BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board member Chuck Turner is writing this
column from the U.S. Federal Prison in Hazelton, West Virginia
where he is serving a three year term for a bribery conviction. BC is in contact with Mr. Turner by email and telephone.
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send an email message that BC can pass on to Chuck.
As
we enter the 2nd decade of the 21st century, we are at the
crossroads of our journey to be free in the land of our
enslavement. Forty five years ago, the tremendous victories
of the Civil Rights Movement seemed to be opening the door
to a new future for us as a people.
Forty
years later, some of us are participating in the system
at levels formerly unimaginable. Some of us have wealth
beyond the wildest dreams of our ancestors. However, I was
raised to believe that an assessment of our progress has
to focus on our position as a people not on the success
of our "stars".
An
assessment of our position as African-Americans is bleak
at best.� The majority of us are either mired in poverty
or clinging to whatever economic base we have been able
to put together. More young men are in jail than college.
The gap between our children's school performance and whites
raises serous questions about their future and our future
as a people. Estimates of unemployment among our youth hovering
at 40% to 50%, attracting many to the "easy money"
of the drug trade, glittering like Fools' Gold glittered
in hills of California during the gold rush. Over a million
of us in jail with little prospect of getting out.
Yes,
we have a President of African-American descent, but he
has made it clear that his political reality is that we
are going to have to do for self at least for the moment.
He can't even talk in a sustained fashion about the direness
of the straits in which we find ourselves. The politics
of the Presidency forces him to make cuts in programs that
are essential to many of us. In my political district 45%
of the families have their rent subsidized by the government.
Twice Bush tried to cut section 8 during my time in office.
What happens to the people of the district if section 8
is cut?
Yes,
we are at the crossroads and our elected officials and national
leaders are amazingly silent about our next steps. Their
silence seems to indicate that we must again wait our turn.
Having been an elected official, I understand the pressure
to put all your energy into trying to get as much as possible
out of a failing system. But is our only alternative to
make the best out of a bad situation and hope that eventually
prosperity will trickle down when the majority is once more
comfortable.
Our
situation reminds me of Malcolm X's parable of the different
reactions of the house slaves and the field slaves when
the plantation caught fire.� The house slaves would go the
Master and say, "Master, Master what do we do."
While the field slaves would say "Thank God the plantation
is on fire. The Master will be so busy that he won't even
realize we're gone".� Yes, the American plantation
is on fire and those of us inside the house feel trapped
and isolated but can't conceive of being outside the house.
Will
we continue to see ourselves as the descent of slaves determined
not only to be inside the house but also to have a seat
at the table. Or is it time to transform our conception
of ourselves and see ourselves as the descents of slaves
who understand that we can be as free as our minds allow
us to be. I remember the lyric of a song whose name I can
no longer remember, but the lyric "The will can achieve
what the mind can conceive" has been indelibly inscribed
in my heart since i heard it. Marcus Garvey had the same
thought when he said, "Up you mighty race, you can
achieve what you will."� With that in mind, let me
share with you my thoughts on a possible Path to Freedom.
Without
Land a People Perish:
Anyone
serious about being free understands that land is essential.�
That is, you can not conceive of yourself as free if you
are dependent on others who do not have your interests at
heart. If you have to depend on others for food, clothing,
and shelter, they determine your reality. If you choose
to be free and break a destructive dependence, you have
to have land--to grow foods; to supply lumber for your shelter;
to raise those crops that can transformed into clothing;
to produce the raw materials that can be made into products
to build your economy. Without land a people perish.
What
I am proposing is that we consider returning to the 21st
century version of the vision advanced by the Honorable
Elijah Muhammed. That is, the first step in making the concept
of freedom a material reality is to develop a land base.
Given the fragility of our people young and old, and our
vulnerability given the present political and economic situation,
we need land bases in every state where we can begin to
provide our youth and elders shelter from the coming storm.
