[Ppnews] Nzingha Shakur-Ali: "my blood is a million stories..."

[Political Prisoner News]

 From Facebook
Nzingha Shakur-Ali: "my blood is a million stories..."

Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 3:08pm
sitting here thinking and wanted to share...

my dad goes before the parole board december 2nd. thinking about my 
family and the families of other political prisoners and freedom 
fighters around the world. thinking about you especially, kamel. i am 
SO truly blessed to come from the family i do. the hearn clan. the shakur clan.

it's a different way of life in many ways, being children of 
revolutionaries. our parents fought, were imprisoned, were exiled, 
and died fighting for basic human equality; and all the while growing 
us in the discipline and knowledge, love and respect for not only our 
people, but for all people. we think differently; we see the world 
differently.

i was thinking about the last time i saw mutulu. it's a harsh 
reminder to me when i think about the fact that i've never known my 
dad in any other context outside of prison, even back to my first 
memory. his every entrance into my life since i can remember has 
always been the same...coming from behind those steel bars, he stops 
so the officer can take of the chains. i've never seen him for more 
than 4-5 hours at a time. you only get so many hours of visitation. 
i've never seen him standing in the sunlight, never seen him standing 
in grass; i've never seen him in anything other than a prison uniform.

we've never had a phone conversation that wasn't recorded, written 
letters that weren't read before it reached his hands, or given hugs 
that weren't closely watched. i've shared every intimate moment with 
him, with someone else. he's never been able to see all of his 
children together at once, and now that pac has passed away he'll 
never be able too.

now mutulu is in florence, colorado. the #1 maximum security prison 
in the united states. "also known as the ADMAX, Supermax, or The 
Alcatraz of the Rockies, ADX houses the prisoners who are deemed the 
most dangerous and in need of the tightest control. it is the highest 
level security federal prison in the united states, and generally 
considered the most secure prison in the world. individuals are kept 
for at least 23 hours each day in solitary confinement." that means 
he gets 1 hour, by himself, outside his cell in a heavily guarded 
area. all of our visits are behind glass and he often handcuffed.

these things come to mind as his parole hearing draws near. they have 
and continue to do everything the possibly can to keep him in prison. 
long and short: after denying him his first parole hearing in 1996 
with no just cause (as stated by a court) the parole board ignored 
the recommendation to give him due process and waited 6 years to 
convene. in 2002 the parole board finally convened, denied him parole 
and stated that they would not allow him to come before the parole 
board for another 15 years. because his first parole hearing was 
legal set for 1996, a 15 year hit would mean he was able to come 
before the parole board again in 2011, but as the parole board 
refused to acknowledge the 6 year false delay (again, as stated by 
the court), he will not be able to come before the parole board until 
2017. his upcoming parole hearing is a fight for due process and his 
right to come before the parole board and fight for his freedom in 2011.

as "thanksgiving" draws near, i am humbled by those who, like mutulu, 
saw their difficult path before them and even still chose to stand 
and fight, rather than lay down and continue to be enslaved. freedom 
fighters ALL OVER THE WORLD. many of them will not be able to sit 
down and have dinner with their families, will not be able to tuck 
their children in at night, and will not be able to hold the ones 
they love as they fall asleep.

yet they are fighting for our right to do so.

this thanksgiving, i give thanks for the people who fought and are 
still fighting for freedom and equality.
i give honor to the indigenous people of this country who are still 
fighting for their basic rights on their own land.
i give remembrance to who i am and where i come from. a people who's 
blood runs deep in the earth of this country.

...and i pray, so very hard, that we continue to move forward as a 
GLOBAL community, in love.

my blood? is a million stories. FREE 'EM ALL.

peace.





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