The Black August Hip Hip project returns in 2011 with a packed line up of artists!

The Black August Hip Hop Project 2011 – August 25, 2011

Featuring performances by:

• Les Nubians
• Saigon
• Hasan Salaam
• Mike Flo
• The Remidners
• Kalae All Day
• Supa Nova Slom
• Nena Blue
• Faro Z

& Surprise Special Guests!

Date: Thursday, August 25, 2011
Time: Doors Open at 7:00pm – Show 8:00pm -1:00AM
Location: S.O.B’s 204 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014
Subway: 1 Train to Houston St

Tickets $15 in advance / $20 day of show.

For more info: http://mxgm.org/blackaugust/

Black August Art Show 

August 20th, 2011 will be the date for our second annual Black August Art Auction August hosted by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Groundfloor Collective, and the Brecht Forum. Last years Black August Art Auction was very successful. We had incredible turnout and were able to raise over $ 2,000 for political prisoners.  The theme for this year’s Black August Art Auction will of course be  centered around freeing political prisoners, but we will pay particular attention to this year marking 40 years after George Jackson’s murder and the uprising at Attica. We would also like to lift up the memory of Gil Scott Heron, and former Black Panther Geronimo Ji Jaga  Pratt who both recently passed away. In addition, we would like to lift up the lives and contributions of Assata Shakur, Safiya Bukhari, Fannie Lou Hamer, James Baldwin, Ella Baker, Nehanda Abiodun, Kuwasi Balagoon, Mutulu Shakur, Sundiata Acoli, and many other freedom fighters in the Civil Rights and Black Power Movement. All of these folks are strongly connected to battling injustices, but some had a particular focus on combating the unjust prison system in fighting for liberation.  Some have gone to the ancestors, others remain in exile, and some remain behind walls of U.S. prison even to this day. All that being said, we would like to emphasize unity in struggle along with the importance of knowing our history of resistance which we hope will will be able to manifest through the showing of art, a street theater piece by J. “G” J., a dance piece by JoiLynn, and musical performances by Ras Moshe, THEESatisfaction, and the Jack Fuller Band.  We hope that will be able to join us at this years Black August Art Auction and take part in this transformative experience with us.

For more info: http://mxgm.org/blackaugust/

Black August Film Showcase

Now in its 2^nd year, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement’s (MXGM) Black August Film Festival uses film to speak to the lives, culture, resistance, organizing, social movements, and social and political matters of people of the African Diaspora. We believe that all forms of creative expression, particularly film, can be used as a tool of liberation and community empowerment. We welcome documentaries, feature films, short films, and music videos that address the past and/or contemporary realities of Black people around the world; our struggles, triumphs, and attempts to comment on and change our conditions. Subject matter of previous films has included community reactions to the murders of Sean Bell and Oscar Grant, service initiatives in Haiti post-Earthquake, and the role of hip-hop in East Africa and Palestine. The Black August Film Festival will take place August 13th, 2011 from 4pm-10pm at the National Black Theatre in Harlem (2031 5th Avenue).

Suggested donation: $10

All proceeds from the Black August Film Festival will benefit political prisoners.

Featuring:

• “Native Sun” directed by Terence Nance & Blitz the Ambassador
•  “A Crocodile Story” directed by Hisham Haj Omer
• “Agrarian Reform for Food Sovereignty” directed by Kurt Orderson
• “Know Your Rights: How to Deal With Police Confrontations” directed by the students of Satellite Academy
• “Cointelpro 101″ directed by the Freedom Archives
• “Panther Cubs” (Trailer) directed by Ksisay Sadiki 
• “A Creation Story”  directed by Natasha Ngaiza
• “Mirror Mirror”  directed by Tamika R. Guishard
• “Black Womyn Griots” directed by Helen Yohannes
• “Hip Hop is Bigger than the Occupation” directed by Existence is Resistance

For more info:  http://mxgm.org/blackaugust/black-august-film-festival-2011/

The New Afrikan Peoples Organization and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement salute the life of our brother and comrade Geronimo ji Jaga. The life of Geronimo, or “G” as he was affectionately known, represents a freedom fighter that sacrificed and loved Afrikan people and humanity.

Geronimo was given the name Elmer Gerard Pratt at birth on September 13, 1947, in Morgan City, Louisiana. He was born into a loving family that would nurture him and provide support throughout his life. He grew up in a community where he and other youth had to fight white supremacists from the “other side of the tracks.”

