Thoughts on "Revolutionary Suicide"

This is an incredible book. Up until now I can honestly say I have had no education on the Black Panther Party (I'm beginning to know why). The creation of the BPP was such an important move for the Black community it's almost a shame that we don't receive any extensive lectures on the party and its founding. College has yet to produce a course to me that goes in depth about the BPP. It's beginning to frustrate me on why such influential and crucial elements of Black history are left out of curriculums. But I digress...

If one wanted to know if an attack on the Black community really exists or not, this book is a good choice for understanding the truth. Its evident to me that the Party's confrontational-style directly challenged the power structure that oppressed Black communities. The police for one in this book went through extra measures to see it that the Party was shut down. Directly challenging police brutality, as well as the police's ability to infringe on citizen's rights were eye opener's to me. Knowing the law key in one's ability  to be a citizen in the United States.

The obvious corruption in the Judicial system is something I want to look at more in close to. The prison system in America sticks out to me like a sore thumb. Something is wrong with it, I just don't have the intellectual arguments to say why...yet. After my next book, Che by Jon Lee Anderson, I will look into it.

There is an old African Saying, "I am we." If you met an African in ancient times and asked him who he was, he would reply, "I am we." This is revolutionary suicide: I, we, all of us are the one and the multitude.

-Huey P. Newton, Revolutionary Suicide 


~Rell

 

Revolutionary Suicide (Book 2)

I put my first book on pause, due to me getting frustrated with the author of the book....I began reading Huey P. Newton's Revolutionary Suicide last week. A much better read for me. I can't say I was ever really taught about the Black Panthers, or Huey or Bobby Seale. Time for some self-teaching! I'm almost through with Part One and this is a good book! 

Huey says:

I do not think that life will change for the better without an assault on the Establishment, which goes on exploiting the wretched of the earth. This belief lies at the heart of the concept of revolutionary suicide. Thus it is better t oppose the forces that would drive me to self-murder than to endure them. Although I risk the likelihood of death, there is at least the possibility , if not the probability, of changing intolerable conditions. This possibility is important, because much in human existence is based upon hope without any real understanding of the odds.

What I got from that is that if you want to change your conditions, you have to directly challenge those that cause your conditions. Having the will and the genuine desire to change where you are will cause you to go as far as risking death in hopes of changing something. An all-out effort....at the end of the day I think before we all go to sleep, we should ask ourselves "How bad do I want it? What am I willing to put on the line for my hopes and dreams...what is really driving me to change what I see everyday?"

Hopefully I finish this book this week. Got way more to do this summer.

Revolutionary suicide does not mean that I and my comrades have a death wish; it means just the opposite. We have such have strong desire to live with hope and human dignity that existence without them is impossible. When reactionary forces crush us, we must move against these forces, even at the risk of death. We will have to be driven out with a stick.

-Huey P. Newton



~Rell

Summer Reading: Book 1

Summer 2012

What up world! Haven't blogged in a minute....hopefully this is the rekindling of something I enjoyed doing when I had it going strong. My semester turned out pretty good. There's one grade I have an issue with, but other than that I made out well. But this post isn't about what happened in the spring...it's about what's to come in the next few months...

Let me start off by saying that I have been thinking about changing my appearance for awhile now. From head to toe, a complete new look going into this new school year. I want to dress more professionally. I don't mean suited and booted 24/7, but more button ups from time to time, and maybe a tie every now and then. Just something to try out. The Fro' has done me justice thus far. I love it. But that'll probably be done with in the next couple of weeks. It was good while it lasted! Something new has to replace it so keep your fingers crossed for the a good new look.

Presidency....going to be president of an organization next year. Definitely gonna have to step my game up in different areas. Public speaking for one. I honestly don't think I'm that great of a public speaker. I don't mind doing it, but I hate the anxious, nervous, cracked voice you get. Mentally I think I'm not as nervous as my voice always shows....besides that, finding my inner leader will be a challenge. As much as I want to lead, sometimes I don't think I'm cut out for it. Guess its time to strap up huh? It should be exciting though. Shoutout to Afro-Ethnic Student Association (AESA), I hope to do you justice this upcoming year.

No summer school for me. However, I think I'm at that point in my life where I can't just do nothing....got to keep the gears moving in some way. This summer I have a pretty interesting to do list. It includes:

• Read 10 books
• Write 5 poems

The 10 books sound like a lot....but if I stick to a rigid schedule, I could get close I think. The upside to that is that even I don't read all ten, knocking out 6 would still be a great accomplishment. Writing 5 poems I think is feasible. I'm a lazy writer. I have about 4 poems that need to be written...just haven't got the focus to do them. So hopefully this small part of my to do list will keep me focus on being productive in something. 

