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Thursday, June 12, 2014
From the Archives: Marvin X Guest Editor of Journal of Pan African Studies poetry issue, 201
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Oakland Police shut down Marvin X's Academy of da Corner
Noted author Ishmael Reeds called Marvin X "Plato teaching on the streets of Oakland." MacArthur Genius Award winner, Ishmael Reed says, "If you want to learn about inspiration and motivation, don't spend all that money going to workshops and seminars, just go stand at 14th and Broadway and watch Marvin X at work!"
Academy of da Corner is a holistic and sacred space at the crossroads of Oakland, 14th and Broadway. Aside from being an intellectual and spiritual counselor directly accessible to the masses, Marvin's classroom gives out free literature to those without funds. They can also obtain books on credit and layaway. "One of the most beautiful things I've experienced at my outdoor classroom is that 95% of the people who get books on credit return to pay me and I keep no accounting of their bill.
Academy of da Corner supporter, Paul Cobb, Publisher of the Post Newspaper. Marvin and Paul grew up together in West Oakland.
photo Walter Riley, Esq.
Marvin and Academy of da Corner Professor of Law, Gregory Fields
Author Ishmael Reed calls Marvin X, "Plato teaching on the streets of Oakland."
photo Gene Hazzard and Adam Turner
Dr. Cornel West, a Marvin X supporter
photo Gene Hazzard
Members of the West Oakland Elders Council
Marvin X and Amiri Baraka (RIP) at Academy of da Corner
photo Gene Hazzard
Visitors at Academy of da Corner include poet Amiri Baraka, Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, Marvin X star student Dr. Ayodele Nzinga, Ahi Baraka, son of Amiri Baraka and Marvin X. Man in background is a customer, First Resurrection Member of the NOI.
photo Gene Hazzard
Marvin X and the Black Arts Movement Poets Choir and Arkestra were a hit at the May 17 Malcolm X Jazz/Arts Festival. Pictured here are percussionist Tacuma King, right, Val Serrant, center, and David Murray, right. photo Kamau Amen Ra
Marvin X and the BAM Poets Choir and Arkestra are planning a 27 city tour in honor of Amiri Baraka.
The indefatigable, peripatetic Marvin X has the Community Archives Project. He was agent for the acquisition of the Drs. Nathan and Julia Hare archives. Part of the archives were obtained by the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Academy of da Corner is a holistic and sacred space at the crossroads of Oakland, 14th and Broadway. Aside from being an intellectual and spiritual counselor directly accessible to the masses, Marvin's classroom gives out free literature to those without funds. They can also obtain books on credit and layaway. "One of the most beautiful things I've experienced at my outdoor classroom is that 95% of the people who get books on credit return to pay me and I keep no accounting of their bill."
If you support Academy of da Corner, send Marvin X a letter of support. Send a copy to Mayor Jean Quan.