Geronimo said he was encouraged to go into the US military by his community Elders, who had roots in Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association and the Deacons for Defense. His objective was to learn military skills to be utilized for the defense of our community and our people. “G” was a decorated soldier in the wrong army, earning two Bronze Stars, a Silver Star and two Purple Hearts. He distinguished himself as a Sergeant and Ranger in the 82nd Airborne of the US Army.

His Elders would redeploy him, after returning from two Vietnam combat tours, to the greater Los Angeles area. There he would work with Alprentice “Bunchy” Carter, the principal organizer of the Southern California Chapter of the Black Panther Party (BPP). Carter and Geronimo both became students at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). They participated in the Black student movement and the formation of the Black Studies department at UCLA. Geronimo rose to leadership of the Southern California Chapter and National BPP after Carter and John Huggins were murdered in a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) COINTELPRO inspired internecine conflict between the US Organization and Panthers on the UCLA campus, in September 1969. He quickly became a primary target to be eliminated by the FBI and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) due to his organizing ability, military skills, and the popularity of his comrades.

December 8, 1969, four days after Fred Hampton and Mark Clark was assassinated in a pre-dawn raid in Chicago, Illinois; the LAPD launched a military strike in South Central LA with Geronimo as its principal focus. This raid was the first time that the infamous Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit would be deployed in the United States. The LA Panthers, comprised mostly of teenagers and young adults, engaged in a four hour long gun battle, which can be attributed to the fortification, preparation and training provided by Geronimo.

Since so many Panthers were arrested and/or killed during 1969, Geronimo decided to concentrate on building the BPP’s capacity to defend itself around the US Empire. He also collaborated and served as a consultant to other defense formations nationally and internationally. He assisted in establishing the groundwork for what would later be known as the Black or Afro-American Liberation Army, the underground of the Black Liberation Movement.

Geronimo and other comrades were arrested in Dallas, Texas in December 1970. The impact of their ideological differences, coupled with the FBI’s “divide and conquer” tactics, resulted in the BPP Oakland- based national leadership expelling Geronimo. This was the precipitating event that led to the organizational split of the BPP in 1971.

Lacking support from his organization, Geronimo was convicted in and sentenced in September 1972 for the December 18, 1968 murder and robbery of Caroline Olsen in Santa Monica, California. Geronimo steadfastly maintained his innocence, stating he was over 400 miles away from Santa Monica in Oakland, California for a BBP Central Committee meeting at the home of David Hilliard. Also among those present at that meeting was Kathleen Cleaver. MS. Cleaver testified, along with many other alibi witnesses, at the trial of Geronimo.

Government agencies, primarily the FBI, had surveillance records of Geronimo at this time. These records would prove that G was in San Francisco Bay Area from December 13, 1968 to at least December 26, 1968.

The FBI, LAPD and LA County District of Attorney’s office conspired to convict Geronimo based on the false testimony of a Paid Confidential Informant – Julius Butler, infiltrating his legal defense team, and concealing/withholding crucial evidence that would later exonerate him.

During 1971, while Geronimo was in captivity, his first wife and comrade in the revolutionary nationalist underground, Sandra Pratt (aka Nsondi ji Jaga) was murdered while eight months pregnant and left in a ditch. Her murder was considered a political assassination.

Geronimo was held captive for twenty-seven years in the State of California Penal system for a murder he did not commit. His first seven years of his captivity were in solitary confinement in an attempt to stifle his ability to organize. Geronimo remained active in his legal defense, and managed to politicize and organize other prisoners while behind bars. He maintained that he was a “Prisoner of War” because he had been targeted for organizing and instructing New Afrikan people in self-defense.

Geronimo declared his citizenship of the New Afrikan nation while incarcerated. He strongly believed that our people would choose to vote to establish an independent New Afrikan Republic, if given the opportunity. He was a strong advocate of organizing a plebiscite – an election for us to determine our relationship with the US Empire.

He choose the last name “ji Jaga” while incarcerated. “ji Jaga” is Bantu for “of the Jaga people.” The Jaga or Imbangala people of West Central Afrika formed “kilombos” or warrior societies after being dispersed from a variety of Afrikan ethnics during the period of the MAAFA (or Great Disaster) and the height of the Middle Passage.

