Hampton
10th August 2004, 01:05
http://www.blackaugustthemovie.com/images/blackaugustSplash.gif
Black August originated in the California penal system to honor fallen Freedom Fighters, Jonathan Jackson, George Jackson, William Christmas, James McClain and Khatari Gaulden. Jonathan Jackson was gunned down outside the Marin County California courthouse on August 7, 1970 as he attempted to liberate three imprisoned Black Liberation Fighters: James McClain, William Christmas and Ruchell Magee. Ruchell Magee is the sole survivor of that armed liberation attempt. He is the former co-defendant of Angela Davis and has been locked down for 38 years, most of it in solitary confinement. George Jackson was assassinated by prison guards during a Black prison rebellion at San Quentin on August 21, 1971. Three prison guards were also killed during that rebellion and prison officials charged six Black and Latino prisoners with the death of those guards. These six brothers became known as the San Quentin Six.
Black August 2004 has officially begun and as part of
the commemoration, I have been asked to be this year's
official Black August correspondent. I am Kalonji Jama
Changa, chief coordinator of the Prisoners of
Conscience Committee.
Kalonji: For those people who are not familiar with
you, can you hit us with a brief bio?
Shaka: I am one of George Jackson's original soldiers.
He was my Commander in Chief along with several other
brothers; some who have passed, some who remain behind
enemy lines and others who have been released. I did
close to 10 years. I was released in 1977. I came out
on fire. I expected the revolution to start tomorrow.
In the joint, it was about conditioning mind and body
equally, getting in physical shape, honing our skills
and learning to fight off racist guards etc.
Kalonji: Tell us about San Quentin.
Shaka: I was in San Quentin in Max B, which is five
tiers stacked on top of each other it's like being in
a barn with an open space in between each tier. There
were two catwalks with guards patrolling all day and
all night. They carried 30/30 Winchesters and a .38 on
their hip.
Kalonji: Tell us about Jonathan Jackson.
Shaka: Jonathan was called man child. He had a deep
respect for his brother (George) and his teachings. He
had his own deep intelligence. His intelligence grew
beyond his years. He was 17 when he was assassinated.
Kalonji: Tell us about Jonathan's assassination.
Shaka: He died in the Marin County Courthouse. He went
to liberate the Soledad Brothers. He ended up
liberating William Christmas, Ruchell McGee and James
McClain. They were planning on going to a radio
station to broadcast the conditions of San Quentin,
Soledad and other camps. They took hostages including
the judge, the district attorney and some jurors. The
guards knew something was going to happen; San Quentin
sharp shooters were on the roof. They opened fire on
the van, killing everyone except the DA and Ruchell
McGee. Jonathan Jackson was Che Guevara in the
courtroom he wasn't playing.
Kalonji: Who was Field Marshal George Jackson?
Shaka: George was called "focal motor". He was the
mind of our movement. He was the chairman of the
movement inside. When he was made field marshal of the
Black Panther Party, he gave us the choice to become
Panthers or stay as is. Most of us made the choice to
become Panthers.
Kalonji: Who were the Soledad brothers?
Shaka: George Jackson, Fleeta Drumgo and John
Cluchette. They were charged with killing a prison
guard in response to the guard killing three soldiers
on the prison yard. The three soldiers were very
prominent figures that inspired George himself. George
took a lot of direction from W.L. Nolan, Alvin Miller
and Cleveland Edwards. They were shot in the yard and
left to bleed to death. All of this happened in 1970.
A while later George's book came out, which really
thrust him into the public eye. As far as the history
of those soldiers standing firm in the prison and
those out here who stand firm with them, this was the
period that really burned our commitment to the
struggle. Prior to this, soldiers were being shot and
stabbed. This was the beginning of tyranny on behalf
of the guards. It was an all out assault on any of us
who stood for freedom, liberation and the rights of
the oppressed.
Kalonji: This month is Black August. When was it
started and why?
Shaka: Black August began at the end of 1979. It began
as a commemoration for all those who died after 1970
and all others who died in prison at the hands of the
racist state. Khatari Gaulden, the leader who took
over after George, was the last soldier to die that
really set our hearts and minds to how black our
conditions were inside.
So we formed the concept Black August. On the inside,
brothers fasted the days of the assassinations of the
brothers (24-hour fast). On the other days, they
didn?t eat until sundown. Physical training and
education was increased.
We formed the Black August Organizing Committee
outside to commemorate the assassination of soldiers
behind the wall and to make the outside community
aware of the terror going on inside. We staged our
first demonstration outside of San Quentin. That was
the beginning of that type of Black August movement.
