and a legislative body.

This NGO intends, according to Hall, to remedy the current deprivation situation impacted by the illegal land claims of the Sapelo Island Heritage Authority and The Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Management Area of the state of Georgia. The area of concern is known in the culture as the ancestral Geechee settlement of Raccoon Bluff, consisting of 1,376.78 acres.

West Africans, enslaved and brought to America, embraced the conditions of the land, and nurtured the growth and survival of their families by connecting their strength and resilience to the land itself. Additionally, the spirit of their relationship with nature framed their existence as indigenous. The land — and everything that the land produced — became an expression known as “the indigenous culture of the Geechee Gullah people”.

“We intend to hold onto as well as reclaim lands,” Hall asserts, “that have legally belonged to our families since 1871, as well as preserve and create the economic sustainability that will allow us to pass on our culture for generations to come.”

For more information contact: info@geecheegullahculture.org

Black Panthers Celebrate Geronimo Transition to Ancestors

Black Panthers Celebrate Transition of Geronimo Ji-Jaga to Ancestors



photo Gene Hazzard



On a beautiful, sunny day in the Bay, Oakland Black Panthers and community celebrated the transition of legendary Black Panther Minister of Defense, Geronimo Ji-Jaga who spent 27 years in prison on trumped up charges, fabricated by the FBI.

Marvin X performs with Land of My Daughters (Aries Jordan on right and Toya Jordan, left)
photo Gene Hazzard



Speaker after speaker gave honor and praise to G, the soldier who said he was only following the order of his elders when he joined the US Army and learned the skills to return home to defend his community nationwide.

Because of the split in the Black Panther Party, Oakland Panthers would not testify that he was in Oakland at the time he allegedly murdered a woman on a Los Angeles tennis court. FBI intelligence records could have proven he was in Oakland as well.

No matter, on Sunday, Oakland Black Panthers paid tribute to the man equal in stature to South Africa's Nelson Mandela, especially as per time spent in prison for revolutionary activity. He shall forever be remembered for his contribution to the liberation of North American Africans.

Throughout the afternoon, speakers such as Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Rev. Freeman, David Johnson and Willie Sundiata Tate of the San Quentin Six, Ayana At-Thinin, Avotcja, Stu Hanlon (G's lawyer along with the late Johnny Cochran) and a host of others, praised our dearly beloved and departed brother who joined the ancestors in the Motherland where he finally settled, Tanzania, East Africa.

The event was organized by Black Panther chief archivist Billy X Jennings, but participants included the Black Panther Commemorator Newspaper, under the guidance of Melvin Dixon, Big Man, Jabari Shaw of the BSU of at Laney College, Brother Ustadi of the Afrikan Learning Center.
There were performances by Tarika Lewis, first female member of the BPP and Phavia Kujichagulia, griot of the first order. Percussionist Tacuma King also performed along with other too numerous to mention.

Toward the end of the evening, Billy X Jennings, the chief organizer, announced he had been saving the best for last and then introduced Marvin X, poet, playwright, activist, one of the founders of the Black Arts Movement, who attended Merritt College with Black Panther co-founders Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, the man who introduced Eldridge Cleaver to the Black Panthers, along with Emory Douglas and Samuel Napier when they attended the Black House, the political/cultural center founded by Marvin X and Eldridge Cleaver in San Francisco, 1967.

Marvin took the mike along with two young lady poet/performers, Toya and Aries Jordan, sisters from the east coast who have joined his Academy of da Corner Reader's Theatre. Aries, under the mentorship of Marvin X, published her first collection of poetry. She electrified the audience at the Joyce Gordon Gallery during a Woman's History Month Celebration organized by Marvin X, who called together the most powerful African women in the Bay Area, Hunia Bradly, Rev. Mutima Imani, Ayodele Nzinga, Phavia Kujichagulia, Tureada Mikel, Jerri Lange, Talibah, who presented a poetic womanhood rites of passage. Aries performed a scene from the Vagina Monologue as well as her poetry.

Marvin X made opening remarks on Geronimo, saying he recalled two essential things about the brother. Firstly, that he was a soldier who practiced discipline, and this was necessary for the present generation of youth to acquire, that it ain't about any means necessary but the right means necessary to achieve victory. Secondly, G went into the US Army because his elders commanded him to do so, in order to learn the skills to defend his community.

Marvin X demanded youth follow their elders in the tradition of Geronimo. "As Sun Ra taught me, if you don't do the right thing, you can't go forward or backward, the Creator got things fixed so you are just stuck on stupid until you do the right thing."

Toya and Aries went to their respective mikes, Marvin X in the middle. They recited What If, a pantheistic poem about Allah as the All in All, Allah as everything, the dope fiend, the alcoholic, the tree, the river, the mama you hate, the father you hate, etc. The trio then recited a Marvin X classic For the Women, and then the women lead a recitation of a lessor known poem For the Men. Shortly after, the event ended. Power to the People!

Analysis: After being a participant/observer for the last two days at events at Defermery Park, the Muslim reunion of Saturday and the BPP celebration on Sunday, there is clearly a need for a once and month Speak Out for community. Speakers and spoken word arists are nice, but what is most important is for the people to speak out, to vent their trauma and unresolved grief. Nothing else is more important.

