Reply to Dr. Asa Hillard on the Cultural Revolution

Dear Brother Asa:Thanks for your clarification but my real desire is see how can we help the "bootleggers" spread the truth, maybe even pay them if we could find sponsors so that our material could be given out freely--in the way Imam Khomeini launched his revolution with cassette tapes and in the way "self respecting" preachers give away free copies of their books and tapes. What about getting our material produced in China--I know the SFSU Black Studies Journal was printed in Taiwan. Basically I am saying we need to launch a true cultural revolution in the hood by flooding it with black consciousness material so that "no child is left behind" and all can make a great leap forward into the new millennium with educational material that will counteract the reactionary filth that rap is spreading along with public school disinformation that is killing the desire to learn in our children.The panelist talked about returning to some of the post-slavery educational models. Indeed, I read that during those years they had to beat the children out of the classroom to make them go home because of their burning desire to learn. Today we must beat them into the classroom. I spoke to students at Oakland's McClymonds High School recently. As I began my talk the students informed me the police was outside rounding up students. The Oakland School District went 100 million in debt because students failed to show up for class. We must take over our schools but with radical teachers and radical materials that will hold the attention of students even unto the midnight hour. Also, I especially liked what one panelist said about the intergenerational schools--this is what is really needed--many parents of today need to be in classrooms with their children because in their parental ignorance they undo all that is done for the child at school.Thank you for being one of the great minds of our time. You know I remember you when you were the Dean of Education at SFSU. No one is all wrong and no one is all right. Let's do the damn thing.

Peace,Marvin X

Asa Hilliard III wrote: Hello Brother Marvin, thank you for being present at Wade Nobles' celebration. I wanted to clarify my comment from the interview. I did not mean to say that the young people were involved in widespread distribution. I intended to refer to the bootlegging of audio and videotapes of many speakers, and that their products are easily available on the streets in New York, Atlanta etc. I also do not mean to approve that practice, just to say that in the absence of financial support and institutional vehicles for dissemination is a continuing problem for the messages. Thanks for covering our meeting. AsaAsa G. Hilliard III-Nana Baffour Amankwatia II>>> Marvin X 06/05/05 2:53 PM >>>