The continuing struggle in this 21st century on the part of everyday Black, White, Brown, Red, and Yellow people for economic, political, and social justice is rooted in the legitimate desire for parity and human rights, not revenge.

As bloody U.S. wars of aggression and occupation rage on, the concomitant economic and social conditions directly affecting everyday people in this nation (and globally) are steadily and rapidly deteriorating. While the corporate Democratic and Republican parties make enormous gains for the corporate blood-sucking vultures of Wall Street, human rights and economic justice have been relegated to a comatose state of existence (or nonexistence). Home foreclosures, homelessness, joblessness, environmental degradation, and police brutality are at an all time high - and rising. The misplaced “hope” of just two years ago (2008) has quickly and quite understandably, been replaced by growing despair, lethargy, or intense anger, even as the corporate-stream media unceasingly chirps on with misinformation, diversion, and irrelevancies.

Nevertheless, this is a time of huge possibilities. The intensifying pain and legitimate rage of everyday people must be tempered with a vision of what can be, as opposed to the corporate-government and military insanity and betrayal of the present. This peoples struggle must be one guided by a creative and actualized vision, not some nebulous, ‘pie in the sky’ hope. We must have faith, but not faith alone. We must act upon our faith of what we know can be brought into existence. We must have the faith of the creative revolutionary.

There are some who have become so fed up and so enraged at the increasing and continuing brutality, hypocrisy, and political and social injustices of this system that they have succumbed to wanting simple revenge. However, revenge will not sustain a successful people’s struggle, nor will it usher in a systemically new and different society and world based upon equality and justice. Even though the desire for revenge is often quite understandable, it is short-lived, short-sighted, and ultimately self-defeating. Our methodology is not to fight fire with fire or to fight racism with racism. Our methodology must be to fight fire with endless, drenching political water - to extinguish the fire of madness in order to metaphorically till the soil along with everyday people - as creative revolutionaries possessing an actualized vision for both the immediate and distant future. This does not mean that we roll over to the despicable injustices of this system. To the contrary, it means that we consistently, forthrightly, and in an organized fashion, collectively stand up to these injustices, but motivated by an actualized vision for the future, not by revenge. As incredibly difficult as it sometimes is, we must seek to resist the temptation to be consumed by frustration, revenge, and/or personal hatred. We must do our utmost to avoid becoming like the very system against which we legitimately struggle. Nonetheless, we must act with a deep and abiding passion, being uncompromisingly indignant against injustices, while simultaneously being motivated by an actualized vision for the present and the future. Indeed, we must be both “scientists” and “activists” in this struggle.

This continuing people’s struggle for economic and political justice is both protracted and dialectical. In other words, this struggle is long, in constant motion, and has various forms. It did not begin just yesterday or today, nor will it conclude tomorrow or the day thereafter, etc. From time to time, it is important to pick up and re-read Howard Zinn’s book, A People's History of the United States, to remind ourselves of the protracted and dialectical nature of the people’s struggle in this nation, and how this struggle intertwines with that of everyday people globally.

We can expect more of the same kinds of disinformation, diversion, double-speak, and manipulation tactics against everyday people from the corporate-owned U.S. Government and the corporate-stream media in late 2010, continuing into 2011. However, in this instance, forewarned can and should mean being forearmed [i.e. prepared]. We know full well that the Democratic Party and their “Blue Dog” coalition and the Republican Party and their “Tea Partiers,” are in essence the same political entity - who are cynically playing everyday Black, White, Brown Red, and Yellow people like perpetual ping-pong balls in the grip of the corporate grim reaper’s politically bankrupt capitalist system. This time however, there is absolutely no excuse for being fooled yet again. It’s time for real, fundamental, systemic change on behalf of everyday people - and only we ourselves can bring this about! Believe in yourselves and each other - nothing else!

Onward my sisters and brothers! Onward!

BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board Member, Larry Pinkney, is a veteran of the Black Panther Party, the former Minister of Interior of the Republic of New Africa, a former political prisoner and the only American to have successfully self-authored his civil/political rights case to the United Nations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In connection with his political organizing activities in opposition to voter suppression, etc., Pinkney was interviewed in 1988 on the nationally televised PBS NewsHour, formerly known as TheMacNeil/LehrerNewsHour. For more about Larry Pinkney see the book, Saying No to Power: Autobiography of a 20th Century Activist and Thinker, by William Mandel [Introduction by Howard Zinn]. (Click here to read excerpts from the book). Click here to contact Mr. Pinkney.