A Moment in History: Mumia Abu Jamal

      Who is Mumia Abu-Jamal? Voice of the Voiceless...Political prisoner since 1983. Mumia was the President of the Association of Black Journalists, founding member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Black Panther Party as a teenager and director of the Philadelphia station WHAT.  Mumia Abu-Jamal covered closely the operations of the MOVE Organization and called to attention the brutality and blatant injustice he watched happen to them.  MOVE is a revolutionary organization built on the principles of Life, Natural Law, Self Defense, and The System.
      On the night of December 9, 1981, Mumia (who happened to be a cab driver at the time) just finished dropping off a fare when he heard gunshots and turned around seeing his brother William Cook wounded in the street.  On his way to the scene he was shot by a uniformed police officer and began fading in and out of consciousness.  Police soon arrived and found Mumia and Officer Faulkner shot and dead. Police arrested Mumia and beat him severely on the way to the hospital (which was blocks away but took 30 minutes to arrive).
      In 1982, Mumia was put on trial and decided to act as his own attorney and have John Africa as his legal advisor, but before the jury selection began his decision was revoked and an attorney was appointed for him.  Evidence shows that there is no way possible that Mumia could have possibly shot and killed Faulkner that night. Mumia had a registered .38 caliber and Faulkner was killed with a .44 caliber, also the police failed to test Mumia's gun to see if it registered with gun residue.  False witnesses testified that Mumia was at the scene the time of the shooting and others came forward to see they saw two men fleeing the scene. However none of that was enough to convince the judge that Mumia Abu-Jamal was innocent. Judge Sabor found him guilty and sentenced him to death during the penalty phase based solely on his political beliefs.
      In 1999 Arnold Beverly confessed to killing Officer Faulkner....so why is Mumia still in prison? Does Beverly's confession mean nothing to the justice system? Why is there still an innocent man on death row for a crime he did not commit when the killer confessed?  Mumia is not the only political prisoner who remains in jail for their beliefs and crimes that they did not commit. When will the injustice end for those trying to unite a culture and awaken the masses to see more than what they hear?  Assata Shakur is in Cuba living under political asylum for a crime she did not commit in New Jersey in 1973, yet the state of New Jersey still has a $1 million bond on her head.
     What is truly amazing is how we yell Free Weezy! Free TIP! Free Boosie! NOOOO let them stay in jail for a crime they did commit and let's begin yelling Free Mumia! Free the MOVE 9! People who are innocent and stood up for what they believed in. This country and the people in it have a backwards way of thinking. We constantly prove that we are worried about the wrong things, yet do not support the people that really need our help.

Sleeping With Our Eyes Open

How is it that the words to this song still remain relevant? This song was written and released over 30 years ago and yet we still find ourselves in the same situation. When will it be time to wake up...hopefully before it is too late

Interesting article...Very interesting

Ten Things I Don't Understand About Black People

*Sighs* When will this end? The comments may even be a little worse than the actual column.

A Day of Reflection

I've been sick the past 24 hrs but I took the time to reflect on what's going on in the surrounding communities and worldwide. August 25 marks two tragic anniversaries. One being the death of Aaliyah Dana Haughton and the 5th year since Hurricane Katrina (25-29) struck the Gulf Coast. Aaliyah touched many young girls worldwide with her music and wonderful personality. I don't think Cassie and Rihanna would be relevant if Aaliyah was still around. They can't sing worth a lick!!!! She was involved in fatal plane crash that claimed the lives of 8 others, may their souls be at peace and their legacy continue to live on.

Over the course of these next two months I will partake in a project entitled Destroy & Rebuild. HAVOC will visit New Orleans, LA to partake in community service cleanup or whatever else that needs to be done. The Destroy and Rebuild project will also host a couple of inner community events in the Atlanta area in October. With the way the world is everything has been destroyed to some measure and now it is time to rebuild and renew the faith that we once had. Please keep checking back and stay tuned for more details about the series...!

Lord willing and the creek don't rise...

What is Change?

