My August is Black, And Beautiful by Jonubian

One might have hoped that, by this hour, the very sight of chains on Black flesh, or the very sight of chains, would be so intolerable a sight for the American people, and so unbearable a memory, that they would themselves spontaneously rise up and strike off the manacles. But, no, they appear to glory in their chains; now, more than ever, they appear to measure their safety in chains and corpses. ~ James Baldwin

The above-mentioned quotation is from James Baldwin’s An Open Letter to My Sister Angela Davis . I choose to begin this post with that quote because a) its Baldwin b) its a brilliant truth and c) I was introduced to George Jackson by reading Angela. Regardless of how one views our fight for liberation, or those who fought and continue to fight that good fight, we must acknowledge the sacrifices of so many men and women who only had our ultimate freedom in mind and at heart.

Immediately upon beginning George Jackson’s Blood In My Eye I felt inspired and strong and a part of something amazing, resplendent, brutal and real. He reminded me so much of Malcolm (which hardly anyone does), especially his journey from street kid to master-mind. Our brothers are so beautiful… George, like Malcolm found himself behind prison walls at an early age. Growing up on the hard and impoverished streets of Chicago, Jackson acknowledged that prison seemed an inevitability for Black boys. So, in the sad tradition that has become the reality for so many of our men, George was incarcerated for stealing seventy dollars from a gas station cash register at eighteen. I don’t defend or condone theft, or any crime for that matter, but I certainly understand the complexities at play when one considers a sentence of one year to life for such a trivial offense. Today, we call this system the prison industrial complex and a form of neo slavery.

Jackson would approve of our progress in identifying it as such. It’s progress, a progress almost as beautiful as watching a man child argue the complexities of American facism with his mother, that brings us one step closer to emancipation. Those are my favorite letters from Jackson’s Soledad Brother, him attempting to comfort his mother’s grieving heart, but also explain to her why him putting his life in danger, every day, for our freedom and evolution was so necessary.

Jackson’s mother lost both her sons to our freedom struggle- Jonthan, just a baby of seventeen years when he died, was fearless, audacious and urgently for our cause. It was August 7, 1970 when Jonathan pulled weapons and held up a courtroom in an attempt to free the Soledad Brothers, including William Christmas, James McClain, and Ruchell Magee, (he perished in the throws of the escape). The state would finally succeed in assassinating George as well. He was murdered August 21, 1971.

It was Mumia Abu Jamal (who was scheduled to be executed on August 17, 1995) that began to to link together other revolutionary events and movements that took place during the month of August. So although Black August began with a desire to commemorate the lives of George, Jonathan and the other slain brothers, it has become a celebration of the lives and efforts of all past and present political prisoners, including the likes of Mumia, Herman Bell, Sundiata Acoli, Angela Davis, Assata Shakur and Mutulu Shakur- to name a few.

I try, at least a few times a year, to write letters to the political prisoners that I admire in an effort to offer my thanks and solidarity for all that they have sacrificed. A list of political prisoners and addresses (although the addresses may not be up to date) can be found here . My sister-friend,Aisha, who is a public defendant and a revolutionary in her own right, suggests that the addresses be cross referenced with the federal prison database to ensure accuracy (since most political prisoners are held in federal prisons).

In addition to taking a moment to write a letter to our brothers and sisters who have indeed traded their freedom for ours, you can join me on Thursday (August 26th) at Lincoln Center for the screening of Dream Hampton ’s Black August: A Hip Hop Benefit Concert. Details of the event can be found here .

I wanted to say so much more in this post, but time restraints and fatigue prevent me from “going in”. Use the web to begin the study our liberation movements and Black August (if you have not already). I’ll leave you with one of my favorite George Jackson quotes that always makes me think about my personal desires and dedication towards my own emancipation and the emancipation of my people:

Settle your quarrels, come together, understand the reality of our situation, understand that fascism is already here, that people are already dying who could be saved, that generations more will live poor butchered half-lives if you fail to act. Do what must be done, discover your humanity and your love in revolution.

Free ‘em all!!!