1991_02 The Daily Collegian February 1991

              African People's History Month
Uhuru Na Umoja * February 1,1991
UJIMA
(OOJEE-MA)
«Creative Work and Responsibility»
Listen Up!
Knowledge dropped by the Editor
Congratulations on
A Job Well Done
This letter is addressed to the editor
and staff of the Uhuru Na Umoja in an
effort to extend our pleasure and
congratulations on a job well done.
ThelastpubHcationoftheUhurH insert
was excellent in its presentation, style,
and tone.
Being the sole media voice of the
African-American people at California
State University, Fresno, it becomes
imperitive that that voice be genuinely
reflected through its publication.
The articles were both extrememely
informative and of high interest,
reaching not only into the realms of
academia, but touching on the
community at-large, and the national/
international scene as well. It was also
enlightening to see a bit of humor
added, amid the array of seriousness-
a trait not often encompassed within a
publication with a political core. Keep
up the good work!
PEACE! LOVE! POWER TO THE
MOTHERLAND!
Donald Harjo Daves
President, Associated Students
Cal State Univ., Fresno
Stacey L. Green
Legislative Vice President
Associated Students
Cal State Univ., Fresno
Support Our Black
Political Prisoners
In our effort to always recognize those
who have contributed to the progres¬
sion of our people, we continue oui
series on Black Political Prisoners.
Although many of these people you
may not necessarily have a working
knowledge of, they have none the less
stood up and fought for the liberation
of African peoples world-wide. These
individuals deserve our support.
Ceronimo jijaga Pratt has served 19
years in California prisons despite
efforts by Amnesty International and
the Congressional Black Caucus to win
his release. He has become a symbol
of resistance to repression and of the
struggle for Black freedom in Amer¬
ica- He has been trying to obtain a new
trial based on the COINTELPRO reve¬
lations since 1978. Despite clear and
widely accepted of FBI and judicial
misconduct, all his attempts have been
turned down-
Write to Geronimo at: 4B4C-209,
Tehachapi, CA 93581
Kazi Ajagun Toure
I am a New Afrikan political prisoner
who has been held in captivity my
entire life. I believe that the U.S. gov¬
ernment is corrupt and seeks to de¬
stroy the lower classes of people. To
combat this, we must organize with
other communities, and rise up as one
united people from oppression. I am
currently serving a sentence of seven
years for conspiring to overthrow, put
down,destroy by force and violence,
the US. government I am one of the
few New Afrikans to be charged with
this act.
Write to Kazi at: 15782-038 Box
1000, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania! 7837
Greetings and salutations my broth¬
ers and sisters, I sincerely hope that
this edition finds you and yours in the
best of conditions. At least as good as
things can get with all of the turmoil
we must endure everyday as African-
Americans. Itismypersonal wish that
all of us on this campus will not only
succeed in our studies, but that we
will use the experiences and knowl-
edgethatweobtainhereatCSU,Fresno
to influence and change the collective
destiny of all African-Americans.
Throughout our history, it has been
our experience that positive change is
instigated only when one of our peers
has the determination to stand up, and
question the status quo. At has been
the tactic of the enemy to slander,
discredit and otherwise try to destroy
the "originator" of "the movement".
But somehow, the movement has still
been progressed; and we as African-
Americans continue to fight on. You
see, what the enemy has failed to real¬
ize is that "the movement" does not
begin nor end with a person. It began
witn, and is continually fuelled by an
mate desire to be free. It is by belief
that we African-Americans are not
truly free. And here is why not. We
must first analyze how we got our
"freedom" in the United States: our
"freedom" in the U.S. was "given" to
us by some people who decided how
and what freedoms we. shouLLhave.
Freedom is not sorrfething that is given
or granted one person to another. The
freedom to live a life in which an indi¬
vidual is the solearchitect of their fate,
free from restrictions and barriers on
one's mind, body, and soul is given by
God and once tampered with disrupts
the course of history for an entire race
of people. We African-Americans have
known this all along. That is why we
refuse time and time again to submit
our minds to this prison that has been
constructed to house our intellect. My
brothers and sisters, we must never
allow ourselves to lose sight of the
collective goal of our people. We
must never allow the enemy to cloud
our vision of the future. And most
importantly, we can NEVER allow the
hardships that we endure to pit our¬
selves against one another. This has
consistantly been the numberone way
that the enemy has tried to carry out
our destruction. But this tactic has
been exposed and will no longer be
effective in our communities. Stand
up, my brothers and sisters. Rally
behind your black, brown, red, yellow
and white comrades that fight for the
total freeing of mankind and the lib¬
eration of our minds. We are the key
to our existence. Let us hold the torch
proudly for those that died to keep the
flamegoing. Brothers, love your black
sisters; for they are the key to the uni¬
verse. I love each and every one of
you. Black to the future.