We
need land bases where our young men and women can learn
what it means to be a productive human being. We need land
bases from which we can create the technology of the 22nd
century. Our creativity has always been of more value to
others than ourselves. It is time for us to show ourselves
who we are and give to ourselves what we have given to others
for the last 400 years.
Obviously,
in order to make the above real, there needs to be a plan
and pioneers ready to carry it out. To make the vision a
reality, we have to do research on the building of new communities.
We need to explore the latest technology relating to food
production. We need to understand how to design attractive
efficient shelters. The list of issues to research and explore
seems endless, but essential if we are serious about being
free.
However,
a plan is not enough.� We need pioneers with the courage
and imagination, love of self and kind, and the will to
implement such a plan.� Once we have developed a plan, we
need to give people an opportunity to hear the plan and
decide whether they're willing to make the sacrifices to
be a pioneer. If they are, then they will have to go through
a rigorous physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual process
in order to ready them for the task of laying the foundation
for a new reality for us as a people. In the cities of every
state where a plan is being developed, there need to be
information and training sites where those who seek to be
free can have an opportunity to explore what that would
mean in reality.
Perhaps,
most of all, we need raw materials that can be the base
of our economy. George Washington Carver demonstrated what
that the simple peanut could produce endless products to
enrich the lives of the people. Unfortunately, the Duponts
seem to be the one who became enriched financially by Professor
Carver's genius. I believe there is a raw material that
could fuel the development of our economy - industrial hemp.
This
plant has been part of the American economy since the beginning
of the colonies. I have been told that the Constitution
was written on paper made from hemp and that "Old Glory"
was printed on cloth made from hemp. The sails of the ships
that brought our ancestors to this country were made out
of hemp. At one time hemp was the major agricultural product
of Massachusetts. Henry Ford made the bodies of his model
T Fords out of the materials produced from the stalk of
the hemp plant. He also used hemp as the major ingredient
in the ethanol that powered his car.
Why
don't we know more about this wonder plant, you ask? In
the 1920s, as the story goes some of the industrialists
were worried about the competition that hemp could give
their products. Rather than risking competition, they used
their political power and had industrial hemp put on the
list of drugs whose use in this country was restricted.�
They based the restriction on the fact that it is in the
marijuana family even though it is not a narcotic.
Ironically,
hemp can now be imported for use in product development
but can not be grown in this country.� A number of states
have passed laws allowing for the growing of hemp but because
the drug is on the restricted list, they need a license
from the Division� of Drug Administration and Enforcement
which refuses to issue any licenses.� They say they are
afraid that industrial hemp will be used to hide the growing
of marijuana, which is ridiculous since the industrial hemp
bud will destroy the quality of the marijuana plant. With
President Obama now in the White House, this is the time
to demand not money, not land, but that hemp be freed so
that we can build our future together.
And
where will we get the money to build these Freedom Villages,
you ask. Its obvious that government involvement would be
a kiss of death. They talk about our doing something for
ourselves, but the idea of our taking that seriously will
scarce them to death and certainly make it impossible to
get government financing in this era of economic fear.�
This has to be a do it yourself development. That is, there
are those of African descent who have made "relatively
obscene" levels of resources during this period. They
deserve an opportunity to free themselves by investing in
those who have the courage and will to lead us to freedom.
"No
People Can Be An Island Unto Themselves"
It
is essential that we create Freedom Villages through which
we recreate ourselves and our future as well as provide
a safe haven for our elderly and young as we go through
the fire storm that is on our horizon. In addition, it is
unrealistic to think that these villages to continue to
exist over time if there is not a movement of people of
all races in this country focused on freeing the country
from the death grip� of the oligarchy (those who through
wealth and power seek to control the country if not the
world).Therefore at the same time that we are focusing on
developing a plan for the development of land bases for
our future, we also need to be working with those in other
racial communities who are as concerned about the freedom
of their future generations as we should be. We should bring
to the potential coalitions three ideas for exploration,
planning, and implementation: regionalism, economic cooperation,
and economic democracy.
a)
Regionalism:
The
capitalists driven by the logic of capitalist accumulation
have focused their energies on moving their plants and operations
to what ever locations can give them the cheapest labor
and raw materials. This search for profit has for them a
benefit--wealth. For us, the people of the country, it is
a destructive force cutting through the natural interrelationships
that create the preconditions for an economy in the region.