Black Bird Press News & Review: Navigating the perilous mental landscape
Black Bird Press News & Review: Navigating the perilous mental landscape
Watch the zombie in the car ahead of you. He may be sleep walking or sleep talking or texting or having sex--his blinker says left turn or right turn, but the light changes and the car doesn't move, just sits still on the green light, until you finally blow your horn, then, slowly, the car turns and heads down the street. You wonder what is going on and the answer is nothing, it is a zombie car with a zombie driver. Whatever you do, be courteous, don't be rude, don't go into road rage for the zombie may pull a weapon, after all, the zombie is a danger to himself and others, so be careful, don't add fuel to the fire. This is how we must navigate the perilous mental landscape in the last days of the devil's world. Jesus told you this is only the beginning of sorrows, there shall be pestilence, drought, famine, earthquakes in diverse places, mudslides, tsunamis, planes disappearing from the sky, jails and prisons full of those suffering poverty, drug addiction and mental illness. The global bandits, the blood suckers of the poor, suffer no jail or prison time. They pay a simple fine then continue in their inordinacy, as the Qur'an says. They are the zombie too, so smart they outsmart themselves, thinking their wickedness shall last forever, they have enough guns and a monkey mind media that perpetuates the world of make believe that the deaf, dumb and blind inhabit as they make their daily round in the big yard, suffering their myriad addictions and afflictions and conspicuous consumption. As we see, there is murder in the hood and murder in the suburbs, murder in the schools, colleges and universities, in the home and workplace. So hold onto your hat or hold onto the rope of Allah, whatever is your choice--yeah, hold on Snoopy!--Marvin X
Watch the zombie in the car ahead of you. He may be sleep walking or sleep talking or texting or having sex--his blinker says left turn or right turn, but the light changes and the car doesn't move, just sits still on the green light, until you finally blow your horn, then, slowly, the car turns and heads down the street. You wonder what is going on and the answer is nothing, it is a zombie car with a zombie driver. Whatever you do, be courteous, don't be rude, don't go into road rage for the zombie may pull a weapon, after all, the zombie is a danger to himself and others, so be careful, don't add fuel to the fire. This is how we must navigate the perilous mental landscape in the last days of the devil's world. Jesus told you this is only the beginning of sorrows, there shall be pestilence, drought, famine, earthquakes in diverse places, mudslides, tsunamis, planes disappearing from the sky, jails and prisons full of those suffering poverty, drug addiction and mental illness. The global bandits, the blood suckers of the poor, suffer no jail or prison time. They pay a simple fine then continue in their inordinacy, as the Qur'an says. They are the zombie too, so smart they outsmart themselves, thinking their wickedness shall last forever, they have enough guns and a monkey mind media that perpetuates the world of make believe that the deaf, dumb and blind inhabit as they make their daily round in the big yard, suffering their myriad addictions and afflictions and conspicuous consumption. As we see, there is murder in the hood and murder in the suburbs, murder in the schools, colleges and universities, in the home and workplace. So hold onto your hat or hold onto the rope of Allah, whatever is your choice--yeah, hold on Snoopy!--Marvin X
Monday, June 9, 2014
The Dr. Cornel West/Marvin X connection
Poor People
For Cornel and Tavis
Marvin X is the poorest famous person I ever met.--Toya Carter
Stay poor, Marvin, it will keep you honest and truthful.--Dr. Nathan Hare
We are poor people
kidnapped dispossessed
we are poor people
chattel slaves
wage slaves no slave (job)
we are poor people
we survive on love
we survive on hate
we hunt we prey on other poor
we sell our souls we sell our bodies
we sell our minds
just to eat to feed our children
we are poor people
having nothing never starving
often on the brink
sometimes we feast
get drunk get loaded
fight Saturday night
fuck Sunday morning
we are poor people
in our ignorance
we know something is wrong
something stinks
we call on God we call on Jesus
we call on Allah we call the doctor
we call our mama
to help us understand why
we are poor people
why we have no land want no land
why our leaders are dead or silent
crucified by the police starved by the politicians
our leaders
why we birth them
but do not protect them
we are poor people
we visit the rich
we stare in wonder
the plush life
we know we don't belong
we excuse ourselves
return to the ghetto
now we feel at home
now we feel a man
even with nothing
a man
not a smiling buffon
a man
no Master Charge
a man
no 30 year mortgage
a man
no winter in Jamaica
a man.
--Marvin X
from Selected Poems by Marvin X, Black Bird Press, 1979
Marvin X is the poorest famous person I ever met.--Toya Carter
Stay poor, Marvin, it will keep you honest and truthful.--Dr. Nathan Hare
We are poor people
kidnapped dispossessed
we are poor people
chattel slaves
wage slaves no slave (job)
we are poor people
we survive on love
we survive on hate
we hunt we prey on other poor
we sell our souls we sell our bodies
we sell our minds
just to eat to feed our children
we are poor people
having nothing never starving
often on the brink
sometimes we feast
get drunk get loaded
fight Saturday night
fuck Sunday morning
we are poor people
in our ignorance
we know something is wrong
something stinks
we call on God we call on Jesus
we call on Allah we call the doctor
we call our mama
to help us understand why
we are poor people
why we have no land want no land
why our leaders are dead or silent
crucified by the police starved by the politicians
our leaders
why we birth them
but do not protect them
we are poor people
we visit the rich
we stare in wonder
the plush life
we know we don't belong
we excuse ourselves
return to the ghetto
now we feel at home
now we feel a man
even with nothing
a man
not a smiling buffon
a man
no Master Charge
a man
no 30 year mortgage
a man
no winter in Jamaica
a man.