For you Always,
I want to hear from my brothers and
sisters out there. So, as part of African
People's History Month, the UHURU
is sponsoring an essay contest. The
topic is: In assessingsthe current con¬
ditions of African-Americans', what
do you feel is needed individually and
collectively to ensure the progress of
our people?
Essays should not exceed 2 typed
pages(double spaced) and must con¬
tain original theory. Turn in by Feb.
18th in the UHURU box in the Daily
Collegian or the Ethnic Studies De¬
partment. GOOD LUCK!
Citizens rally behind Anti-War Effort
UHURU Staff
A group of people in Fresno, concerned
abouttheU-S. war in the Middle East came
together in January. Theirintentionwasto
form a coalition that would work to raise
theconsdomnessofth^Fresnocornmurity
about the war. Their ultimate goal, as with
all the peace/ anti-war groups recently
organized, is to pressure the government
to end the war and bring the troops home
safely.
The fact that this group identified
themselves as a coalition is somewhat of a
misconception. The group is a coalition of
peace organizations such as the Wo mens
International League for Peace and
Freedom and religious groups, as well as
individuals with no particular political or
religious affiliation
Of the people forming the coalition in the
earlystages only one member wasa person
of color. As activists of color came to hear
of this coalition a few of us began attending
the meetings.
As African-American and Chtcano
activists involved for many years in the
anti-war movement we came out of those
meetings extremely disappointed and
frustrated. The positions being formulated
did not speak to the issues of people of
color, there were long debates over minor
points, and the lack of structure.
Most of us have been organizing and
protesting against U.S. intervention since
Vietnam. All of us have spent years
organizing in our respectivecommunities,
throughout Fresno, and on campusagainst
the war in South Africa, Palestine,
Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua,
Grenada, and Panama; as well as the war
in the streets against our people—police
brutality, poverty and drugs.
As disappointed as we were and still are
with this coalition we recognize the
necessity for the anti-war movement to be
as broad-based as possible. Therefore we
continue to participate in committees and
work at the large, general community
meetings held on Sundays at 3:00 pm.
Although the Peace Coalition hails the
idea that more people of color must be
brought in. Our positions, years of activism
and our experience as people of color are
not taken with the same enthusiasm.
As we become more vocal about the
inclusion of issues which impact our
communities into the folds of the anti- war
movement -we are met with growing
resistance. Nothing new. People of color
are encouraged to attend meetings.
I s us pert it makes the white liberals feel
good to see our color at a meeting, much
the same way white folks used to show off
their Negro friends at a fancy restaurant
durinRtheWs. The white liberal members
of the Peace coalition also want us to be
spokespersons to the media.
If all these subtle forms of racism within
thecoalitionisnotenough;onewhiteliberal
went so far as to say that she was, Tired of
hearing about racism". She was reminded
by theonly woman of color at that meeting
that although she maybe tired of "hearing"
about racism we are tired of experiencing
it.
Forms of racism within these types of
coalitions, movements, or organizations is
not new. It is not monopolized by Fresno,
"coalitions" throughout this state and the
country are experiencing muchof the same
struggles. However, we have learned a
great deal from the many sturggles of the
early 60s through the 70s: Black liberation
movement, Chicano movement, femanist
movement, and gay rights movement.
Oneof our most critical lessons is that the
Power Structure is both financially and
militarily very strong. It also has the
capacity to be flexible when necessary, ie.
allowing some of us to become part of its
rank and file to quell societies of outraged
masses.
For this reason we recognize the necessity
for unity. Unity does not occur because
anyone likes the idea. In fact real unity is
a greater struggle than "fighting the Power"
itself. How unity will be forged within this
or any other coalition is still uncertain.
Without question it will take our ability
to analyze situations critically, that is
without egos and naivety. It will also take
a great deal of patience. It means that our
actions must come from well thought out
plans and strategies inclusive of all people
who want peace with justice,
We cannot be reactive, no matter how
emotional we may become throughout this
war. We do not have the luxury to spend
any ounce of physical or mental efforts
engaged in activities that do not bring
about significant gains to this anti-war
movement.
Today, the ground war in the gulf began.
Thousands of Iraqi people have already
died—people of color. US. Marines have
died today—our Black and Brown brothers.
If ending this war means struggling with
racism within a coalition of middle-class
white liberals, then it is this writers opinion
that, that is the very least we can do.
To note: We will not have our color be
used to tokenize a movement that refuses
to speak our issues. We will hold this
peace/anti-war movement accountable to
the liberal positions it espouses.