While in prison, Geronimo met and married Ashaki ji Jaga. Two children were born from this union, a daughter Shona and eldest son Hiroji Geronimo. They also shared a beautiful granddaughter, Ashaki.

In the late 1970s, the National Task Force for COINTELPRO Litigation and Research, under the leadership of Dr. Mutulu Shakur and Afeni Shakur developed the legal strategy that would ultimately lead to the vacating of the wrongful murder conviction of Geronimo. The National Task Force believed that by invoking the Freedom of Information Act, the FBI would be forced to release confidential surveillance documents that would corroborate Geronimo’s alibi, proving that he was actually in Oakland at the time of Olsen’s murder. The National Task Force obtained attorneys, specifically Stuart Hanlon, to assist with Geronimo’s case. The original murder trial attorney, Johnnie Cochran, rejoined the legal team following the notoriety he received in the acquittal of O.J. Simpson. The international and national support Geronimo’s case received was essential in exposing the conspiracy against him, the BPP, and the Black Liberation Movement.

Victoriously, Geronimo was eventually released in 1997. The United States government and the County of Los Angeles were forced to pay a $4.5 million settlement for the premeditated calculated conspiracy against him.

Both NAPO and MXGM were central organizers of the national and international campaign to win the release of our brother comrade. We also played a role in organizing mass support, providing emotional support for the family, and performing fundraisers for Geronimo’s freedom in the Los Angeles area and throughout California. NAPO and MXGM also provided the coordination of his national victory tour following his release.

Geronimo did not stop working for his people after he was freed. He continued to offer his good name for the cause of amnesty for our Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War. He worked and provided financial support to activities for the development of neighborhood youth in his hometown of Morgan City. “G” also committed himself to putting the ideology of Pan-Afrikanism into practice. He supported economic development and educational projects in Ghanaian and Tanzanian local villages.

Geronimo married Joju Cleaver after his release. Their union produced a son, Kayode. He later married Laila Minja in Tanzania and who gave birth to his youngest son, Tkumsah.

“G” described himself as a “country boy.” He loved nature – to hunt and fish. He considered himself at home whether in rural Louisiana or with Afrikan people in the plains of Tanzania. He was a spiritual person, who was inspired by his Ancestors and the concept of MAAT. He loved life, family, comrades and human beings in general. He was generous, passionate and a humorous brother who would roll up his sleeves and do the necessary work for the betterment of Afrikan people worldwide.

Geronimo made transition to the Ancestors on June 2, 2011. We are proud to call him our Brother Comrade. “G” was one of the most humble, straightforward and self-sacrificing servants of our people. He is a New Afrikan, Pan-Afrikan and international hero. His name will live on forever in the great pantheon of freedom fighters for our liberation and self-determination.

The Youth movement in Egypt has been defined as a revolution, but to me it resembles more of an uprising against tyranny. This historical uprising in many respects reminds me of the type of Black youth uprising that occurred in the United States against the tyranny of Jim Crow segregation. Although the civil rights movement is often referred to as a Black bourgeoisie revolution challenging segregation laws and policy, it was not until Kwame Toure (formerly Stokely Carmicheal) of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), announced that the struggle is for “Black Power”, that the civil rights movement evolved into a Black liberation struggle for young people. As a result of the growing militancy of Black youth, the federal government under the auspices of the FBI-Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO) began to violently suppress the growing militant youth movement. That movement was mostly represented by the Black Panther Party, which became the principle target of the FBI Cointelpro activities, actions that included framing members for imprisonment, running them into exile and assassination.

The Black Panther movement evolved out of the political struggles of the civil rights movement to further demand control of the socio-economic and political institutions controlling the oppressed Black community in the United States.

To date, the youth uprising in Egypt resembles more the democratic demands of the civil rights movement under the leadership of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr., and the united front operations of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Urban League, Congress for Racial Equality, National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples, and Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, each of which had specific responsibilities in coordinating the civil rights movement.  The Egyptian youth movement has yet to evolve into a coordinated leadership of a united front, and because of this weakness the uprising is being defined and motivated as no more than a struggle for regime change.

The ideals of demanding democratic freedoms are laudable, but whether prospects of true democracy will manifest depends on more than simply open elections. This is especially true when the U.S. government continues to sponsor the government, especially the military, which now controls the government. Therefore, any electoral process will result in the selection of a neo-colonial representative of U.S. interests in the region. Hence, the Egyptian youth uprising will result in regime change, cosmetic change in government operations and a nominal redistribution of some of the wealth to address the most pressing issues of poverty to appease unemployed youth. In other words, the face of the regime might change but fundamentally oppressive structures will remain intact.

