[Ppnews] Millions More March criticism

[Political Prisoner News]

We just received this excellent criticism of the Millions More March from
National Jericho.

Minister Louis Farrakhan laid out a beautiful program of
self-determination in his 80-minute speech at the Million More Movement
Rally on Saturday, October 15, then stopped short of declaring for
sovereignty and independence for our people and opted instead for a
separate political party and a Disaster Relief Fund.

It was this failure to offer a new and meaningful direction to our
liberation struggle that disappointed many of the millions who attended
the rally and watched it on television.

Even the concept of unity of all streams of thought in the Black nation
was flawed ­ a concept touted throughout the event as well as in promotion
of the event. Indeed, there were many representatives of the Black church,
but no representatives of liberation theology like Father Lawrence Lucas
and Imam Talib. Politicians spoke; labor leaders spoke. The Black farmers
were there; the Hip-Hop Nation made a strong presentation, though weakened
by the ramblings of Erycha Beaudou. Native Americans joined the
denunciation of the u.s. government; the usual civil rights leaders
addressed the gathering. There was an international section of the program
in which we heard from Ricardo Alarcon, president of the Cuban National
Assembly, and Prime Minister P.J. Patterson of Jamaica.

However, with the exception of Chokwe Lumumba, who was alloted only one
minute to speak, no prominent nationalist was on the platform program. No
official from the Provisional Government of the Republic of New Afrika
spoke. There was no one from the New Afrikan Liberation Front. There was
almost a complete white-out of the views and determinations of those who
believe in and struggle for independence and sovereignty for New Afrikans.

The plight of our political prisoners and prisoners of war, whose
sacrifices and struggles are what made it possible for a Millions More
Movement to assemble on the Mall opposite the Capitol building without
being mowed down by u.s. army gunfire, was given such short shrift that
many consider it the shame of the day.

“The Jericho Movement was organized and endorsed by political prisoners
and ex-political prisoners.” said Efia Nwangaza, National Co-Chair of
Jericho. “Yet we were told we had 30 seconds to make a presentation on
behalf of our brothers and sisters. Thirty seconds to speak for men and
women who have been imprisoned for twenty, thirty and some over forty
years because of their defense of our human rights, our dignity.”

It had been arranged for the organizers of the rally to visit Mumia
Abu-Jamal. Mumia taped a message for the rally. The tape was given to
Attorney Malik Shabazz, but he never played the tape. Millions of people
would have been energized by hearing from Mumia, who remains on Death Row
in Pennsylvania, while the people struggle to gain his freedom. Playing
Mumia's tape would have been a warning to the u.s. government that Mumia's
powerful voice and spirit will not be silenced. Instead, the program
organizers kept Mumia mute. Silencing the brother was one of the greater
sins of the day.

The presentations re the political prisoners, and the presentations of the
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and Chokwe Lumumba, were scheduled for the
early part of the program, ensuring a minimal audience; the crowd did not
begin to swell until mid-afternoon.

The existence of political prisoners is the dirty secret of the u.s.
government, The Jericho Movement maintains a constant struggle for
recognition of and amnesty for political prisoners and prisoners of war.
This Millions More Movement snubbed them, refused to allot an appropriate
amount of time to their spokesperson, and seemingly collaborated with the
u.s. government in keeping their existence a secret. Attorney Shabazz
attempted to address the issue near the end of the rally, but several of
the political prisoners have said, “he cannot speak for us.”

When asked if Bush was guilty of “criminal neglect” in the Katrina
disaster, every hand on the Mall was raised in affirmation. When asked if
the troops in Iraq should be brought home now, every hand on the Mall was
raised in affirmation. When asked if Bush should be impeached for high
crimes and treason because of his engaging in a war based on lies and
subterfuge to the american people, every hand on the mall was raised in
affirmation. But no direction was given to mobilize this force into an
instrument that would make impeachment happen.

Dorothy Benton-Lewis of NCOBRA was scheduled to speak, but she was bumped
because of some programming glitch. In fact there were several “dead air”
spots in the program during the day that could have been utilized to
address issues crucial to Black folks.

A sister named Kim posted this comment about the October 16 rally on the
internet: “What happened? I am not sure what to tell my people that did
not come to DC. I am going home to do what I have been doing and that has
not been enough. What was the purpose? Reparations should have been the
main agenda and Katrina was more reason to tell our people that it is
NATION TIME. BLACK NATION TIME. How are we going to do anything if our
leaders are fearfully delivering messages to the masses and the message is
fruitless? We don't have time to be fearful and civilized. We are dying
brothah ... and if we can come together million + strong, then we should
be coming together bringing spiritual, hardcore, revolutionary energy. We
had an opportunity to do that yesterday and it was lost. I am leaving and
returning home to fight even harder because our leaders are getting old
and too humble .”

It was a bright sunny day on the Mall, but a dark, dark shadow still hangs
over the National Liberation Struggle of New Afrikan people held captive
in the united states. Little was said or done at the Millions More
Movement Rally to help move New Afrikans to eradicate that shadow.

—Iyaluua Akinwole

National Jericho Movement • P.O. Box 340084 • Jamaica, NY 11434

-- 
Free All Political Prisoners!
nycjericho at riseup.net • www.jerichony.org

The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
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