Don’t Forget Huey P. Newton and
Bobby Seale’s Call For Change

“When push comes to shove...”

We believe that the courts should follow the United States Constitution.That poignant phrase has always, for me, summed up any moment-of-truth, where any conflict comes to a head. A time and critical point in a story, call it a “crossroads,” a testing of one’s mettle and character - “crunch time.” It’s about to go down, right here, right now.

This is where the rubber hits the road for President Obama.

The people who voted for him, knocked on doors and opened their own wallets for him...

Black Americans, brothers n’ sisters... you know what I’m talkin’ bout. I’ll be blunt with you; I’m fearing the “Negroes and Flies Factor.” 

It’s not merely what this President is made of, but rather what he is full of. You know what.

The “Self Destruction” we wage upon ourselves is the genocide we must halt.

I’m hoping like hell this brother ain’t full of... and that he didn’t just say what he “had to say” to remain in the White House. And yet I understand that asking him to repay or reward his rainbow constituency, the multi-colored coalition which put him over the mountain top, does nothing, and I mean not a damn thing but infuriate an already inflamed White establishment.

What I’m finding interesting is that highfalutin Blacks and big shot Brown folks have been called to the Oval Office to pow-wow with this nation’s Commander-in-Chief...and I wonder what these folks are talkin’ bout.

Whose best interest do they have at heart?

I know the room is full of politicians, entrepreneurs, preachers and lawyers, and I must tell ya’ - there’s a thin-ass line between those professions and pimping... sorry, I know how we feel about cuttin’ down our own, and I am one who tries to adhere to Malcolm’s “United Front,” but in the same manner, I don’t want entertainers and athletes speaking for “all of us”, just as I don’t know how comfortable I am with “hustlers” laying-out the course for Americans-of-Color, and specifically Blacks.

Here, I’ve got an idea.

If nothing else, before the course is laid, can we at least recall what Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale asked of this nation, almost half a century ago? The Original Black Panther Party’s “Ten Point Program - What We Want/What We Believe,” from 1966, or at least the “relevant and timely” points that still apply.

    1.    We want freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our black Community. We believe that black people will not be free until we are able to determine our destiny.

Who amongst you will deny Black folks still occupy the position of ‘pawn’ in many vital aspects of US life. Beyond individual power of choice, the “limited by race and class options” are dictated to the vast majority of us.

    2.    We want full-employment for our people. We believe that the federal government is responsible and obligated to give...

I’ll skip this, based on the term “full,” understanding we’re still looking at 25% unemployment, underemployment is rampant and we’re still “the last hired and first fired.”

    3.    We want an end to the robbery by the white man of our black Community. We believe that this racist government has robbed us and now we are demanding the overdue debt of forty acres and two mules. Forty acres and two mules was promised 100 years ago as restitution for slave labor and mass murder of black people. We will accept the payment as currency which will be distributed to our many communities. The Germans are now aiding the Jews in Israel for the genocide of the Jewish people. The Germans murdered six million Jews. The American racist has taken part in the slaughter of over 50 million black people; therefore, we feel that this is a modest demand that we make.

    Well, you tell me, what’s changed in this argument? The “factors” remain the same. Let’s move on.

    4.    We want decent housing, fit for shelter of human beings. We believe that if the white landlords will not give decent housing to our black community...

Murky water here; there are Black slumlords, and “the projects” have created a certain detrimental mentality that glorifies the “life ain’t nuthin but bitches and money” lifestyle. There is no debate “mainstream Black USA” has embraced a “straight outta da hood’ mindset which I think contributes to and glorifies the ghettoization/thugarization and tragically, the Niggerization of Black American Culture.

5.    We want education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society. We want education that teaches us our true history and our role in the present-day society. We believe in an educational system that will give to our people a knowledge of self. If a man does not have knowledge of himself and his position in society and the world, then he has little chance to relate to anything else.

    I totally agree, having worked in a middle school for the last decade almost, high schools and elementary schools before, in an “urban” setting” - this charge applies today more than yesteryear. Today’s Black student has no clue of African history nor Afro-American history, but may be able to recite limited facts and characters from “Western Civilization.”

And tragically, our children are so far behind, academically, that they are being lapped by Whites and Asians and passed by new immigrants.

6.    We want all black men to be exempt from military service. We believe that black people should not be forced to fight in the military service to defend a racist government that does not protect us. We will not fight and kill other people of color in the world who, like black people, are being victimized by the white racist government of America. We will protect ourselves from the force and violence of the racist police and the racist military, by whatever means necessary.

I’ll put it to you like this; ‘ain’t no Venezuelan or no Afghanistani called me Nigger...” While I sure as hell can’t say the same for members of the Republican TEA Party, now can I?

Can we at least recall what Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale asked of this nation, almost half a century ago?

7.    We want an immediate end to POLICE BRUTALITY and MURDER of black people. We believe we can end police brutality in our black community by organizing black self-defense groups that are dedicated to defending our black community from racist police oppression and brutality. The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States gives a right to bear arms. We therefore believe that all black people should arm themselves for self defense.
 
Admittedly Black on Black crime, what we see from Chi-Town, to Montgomery, Memphis, LA, The Bay, and The Big Apple - the “Self Destruction” we wage upon ourselves is the genocide we must halt, but nonetheless the police forces across America are here to serve mainstream White America, protect their assets, asses and resources from Black folks, and to restrain, imprison and assist in the profiteering off incarcerated Blacks.

8.    We want freedom for all black men held in federal, state, county and city prisons and jails. We believe that all black people should be released from the many jails and prisons because they have not received a fair and impartial trial.

I can’t say “all,” but the part about receiving a fair and impartial trial...what is it..., roughly 60%, 6 out of 10 White folks simply don’t like Black folks..

And that’s why I’ll jump ahead and endorse #9

9. We want all black people when brought to trial to be tried in court by a jury of their peer group or people from their black communities, as defined by the Constitution of the United States. We believe that the courts should follow the United States Constitution so that black people will receive fair trials. The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives a man a right to be tried by his peer group...

10. We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace. And as our major political objective, a United Nations-supervised plebiscite to be held throughout the black colony in which only black colonial subjects will be allowed to participate for the purpose of determining the will of black people as to their national destiny.

Gee... most of us would take just that, and be more than willing to work for it. And more than anything else I hope this President listens to the “little people,” the Black colonial subjects, as well as the high n’ all-so-mighty politicians, big-business people n’ preachers. I hope we see more than hookups and payoffs to already fat fat-cats as we’re use to, and instead, see legitimate structural change initiated.

BlackCommentator.com Columnist, Desi Cortez, was hatched in the heart of Dixie, circa 1961, at the dawning of the age of Aquarius, the by-product of four dynamic individuals, Raised in South-Central LA, the 213, at age 14 transplanted to the base of the Rockies, Denver. Still a Mile-Hi. Sat at the feet of scholars for many, many moons, emerging with a desire and direction… if not a sheep-skin. Meandered thru life; gone a-lot places, done a-lot of things, raised a man-cub into a good, strong man, produced a beautiful baby-girl with my lover/woman/soul-mate… aired my mind on the airwaves and wrote some stuff along the way. Click here to contact Mr. Cortez.