Muslim Elders Meet to Celebrate at West Oakland Park

Bay Area Black Muslim Honor Elders


West Oakland's historic Defermery Park, aka Bobby Hutton Park, was the site of a celebration of Black Muslims in the Bay Area, 1950-2011. It was a small gathering of mostly pioneers who were part of the Nation of Islam in the Bay from the late 50s to the early 70s. There were men and women who had been laborers and officials in the NOI.

Of course, after the transition of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad in 1975, some of these soldiers, men and women, became Sunni Muslims under Elijah Muhammad's son, Imam Warithdin Muhammad. Others joined the NOI under Minister Farrakhan. Some were associated with Dr. Yusef Bey's Black Muslim Bakery.

They all came together yesterday for a celebration of their personal and communal struggle to lift the banner of Islam in the Bay. All pioneers over 65 received a beautiful certificate of appreciation that said the following:

To each is a goal to which Allah turns him; then strive together (as in a race) towards all that is good. Wheresoever ye are, Allah will bring you together. For Allah hath power over all things. S.2.,A.148

It is with the highest respect and the greatest appreciation for your "Service to Allah" that the Unity in the Community Committee offers this certificate as an indication of your contributions to our Deen and the Mission of Allah.

The event included free food, spoken word, prayers and testimonies. Imams and ministers addressed the gathering. The most poignant remarks came from the women soldiers who talked briefly of their role in building the Islamic nation in the Bay.

Future gatherings are planned so believers will have more time to share their testimonies. Some of those present included Imam Alamin, Imam Shuaib, Minister Keith Muhammad, Norman Brown, Sister Sadie, Fahizah Alim, Khalid Wajjib (one of the organizers), Abdul Sabry, Saadat Ahmed, Mikel Muhammad, Hasan Muhammad, Muhammad Ali, Rashidah, Marvin X, et al.

Accompanied by poet/actress Aries Jordan, Marvin X read poetry that was well received by the gathering. The author of thirty books stated in his remarks that he credits the Honorable Elijah Muhammad for his writing style. He is working on A History of Black Muslims in the Bay: 1954-2011.
Poet/actress Aries Jordan


Poet Marvin X
Today, Sunday, July 17, an even larger gathering is expected at Defermery Park when members of the Black Panther Party will gather to celebrate the life of Geronimo Ji-Jaga, Minister of Defense, who made his transition in Africa recently, after serving 27 years in prison on charges trumped up by the FBI in an attempt to disrupt and destroy the black liberation movement, including Muslims, Panthers, Civil Rights workers and other radicals fighting for social justice. The celebration for Geronimo begins at 2pm, Bobby Hutton Park, 18th and Adeline, West Oakland.
--Marvin X

Marvin X and his Chief Mentor, Sun Ra, 1972

Those who have a problem understanding the complexity of Marvin X, need only understand he was a student and colleague of Sun Ra, the bandleader of the Arkestra that Marvin X performed with on the east coast and west coast. Sun Ra worked with Marvin X at his Black Educational Thearte in the Fillmore, 1972. Sun Ra did the musical version of his play Flowers for the Trashaman, retitled Take Care of Business.

Sun Ra and Marvin X did a five hour production of Take Care of Business at the Harding Theatre on Divisadero Street in San Francisco, 1972. Sun Ra also told Marvin X he would be hired to lecture in the Black Studies Department at the University of California, Berkeley. Marvin X doubted Sun Ra since Gov. Ronald Reagan had banned him from teaching at Fresno State College in 1969, the same year he banned Angela Davis from teaching at UCLA. Marvin X did indeed teach at UCB and his off campus class was at his Black Educational Theatre in the Fillmore. Sun Rn worked with him and the Harding Theatre concert was a five hour show without intermission, that consisted of a fifty member cast, including the Sun Ra Arkestra, the Ellendar Barnes dancers, along with the Raymond Saywer dancers and the Marvin X actors.

Of Pistols and Prayers by Ise Lyfe

Of Pistols and Prayers
by Ise Lyfe



Watching this young man on stage took me back to my undergraduate days at San Francisco State College, 1965, when the drama department produced my first play Flowers for the Trashman.

In Ise Lyfe, I saw myself as a young man in the theatre after the drama department production, when I dropped out of college to establish my own theatre in the Fillmore District, Black Arts West Theatre, along with playwright Ed Bullins and others.

Watching Ise do his thing on stage, producing, directing, writing and acting, along with his crew of mostly young people, was indeed a pleasure. It is a pleasure to see youth doing anything positive, but especially being creative rather than destructive, trying to spread consciousness to his generation in dire need of such.

It is for this reason that I don’t want to be too critical on the brother, although I do have a few constructive remarks that may help him in the future. Firstly, I saw no need for him to come on and exit the stage in almost rapid succession. Stay yo ass on stage and present your message, even scene changes can be done on stage: let us see you transform or change persona on stage. The very process is part of the drama. Further, we don’t need to hear your voice off stage. Say what you got to say on stage, up front and personal. In our face. And not too much video. Again, we want to see you, not a video message, no matter it is a mixed media production. We didn’t come to look at a screen but to see you. You are the reason for the season.

