The fight for justice of women continues in the Motherland of Africa. Nearly 1,000 people marched in downtown Nairobi, Kenya to protest the rising rate of assaults on women. Hours later, a Kenyan woman was stripped by a mobbed at a bus stop. This evil conduct must end. More men have to speak up since the liberation of women is tied to the liberation of men. Certainly, enough is enough. Women in Kenya and throughout Africa are not silent. They want freedom. That is why Kenyan women are continuing to protest for equal rights and justice. An oppressive system in the world must be opposed. The oppression of women has nothing to deal with real African culture or African traditions. It relates to systematic injustices. Women suffer abuse and indignities with impunities globally too from Saudi Arabia to Iraq. Oppression against African women grew with the existence of foreign invasions and colonialism. The brutal gang rape of 16 year old Hann Lalango (a Sister) caused her death. Later, social media has created the powerful, heroic hash tag campaign called #justiceforhanna.” This became the Yellow Movement of Addis Addis-Ababa University. In 2008, Sudanese woman Lubna Ahmed Al-Hussein was arrested and imprisoned unjustly for just wearing trousers that authorities deemed “indecent.’ During which Lubna had waived the immunity she had been granted as a United Nations worker and decided to have the trial continue –defending what she believes in. It was reported that she had said, ‘She is taking a stand to change the unconstitutional law which contradicts the peace accord terms.’ Women in Uganda are protesting rules on clothing as well. Egyptian women are fighting abuse and violence against women too. There must not only be structural change in society. We have to work in our homes, communities, societies, countries, and world as a way to respect the human dignity of women and all females in general. Men and women deserve justice. Also, human dignity is important to advance and promote in any society. So, we all have work to do and we have to have honest dialogue. We have to talk more among both genders. Also, we have to set up plans and strategies where black people of both genders are supported, respected, and honored as human beings. This will take time, but it will be time well spent. We are all tied together. It is always important to promote the development and growth of black families and the black community. That is done especially by confronting poverty, economic inequality, and other structural problems. More black unity and more black solidarity are needed in our generation. Women have to be liberated and men have to be liberated.
One of the greatest heroes of our people was Robert Sobukwe. He was a man who stood up against apartheid and gave great intellectual truths about economic justice. He was a key man of the Pan-African movement who rejected neoliberalism. He was born in December 1924. We should remember his life and his legacy. Mangasliso Robert Sobukwe wanted to South Africa to be free. He wanted African peoples to control their own country. He wanted poverty to end and wanted the landless to have land and jobs. He rejected the concept of oligarchy or a system where a few people dominating every aspect of the lives of the majority. According to Dr. Sibonginkosi Mazibuko, Sobukwe wanted a socialist democracy where African peoples in the majority would have a democratic government. He wanted industrial development, and he spoke of ways to getting these goals accomplished. He wanted human beings to control over things not to dominate other humans. Sobukwe knew how some nations would extract and export the African raw materials and then re-sold then back as finished products (while imports from these nations cost African nations like South Africa jobs, and it creates poverty and other hardships among especially the working class). Robert Sobukwe made another great point about Africa too. He called the Motherland M’Afrika. He rejected the balkanization of Africa. In one of his speeches, he said the following information: "South Africa is an integral part of the indivisible whole that is Africa." In this context, he said, "South Africa cannot solve her problems in isolation of the rest of the continent." "Africa is one," he declared, "and desires to be one and nobody have the right to balkanise our land." In other words, Africa can never be free and liberated, unless Africa was unified as one continent. Sobukwe opposed neo-colonialism, which was done by the capitalists. Neo-colonialism is still here when we have the British and French influence in Africa for economic exploitation. Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe was one of the greatest revolutionaries of African history. He wanted the equitable distribution of food, clothing, homes, education, health care, wealth, land, work, etc. He was a great orator as well. He launched the anti-pass campaign on March 21, 1960. His words and his power are inspirational as well. He was right to advocate education for African peoples. All black people of black African descent should be united globally as one. So, the struggle for liberation for all Africans continues.
