Mamadou Lumumba (Kenneth Freeman) Memorial
Mamadou Lumumba (Kenneth Freeman) was one of the premier neo-black intellectuals of the 1960s. He was the first black student to attend Bishop O Dowd high school. He graduated from University of San Francisco in 1960, with graduate studies at the University of Mexico. In Mexico he learned of the Cuban revolution and this expanded his radical conscious and social activism. When he returned to Oakland, he joined the group of young radicals at Merritt College, including Bobby Seale, Huey Newton, Ernie Allen, Isaac Moore, Ann Williams, Marvin X and Carol Freeman, his wife. Mamadou became a member of Donald Warden's Afro American Association, a Black Nationalist organization. The AAA and the young radicals studied world revolution, including events in South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and the Congo where the first elected prime minister was assassinated. Apparently his similarity to Congolese Patrice Lumumba, made him adopt the name. Mamadou became editor of Soulbook magazine, one of the most radical publications of the 60s, a publication of RAM or the Revolutionary Action Movement. He also organized the first Black Panther Party in the Bay.
Memorial services will be held on Saturday, December 12, 2pm, at the Noodle Factory, 1255 26th Street at Union, Oakland. Call 510-355-6339 for more information
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Excuse me, Mr. President
Excuse me, Mr. President; the war in Afghanistan is not in the interests of the USA
There is nothing in Afghanistan that is vital to American interests unless those interests are heroin and oil pipelines around the Caspian Sea to escape Russian hegemony. Originally, the war in Afghanistan was to deny Al Quida a foothold and punish them for 9/11. The USA global bandits supplied and supported the Taliban as they ran the Russians out, but now they are fighting the Taliban to again deny Al Quida, although there is no Al Quida in Afghanistan. Thus, there is no need to have a surge of troops in Afghanistan. It is good for the militarist US economy, for the generals who run the corporations, the university/corporate e complex that benefits with contracts and related research.
The war in Iraq was a total failure simply because it was unnecessary to kill a million people over the lie that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. But again, Iraq was for oil and to check Shia expansion for the reactionary Sunni regimes throughout the Middle East, namely Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Persian Gulf states--and of course to protect Israel.
Of course Obama is a politician looked toward the next elections so he must mollify the right wing militarists. He told you he would expand the war into Pakistan during his election campaign. At least he is true to his word. And so for political expediency he will expand the war in Afghanistan, then try to deescalate near election time.
He is not thinking of the American's who shall die and those sure to come home traumatized, suicidal and homicidal. He is allocating billions to buy off the Taliban's acts of violence, but here at home he does nothing to "buy off" those brothers and sisters terrorizing the hood with internecine violence, depriving the hood of any social security. How can the US pay the insurgents to stop violence yet allow brothers in the hood to wreak havoc throughout America with guns and drugs? Internal violence is the real threat to America’s interests and security. This is why the poet Amiri Baraka warns us, "In the end the Negro will be the terrorist." The violence in the hood would surely one day cross over to the white community. We see black men redirecting their guns against the police in Oakland and Washington State. If this trend continues, get ready for an escalation in the police/military occupation of the hood. As the depression continues and creates more joblessness, expect the prison population to increase leading to a further destabilization of the hood. As Dr. Cornel West says, we must protect and respect the President but we must also correct the President when he goes down the path of reaction by enacting policies against our national interests as North American Africans.
Meanwhile, North American Africans may be oblivious to the radicalization of Latin America, but how long can we maintain our reactionary support of the US when our friends, brothers and sisters throughout the Americas are charting their own agenda and it does not include the globalist free trade policies of the US and her allies. Where is the North American African leadership that is putting our agenda in harmony with the people of Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Bolivia, Chile and Venezuela? Shall North American Africans continue their addiction to white supremacy domination and exploitation? Or shall we unite with our brothers and sisters throughout the Americas and work toward an agenda in harmony with our national and regional interests?
Further, the so-called attempt to nation build in Afghanistan is legalizing the warlords to continue their traditional tribalism, not unify as a national state. The Pashtun, Tajik, Usbek and others have tribal interests rather than national interests. The loya jurga or meeting of the tribal elders would be the way to resolve matters among the people of Afghanistan, not by a military surge that will include more killing and destruction rather than reconstruction. If there is no Al Quida in Afghanistan, we need to get out now, but it shall not happen because white supremacy must prove its point, no matter that no armies have conquered this land, not the armies of Alexander the Great, the British, nor Russians. Obama now has his opportunity to defy history.