That is, different areas of the country have a different
mix of resources that can promote economic relationships
between various sectors in the region as well as trading
opportunities between the regions. Those relationships and
opportunities need to be explored and developed by the ingenuity
of people seeking to develop an economy that works for them
which grows out of the resources provided to us by nature.
I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio where in my youth there existed
a creative interdependence between those in the countryside
and those in the cities. The major restaurant chain advertised
proudly that the beef they served was raised by our neighbors
on the farms. We need to encourage our neighbors, civic
leaders, and elected leaders to think local and appreciate
our ability to help each other through cooperation.�
b)
Economic Cooperation:
As
we rethink our economic relationships, we need to rethink
the forms of those relationships.� For the last 150 years
the western world has watched the struggle between the capitalists
and the socialists. Both have proclaimed their benefits
to the people. However, both I believe have had a fatal
flaw in their models--the people become pawns in their systems.
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely is
an expression that can be applied to the corporate sector
on the right as well as the governmental sector on the left.
Capital always asserts its entitlement whether assembled
and controlled by the corporation or the state.
It
is time to take the next evolutionary step and create a
cooperative economic process appropriate for a planetary
population advancing in consciousness.� The process must
reflect the cooperative interrelationships we see in nature.
It must build on the thought that it is cooperation among
human beings in all aspects of life that will bring harmony
to the planet.� We must build the middle way, an economy
based on human cooperation--not the left built on state
power; not the right built on capital power; but the middle
way, based on the principle of human cooperation. We must
build an economy that affirms our interconnectedness rather
than our differences.
The
development of a new economic paradigm will require a transformation
of perspective. We will have to move beyond the capitalist
and socialist denial of the role of self focused/indulgent
ego and greed play in both of their systems and inevitably
destroy the "good intentions" that might have
existed. We need to draw the covers off the hypocrisy of
today's business, political, religious, academic, and particularly
the judicial/prosecutorial leaders as we challenge ourselves
to eliminate in ourselves the character defects we see in
others.
To
achieve this new perspective we need to draw on the wisdom
of those who are steadily but quietly laying the foundation
for a millennium of peace and cooperation. We need to meet
with the Canadians to learn from them the techniques of
building a cooperative sector as a way of life. We need
to talk to the Basques in Mondragon, Spain who while fighting
Spanish oppression were able to build a system of cooperative
institutions as a foundation for their future and to build
an international corporation that is controlled by its workers.
We need to talk to the Italians who have built a network
of worker owned cooperatives. We need to learn from all
both at home and abroad who understand that economic cooperation
is the next evolutionary step in our developing a planetary
consciousness based on mutual respect and cooperation.�
Yes,
it is time to free ourselves systematically, cooperatively,
and humbly from the old hierarchical structures. We must
realize that the creativity of our Creator lives within
every heart on this planet. It is our responsibility to
do our part in bringing harmony to the earth by bringing
that creativity into the light.
c)
Economic Democracy:
It
is essential that people of all races in this country unite
to build an economy that works for all of us. �As we see
the students and people of the Middle East rising up, they
are not risking their lives to build the type of sham democracy
that we have in this country.� They want what any thinking
individual wants an economy that works in their interests
as well as the interests of their neighbors. As thinking
individuals, they also must realize that they can not sit
back and allow others to speak and act for them.� They must
be ready to be an active part of building and maintaining
an economy that operates in the interests of all the people.
The
question not only for us but also for the people of this
country is what are we going to do to build an economy here
that works in the interests of us all. If it wasn't clear
before, it should be crystal clear now that our democracy
does not live up to the meaning of the word. Webster's Third
New International Dictionary defines democracy as , "....a
form of government in which the supreme power is vested
in the people and exercised by them directly....or indirectly
through a system of representation and delegated authority.....".