--Marvin X
from Selected Poems by Marvin X, Black Bird Press, 1979
photo Gene Hazzard
"Marvin X's writing is orgasmic!" says journalist Fahizah Alim.
Cornel participated in Marvin X's concert The Kings and Queens of Black Consciousness at San Francisco State University, April 1, 2001.
Cornel embracing two of Marvin X's daughters, Nefertiti and Amira. Man on far left is Marvin X's mentor, the Honorable John Douimbia, founder of the Black Men's Conference, Oakland, 1980. John was an associate of Malcolm X during his Harlem hustling days and after. John told Malcolm about the need for a secular organization. Malcolm eventually formed the OAAU, Organization of Afro-American Unity.
Marvin has asked Angela Davis and Sonia Sanchez to join the BAM 27 City Tour
Dr. Nathan Hare, father of Black Studies
Amiri Baraka and Marvin X were friends for 47 years.
Askia Muhammad and Marvin X, godfathers of the Black Arts Movement. Askia will participate in the BAM 27 City Tour.
The only problem with you is that you don't know the problem!--Ab (RIP)
Dr. Ahmad, another Temple University embattled professor will be part of the BAM Tour. Muhammad was a founder of RAM (Revolutionary Action Movement) along with Robert F. Williams (Negroes With Guns)
Marvin X with the Black Arts Movement Poets Choir and Arkestra at the May 17, 2014, Malcolm X Jazz/Arts Festival, Oakland. Here he performs with David Murray and Earl Davis. Marvin is reading Amiri Baraka's classic poem DOPE. The BAM 27 City Tour is available for booking, please call 510-200-4164/email: jmarvinx@yahoo.com
On Sunday, June 15, Marvin X will kickoff Berkeley's Juneteenth Festival
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Members of the Black Arts Movement Poets Choir and Arkestra at the Berkeley Flea Market
Berkeley Flea Market 6/8/14
photo Tonnean
Bobby Seale, Amiri Baraka, Ahi Baraka, Dr. Ayodele Nzinga and Marvin X at Academy of da Corner, 14th and Broadway, downtown Oakland
BAM was a national movement of revolutionary artists/activists/scholars. Marvin X is working on a 27 city tour of BAM poets choir and Arkestra, in honor of ancestor Amiri Baraka.
photo Gene Hazzard
Elder NOI in background.
photo Gene Hazzard
East coast/West coast BAM workers, Marvin X, Amiri Baraka (RIP)
photo Gene Hazzard
There will be a poetic and musical tribute to Amiri Baraka at Eastside Arts Center, 23rd Ave. and International Blvd. on Friday, June 20, 7pm.
call 510-533-6628
***
Marvin X will speak at the Fresno Juneteenth celebration, Saturday, June 14, at the Hinton Center, 2385 S. Fairview Ave., Fresno CA
Marvin X will kick off the Berkeley Juneteenth celebration at 12 Noon, Sunday, June 15, 2014.