Politics, money, oil, dope. And India is the other key player in this madness. India is playing on Kabul to counter the Pakistan support of Taliban. As reactionary as the Taliban are, they stopped the poppies growing. Enter the US and the poppy fields are blooming with a resultant opium addiction of the country. Whole villages and entire families are addicted, even babies are given opium for any ailment, even as a substitute for food. It is worse than the US supplied Crack addiction of North American Africans.
The saddest part of Obama's speech to West Point was his falsification of American history, claiming America as the good guys in the white hats who've never unjustly occupied people's land around the world. Let us hear from the Native Americans on this point. Let us recount the US support of reactionary regimes around the world, and do not fail to count the number of US military bases around the world to suppress and oppress people in order to steal their labor and resources. We suggest Obama read Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States. President Obama is sounding as right wing as his predecessors in the White House, from the beginning to now, all of them promoted white supremacy at home and abroad.
There is nothing in Afghanistan that is vital to American interests unless those interests are heroin and oil pipelines around the Caspian Sea to escape Russian hegemony. Originally, the war in Afghanistan was to deny Al Quida a foothold and punish them for 9/11. The USA global bandits supplied and supported the Taliban as they ran the Russians out, but now they are fighting the Taliban to again deny Al Quida, although there is no Al Quida in Afghanistan. Thus, there is no need to have a surge of troops in Afghanistan. It is good for the militarist US economy, for the generals who run the corporations, the university/corporate e complex that benefits with contracts and related research.
The war in Iraq was a total failure simply because it was unnecessary to kill a million people over the lie that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. But again, Iraq was for oil and to check Shia expansion for the reactionary Sunni regimes throughout the Middle East, namely Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Persian Gulf states--and of course to protect Israel.
Of course Obama is a politician looked toward the next elections so he must mollify the right wing militarists. He told you he would expand the war into Pakistan during his election campaign. At least he is true to his word. And so for political expediency he will expand the war in Afghanistan, then try to deescalate near election time.
He is not thinking of the American's who shall die and those sure to come home traumatized, suicidal and homicidal. He is allocating billions to buy off the Taliban's acts of violence, but here at home he does nothing to "buy off" those brothers and sisters terrorizing the hood with internecine violence, depriving the hood of any social security. How can the US pay the insurgents to stop violence yet allow brothers in the hood to wreak havoc throughout America with guns and drugs? Internal violence is the real threat to America’s interests and security. This is why the poet Amiri Baraka warns us, "In the end the Negro will be the terrorist." The violence in the hood would surely one day cross over to the white community. We see black men redirecting their guns against the police in Oakland and Washington State. If this trend continues, get ready for an escalation in the police/military occupation of the hood. As the depression continues and creates more joblessness, expect the prison population to increase leading to a further destabilization of the hood. As Dr. Cornel West says, we must protect and respect the President but we must also correct the President when he goes down the path of reaction by enacting policies against our national interests as North American Africans.
Meanwhile, North American Africans may be oblivious to the radicalization of Latin America, but how long can we maintain our reactionary support of the US when our friends, brothers and sisters throughout the Americas are charting their own agenda and it does not include the globalist free trade policies of the US and her allies. Where is the North American African leadership that is putting our agenda in harmony with the people of Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Bolivia, Chile and Venezuela? Shall North American Africans continue their addiction to white supremacy domination and exploitation? Or shall we unite with our brothers and sisters throughout the Americas and work toward an agenda in harmony with our national and regional interests?
Further, the so-called attempt to nation build in Afghanistan is legalizing the warlords to continue their traditional tribalism, not unify as a national state. The Pashtun, Tajik, Usbek and others have tribal interests rather than national interests. The loya jurga or meeting of the tribal elders would be the way to resolve matters among the people of Afghanistan, not by a military surge that will include more killing and destruction rather than reconstruction. If there is no Al Quida in Afghanistan, we need to get out now, but it shall not happen because white supremacy must prove its point, no matter that no armies have conquered this land, not the armies of Alexander the Great, the British, nor Russians. Obama now has his opportunity to defy history.
Politics, money, oil, dope. And India is the other key player in this madness. India is playing on Kabul to counter the Pakistan support of Taliban. As reactionary as the Taliban are, they stopped the poppies growing. Enter the US and the poppy fields are blooming with a resultant opium addiction of the country. Whole villages and entire families are addicted, even babies are given opium for any ailment, even as a substitute for food. It is worse than the US supplied Crack addiction of North American Africans.
