mumia abu-

We Want Freedom: A Life in the Black Panther Party
$20.00
FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Readers this space may have noticed in my profile that I am a supporter of the Partisan Defense Committee, an organization committed to the defense of and freedom for class war prisoners. The author of the book under review death row inmate, former Black Panther and a `voice for the voiceless' Mumia Abu Jamal is currently the most publicized case of that organization as he faces continued threats to his life by the American justice system. Here he has written a lively and informative account of his `original sin', joining the Black Panthers as a teenager, that has since then put him in the crosshairs of the government and its courts. While one can honestly disagree, as this writer does, about the politics of the Panthers (see all my reviews for other Panther-related reviews) and about Mumia's current political perspective this book demonstrates why there is an extremely good reason why he is called ` the voice of the voiceless'.

Apparently, when the government gets you in its sights you are their forever, especially if you are black. Mumia is not the only former Black Panther still in prison, only the most prominent (see Partisan Defense Committee website for others supported by that organization). Although his politics have changed their focus since his Panther youth one of the most inflammatory statements made by the prosecution in his Pennsylvania murder trial in 1982- supposedly to support a so-called `motive' for his crime was his youthful membership in the Panthers. Accordingly, that made him some kind of kill-crazy cop hater for life. No, this characterization will not do. Like many black youth at the time the Panthers brought Mumia to political life at a time when thoughtful black militants were looking for a way forward in the black liberation struggle. That the Panthers could not succeed for various reasons described in the book does not negate their political, not criminal influence. One has to look to the government's reaction to the Panthers if one wants to find serious life-threatening criminal activity

Along with several other books I have been reading lately this book has made me think back to the days when we of the white left were head over heels in love with the Black Panthers as the epitome of revolutionary manhood (and it was mainly men) and of revolutionary struggle. Well, as we are all painfully aware, those days are long gone although the goals fought for in those days are still desperately in need of completion. Thus, some thoughts about the ups and downs of the Black Panther experience, the most militant and subjectively revolutionary part of the black liberation movement of the 1960's, and its role in the history of black liberation is in order. Mumia provides much anecdotal information, particularly about the rank and file and the effect that the Panther experience had on turning around some very tough lifestyle situations.

As any photograph taken of the Panthers from the period would demonstrate the Panthers and particularly the central leadership, Huey Newton, Bobby Searle, Eldridge Cleaver among others were not adverse to little provocative demonstrations or shock-value publicity. The FBI, however, early on had other plans for them and they were not pretty. If J. Edgar Hoover saw the placid Martin Luther King-led branch of the civil rights movement as some kind of communist conspiracy then he turned apoplectic at the thought of armed black men asserting their right to bear arms. Since early slavery times that possibility had always been the fear of whites and the response was no different this time. Over a very short period the Hoover-orchestrated federal and state drive against the Panthers left most of the key leaders and cadre dead, in jail, on bail or in hiding, This was not the first time a perceived leftist threat had been deal with this in this way. One can think of the International Workers of the World (Wobblies) in the World War I period, the Communist and Anarchist `red scare' raids and deportations after that war and more recently the anticommunist witch hunts of the 1950's. With this difference, however, in the case of the Panthers there was a concerted effort to kill off every one they could get their hands on. Read here if you want to learn more about what that did to the organization, particularly as it, in self-defense, had to turn into a de facto legal defense organization. Read and re-read this book.

Live from Death Row
$12.50
This book is masterfully written. It paints the grim picture of America's prison community, while still maintaining the humanity of the men and women inside of it, and does a wonderful job of pointing out the flaws to the American Judicial System. I highly recommend this book to anyone even vaguely interested in the subject!

Zapatista

The story of the Zapatistas I feel is one of great importance and I don't think the movie served the movement or past events as well as it could. Their are interviews with Noam Chomsky, Zach De La Rocha, and the leaders of the EZLN that are incredibly valuable. The film portion of the DVD failed to look further than just generalizations. It only looked at specifics of the movement momentarily and then moved on. It also spoke only briefly of the first incursion with the Mexican government in 1994: NAFTA is created, the EZLN is formed, they attack, and are chased into the jungle...in about 15 mins. The newcomer to the issue would be lost. I think the film would have been much better had they broken it into several parts. Starting with 1994 and then had 2 or 3 episodes to the saga. Good work but I could recommend better.


"A Place Called Chiapas" I think does the movement more justice, with all due respect to "Zapatista".

All Things Censored: Vol. 1
$9.99
I'll grant that Mumia Abu Jamal is a gifted writer, and that he has plenty of important things to say. The problem is that after an hour of pontificating on a few select subjects, he starts to sound like a broken record. He's also so incredibly one-sided that his writing hasn't even a smidgen of balance to it.

These short editorials were made from his prison cell on Pennsylvania's death row, where he was then incarcerated for the alleged murder of a Philadelphia cop. His death sentence has since been overturned, but not his conviction. The recording reflects a romanticized notion of how society should be organized, combined with an inability to accept the way power operates. Mumia speaks from the extreme left, where facts and statistics account for little and where utopian ideology fails to take human selfishness into account. He harps on and on about how certain groups are victims of a callous and racist society, while never once mentioning the need for initiative and responsibility. Sure, the justice system is flawed. Sure, the poor do not get a fair break, and there is certainly a great deal of racism smoldering within American society.

All of that is tragic, to say the least. The majority of us wish things were different, but we know they never will be. On the other hand, it is possible for impoverished African-Americans to transcend their circumstances without becoming gangsters or drug dealers. People do it everyday. In fact, Abu-Jamal had done as much himself before getting caught up in his legal woes. So why is it that his writing has the subtext that poor blacks are passive victims who cannot do more for themselves? And why hasn't this equally racist view been noted and excoriated by more people? Probably because its easy to buy into.

The thing that really irks me about this collection, though, are the guest spots made by people like Martin Sheen, Alice Walker, and other left-leaning celebrities, whose involvement with poverty and justice activism border on nil. Their sole purpose is to reiterate the theme that Abu-Jamal has been imprisoned for his 'courageous voice' and for the 'danger he poses to the system.' The death of the Philadelphia police officer is merely a trumped up excuse to 'silence' the 'voice of a prophet.' There are plenty of other radical voices at work out there, so why haven't they been imprisoned? I would say it is because they haven't been involved in an outrageous murder. I do not know whether Abu-Jamal is guilty or not, and it isn't my place to say so. I hope he's innocent and I hope he one day walks. But I wasn't there, and neither were any of the mouthpieces who have turned his presumed innocence into a fashion statement.

The good news is that this audiobook is mercifully short. Abu-Jamal's editorials only run about 3 minutes each, and they are interspered with the superfluous celebrity endorsements I mentioned above. One or two of them are quite powerful, to say the least. There's a touching homage to the strong-willed mother who raised him and his siblings in poverty, and an insightful condemnation of the materialism found in modern rap. On the whole, though, its a relentless flurry of leftist ideology, based on shoddy generalizations and unsupported by any sound facts. Mercifully, the entire audiobook only lasts about an hour and a half, and its an easy listen. I suppose Mumia is recording from his prison cell, which explains the annoying echo that mars the sound quality. Overall, though, its a worthwhile listen, but it certainly is no masterpiece.