Who
could look honestly at what represents itself as government
in the name of the people on the federal, state, and local
level and say that the elected leaders are operating in
the interests of all the people of this country.� As part
of the people who are defined as holding the supreme power,
do you feel powerful? Our experience clearly shows us that
a democracy that enables its citizens to elect it leaders
but gives the people no real voice or role in the shaping
of the economy or even a Bill of Economic Rights is in fact
a tyranny of the rich.� This is why the people of this country
of all races are becoming poorer and poor while the rich
become richer and richer. Of course, given our relative
economic position as African-Americans, we continue to be
hovering around the bottom of the economic pyramid as a
people despite the wealth of some.
Once
again, we come to the question--what do we do given our
analysis.� Being an advocate of nonviolence, I certainly
am not advocating that we take up arms. However, I am advocating
that we take action to reform a democracy that has no framework
of economic rights for its people. The concept of economic
rights for the people was not even considered by the land
owners who wrote and ratified the Constitution.� Only they,
the landowners, could vote. They didn't need economic rights,
they needed an army and navy to protect their wealth and
a framework of law to balance the power between their state
which they collectively controlled and the central government.
While they were pressured into attaching a Bill of Rights
to protect people against governmental oppression, there
was not even a discussion of a Bill of Economic Rights to
protect the people against the economic oppression of government
and the wealthy who controlled the government.�
While
voting rights have been extended over the last 150 years,
with a relatively token consideration of the economic rights.
Look at what has happened in Wisconsin. The results of sixty
years of labor rights struggles were wiped out in a couple
of months despite the rising up of the people of Wisconsin.
Yes, there is a struggle going on to regain what was taken
away but the reality of the fragility of the gains of labor
can not be denied. It is also true that our laws relating
to the protecting of the rights of labor are the weakest
in the world. As my friend used to say, "Yes, they
supposed abolished slavery but the reality is that we are
all either wage slaves, unemployed, or in jail.�
I
believe that part of the development plan for freedom for
those of African-American descent, must include playing
a leadership role in focusing the attention of the thinking
people of this country on building an economy that works
for the people not the rich. We need to spearhead the formation
of local and state conventions focused on the development
of a Bill of Rights for that particular state. Such a process
would enable people from a variety of sectors, races, ages,
and sexes to begin to work toward a common framework of
thought regarding the economic rights that we should have
as the holders of the supreme power in a democracy. We must
recognize that this will be a long, slow, hard process.
It will not be easy. But if we are to rebuild our economy,
it has to come from the thinking and actions of people at
the grassroots, state by state.
As
more states become involved in the process, there will be
the opportunity to build a consensus on an Economic Bill
of Rights that could develop into a national political force.�
As it becomes clearer and clearer that our government does
not have the capacity to focus and think clearly on the
needs of the people of this country, that growing political
consensus will have increasing effect not only on who is
being elected but also on the decisions that are being made
about the rights of the people, particularly economic. We
must continue to build for that day when we have an Economic
Bill of Rights and an economy that is democratic in character.�
In
conclusion for those of you who question our ability to
be "free" in this country, I remind you of the
challenge that Marcus Garvey gave us almost a century ago---"Up
you mighty race, you can achieve what you will".
A
Luta Continua/The Struggle Continues,
Chuck
BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board Member Chuck
Turner - Served as a member of the Boston City Council
for ten years and eleven months. He was a member and founder
of the Fund the Dream campaign and was the Chair of the
Council�s Human Rights Committee, and Vice Chair of the
Hunger and Homelessness Committee. Click here to
contact Mr. Turner. Your email messages will be passed on
to Mr. Turner by BC. You may also visit SupportChuckTurner.com.
You
may also write to Mr. Turner. The address is:
Charles
Turner #80641038
Hazelwood Penitentiary, P.O. Box 2000,
Bruceton Mills, West Virginia 26525
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