Note: The poem below by Dr. Russell appeared in the first issue of The Liberator in April of 1965 that was published after the murder of Malcolm X on February 21, 1965.
Put
a torch to the robes of mourning,
And
don your sheath of armor,
Listen
for his clarion’s blast,
For
he is not dead my brothers,
His
silenced voice,
Can
still be heard,
Within
the confines
Of
our hearts.
Put
a torch to the robes mourning…
For
he is amongst us still.
Look
in the eyes,
Of
those who pass,
Along
the ghetto streets,
And
every black MAN
That
you meet, Bid him but to speak,
And
Malcolm’s booming voice,
Will
echo through the streets.
Put
a torch to the robes of mourning…
For
the earth, in whose breast
Our
warrior rests,
Battle-scarred, but not
vanquished,
Will
blossom,
With
his love for us.
Put
a torch to the robes of mourning…
For
he is not dead I say.
You
can feel him when your blood
Rushes
through your veins,
And
every drop,
That’s
filled with fire,
Is
but a semblance of his name.
Put
a torch to the robes of mourning…
For
he would not have us weep.
My
brothers,
Let
not the lion sleep!
To
fight, that he may live,
Is
a promise we must keep.
-0-
Below is a commentary by Dr. Russell containg his thoughts about the death of Malcolm X.
“Yesterday,
Today and Tomorrow”
When
Malcolm was murdered I was a young man o 30 years. Like
most young people at the time, I too was rebellious… I too did
not trust too many folks over 30. What silly youthful irony! Yet, I
entered the “Theresa Hotel” with trepidation, awe,
incredulity and, of course, filled with the false sense of arrogance
of my age. I left, as anyone who has spent any significant time in
his presence, has; mesmerized by his brilliance, gentility, the love
he expressed for our people and, for me, equally important, his
moral strength and sense of purpose. His assassination increased my
involvement in the struggle for Liberation of African people. Ergo my
poem!
So
many others, young and old, men and women, have perished or languish
in jail or exiled for believing and fighting for what an “old
man" who, according to the historian Lerone Bennett, said, and I
paraphrase, "Racism is Evil kill it". He too lies "smoldering in his grave" Rest well John Brown… You
earned it!
Not
so long ago, Harry Belafonte, that unselfish giant of a man -
intellectually, politically, morally and artistically – without
whom, many suggest, Dr. king would have been devoid of a movement -
upon approaching 90 years of age introspectively mused "Where
lie the rebel hearts?". Lamentably, they are so few.
THANK
YOU BLACK LIVES MATTER!
BlackCommentator.com Guest
Commentator, Dr. Carlos E. Russell, PhD is Professor Emeritus C.U.N.Y.
- Brooklyn College. In the sixties, he served as an Associate Editor of
the Liberator magazine. As such, he was one of the first to interview
Malcolm X after he left the Nation. He is best remembered as the
founder of Black Solidarity Day in New York in 1969 and as the Chair of
the Black Caucus of the Conference on New Politics in 1967. In
addition, he was a consultant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the
planning for the Poor Peoples March. Excerpts of his participation can be seen in Citizen King and Eyes on the Prize (PBS
Mini Series Boxed Set). Born in the Republic of Panama, he has served
as that country’s representative to the U.N and the O.A.S. with the
rank of Ambassador. He has also served as the nightly host of “Thinking
it Through” a talk show that was aired on WLIB in New York. He is a
playwright and poet as well. Contact Dr.Russell.
|
