In the midst of all the hoopla and supposed celebration of the historic 1963 March on Washington whereas Dr. M .L. King made his “I Have A Dream Speech; it is critically imperative that we (the masses) do not allow ourselves to be anesthetized by the matrix of madness inherent in the European paradigm of hegemony and hypocrisy. The primary objective of softened, oppressor sanctioned, and non-substantive versions of this and our other victories is an ongoing effort by the established order to co-op the essence of the struggle of Black peoples, other peoples of color, and all others who struggle for justice; but especially ours; as we Afro Americans stood up, and continues to remain standing up in struggle, as the moral vanguard of Amerikkka.
The established order seeks to reductively translate the monumental efforts and achievements of our collective movement to merely one man, i.e., Dr. M.L. King Jr. That clearly is a lie and a disservice to our history at large, and a gross misinterpretation of Dr. King’s specific history as a central figure and leader in the Black Freedom Movement. Dr. King while a leader and organizer was one of a number of leadership persons who contributed to this event occurring. There was James Farmer, John Lewis, Roy Wilkins, and Whitney Young. Furthermore, it was initially Bayard Rustin, who along with Anna Hedgeman, and A. Philip Randolph, that conceived, planned, and led the march.
This of course is not to strip anything away from Dr. Kings legacy, it is however to do justice in providing critical analysis of our struggle to offset the myth and madness of Eurocentric interpretation and reductive translation of our work and struggle to one man, a dream speech with no cultural or historical substance, and the co-opting of our work, study, and struggle for the established order’s own self aggrandizement. Moreover, as with anything of productiveness and achievement in an African cultural and community context, our Ujima, (Collective Work and Responsibility); that produces that which is good and beneficial to the people and indeed the world. In addition, the focus on one man rather than the movement fails to pay homage and give duly earned credit to other factions of our community such as the Black press, other organizers/organizations, and the contribution via their particular professional and communal contexts. Moreover, as Black people proven to be the moral vanguard in this country, we also recognize and respect the other people of color, and even whites of good will etc., who were and are allies in the struggle to build a truly just and moral society.
However, in spite of those who are our allies it remains a crucial fact of life that in the final analysis a people seeking justice are ultimately responsible for initiating our movement, maintaining the struggle regardless of what odds of adversity are facing us; and the people in we are charged with the responsibility of striking the final and most decisive blow in seeking justice for ourselves, our history, and the future generations yet to come.
Thus, it is critical to every fiber of our being that with this moment in history as it is with our experiencing how in referencing the election of President Obama that we don’t get sidetracked by further illusion; that illusion being the hypocrisy of a post-racialized Amerikkka. Subsequent to the posing of the lie, the established order and its puppets implicitly assert that there is no longer a need for our to continue the struggle for justice and liberation. However, it is as argued by the late great and honorable Paul Robeson, who maintained that, the “battlefront is everywhere, there is no sheltered rears”; and clearly, we must remain cognizant that we are at war with insidious savage hearts, minds, and their institutionalizing of their barbarism. Therefore, we have to remain suspect of the sanitizing myth making of our history and reject for what it is, a blatant attempt at bamboozling us and our allies, into an unconscious state of mind for the benefit of the ruling race and class.
Clearly, the fight is not over as we are daily witnesses to the continued onslaught against Black peoples and other people of color in the mis-education system, the criminal system of injustice, as with the recent Trayvon Martin / Zimmerman case. We bear witness to the rise in the structuring of poverty and unemployment throughout the wilderness of north Amerikkka, and all the other vestiges of inhumane systematic oppression.
Moreover, we see recently in local city government affairs, the oppressor relent-less efforts to character assassinate even members of their own community who choose to side with righteousness and the masses.
Yes, let it be known that the oppressor, the one percent as some call them who in their deranged state of mental masturbation see themselves as God’s chosen are really the spawn of the devil! And as they continue to wreak havoc on the society, we are compelled by history, heaven, and humanity to remain ever vigilant in our struggle for justice. This struggle clearly is inclusive of not letting our history be distorted, co-opted, and made a weak and watered down act of their own self-congratulatory meanderings.
In continuing forward in the struggle to build a truly just and moral society let us reflect and respond in innovative ways to charges given us by A. Phillip Randolph in his opening speech where he contends that;
We (Black people-emphasis mine)) are the advanced guard of a massive, moral revolution for freedom. This revolution reverberates throughout the land touching every city, every town, and every village where Black men are segregated, oppressed and exploited. The sanctity of private property takes second place to the sanctity of the human personality. It falls to us to demand new forms of social planning, to create full employment, and to put automation at the service of human needs, not at the service of profits. And so we have taken our struggle into the streets. The months and years ahead will bring new evidence of masses in motion for freedom. When we leave, it will be to carry on the civil rights revolution home with us into every nook and cranny of the land, and we shall return again and again to Washington in every growing numbers until total freedom is ours. We shall settle for nothing less, and may God grant that we may have the courage, the strength, and faith in this hour of trial by fire never to falter.
Tutashinda Katika Umoja
(Swahili for in unity we will win)
Min. Tukufu Kalonji is Founder/Kasisi of Kawaida African
Ministries. For info contact @ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington: Position, Analysis, & a Rereading on the Significance of our Struggle