Each year after the death of George and Jonathan, we
made sure the guards knew we were there. We never let
them forget.
Kalonji: I heard that Black August was trademarked. Is
there any truth to this?
Shaka: Yes. For us, Black August is a memory and a
pain that lives with us. We never intended for Black
August to be used as a tool to gain notoriety or to
make money. It's like when you go to a graveyard and
put flowers on their graves, that's Black August to
us. It was not intended for the mass media or to
become the circus event it is now.
Black August is an acknowledgement of our pain. It is
a renewal of our commitment to fight and stand firm
for those who still stand firm inside. As far as
copyright is concerned, it is a slap in the face to
all those who are gone and those locked behind enemy
lines.
A list on a piece of paper cannot contain all of the
names of the souls that are locked up as political
prisoners. People like Hugo "Yogi" Pinnell are still
in there, and he is working on 40 years. The people
that have copywritten Black August just recently
recognized him as a political prisoner in the last few
years. They had Black August copywritten about seven
years ago, but our history along with brother Yogi
goes back over 30 years.
Just consider that from the day they assassinated
George in San Quentin, the guards instituted a reign
of terror. They were breaking brothers legs, kicking
them, spitting on them, beating them with rifle butts
and axe handles, while they lay face down in
handcuffs. They made them crawl like animals on their
bellies across the yard to their cells.
They tortured Yogi for years. He is still confined
because he and George were so close. He is there as a
token of terrorism. That is what we think of when we
think of Black August. Now how can you copyright that?
Kalonji: This being the 25th anniversary, what do you
wish to accomplish?
Shaka: We want to bring people back to the commitment.
We want people who are new to the concept of Black
August to understand where it came from, why, what it
stands for and commit themselves to fight for the
liberation of our people. We hope that this will bring
unification of our people in the struggle to free all
of our people locked in the concentration camps.
Black August will be celebrated in Oakland Aug.16-22.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Hampton/GeorgeJackson-BPP-BlackPowerWhiteBlood.jpg
Black August the Movie (http://www.blackaugustthemovie.com/)
Black August (http://www.blackaugust.com/)
The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (http://www.mxgm.org/)
Mumia on Black August 2004 (http://prisonradio.org/audio/mumia/7_18_04august.mp3)
George Jackson (http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/index-beb.html)
30 Years After the Murder of George Jackson (http://prisonactivist.org/blackaugust/GeorgeJackson.mp3)
Black August originated in the California penal system to honor fallen Freedom Fighters, Jonathan Jackson, George Jackson, William Christmas, James McClain and Khatari Gaulden. Jonathan Jackson was gunned down outside the Marin County California courthouse on August 7, 1970 as he attempted to liberate three imprisoned Black Liberation Fighters: James McClain, William Christmas and Ruchell Magee. Ruchell Magee is the sole survivor of that armed liberation attempt. He is the former co-defendant of Angela Davis and has been locked down for 38 years, most of it in solitary confinement. George Jackson was assassinated by prison guards during a Black prison rebellion at San Quentin on August 21, 1971. Three prison guards were also killed during that rebellion and prison officials charged six Black and Latino prisoners with the death of those guards. These six brothers became known as the San Quentin Six.
Black August 2004 has officially begun and as part of
the commemoration, I have been asked to be this year's
official Black August correspondent. I am Kalonji Jama
Changa, chief coordinator of the Prisoners of
Conscience Committee.
Kalonji: For those people who are not familiar with
you, can you hit us with a brief bio?
Shaka: I am one of George Jackson's original soldiers.
He was my Commander in Chief along with several other
brothers; some who have passed, some who remain behind
enemy lines and others who have been released. I did
close to 10 years. I was released in 1977. I came out
on fire. I expected the revolution to start tomorrow.
In the joint, it was about conditioning mind and body
equally, getting in physical shape, honing our skills
and learning to fight off racist guards etc.
Kalonji: Tell us about San Quentin.
Shaka: I was in San Quentin in Max B, which is five
tiers stacked on top of each other it's like being in
a barn with an open space in between each tier. There
were two catwalks with guards patrolling all day and
all night. They carried 30/30 Winchesters and a .38 on
their hip.
Kalonji: Tell us about Jonathan Jackson.
Shaka: Jonathan was called man child. He had a deep
respect for his brother (George) and his teachings. He
had his own deep intelligence. His intelligence grew
beyond his years. He was 17 when he was assassinated.
Kalonji: Tell us about Jonathan's assassination.