The following issue is a very important issue to mention. It is about what is going on in the nation of Mauritania. Mauritania declared independence in November 28, 1960. Yet, it is a nation that has a system of exclusion against its black population. So, racism must still be combated in the country of Mauritania. Mauritania has a long history. It must be a nation where its diverse people must exist in justice and equality. It must be a principle and it must be executed as well. The deal is that some people in the nation want to promote the deception that the country is exclusively of an Arabic identity and they want to negate the country’s African foundations via the implementation of series of political actions. From 1989 to 1992 (under the regime of Colonel Maawiya Ould Sid’Ahmed Taya) thousands of Mauritanian civilians and members of the military were killed. This was genocide. The president General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz launched an operation called “population registration”, a nationwide census which has been in place since 2011. This operation aims to officially give Mauritania the reliable and secure civil registration records available in all countries. This registration has proven to be nothing more than an operation for the exclusion and banishment of the blacks, suspected to be Senegalese or Malians, or of having acquired their civilian status through fraudulent means. Many people were stateless in their own country if they refused to register as citizens. Many foreign people, form mostly Arabic nations, were excluded from this ill treatment when they came into Mauritania. Today, this operation continues in relative opacity following violent demonstrations led by a movement for the defense of civic rights called “Touche pas à ma nationalité” (Don’t touch my nationality) and an opposition party. That is why Afro-Mauritanians are fighting for more human rights. Enslavement was not made a criminal offence in Mauritania until 2007. "These are sad stories that are common in Mauritania," said anti-slavery activist Saidou Wane. "To say slavery in Mauritania is over is just a lie. There are cases pending in the courts, and groups like the IRA are constantly finding new examples of slavery…” The constitution, statutes, and policies of Mauritania restrict religious freedom. The 1991 constitution defines the country as an Islamic republic and recognizes Islam as the sole religion of its citizens and the state. Neither the Afro-Mauritanian national languages nor the local Hassaniya Arabic dialect were used as languages of instruction. The black Afro-Mauritanians include the Haratines, Fulani, Wolof and Soninké. Therefore, Mauritania is still a racist and slave state. It must be transformed into an egalitarian society. We should fight for justice. Mauritania must be liberated and free.
First, unarmed, innocent black people being murdered is not OK. Police terrorism and capitalist exploitation are total evils that must be eradicated in the world. Now, just because someone is convicted of something doesn't mean that someone is guilty. The Central Park Five were once convicted, but they were innocent. Obviously, there is no conclusive evidence that Assata Shakur killed a cop. There have been no fingerprints of Assata Shakur on any weapon in the scene. No gun residue was found on her or on her hands. She, herself, was a victim of being shot by the police in that incident. Under cross-examination at both Acoli and Shakur's trials, Trooper Harper admitted to having lied in these reports. Trooper Harper retracted his previous statements and said that he had never seen Shakur with a gun and that she did not shoot him. Like I have mentioned before, Sister Assata Shakur deserves a pardon. The reactionaries need to cut it out. Sister Assata Shakur is a real freedom fighter. I am in solidarity with her forever. If the U.S. can free the members of the Cuban Five, then the U.S. can pardon Assata Shakur. She should be pardoned immediately. The FBI should not lecture anyone on terrorism or criminal activities at all since the FBI have done terrorism, illegal monitoring, and harassment of people for generations. This is certainly a new movement. When thousands of people stood up against militarized police in America who have used LRAD sound weapons, then that is significant. When young people are talking about BlackLivesMatter and setting up independent organizations to address police terrorism, poverty, and injustice in general, then that is significant too. So, people are not just marching in the streets (with over 30,000 human beings marching in NYC during one weekend alone). People are also mobilizing, organizing, and helping out their communities nationwide. If we want to be free, then we have to build. We have to build our communities, grow our families, and respect human justice. Also, we have to resist oppression, imperialism, the system of white supremacy, police terrorism, and capitalist exploitation (in that we love the dignity of labor as workers' rights is a key part of a just society). No one can be free unless poverty is gone and economic justice (which the privileged plutocracy readily opposes) is a reality. We have to embrace political independence and continue to have hope. A real revolutionary has hope.
Rahm Emanuel is a neoliberal politician. He has Wall Street ties. He is known for his usage of massive profanity. He once cursed at Sister Karen Lewis. Rahm is an acolyte of Bill Clinton and he agreed to support NAFTA. One of the mayor’s closest friends is Bruce Rauner, a billionaire investor. Many of these recommendations should have been implemented by the mayor long before it was released, because many of them are common sense actions that can be executed immediately when he was first inaugurated as Mayor of the city of Chicago. He promotes this Road Map in the midst of him trying to be reelected. Rahm is aided by corporate interests. Emanuel not only shut down over 50 schools in Chicago and lay off teachers. He has attempted to cut pensions too. These actions only harm the city not help. Solutions does relate to an addressing of poverty (with job creation and advancing a living wage for people), handling violent criminal gangs, dealing with housing and rent issues, ending police terrorism, improving education (beyond just heavily funding selective enrollment schools), etc. It will take assistance from diverse quarters and as an African proverb has said, it will take a village. One thing is true. Sony executives and producers are cowardly to show their true feelings in previously private emails. When they are being exposed for advancing racist views, they are trying to make excuses. Sony backing down to the hackers once again shows their cowardice. In the final analysis, this news doesn’t surprise me. Hollywood is not the progressive place that some believe it to be. It has ties to the Pentagon and the rest of the establishment. It advances propaganda, distractions, materialism, exploitation of human life, and false stereotypes about black people. It is what it is. Yet, we should continue to promote the dignity of black people and speak truth to power.
By Timothy
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