Young Black Panthers in California
I am encouraged to see the revolutionary spirit alive and well in these young people from Cali who are Young Black Panthers dedicated to projecting the true image of The Panthers. They call themselves “The Riders” and they are all former Bloods and Crips who have evolved in their thinking to a higher, revolutionary consciousness. Their spokeswoman is extremely impressive. My favorite soundbyte from her was: “You can’t be a revolutionary if you don’t read!”
July 1st, 2008 at 10:36 am
I am so proud of the revolutionary spirit of these forward thinking socially and politically charged young people. I have had the pleasure of meeting and discoursing with several members of the northern California branch. It seems to me that these young people are harbingers of the same revolutionary spirit that was inside of Jesus Christ (who may have actually begun his ministry/revolution while still in his teens) as well as Nat Turner, Frederick Douglas, Toussaint, Dr. MLK, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth…!.
These erudite young revolutionaries are involved, they have [unplugged from the matrix-not just the TV] and they are doing what they can to effect social change, for the better, in the Divided States of America while helping to lift portions of America’s seemingly permanent or deprived underclass.
In these politically charged times, it makes me wonder why Senator Obama has chosen AIPAC/Israel’s prolonged revolution against oppressed people in the ME over Minister Farrakhan and the Nation and Tavis and the State of the Black Union - individuals and groups who have consistently supported the revolutionary spirit to lift black Americans and other 3-rd world oppressed people?
It has been said on many occasions that Senator Obama does not carry any Civil Rights baggage, my reply to that has been why not? These young people, being painfully aware of what happened to members of the original Black Panther Party are willing to risk being associated with 21st Century COINTELPRO, carrying baggage or simply making it for themselves! God knows that the government is keeping an eye on these young men and women - unlike the KLAN. These youngster have simply decided to pursue social justice over personal ambition!
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Let’s hope they don’t get too radical though or things will become messy.
July 5th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I think “radical” is a relative term, Tony. I try to deal with the issue surrounding that and other words in my piece about Nelson Mandela.
And perhaps we need things to get a bit “messy.” We’ve seen what socially acceptable behavior has gotten us.
July 5th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Things have already been messy for a long time. Consider Baltimore for example. We have a 34.6% graduation rate, ever increasing prison rate, the heroin capital of the world, etc. We are killing ourselves too much and too often. We have religious and political leadership (who do not live in the city) and sell us out for thirty pieces of silver over and over. I want to know how bad does it have to get for “things to get messy.” They have already been messy. I teach in a Baltimore City public school. I will show you “messy” everyday. Many kids are on a death march in what has become the 2nd MAAFA. What has been done up to this point simply has not worked!
July 8th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
4genius,
And isn’t it wonderful to see our erudite, courageous, gifted black young people standing up and working to ameliorate a problem that was not of their creation, something that politically motivated government officials will never do anything about.
Just consider the conditions in nearby Suitland, or Wards 7 or 8 in DC. And what has the Fed done about the problems? When you consider that Democrats were in control of both Houses for about 25 years and nothing changed in DC, not even Statedhood, Congressional Representatives or reparations for that matter (even when there was a Democratic President)
that should tell us what we need to know. And we know that the Republicans will never address the problem.
In order to fix the problems that have prevailed in our communities there are some structural barriers that will have to be removed and changes that will have to be made with respect to the way that things have historically been done in America. I am even more concerned about the black community given the global competition that is overtaking the world.
The young people remind me of the ones who were locked up and slaughtered in Birmingham during the heyday of the civil rights movement, when stalwarts like J.D.Gadsen and others in Birmingham and around the nation were still confused as what to do. We’ve got to support the young people everywhere, forget about consumerism long enough and address the problem!
Can I say something nasty, I visisted the majority of the megas in Washington DC - Baltimore recently; I was amazed at the bling-bling and the extravagance in light of all of the young people in that area who needs jobs. I’ve never seen so many Mercedes, Jags, BMWs, mink coats, mink hats…and in church! Poor kids!