The music was nice and worked in harmony with Ise, sometimes in perfect harmony. It was especially nice to see my favorite musician on stage, Destiny Muhammad, harpist from the hood. The long segment with the DJ was, for me, totally unnecessary and could be deleted. The central focus is Ise, nobody else. After all, this is a one man show. We don't need to hear nothing from the DJ.

For sure, Ise has the potential to be a great actor. We see he can transform into a myriad personas. And the poetry is good conscious hip hop. We can only suggest, and this goes for hip hop spoken word in general, discover the director, other than oneself, for the director can see what the actor can’t. He can tell the actor things he never imagined, no matter how talented. The actor can often suffer a kind of blindness, perhaps caused by ego, so don’t be too arrogant not to employ a director. In my case, I would at least utilize an associate director, although they would do so reluctantly, declaring, “Marvin, you ain’t gonna let me direct, you know that!” Still, I would at least call upon them for advice.

And we say to Ise Lyfe, welcome to the world of black theatre. It’s your turn, go for it! We encourage youth and adults to catch this production of a young man trying to do the right thing, i.e., being creative and attempting to spread consciousness. To escape this morass, we may indeed need a pistol and a prayer. A white man suggested the three Gs: guns, gold and getaway plan.
--Marvin X
Marvin X is one of the founders of the Black Arts Movement.

Herman Ferguson, A Revolutionary Biography

We are happy to learn that Herman has finally had his story told. Not only do we remember him during my 1968 sojourn in Harlem, but ran into him in Guyana, South America, during the beginning of his 19 year exile. Guyana was a place of refuge for North American Africans fleeing American oppression. Ferguson was there along with Julian Mayfield, Tom Feelings, Mamadou Lumumbia and others. We are thankful Paul Coates of Black Classics Press made the publication of his biography possible. And most of all, thanks to Herman's warrior queen Iyaluua.
--Marvin X
Black Bird Press News

From Khalifa

Greetings Everyone,

This is to announce that the biography of Herman Ferguson is now available. The book was written by his wife Iyaluua, a African woman in the "tradition of Minnie Mandela." It was Sister Iyaluua Ferguson that kept the name Herman Ferguson, before us, while he was in exile is Guyana for 19 long years.

Now it is she who captures both the spirit of the undefeated, 90 years old Black Chamption, who unlike many of his station in the 1960's (Public School VPrincipal), only claimed Minister Malcolm X after he was gone: Herman Ferguson was a colleague, soldier on the front line in struggle (A True Revolutionary, who has the documentation to show, if necessary) He was a member of both organizations that Malcolm founded, but had no chance to develope.

The Title of the book is An Unlikely Warrior: The Evolution of a Revolutionary. It was printed by Paul Coate's Black Classics Press. It is available via iyaluua@aol.com for $20.00 + $5.00 shipping.

I have a review of the book in progress: but since i want to read, again, this riveting, True Story about the 1960's and it's aftermath, this announcement will allow the conscious brothers and sisters chance to get started.

............................................Khalifah

"H. Khalif Khalifah"

KPFA Special on Black Panthers Don Cox and Geronimo Ji=Jaga

Africa Special - July 11, 2011 at 7:00pm | KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley: Listener Sponsored Free Speech Radio

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All Praises are due Walter Turner and Greg Bridges of KPFA

We give all praises to Brothers Walter Turner and Greg Bridges of KPFA Radio, Berkeley, for last nights special program on the life and times of Black Panther revolutionaries Field Marshall Don Cox and Minister of Defense Geronimo Ji-Jaga. This program should/must be heard by all North American African youth and adults seeking a knowledge of true American history. The interviews with surviving Black Panther Party members was a riveting narrative on the revolutionary personality, what one must endure, suffer, the necessary discipline and love for the people.

We were informed on the pain of exile, prison, capture, self education and family love. We heard from wives, children, and comrades, rom Minister of Culture Emory Douglas, Communications Secretary Kathleen Cleaver, Barbara Cox, widow of DC or Don Cox, BPP Field Marshall, Charlotte O'Neill, wife of BPP member Pete O'Neill, still exiled in Tanzania.

For me, perhaps the most important lesson learned was from Geronimo's unconditional love and forgiveness that he demonstrated throughout his life. Also, the essential role of elders in his life, how he and other brothers in his community honored, respected and followed their orders as per community. They did not question the wisdom of their elders, especially when it came to community defense.

Enough said. Listen to the tape and those in the Bay should be sure to find their way to Bobby Hutton Park (Defermery Park) on Sunday, July 17, 2pm. And don't forget the Unity and Reunion for all Bay Area Muslims, Saturday, July 16, 11am til 5pm, Bobby Hutton Park, 18th and Adeline, West Oakland.




We know there is no coincidence both these events are back to back. After all, many Muslims were Panthers and many Panthers were Muslims. Power to the People and As-Salaam-Alaikum!
--Marvin X