Alcatraz and Adeline Streets, Berkeley
Emory Douglas exhibit reception at the Joyce Gordon Gallery, Oakland
Cover art by Emory
The Emory Douglas exhibit runs from June 6 thru June 28. Marvin X will appear at the Joyce Gordon Gallery on Saturday, June 28, 3pm, reading and discussing his controversial and provocative pamphlet The Mythology of Pussy and Dick. At the reception for Emory last night, a long time friend told Marvin, "You know I hesitated reading your pamphlet for a long time, but recently I read it and it saved my life!" Admission is $20.00, includes pamphlet and DVD of dramatic reading performed during Occupy Oakland at Marvin's Academy of da Corner, 14th and Broadway. Call 510-200-4164 for information and reservations. Seating is limited. The Joyce Gordon Gallery is located at 14th and Franklin, downtown Oakland.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Black Bird Press News & Review: Emory Douglas reception at the Joyce Gordon Gallery, 14th and Franklin, downtown Oakland
Black Bird Press News & Review: Emory Douglas reception at the Joyce Gordon Gallery, 14th and Franklin, downtown Oakland
Marvin X will be at the Joyce Gordon Gallery for the Emory Douglas exhibit reception, Friday, June 6, 6-9pm. Emory is the Black Panther Party Minister of Culture. Emory came into the BPP via Marvin X's Black House, co-founded by Eldridge Cleaver, BPP Minister of Information. He too was introduced to the BPP by Marvin X.
"Marvin X was my teacher. Many of our comrades came through his Black Arts Theatre: Emory Douglas, Eldridge Cleaver, Bobby Seale, Sam Napier...."
--Dr. Huey P. Newton, co-founder The Black Panther Party
Revolution comes to downtown Oakland with the exhibit of Black Panther artist Emory Douglas
Marvin X will be at the Joyce Gordon Gallery for the Emory Douglas exhibit reception, Friday, June 6, 6-9pm. Emory is the Black Panther Party Minister of Culture. Emory came into the BPP via Marvin X's Black House, co-founded by Eldridge Cleaver, BPP Minister of Information. He too was introduced to the BPP by Marvin X.
"Marvin X was my teacher. Many of our comrades came through his Black Arts Theatre: Emory Douglas, Eldridge Cleaver, Bobby Seale, Sam Napier...."
--Dr. Huey P. Newton, co-founder The Black Panther Party
Cover art by Emory
US bishops and Iranian ayatollahs meet in Iran
US bishops and Iranian ayatollahs hold talks on nuclear arms
By PATRICIA ZAPOR on Thursday, 15 May 2014
The religious leaders meet at the Ayatollah Marashi Najafi Library in Qom, Iran, in March (CNS/ Stephen M Colecchi)
Seattle WA workers win $15/hour min wage war with Socialist City Council Woman
Seattle’s Fight for $15/hour: Leave No One Behind
“Socialists are supposed to lead the fight, not the retreat!”
by Linda Averill
Freedom Socialist
June 2014
www.socialism.com
When the small city of SeaTac passed a $15 minimum wage initiative in November 2013, it heightened the hopes of all those fast-food strikers and other labor protesters over the last few years.
Just a few miles north of SeaTac, the election of socialist Kshama Sawant to the Seattle City Council on a platform that included the $15/hour demand fueled the fire.
A judge quickly tried to douse the fire, ruling that the ballot measure covered only workers in the city of SeaTac, but not 4,700 baggage handlers, skycaps, restaurant and other low-wage workers at the airport located in SeaTac. The case is headed for the state Supreme Court.
The airport workers aren’t surrendering. In late March, two different groups held vigorous protests to demand better pay and treatment from their employers. Yelled one protester, “We just want respect and we won’t stop until we get it!” Many of these same workers are also pursuing efforts to win union shops. Their activism reflects a gut understanding of the Marxist idea that how much goes to wages versus profits is not forever fixed, but rather a function of class struggle.
The course of this struggle in Seattle contains vital lessons for organizing minimum wage hikes everywhere.
Seattle livable? Not hardly! The Seattle fight has moved from the streets to City Hall. In May, new Mayor Ed Murray, Democrat, announced his proposal for $15/hour — for some workers, after several years. Healthcare, tips, and other “compensation” would be calculated into their “income.” In short, Mayor Murray’s plan caters to big business.
Concretely, Murray’s proposition affects 102,000 working people in Seattle. Despite its liberal image, Seattle ranks worst in gender disparity for cities of its size in the U.S. Women earn 73 cents for every dollar a man earns. Also disproportionately underpaid are Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans and Asian Americans, who are 30 percent of Seattle’s population, but 45 percent of its low-wage workforce.