Change is constant. Inevitable. The one thing you can't run from nor stop. Are you apart of the positive change or are you still a crab in the bucket? Positivity is contagious, hope you catch it! Those who are working to make a change won't get it on the first try, but they will be planting the seeds for what's to come. The steps we take now can be compared to swinging and hitting nothing but air, but it is a start.

Tupac on CHANGE

Nigger v. Nigga: Is There A Difference

Aye what's up my nigga! Nigga please or is it Nigger please? This word has long been debated, discussed and placed under constant scrutiny but is it really that bad? The term "originated" during the days of chattle slavery and was used intentionally to berate people of African descent. However within the last 30 years it has become a term of endearment amongst many African American youth and adults alike. The issue with this is, how can a group of people take such a derogatory saying and transform it into something acceptable. Sayings such as my nigga or I love my niggas makes it hard to criticize other races for using the expression as well.

The word NIGGA itself has a lot to do with race and when I say race I mean African Americans and Caucasians. That is the only reason it is an issue. Plenty of rappers use the word in their songs. For example (Jigga My Nigga, Real Nigga Roll Call, Down 4 My Niggas, Niggas Die For Me etc...) have been acceptable to play on radio and these videos have been broadcasted on tv screens across the nation. Who's to blame? The only time it becomes an issue is when someone outside of the color line uses the word or the frame in which they use it is compromised.

We have created this double standard within the black community that makes it acceptable for "us" to use it, but when a person of Caucasian descent uses the word it turns into a racial issue and in pops Al Sharpton. I have heard many of my friends say "well it's the manner in which it is used"...blah blah blah. As a people the only way we can overcome anything is to first look at the problem and solve it from the inside out. Meaning stop worrying so much about what another race is doing if we inflict it upon ourselves the majority of the time. I even know of people who allow other races to say the word as long as there is a friendship between the two parties. Backwards, backwards and backwards. We have to look in the mirror and evaluate ourselves if we want to point the blame at others. Check out these videos on the use of the word nigga/nigger and if you like reading pick up a copy of Nigger by Randall Kennedy!

B.M.F. (Building Minds Faster)

Who else but Lupe Fiasco would be able to deliver lyrics such as "I think i'm Malcom X, Martin Luther...add a King add a Jr.."
The song itself touches on so many issues that only get talked about in talented tenth conversations (so to speak). Maybe that's the reason behind the song title Building Minds Faster...

Ni**a wake up, don't join the army
Kill your own peoples, but fear Illuminati's
and they ain't even real, or are they?
But you ain't even know, because you party too fucking much,
if you start to doubt
they already in yo mind, and comin' out yo mouth
It's not a trick, ni**a, ni**a it's a trap
Survival of the fit, is what they aiming at
And ni**as ain't fit [nope], fat as hell! [yup]
Fat in mind [yup], body fat as well
Who use most the drugs? Americans!
What's in Afghanistan? Heroin!
You think that's by mistake? They can't stop dat?
Don't think you safe though, because you not black
Greed is colourblind, so I'm colourblind

I think I'm 2Pac...Bob Marley, Fela Kuti and Marcus Garvey

Oil Spill boosts job market?

The recent oil spill along the Gulf Coast has organizations near and far calling for volunteers to help clean up and also help identifying shoreline and wildlife animals affected. The oil spill undoubtedly will have a domino effect on the United States, starting with the hundreds of wildlife that have died due to the spill and the beaches that are starting to show signs of oil washing ashore. I think the biggest question is will BP be held fully accountable for this and if so how? Maybe oil companies should just stop digging in the ocean...

Volunteer Opportunities

Oscar Grant Trial

January 1, 2009 a fight broke out on a crowded train in the Bay area of California in which police were called out to diffuse the situation. BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) police quickly detained Oscar Grant and other gentlemen who they thought were involved in the altercation. I will save the intricate details for you to read on your own but to sum the story up, an unarmed Oscar Grant was shot in the back and killed by police officer Johannes Mehserle.
There are various accounts as to what happened in this case and most of them (coming from the crowd at the station), imply that Grant was not resisting arrest and therefore Mehserle should be charged with murder. The trial begun June 1, 2010 and even has it's own twitter page...follow @OscarGrantTrial

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