Shaka: He died in the Marin County Courthouse. He went
to liberate the Soledad Brothers. He ended up
liberating William Christmas, Ruchell McGee and James
McClain. They were planning on going to a radio
station to broadcast the conditions of San Quentin,
Soledad and other camps. They took hostages including
the judge, the district attorney and some jurors. The
guards knew something was going to happen; San Quentin
sharp shooters were on the roof. They opened fire on
the van, killing everyone except the DA and Ruchell
McGee. Jonathan Jackson was Che Guevara in the
courtroom he wasn't playing.
Kalonji: Who was Field Marshal George Jackson?
Shaka: George was called "focal motor". He was the
mind of our movement. He was the chairman of the
movement inside. When he was made field marshal of the
Black Panther Party, he gave us the choice to become
Panthers or stay as is. Most of us made the choice to
become Panthers.
Kalonji: Who were the Soledad brothers?
Shaka: George Jackson, Fleeta Drumgo and John
Cluchette. They were charged with killing a prison
guard in response to the guard killing three soldiers
on the prison yard. The three soldiers were very
prominent figures that inspired George himself. George
took a lot of direction from W.L. Nolan, Alvin Miller
and Cleveland Edwards. They were shot in the yard and
left to bleed to death. All of this happened in 1970.
A while later George's book came out, which really
thrust him into the public eye. As far as the history
of those soldiers standing firm in the prison and
those out here who stand firm with them, this was the
period that really burned our commitment to the
struggle. Prior to this, soldiers were being shot and
stabbed. This was the beginning of tyranny on behalf
of the guards. It was an all out assault on any of us
who stood for freedom, liberation and the rights of
the oppressed.
Kalonji: This month is Black August. When was it
started and why?
Shaka: Black August began at the end of 1979. It began
as a commemoration for all those who died after 1970
and all others who died in prison at the hands of the
racist state. Khatari Gaulden, the leader who took
over after George, was the last soldier to die that
really set our hearts and minds to how black our
conditions were inside.
So we formed the concept Black August. On the inside,
brothers fasted the days of the assassinations of the
brothers (24-hour fast). On the other days, they
didn?t eat until sundown. Physical training and
education was increased.
We formed the Black August Organizing Committee
outside to commemorate the assassination of soldiers
behind the wall and to make the outside community
aware of the terror going on inside. We staged our
first demonstration outside of San Quentin. That was
the beginning of that type of Black August movement.
Each year after the death of George and Jonathan, we
made sure the guards knew we were there. We never let
them forget.
Kalonji: I heard that Black August was trademarked. Is
there any truth to this?
Shaka: Yes. For us, Black August is a memory and a
pain that lives with us. We never intended for Black
August to be used as a tool to gain notoriety or to
make money. It's like when you go to a graveyard and
put flowers on their graves, that's Black August to
us. It was not intended for the mass media or to
become the circus event it is now.
Black August is an acknowledgement of our pain. It is
a renewal of our commitment to fight and stand firm
for those who still stand firm inside. As far as
copyright is concerned, it is a slap in the face to
all those who are gone and those locked behind enemy
lines.
A list on a piece of paper cannot contain all of the
names of the souls that are locked up as political
prisoners. People like Hugo "Yogi" Pinnell are still
in there, and he is working on 40 years. The people
that have copywritten Black August just recently
recognized him as a political prisoner in the last few
years. They had Black August copywritten about seven
years ago, but our history along with brother Yogi
goes back over 30 years.
Just consider that from the day they assassinated
George in San Quentin, the guards instituted a reign
of terror. They were breaking brothers legs, kicking
them, spitting on them, beating them with rifle butts
and axe handles, while they lay face down in
handcuffs. They made them crawl like animals on their
bellies across the yard to their cells.
They tortured Yogi for years. He is still confined
because he and George were so close. He is there as a
token of terrorism. That is what we think of when we
think of Black August. Now how can you copyright that?
Kalonji: This being the 25th anniversary, what do you
wish to accomplish?
Shaka: We want to bring people back to the commitment.
We want people who are new to the concept of Black
August to understand where it came from, why, what it
stands for and commit themselves to fight for the
liberation of our people. We hope that this will bring
unification of our people in the struggle to free all
of our people locked in the concentration camps.
Black August will be celebrated in Oakland Aug.16-22.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/Hampton/GeorgeJackson-BPP-BlackPowerWhiteBlood.jpg
Black August the Movie (http://www.blackaugustthemovie.com/)
Black August (http://www.blackaugust.com/)
The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (http://www.mxgm.org/)
Mumia on Black August 2004 (http://prisonradio.org/audio/mumia/7_18_04august.mp3)
George Jackson (http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/index-beb.html)
30 Years After the Murder of George Jackson (http://prisonactivist.org/blackaugust/GeorgeJackson.mp3)