But wages are just one facet of poverty. Seattle also ranks in the top 10 cities for homelessness, a byproduct of soaring rents. Unemployment, especially for youth and people of color, is high. This reality is compounded by racist discrimination in higher-paid jobs, such as in Seattle’s lucrative construction and technology industries.
The fight for $15/hour will gain broader support among workers and union ranks if its demands are broadened to address these serious issues, such as rent control, a mass public jobs program, and reviving affirmative action for the historically discriminated against.
The campaign for a $15 minimum wage could expose big business’ phony concern for small businesses by demanding solutions that correct the huge tax imbalance between corporations and genuinely small businesses. The state’s Business and Occupation tax should be abolished because it targets gross revenue, rather than profits. Seattle could revive a $25 head tax on large corporations that would push more of the tax burden upward and enable small businesses to pay higher wages. Seattle’s City Council also needs to pressure state legislators to tax the rich and big business with a steeply graduated income tax.
Compromise destroys solidarity. Soon after Sawant’s election, she formed 15 Now with her party, Socialist Alternative (SA). Their initial stance, “no compromise!” was a breath of fresh air. Individuals and groups, including the Freedom Socialist Party (FSP), flocked to this banner. But when big business predictably hit the warpath, Sawant and SA backpedaled from their original position.
At a rally in March, sponsored by 15 Now, Sawant announced plans for a phase-in that would condemn 70 percent of Seattle’s workforce to lesser pay increases. The plan of Sawant and SA creates two tiers; it starts workers at non-profits and companies with fewer than 250 people at $11/hour, and takes three years to reach $15.
This fallback surprised rally-goers, especially coming before the Democratic mayor had proposed his concessions. Said 15 Now activist Doreen McGrath, “Socialists are supposed to lead the fight, not the retreat!”
UNITE/HERE, the union that represents hotel and restaurant workers, encouraged 15 Now and SA to include a collective bargaining opt-out in their ballot measure. This would let stand union contracts that have negotiated wages below the $15/hour minimum. This will turn many workers against unions!
At a national conference of 15 Now, held April 26 in Seattle, FSP participants urged that these concessions be dropped in favor of a ballot initiative and a broader campaign that would build a strong, democratic movement, oriented to rank-and-file workers, especially the lowest paid.
Build a united front for $15 and more! Driving SA’s compromises is their orientation to labor officials and behind-the-scenes, top-down decision-making. This is the style of conservative labor leaders — who negotiate based on what bosses are willing to give, rather than stirring workers, practicing democracy, and leading the fight.
The path to winning the hearts and minds of the working poor is through building a united front — a democratic coalition of diverse people, organizations, unions, and community groups with a common working-class interest. Members make decisions through free-wheeling debate and votes.
The participation and leadership of those who are least paid is essential in this effort — people of color, undocumented immigrants, LGBT folks, people with disabilities, etc. These are the workers most motivated to fight, because they are the most in need. This is how to build solidarity and engage more and more working people in the fight for a $15/hour and a whole lot more.
“Socialists are supposed to lead the fight, not the retreat!”
by Linda Averill
Freedom Socialist
June 2014
www.socialism.com
March 15, Seattleites march for $15/hour minimum wage NOW.
When the small city of SeaTac passed a $15 minimum wage initiative in November 2013, it heightened the hopes of all those fast-food strikers and other labor protesters over the last few years.
Just a few miles north of SeaTac, the election of socialist Kshama Sawant to the Seattle City Council on a platform that included the $15/hour demand fueled the fire.
A judge quickly tried to douse the fire, ruling that the ballot measure covered only workers in the city of SeaTac, but not 4,700 baggage handlers, skycaps, restaurant and other low-wage workers at the airport located in SeaTac. The case is headed for the state Supreme Court.