The saddest part of Obama's speech to West Point was his falsification of American history, claiming America as the good guys in the white hats who've never unjustly occupied people's land around the world. Let us hear from the Native Americans on this point. Let us recount the US support of reactionary regimes around the world, and do not fail to count the number of US military bases around the world to suppress and oppress people in order to steal their labor and resources. We suggest Obama read Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States. President Obama is sounding as right wing as his predecessors in the White House, from the beginning to now, all of them promoted white supremacy at home and abroad.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Kamau
Kamau
Quiet warrior
drummer supreme
father
husband
lover
we feel the drum silence
the moon is full yet empty this night
the Bay fog vanished
only for a beat in memory
it lingers forever.
a libation tonight
for a true trooper
a drum beat for culture
africanness beyond madness
a different drummer
sounds of freedom
round the world
hear the beat the rhythm of a new world
babylon trembles at the sound
gates of Jerico crumble
drum beats
stunted men fly in fear
the war drum in their ears
they are deaf from sound
give the drummer some.
Peace soldier!
--Marvin X
Quiet warrior
drummer supreme
father
husband
lover
we feel the drum silence
the moon is full yet empty this night
the Bay fog vanished
only for a beat in memory
it lingers forever.
a libation tonight
for a true trooper
a drum beat for culture
africanness beyond madness
a different drummer
sounds of freedom
round the world
hear the beat the rhythm of a new world
babylon trembles at the sound
gates of Jerico crumble
drum beats
stunted men fly in fear
the war drum in their ears
they are deaf from sound
give the drummer some.
Peace soldier!
--Marvin X
Spiritual Growth to Womanhood
Spiritual Growth to Womanhood
A Manual based on Proverbs 16
by
Nefertiti Jackmon
70 pages, $15.00
Black Bird Press
1222 Dwight Way, Berkeley CA 94702
Publication date: December, 2009
Spiritual Growth to Womanhood is a how-to manual for the spiritual woman of any faith, but the text is an exegesis of Proverbs 16, a chapter deconstructing the perfect woman who walks on solid ground, confident and sure of herself, determined to succeed in spite of all odds, to take care of herself first, though she is not selfish, rather selfless and unconditional in her love of family and community. She is an entrepreneur, a hustler for the good of herself and family. Nefertiti takes us on a whirlwind journey with incidents from her own life to illustrate her points. The style is clean, smooth and uplifting, always on the positive in presenting solutions to problems faced by today's woman. But Proverb 16 offers a clear path to success if women take heed of ancestral wisdom.
The manual grew out of Nefertiti's desire for mentorship. Since it was difficult to find a mentor, God told her the answer was in Proverbs. And so it is.
This book is recommended for young and mature women who might also be in need of spiritual mentorship , although such mentorship is based on practical steps that include thinking critically, self esteem, independence and interdependence. She negates poverty consciousness in favor of prosperity consciousness, prayer but work, not passivity.
While her target is women, there is much wisdom in this manual that men might find insightful, for it describes the woman every successful man would want at his side. The book includes a blank page after each section for notes.
Nefertiti Jackmon received her B.A. in English from Fresno State University, M.A. in Africana Studies from New York University, Albany. Her spiritual work included administering a mega-church in Houston, Texas.
She is available for readings and workshops, especially with women seeking spiritual growth.
A Manual based on Proverbs 16
by
Nefertiti Jackmon
70 pages, $15.00
Black Bird Press
1222 Dwight Way, Berkeley CA 94702
Publication date: December, 2009
Spiritual Growth to Womanhood is a how-to manual for the spiritual woman of any faith, but the text is an exegesis of Proverbs 16, a chapter deconstructing the perfect woman who walks on solid ground, confident and sure of herself, determined to succeed in spite of all odds, to take care of herself first, though she is not selfish, rather selfless and unconditional in her love of family and community. She is an entrepreneur, a hustler for the good of herself and family. Nefertiti takes us on a whirlwind journey with incidents from her own life to illustrate her points. The style is clean, smooth and uplifting, always on the positive in presenting solutions to problems faced by today's woman. But Proverb 16 offers a clear path to success if women take heed of ancestral wisdom.
The manual grew out of Nefertiti's desire for mentorship. Since it was difficult to find a mentor, God told her the answer was in Proverbs. And so it is.
This book is recommended for young and mature women who might also be in need of spiritual mentorship , although such mentorship is based on practical steps that include thinking critically, self esteem, independence and interdependence. She negates poverty consciousness in favor of prosperity consciousness, prayer but work, not passivity.
While her target is women, there is much wisdom in this manual that men might find insightful, for it describes the woman every successful man would want at his side. The book includes a blank page after each section for notes.
Nefertiti Jackmon received her B.A. in English from Fresno State University, M.A. in Africana Studies from New York University, Albany. Her spiritual work included administering a mega-church in Houston, Texas.
She is available for readings and workshops, especially with women seeking spiritual growth.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
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