Our Cause is Just

2017 is certainly here. First, the revolutionary Black Panther Party organization is progressive, believes in pan-Africanism, and wants justice for black people in general. Their food drives, their educational services, and their activism is appreciated and honored by all of us. Their inspiring deeds represent the continuation of the black freedom struggle and outline what we need to support in our fight for black liberation. The police institution has always been (since its inception) an arm of the oligarchy sent to control and contain black people in the Americas. A video of the portion of the incident has been shown publicly. No black girl should be assaulted period. The cops involved in this repressive action should be punished. We send our support to the young girl and to the Revolutionary Black Panther Party group too. I hope that their lawsuit is successful. Crooked cops are rarely punished for their crimes. Terrorists aren't just found overseas. They exist domestically too in the form of Klans people, crooked cops, and other evil people who hate revolutionary change. Therefore, my core convictions are still the same in 2017. Cops, who abuse the human rights of people, are terrorists plain and simple. The teenager in Texas (in the pool incident) has every legal and moral right to sue. We have a serious epidemic of black people being brutalized and murdered by crooked cops. In Selma in 1965, cops have brutalized innocent men, women, and children. In the 1980's, cops in Philadelphia used bombs and guns to burn the MOVE headquarters. In the 21st century, a cop murdered Walter Scott in cold blood in the state of South Carolina. Therefore, we know about the police institution. Many of us have been victims of racial profiling and other forms of police harassment. Respectability politics doesn't work as the Selma protesters were the essence of dressing conservatively and still they were unjustly assaulted. Therefore, the young black teenager (in Texas who was slammed by a cop at a pool party) has our support and solidarity.

For years, many scholars and researchers have predicted this outcome. The election of Trump (who is a demagogue) didn't advance the narrative that America was a shining city on a hill. It confirmed to the world that the bigotry, racism, xenophobia, and intolerance (which has existed for centuries) is a common part of the psyche of millions of Americans. We are still here too. We must always promote the advocacy of fighting for our rights. Trump and his allies make no ambiguity about their extremist agenda. We have the right to be angry. We are certainly angry at the callous attitudes and the hate crimes committed against human beings. We are tired of the massive police brutality against our people (including black children being victims of police terrorism not just black adults). We cultivate our anger not to promote nihilism, but to advance social activism, courage, and community involvement which are necessary to enact the progressive change that we seek. I understand Rebecca Ferguson's motivations and intentions. Strange Fruit was a historic song sang by Billie Holiday, who was a victim of racism and harassment by police forces. Billie Holiday was a musical legend. I also sympathize with any musician who refuses to sing at that inauguration out of their sincere convictions too. Many white folks believe that it has to do with economics alone or racism has nothing to do with the election results. That is just ludicrous since Trump's campaign was based on bigotry and extremism. Many racists from the Klan and from the alt right movement praised Donald Trump. They believed that he appealed to their white ethno-nationalist agenda. Most white voters in the election voted for Trump (including mostly white women voters after Trump was caught making sexist comments while speaking to Billy Bush).

President Barack Obama represents many things in our world. He is the first African American President in history (in the USA) along with his beautiful wife being the first African American woman First Lady Michelle Obama (who is right to promote fitness, education, and the rights of human beings. She is a great role model). Barack Obama is a man filled with doing the right thing on many issues and doing the wrong thing on other issues. I did my research too. I realize his imperfections and his mistakes. I also acknowledge the things that I do agree with him on like the following: the Lilly Ledbetter Act, Dodd Frank, economic compensation to black farmers, the establishment of new fuel standards, unemployment benefits, the Iran nuclear deal, some of his sentencing reforms (yet, they don't go far enough in my view), the new START Treaty, and the stimulus. Now, it is fair to show the mistakes of the administration like the bailouts to select Wall Street banks, the support of the NATO attack in Libya, the drone attacks (even against American citizens without due process of law), and other neoliberal policies. Some have called him far left when that's ludicrous because of his conservative speeches on black families and his support of the TPP. Many far right people have called him a racist, which is laughable because of his moderate speeches on race and on police brutality. Also, President Barack Obama has condemned racism. Therefore, we have to take his legacy in context. We have to evaluate his legacy fairly, with logic, and with an understanding that just because a black man was in the White House doesn't mean that we live in a post racial society. His Presidency confirms that. President Barack Obama has a massive eloquence in his speeches. On social issues, he's the most progressive President in history. The next President is a bigot, a sexist, a demeanor of people which he disagrees with, and a demagogue. This is a sad time in our country, but we have hope. We survived Reagan, Bush, Nixon, and other nefarious Presidents. We will survive Trump and we will believe in the Dream of black liberation for us and for our posterity prodigiously.


Sister Phillis Wheatley was a genius in writing prose. Elegant, crisp words, and inspiration summarize her glorious literature (as slavery existed throughout America from the North to the South. That is why heroic black people fought back against such tyranny). She lived in Boston for many years to work in a world filled with oppression and injustice. Yet, she continued to speak out in word and in deed to advocate for freedom concretely. She was a great black woman. It is the same quest for freedom that we are fighting for in our generation. Phillis Wheatley worked hard in her craft of writing words which stimulated creativity and focused on her life. Men and women worldwide read, analyze, and cherish her poems from back then and today. Her life was filled with pain which was immeasurable. Her journey was harsh and cold, but people in our time love her. Her impact in American literature can't be measured in terms tangible for her literary genius is forever priceless. She is not here physically, but her moving prose, her wisdom, and her grace will forever be acknowledged. We all love her being and we honor her contributions in African American history. Her poem "On Imagination" concretely describes her life, her purpose, and her love for her family.

Always embrace your greatness. I certainly encourage everyone to be great. Greatness has nothing to do with ego or selfishness. Greatness is loving your being and expressing yourself to benefit yourself and others. It is also about honoring the dignity that you have. There is no solution in our world unless we address poverty and economic inequality. We have massive poverty in our communities in America and worldwide. There are many people who are homeless. Deindustralization and other regressive neoliberal policies have harmed families. Therefore, progressive economic policies are key in rectifying the situation. The poor don't need to be scapegoated and dismissed since the people who organized the great economic problems in large measure are those who are super wealthy. That is why I salute anyone advancing programs to fight for living wages, for investments in building communities, and developing economic enterprises. Also, politics doesn't just deal with voting. We should go into local school board meetings, local meetings, and in various programs to make sure that our voices are heard and to make sure that progressive actions are taken to improve our communities. We desire more stable communities, so education, economic power, and other functions of society can flourish. Engaging information and analyzing information are crucial deeds to enact in discovering the truth. Love and justice go hand in hand, because true love will always lead into justice. Honoring our intellectual independence manifests into constructive change throughout human history. For example, the views of Ella Baker inspired tons of changes in America. Not to mention that growing our own institutions is very important. We have to deal with the environment, because improving an environment improves our health, our community, and our lives in general. So, the struggle continues and our cause for justice is just.

By Timothy