The airport workers aren’t surrendering. In late March, two different groups held vigorous protests to demand better pay and treatment from their employers. Yelled one protester, “We just want respect and we won’t stop until we get it!” Many of these same workers are also pursuing efforts to win union shops. Their activism reflects a gut understanding of the Marxist idea that how much goes to wages versus profits is not forever fixed, but rather a function of class struggle.
The course of this struggle in Seattle contains vital lessons for organizing minimum wage hikes everywhere.
Seattle livable? Not hardly! The Seattle fight has moved from the streets to City Hall. In May, new Mayor Ed Murray, Democrat, announced his proposal for $15/hour — for some workers, after several years. Healthcare, tips, and other “compensation” would be calculated into their “income.” In short, Mayor Murray’s plan caters to big business.
Concretely, Murray’s proposition affects 102,000 working people in Seattle. Despite its liberal image, Seattle ranks worst in gender disparity for cities of its size in the U.S. Women earn 73 cents for every dollar a man earns. Also disproportionately underpaid are Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans and Asian Americans, who are 30 percent of Seattle’s population, but 45 percent of its low-wage workforce.
But wages are just one facet of poverty. Seattle also ranks in the top 10 cities for homelessness, a byproduct of soaring rents. Unemployment, especially for youth and people of color, is high. This reality is compounded by racist discrimination in higher-paid jobs, such as in Seattle’s lucrative construction and technology industries.
 |
| Seattle councilwoman Kshama Sawant, center, is fighting to bring a $15-an-hour minimum wage to all workers in the city... but with possible bad compromises for the current impoverished workers. |
The campaign for a $15 minimum wage could expose big business’ phony concern for small businesses by demanding solutions that correct the huge tax imbalance between corporations and genuinely small businesses. The state’s Business and Occupation tax should be abolished because it targets gross revenue, rather than profits. Seattle could revive a $25 head tax on large corporations that would push more of the tax burden upward and enable small businesses to pay higher wages. Seattle’s City Council also needs to pressure state legislators to tax the rich and big business with a steeply graduated income tax.
Compromise destroys solidarity. Soon after Sawant’s election, she formed 15 Now with her party, Socialist Alternative (SA). Their initial stance, “no compromise!” was a breath of fresh air. Individuals and groups, including the Freedom Socialist Party (FSP), flocked to this banner. But when big business predictably hit the warpath, Sawant and SA backpedaled from their original position.
At a rally in March, sponsored by 15 Now, Sawant announced plans for a phase-in that would condemn 70 percent of Seattle’s workforce to lesser pay increases. The plan of Sawant and SA creates two tiers; it starts workers at non-profits and companies with fewer than 250 people at $11/hour, and takes three years to reach $15.
This fallback surprised rally-goers, especially coming before the Democratic mayor had proposed his concessions. Said 15 Now activist Doreen McGrath, “Socialists are supposed to lead the fight, not the retreat!”
UNITE/HERE, the union that represents hotel and restaurant workers, encouraged 15 Now and SA to include a collective bargaining opt-out in their ballot measure. This would let stand union contracts that have negotiated wages below the $15/hour minimum. This will turn many workers against unions!
At a national conference of 15 Now, held April 26 in Seattle, FSP participants urged that these concessions be dropped in favor of a ballot initiative and a broader campaign that would build a strong, democratic movement, oriented to rank-and-file workers, especially the lowest paid.
Build a united front for $15 and more! Driving SA’s compromises is their orientation to labor officials and behind-the-scenes, top-down decision-making. This is the style of conservative labor leaders — who negotiate based on what bosses are willing to give, rather than stirring workers, practicing democracy, and leading the fight.
The path to winning the hearts and minds of the working poor is through building a united front — a democratic coalition of diverse people, organizations, unions, and community groups with a common working-class interest. Members make decisions through free-wheeling debate and votes.
The participation and leadership of those who are least paid is essential in this effort — people of color, undocumented immigrants, LGBT folks, people with disabilities, etc. These are the workers most motivated to fight, because they are the most in need. This is how to build solidarity and engage more and more working people in the fight for a $15/hour and a whole lot more.
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