Very similarly, the civil rights movement in the United States initially created conditions for a more representative government, that has lead to the election of the first Black president. Obviously, the U.S. civil rights movement failed to change the fundamental conditions of oppressed peoples’ of color in the United States. This is especially significant when considering the economic disparity between blacks and whites. The disparities that existed between blacks and whites during the civil rights movement has been exacerbated by the realignment of wealth continuing to be accumulated by 1% of the American population. The rich are getting richer and the poor are growing in numbers. Ultimately, this means there needs to be a fundamental change in the capitalist system, a system that is being emulated in Egypt especially through the military’s control of the major industries in Egypt, a military that the U.S. government supports with over a billion dollars in subsidies and payments. The ouster of Hosni Mubarak will not end the military’s control of the wealth of the nation nor ensure a clear severance of this insidious relationship between the U.S. and the Egyptian military, the true rulers of the nation.

Given this reality, a good look at what is happening in Egypt can be characterized as a bourgeoisie democratic movement inspired by Egypt’s youth. Although the middle class,  as unrepresentative as they may be of the Egyptian population, is supportive of the youth seeking regime change, there is no call for ending the military control over industries, a radical redistribution of wealth or a change in the geo-political allegiance towards the United States and Israel. Hence, what is happening in Egypt cannot be characterized as a revolution.

What is the potential for revolution? Indeed, if the youth uprising post Mubarak’s ouster decides to align itself with those who want to end the U.S. neo-colonial relationship with the Egyptian government, to control the means of production, and strengthen support for the independence of Palestine, forging a united front similar to what existed in the United States during the civil rights movement, revolution is possible. Naturally, just as happened in the United States, such a development will expect to confront the full force of the government police and military to suppress the movement as was done in the United States. Therefore, it can only be hoped that the youth uprising in Egypt, builds a popular mass movement that will not be satisfied with regime change. Just as disenfranchised youth in the US cannot be satisfied merely with the election of a Black president.

In closing, permit me to say I am inspired by the youth of Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine, the struggle is hard and arduous, but from generation to generation our victory is certain. Rise-up young people, the future is calling you!

Article originally posted in the San Francisco Bay View: National Black Newspapaer www.sfbayview.com

To learn more about Jalil A. Muntaqim please check his website www.freejalil.com

Originally published at The Smugger by Ayan Isalm.

The Smugger also had the opportunity to meet and interview Ms. Meron Wondwosen, who served as a coordinator for the annual MXGM’s Black August concert and was featured in the film. Hear what she had to say in this exclusive.

Word, Beats & Life Inc. held the first screening of “Black August: A Hip Hop Benefit Concert” directed by dream hampton, renown Hip Hop writer, activist and founding member of the Malcolm X Grass Roots Movement (MXGM), on Wednesday November 17, 2010 at the Atlas Theater, Washington, DC. The documentary highlighted the work put in by the non-profit organization and the power of Hip Hop as a galvanizing force in bringing awareness of the plight of US political prisoners and garnering support through MXGM’s annual ‘Black August’ concert.

Riveting interviews with exiled, imprisoned and liberated activists, such as Assata Shakur, Nahanda Abiodun, Kathleen Cleaver, Mutulu Shakur, and more former Black Panthers and Black Liberation Army members, share their continued struggle for human rights and their fight against the prison industrial complex. The documentary is a call to bridge the gap between the young and the old to collectively confront the different challenges from the radical past to the present using Hip Hop as a vehicle in creating global social change. With scenes of international cultural exchanges between US artists such as Mos Def, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, and more, with Cuban and South African artists – the most notable scene was the passionate cultural exchange between South African natives and the American artists at the World Conference Against Racism in Durbin, South Africa. The scene definitely struck a chord with the audience, as it was resonate in the discussion following the screening. Nevertheless, the various themes of human struggle, the plight of US political activists, and the need to increase awareness of the subject while bridging the cultural divide between the continents of Africa and the US via Hip Hop is evident in “Black August.” The DVD is anticipated to drop in Spring 2011.

