 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
October 23, 2003
Jambo Watu.
It was a day that marked the true represssion that would alter the
course of one of our beloved brother Geronimo Pratt, but truly known
as Geronimo Ji Jaga. I only heard glimpses and fleeting words concerning that
Black Panther Party, because in the first half of my young life my family lived a life of what we call
bourgoise, neatly mowned lawns, little perfect houses, two car garages, the whole nine yards.
I grew up in the sixties, but not old enough to know how to articulate the political situation that was
raging across America.
I think, or should I say I know, that they sheltered my brother and myself from the radicalism that was
being waged. At that time one of the Kennedy's was assassinated as well as Dr. Martin Luther King
and of course Black Prince - Malcolm Little, better known as El hagg Malik El Shabayy. With the
first couple of assassinating I vaguely remember, because my parents were kind of sad and being a
kid we picked up on those things, but not enough as I've stated to internalize nor articulate. In those
days I remember some kids, who were older than I, who had mentioned something about the Black
Panther Party doing something for the neighborhood.
Later we found out, it was the breakfast program, which public schools hadn't implemented yet, which
will be delved into later. Years later upon meeting this icon would forever have a lasting impression on
my mind.
In 1991 I arrived at CCI, California Correctional Institution, which was fairly a new concentration
camp, recently built in the mid to late eighties. Well, as I got settled in my new environment and ran
into a guy that I knew from streets of Bakersfield, so as usual we were talking and he mentioned
Geronimo's name and I'm like where, here in this prison, my friend, yep. I said, "Man, I've read a lot
of literature about that brother." He asked me, if I wanted to meet him and I told him, "My friend, no,
not right now." I wanted to check him out to see, if his political stance was still unwavering. As they
say "observation is the best teacher". And so I went about my business, but always kept my eye on
him. Now, I have to mention, that though my quest in meeting Ji Jaga a few brothers always found
something negative to say about him, which I disliked, because they
never said anything malicious to his face, plus they didn't have the credibility to discrdit Ji Jaga. I
hate to say this, but negros are so funky, when it comes to given respect, when respect was due.
Those that were displaying this criminal mentality were of the ilk of former gang members, who
thought, that reading a few books would erase, what they were really about. Now, before I entered
that concentration camp I had studied rapaciously on the struggle here and throughout the diaspora. I
have read anything from "chains and images of psychological slavery" by Dr. Niam Akbac to
"wretched of the earth" by Frany Fanon.
I have read so much that it's truly indelible in my mind and heart. So, in other words I had long
changed my mentality from that of lumper proliteriate to a revolutionary mentality. So those, who saw
fit to try and taint Ji Jaga's character feel short, because in the end I asked them, what had they done
or even attemped to do for the people? And, so with no articulation of a format in which they could
stand on they had to leave it alone. I've never told Geronimo this, because they didn't matter. And
friends we became. I continued to watch and learn, because not only was he
gracious, he was a people's person no matter what color you were.
He wasn't so angry that he couldn't love his fellow man. For those who had little or nothing he would
assist. But you still had those, who take meekness for weakness, but he was so above that in his
knowledge. He engaged any and everyone from conversation to sport and play. He tought me how to
play Scrabble. *smile* Still I hadn't formally met Ji Jaga, because in a way that baffled me. He
approached me and he introduced himself and I told him, "Brotha, I truly know who you are and it's a
pleasure to meet you." To those, who possessed the third eye I was known to them as Mfalme and
that's how I introduced myself.
This was the beginning of me furthering my knowledge as to the struggle here and the knowledge of
self concerning our great African heritage. I'd ask him about certain books and what he thought. You
see people on the street would send him books and he would critique them and give his analysis. I
finally moved to the building, he was in, because I was assigned to work there and as it turned out we
were in the same section my cell was directly below his and there I was taught, who the real Geronimo
Ji Jaga Pratt was. I sat at this man's door for countless hours absorbing and hearing with excitement
all that he had been through and who he had become. Every book that he received I read in a lot of
cases before he read them.