I think an unsaid part of my list is to just write. Even writing this blog post is something that was needed. My mind needs to be exercised in ways that aren't just me thinking and coming up with mad ideas that never see the light of day. My moms always tells me "Use your head for more than a hatrack." So as much video games and lounging I want to do, hopefully I find myself doing stuff that gets my mind to the level I want it to be at. 

Definitely have to get back in shape. My goal is to get down to 140 pounds. Shouldn't be too difficult if I stick to it and eat right...which is the biggest challenge. 

So to this Summer, let's do work. And to anyone who took the time to read this:

"We just soldiers my nigga, don't know you my nigga, but know you my nigga!"

-Wale 

~Rell

God's Book

Every night for the past 5 months I’ve sat up with a pen and a pad trying to find the right words to sum up your loveliness.

Today, the paper is still blank. Ink has yet to leave the pen and I cannot express my thoughts in a way that is worth showing to you. 

Writer's block has never been so heavy. 

That one night when I walked you to your car,

Just as the moon became full, and the cold from winter’s night removed my jacket and placed it upon your shoulders, you spoke the words, “Thank You.”

Those two words penetrated my body’s flesh and rested underneath my ribcage and haven't left since. 

I cherished those words for the rest of the night.

And when God's smile woke me up the next morning, I thought about writing a poem to articulate what I felt. 

Since that night, I've toiled over these empty words we as humans have came up with, to encapsulate your existence. 

It's nights like this that make me wonder what books God reads for his inspiration?

To think that he could read something, then create a perfect balance between the forest and waterfalls, the desert and sandy beaches in which we inhabit, and provide everything we make daily use of, in only seven days, is incredible!

I wish I could get a glimpse of the Books he was reading right before he began to create your loveliness.

Fore’ it has come to my attention that the reason why I cannot write, is because our tongues have not yet created words and phrases that are worthy of defining such a masterpiece as you.

If I can only pray for one more thing in my life, it would be for God to loan me that Book for just one day. 

In that one day I would disengage myself from the rest of the world and spend hours upon hours reading line after line until my vocabulary was strong enough to move a room full of angels. 

They say when you Speak in Tongues, you are speaking in a language only understood by God and yourself. 

But if I could become literate in that divine language to where I too can read something that would make me want to create another you…

Then I would gladly give up a rib of my own. From that rib, a soul, only rivaled by Angels and my own Mother, would form. It would foster an existence that would have men telling stories about when you smile. They would speak of how only the Sun is more powerful in waking men up from their slumber.

And when you utter even the simplest of words, Time would hold still trying to catch your speech by its ear.

And It too would probably spend months, if not years, trying to articulate the loveliness in which God sealed inside of you.

Tough

I am at a tough place in my life. I feel as if now I have an idea of where I'm trying to go, as far as my future goes. I know I want to go to graduate school. I know I want to write, I think. I know I want to be a catalyst for change, in some shape or form. The thing with me is that back when I didn't know what I wanted to do, I had no motivation, nothing pushing me to excel. I was lazy, got decent grades, nothing too exciting about. I was basically an average student with potential unseen by anyone before.

Now when I have some focus, some direction in my life for once I have absolutely no time to accomplish all the things I want to do. I also feel like I waited too long to get things done. I don't think I'll graduate when I want to, nor do I think I'll even get into graduate school now. For all the things I need to get done, 24 hours in a day isn't enough. I wish I could cut something out of my life to free up time but I feel as if people are counting on me....

I think it's time's like this when people rise to the occasion though, right? Against all the odds, against all the pressure and the fact that I probably won't get all of this accomplished, I'm suppose to just do it. I can honestly say I changed from three years ago before I go to college. Before then I believed in the impossible. I honestly believed anything was possible if you put your heart into it. I guess I sobered up in some ways. The spirit that I use to have, the fire that was always burning inside of me has died....

The only way to describe it is to use a basketball metaphor (probably not the right literary device...) In basketball you're always suppose to run back and play defense. No matter if the opposition has a clear breakaway lay-up. It's the idea of never giving up on the play that keeps you fighting. I use to always run back and contest the shot. Nowadays when I play, I notice I'm like every other player out there. I let all lay-ups go without trying. It may only be two points here and there, but it all adds up in the end when the game is on the line!

I know I'm struggling with something real tough...It's like I have the matches....the wood...the oxygen too. But still no fire. Lazyness I agree is mixed in there somewhere, but it's something deeper than that....