Hello, Boston. Let me send warm greetings and a revolutionary salute to all of you, activists, interested people, former political prisoners, comrades and friends, gathered here in Boston in Copley Square this evening. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the Bean. Of course, I’ve been in close touch with comrades and friends, and especially my son, Rick, who did love Boston, all its teams and many friends, but he hated aspects of it too. As we all know, Boston has a long history of progressive and revolutionary activism.
As a young public activist, I added my efforts to many anti-war rallies and marches down Mass. Ave. and at the Commons. Later, in 1979, my brother Kazi and I helped organize and conduct the Amandla festival of unity, which featured Bob Molly and the Wailers at Harvard Stadium. This was one of the first major anti-apartheid events in Boston. And on a more street level, we helped defend events, people, and homes from Klan-type racists who, back then, were lurking around some neighborhoods in Boston. So with positive memories of activist Boston moments, I feel pleased and honored to spend this time with all of you today. I’m putting these words together on Valentine’s weekend, an appropriate day for positive thoughts, out here in the Sonoran Desert in the U.S. prison in Tucson, Arizona.
We are in a total lockdown here, so I have plenty of time to reflect on days past, but more important, on the ongoing work and struggle our people and planet need more of us to do now. My comrade Tom and I have been locked up for a long time. Later this year, I will have been in captivity for 30 years. That’s crazy, for sure. The particular struggles that we were deeply involved in then are historical notes and references today. Changes in the world and in all reality is, of course, natural and constant. The anti-apartheid struggle that we were part of, and which the anti-imperialist clandestine movement helped launch in the U.S.A., assisted the good people in South Africa who finally kicked out the racist, Nazi type apartheid system from South Africa. Mandela was freed, became president, and a real light of freedom emanated from the southern tip of Africa. Anti-apartheid activists and supporters celebrated these developments around the world; political prisoners in the U.S. included.
Unfortunately, here in 2014, the U.S.A. government, the only government in the world, continues to imprison anti-apartheid activists like Tom and myself, like Mutulu Shakur, Dave Gilbert, and others. Further struggles we were directly involved in during the 80s, like support for the I.R.A. and the Irish independence and justice movement, the Palestinian people striving for a homeland, the Puerto Rican independence movement, resistance to Reagan’s wars in Central America, as well as opposition to police brutality and murders of Black and Brown people in particular, have been resolved or replaced by newer events.
The harsh reality is that while locations and specifics of U.S. invasions and wars change, the ongoing terror of U.S. imperialism continues. From Reagan’s invasion of Grenada and his wars in Central America, the old Bush’s Iraq War, Clinton and his Serbian wars, Bush Jr. and his Iraq and Afghan wars; to Obama and his escalation of drone attacks, cruise missile strikes, commando operations, the attack on and overthrow of the Libyan government, and its threats against Syria now, U.S. imperialist wars go on and on.
Speaking of Barack Obama, it certainly is great that a large number of people in the United States finally rejected the false ideology of white supremacy and twice elected a Black man as President. As for Obama the President, he clearly is just another middle-of-the-road Democrat Party politician, willing and ready to launch the U.S.A. state into imperial wars and military attacks. Barack Obama and his family are in the White House, and attitudes of millions have been positively changed. But the reality of racism, particularly police and racist killings of Black and Brown and native youth, is still a glaring reality. The murder of young Trayvon Martin, the stop and frisk of literally millions of Black and Latino people in New York City, the more than 1 million and a half men, women, and children of color packed into U.S. prisons, all these and more are realities of 2014.
All of this impacts all of our lives, as taxpayers, citizens, people of good conscience, and of course, as social justice and peace and freedom activists. Barack Obama might be signing the executive orders to launch the next drone attack, but he does so in our name, in the name of the people of the United States. 40 years ago, this upset me a lot, even though then it was Johnson and Nixon launching the wars in Southeast Asia, and it continues to upset me today, and I know it upsets you folks here tonight. So, yes, years pass and presidents come and go, but the essence of our struggle for peace, freedom, justice, and a truly new direction and system remains so necessary, not just for all of us here in the U.S., but for the entire world. So, I am pleased to know all of you are here this evening, and I certainly join you in spirit, because we all have work to do.
While Tom and I and other political prisoners have been off the streets for years, we have always continued to struggle, including contributing to larger efforts on the outside and around the world. Survival struggle behind prison walls, legal, medical, and physical defense of ourselves and our principles, including human rights issues, is of course, necessary. Political prisoners do all this, but we also always strive to contribute to campaigns and efforts with our larger outside community of organization and activists. This means work like opposing imperialist wars, supporting human rights campaigns here in the U.S. and abroad; supporting progressive national liberation struggles, exposing and resisting killer police and police brutality; supporting and helping to publicize the courageous effort of our fellow political prisoner Chelsea Manning; Edward Snowden, free in Russia; Julian Assange, kinda free in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and others, exposing the immense spying machine of the U.S.A. government.
For the past 10 years, U.S. political prisoners have been contributing to the overall freedom struggle is through the web and paper pages of www.4strugglemag.org. 4SM is the main voice of political prisoners in North America. Normally, it publishes three issues a year. Most people check it out online. Prisoners have no access to the internet. Most federal prisoners do have a limited, censored, and indirect access to email. The hard copy edition of 4SM does reach a growing number of prisoners who can get the magazine for no cost. 4SM covers some prison struggle issues, but even more, it is a forum for political prisoners and other insightful voices to analyze and comment on national and international developments and struggles.
In the last issue, Number 23, 4SM expanded its pages to include a now regular newsletter by the Jericho Freedom Movement. Jericho is the national organization which works for the survival and freedom of all U.S. political prisoners. Issue 23 also included the first regular column of the noted activist, educator, and author Ward Churchill. 4SM is expanding and reaching more people and prisoners than ever. 4SM is a totally nonprofit and a completely voluntary operation. The hard copy is professionally printed and distributed via U.S. Mail. The cost for postage is very high, and the high quality printing also has costs. The editorial and layout crew is actually very small, very dedicated and hard working.
In order to reach all our hard copy and prisoner readers and continue expanding this unique revolutionary voice of political prisoners, 4SM needs real material support, small or large, ongoing or one time, is a must. Look into 4SM, and if you think it is important, do something positive. I personally have nothing to do with any financial or publishing aspect of the magazine. Actually, it cost me about one month of my prison wages to pay for the email cost and postal mail cost to do my part for each issue. The prison charges each prisoner for use of email.
Wrapping these words up, I hope this is a truly interesting and very informative event for each of you. The freedom struggle, the struggle for peace, justice, and a cooperatively based, sustainable, revolutionary future that our planet and most of us on it, so truly need, unites us all on both sides of the prison walls. As good political prisoner brother, Sundiata Acoli, Assata Shakur’s co-defendant, who has been in captivity since 1973 often says, “Us political prisoners are going to keep on struggling. Hope you do too.” Amandla, I’m out. This is Jaan Laaman.
These commentaries are recorded by Noel Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