We had gotten close. He told me some of the going ons in the inner circle of the Panther Party, who
did what and how it was done. Some of what I know, I won't divulge out of respect for Ji Jaga. He also
told me how he was approached as to his assistance to the people. But, let us go back to his humble
beginnings.
He is originally from Louisiana, where he was growing up. At that time our elders had a lot to do with
a boy becoming a man. I asked him many times, if he did have a choice in the direction, that he
took. His response was an emphatic "NO!". He stated that the deacons of his childhood told him what
and how he would conduct himself. I remember telling him: "It takes a village to raise a child, an old
African proverb". And we both agreed, that the extended family arose out of this saying. I remember
the days. *smile* But his path was chosen wisely. As I sat by the door learning about the man, I asked
him, what did he do before the struggle became him. With his answer I was amazed, because not only
was he a political prisoner and prisoner of war, he was a soldier for this country – army para military.
This information really made me proud of this "idol". I have seen this man in full Army regalian just
like you average American. He told me about their practice jumps out of the captor in full Army
fatiques and weapons. I was truly amazed at how this man's path had been laid for him. I reiterate,
that the elders were a formidable foe to try and negotiate your future. This was my take on it anyway.
He explained to me that the elders had given him an explanation as to why his course was set. I asked
why. He said, where he could have a skill to offer the people. Believe me to have the opportunity to
meet a Panther is an honor. So the information that I was receiving was first hand and not the
rigamarole of third party hand me down. You
have to understand that I read everything I could about the struggle and the organization that was
involved, which included United Slave Movement, of course, the Panther Party and the Black
Liberation Army. There are many who were fighting the same cause, but I'll relegate my statements
to these three as accurately as I can. We talked about so much and yet I had so many questions. It
was like being a kid in a candy store. Your attention is drawn in every direction, because all the candy
was good to the eye as well as the palate.I grilled him for hours on a day until I felt I was full for that
session. I think he enjoyed it, because he never said anything to the contrary and for that matter I
think a lot of envy was geared toward him because of who he was, what he represented and how he
conducted himself. He never gave me a reason to feel anything but love for him. You see, I had the
honor to talk to his wife, who's name is Askaki and I talked
to his son and daughter. I had the honor to speak to his oldest daughter's mother Njece, who was
really a sister, who respected Ji Jaga. These conversations over the phone were to me like I was
probing a celebrity. This is why I developed a love for this brotha, who gave of himself
unconditionally. I tell you again, I was like a sponge sucking and soaking up water, but in this case it
was the inner workings of a man's mind: What he felt, how he felt and his position on the going ons of
these United States of America. He was passionate in what he believed, in which was the justice for
the desenfranchised, those who couldn't articulate their political positions. He knew, when and what to
say and the right way to say it.
Once I asked him about the two Panther members, who were killed at UCLA during a rally, in which
the United Slave Movement had participated also. I'll refrain from naming names again out of respect
for Ji Jaga. I'll tell you this, that one of the brothas that was killed effected him more than he wanted
to let on, but I understood. This mishap only happened, because in those days he would explain to me
with the furnishings of documents, that the Federal Bureau of Investigations had devised a plan to
disrupt any and all political organizations that was fighting for freedom. This directive was called
Cointel-Pro-Counter-Intelligence-Program. Its mission was to disrupt, destroy, pit one against the
other. Then he had become a target for Counter Intelligence. Remember, the man was part of Uncle
Sam. So to let him divulge the knowledge, he would be vital to their
survival. Suffice it to say behind the actions of the government he was framed. They framed him of a
murder, double murder, that he was over 300 miles from, but the real cause of this was because of his
political views. I'm leaping forward a little, but stepping back, because I want you to really see this
situation through my eyes and plus I'm coming off the cuff. If you ever read the spook that sat by the
door, this is how I felt, but in this case it was one African engaging another African. I wanted to know
all or most of it anyhow, but I didn't want him to be tired of me. A lot of times he would be typing and
his mail would come, which was so much, it was unbelievable. He would tell the officers to give it to
me, you should have seen the smile on my face. I read letters addressed to him from all walks of life,
young and old, black, white, all nationalities. I was truly amazed. I used to ask him, "G-mo, how do
you answer all this mail?" He simply said, "I answer all I can, but for those, who don't get a response,
he simply calls or sends postcards. This man received bags of mail everyday. I mean everyday. 20 to
30 a day. Once I was reading some of his mail Ju-Pac Shakur had written him, that was his god-son,
and I told him and he actually told me to write him.
