This is Chris Trotter, live from Wabash Valley Correctional Facility inside the belly of the beast.
And, um, I feel good today. Uh, we’re celebrating Juneteenth, uh it’s the federal holiday, uh, and it marks a very important milestone in the history of this country. But I also feel sad in a way. Um, we have to recognize the enslavement and slaves that existed in this country of African-Americans, that we can’t just be satisfied with Juneteenth. True they abolished slavery in a physical sense, but we’re still enslaved in an economical sense.
And this is my personal belief. We’re not free until everyone is free. And what I mean by that, when I say everyone, I mean black people, brown people, Asian people, white people—all people that are being oppressed by this capitalistic imperialistic system. Until everyone is free, no one are truly free under this capitalist imperialist system.
None of us are truly economically free when 1% of the people control the majority of the country’s wealth. None of us are free from racism that’s institutionalized up under this capitalist imperialist system. No woman is free from the sexist patriarchy that exists up on this capitalist imperialist system. So no person is truly free and no one around the world is truly free until we have a revolution.
See today, we’re connected more so than ever with technology, we’re just a button away from one another. And just imagine if we had a revolution all over the world. So while we celebrate Juneteenth, let us not forget: it’s not over. Slavery still exists. Oppression still exists up under this capitalist imperialist system. It’s not just about color. It’s about the people that own the majority of the wealth that are oppressing the majority of people in this country and around the world. Again, we’re not free until we’re all free, and that’s everybody.
Uh, thank you for listening to me. I’m inside the belly at the beast. And again, it’s a step in the right direction, but we have a lot way to go. Until we dismantle this capitalist imperialist system and put in a system that meets the needs of the people, none of us are really free. Again, I’m at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility. COVID is still out here, [inaudible] and I’m still working on my case and liberate myself from the belly of the beast, and I’m standing strong. I wish everyone the best out there, thank you for listening to me. Thank you.
These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