The MOVE 9 (Janine, Janet, Debbie, Merle, Chuck, Phil, Eddie, Mike, Delbert) are innocent men and women who have been in prison since August 8, 1978, following a massive police attack on their home in Powelton Village (Philadelphia). The August 8, 1978 police attack on MOVE followed years of police brutality against MOVE and was a major military operation carried out by the Philadelphia police department under orders of then mayor, Frank Rizzo, whose reputation for racism and brutality is well known. During this attack, heavy equipment was used to tear down the fence surrounding their home and cops filled their home with enough tear gas to kill them and their babies, while SWAT teams covered every possible exit. They were all in the basement of their home, where they had 10 thousand pounds of water pressure per minute directed at them from four fire department water cannons (for a total of 40 thousand pounds of water pressure per minute). After the attack, nine MOVE members were unjustly sentenced as a collective for the killing of an officer for 30-100 years, and even after serving over 30 years in prison, they have been denied by the parole board repeatly. Get involved to Free the MOVE 9! It will take a massive amount of pressure to force this rotten corrupt system to release the MOVE 9 and all political prisoners. What can you do to add to the pressure?

www.MOVE9parole.blogspot.com

www.onamove.com

onamovellja@aol.com

The Black August Hip Hip project returns in 2010 with a packed line up of artists!

The Black August Hip Hop Project 2010 – August 13, 2010

Featuring performances by:

• Dead Prez
• Pharoahe Monch
• Homeboy Sandman
• ADM
• Kalae All Day
• Sadat X
• Hasan Salaam
• Akir
• La Bruja

& Surprise Special Guests!

Date: Friday, August 13, 2010
Time: Doors Open at 8:00pm – Concert Starts at 9:00pm
Location: Highline Ballroom 431 W 16th St
New York, NY 10011
between 9th and 10th Ave
(212) 414-5994

Tickets $15 in advance / $20 day of show.

Buy Tickets Online

Full dinner menu available / General Admission Standing Room / Limited seating available first come, first serve / All Ages

Sundiata Acoli is a 72 year old prisoner at FCI Otisville, NY, who is sentenced to life with the possibility of parole, afflicted with common old age infirmities and has been imprisoned 36 years to date. He was arrested for the May 2nd, 1973 NJTurnpike shooting incident in which he shot no one but merely managed to survive but in which his passenger, Zayd Shakur, and a New Jersey trooper, Werner Foerster, were killed. Another trooper, James Harper, was wounded as was Sundiata’s other passenger, Assata Shakur, who was at the time the object of a nation wide “woman hunt” and she was captured. Sundiata was also wounded, then captured 40 hrs later. Sundiata and both his passengers were members of the Black Panther Party at the time. For those reasons, and because Assata escaped prison long ago, the Parole board has twice denied Sundiata parole claiming he’s likely to commit another crime.

Sundiata has endured some of the harshest treatment a prisoner could experience. Still,he maintains a favorable prison record. He is a talented painter and has written numerous published articles about the prison industrial complex. He is a beloved father, grandfather, brother and elder to many with a rich history of making invaluable contributions to his community.

In the 60′s Sundiata left a promising career at NASA as a computer programmer to travel to the South to help register Blacks to vote. During his activism with the NY Chapter of the Black Panther Party, Sundiata contributed to various programs providing the city of Harlem with community control of schools, tenant control of slum housing, free breakfast for school children, free health care, legal clinics and political education classes. He also worked on community programs against drug dealers and police brutality. Numerous Panthers are still languishing in prison and have repeatedly been denied parole despite clear support for their release.

Sundiata comes up for parole hearing again in Feb. 2010 and people concerned about justice are urged to send letters, cards and signature petitions which expressin effect: 36 years of imprisonment is enough. Sundiata Acoli NJ#54859/Fed#39794-066 has long ago fullfilled all requirements for parole and is too old, infirmed and is highly unlikely to commit another crime so I urge you to release Sundiata Acoli on parole.

As the attorneys will present your letters formally and keep record of the number of letters received, please do not mail them to the Parole Board directly.Instead mail your letters to:

Atty. Florence Morgan
120-46 Queens Blvd.
Kew Gardens, NY 11415.

Letters should be addressed to:

Chairwoman Volette C. Ross
New Jersey State Parole Board
P.O.Box 862
Trenton NJ 08625

To join the Sundiata Acoli Freedom Campaign (SAFC) email list or request additional information, feel free to contact SAFC by email at TheSAFC@gmail.com.