I was gracious, but I declined stating that Ju-Pac wants to hear from you. Now I have second thoughts,
because I'm very sharp and in the struggle for the minds and Ju-Pac was definetely sharp, because his
mother Afeni was a Black Panther. One time he received this book from
someone, that was on his defence team, which were many: Danny Glover, Cree Sumner, Katheleen
Cleaver, Muja,….it's so many, I can't even name half of them. I actually talked to Muja. She is from
northern California. Her husband produced the movie called "Sarafina", starring Whoopi Goldberg.
This man was surrounded by so many people, who were fighting for his freedom, because they knew,
that the frame was set. Back to the book. This book was called "A Taste of Power" by Elaine Brown.
Now after he read and criticized this book, he had a bad taste in his mouth. He let me read it and then
we had a conversation. I asked him, "what was wrong with the book, G-mo?" "She misrepresented
herself like she was within the nucleus of the Party.
Plus", he said and I quote "This book was locked by the CIA." Mind you this was the only book
Elaine Brown wrote and she waited until the 90s to write, so he put a black ball on the book and let
those that needed to know, what's happening with the book. He also said, this Elaine, she was
attracted to those, who had rank in the Party. She was nowhere near like the likes of Asata Shakur or
Katheleen Cleaver. As a matter of fact, he said, Katheleen wanted to chastise Elaine for mis-
representing that book. Of course, Miss Brown is in Europe somewhere. He was sent this other book
called "This Side of Glory" by David Hilliard. He read and criticized that book and of
course, I read it after him. Another conversation followed and he gave David good marks and praised
his book. Actually he criticized another one called "X The Judas Factor" and I forgot, who it was by
but it talked about, who had most to gain by El Hagg Malik El Shalayy or Malcolm X – his
assasination. This book entailed a lot of information. Before the 90s this information was classified
and until the freedom of information act was passed. For I'll not discuss that here, because I'll do it in
an injustice, if I didn't represent it correct. Although I had a few years to be in Geronimo's company, I
truly learned a lot. This was an experience that I'll never forget
and one that I'll treasure. To me he is an icon just as Nelson Mandela, because it took him to 27
years to get free. In all the turmoil, that he went through, he stuck to his principles and never
wavered as to his rage towards the system. Justice is what he stood for and he practiced it everyday
that I knew him. His knowledge was phenomenal, but his graciousness stood tall as the Kilamanjero.
My love for the man has only deepened over the years. Because under fire
from the government and from those, who remain stuck with the criminal mentality, his courage never
veered and that in of itself is the strength of our soldiers. I'm glad, he is with his family,
because he deserves it. And to those, who missed the opportunity to really embrace the man, is truly
your loss, because he practices humanity first and for most before he practices being a black man!!
Geronimo Ji Jaga, this is for you. I know, I didn't get it all, but yet this was a small taste of glory. I
thank you black man for being you and allowing me into that most sacred part of your life. To those,
who read this, I deeply appreciated this man for what he stood for. And I appreciate you, the audience,
for allowing me to enter your thoughts for a while. I leave you with these words – Killa moja
Kufundisha Moja – Each one teach one!
And to G, stay free!
Chulewa
One Love.
Sincerely, Thaddeus Hamilton, Mfalme
© Copyright 2003 Thaddeus Hamilton, A.K.A. Mfalme
Thaddeus Hamilton # C-94517
5T-125
P O Box 500
Jamestown, CA 95327
