The following article was published on the Black Agenda Report on April 5, 2023.
Someone asked me recently what I am FOR in terms of change and social justice. She stated that those of Us who are activists and or on the left tend to say what We are against, but never talk about what We are for.
I am a Freedom Fighter and Political Prisoner/Activist. I have been so for over 25 years and have been involved in many organized movements and campaigns to bring about a change in immediate conditions, as well as lay the groundwork and foundation for a social transformation and revolutionary transformation of this society.
I am for a just society of egalitarian principles.
I am for a socialist society where the means of production and distribution of resources are placed in the hands of the people/masses and not that of monopolies and corporations whose guiding principle is that of profit.
I am for a society that is classless, where you have no ruling elites dumping on the little people or lower classes. Where people don’t have to sell their labor and be exploited by someone whose sole interest is to get rich or monopolize power and wealth. A society where there is no little me and big you. A society where there is no Authoritarianism used to protect the interests of the privileged or the elite.
I am for a society where racism does not exist, where sexism does not exist. A society where womyn can walk down the street and not worry about being victimized. A society where people can just live and be free and not be categorized, judged, mistreated, or discriminated against as a result of their nationality, ethnicity, gender, or station in life, etc..
I am for a society where all people have a right to an education no matter your station in life or how much money you have. A society where all people should/have a right to housing and medical treatment. A society where Institutionalized Racism and Colonialism no longer exist. A society where all peoples have the right to Self Determination and the ability to determine their destiny without having to oppress or victimize anyone else. A society where people contribute to the overall growth and development according to the best of their ability and according to their means.
I am for a society where Prisons are no longer needed and we don’t need an authoritarian government that incarcerates millions of its so-called citizens. A society where some communities look like Third World countries, while others look like paradise. A society where there is no need for the existence of a Voters Rights Act, A Civil Rights Act, Affirmative Action and all those other “Acts” that the government must “revisit” every 30 to 50 years!! Why revisit, re-certify laws if you’re considered actual citizens with equal rights? The truth of the matter is We are not yet “citizens with equal rights” and just as easily as you can amend a law into something, you can repeal/remove it.
I am for a society where a child is born and doesn’t have to be worried about being one out of two or one out of four who is most likely to go to prison or become a homicide victim while other people’s children are one/out of two or three most likely to go to and graduate from college.
I am for living in a society where greedy ass corporations and selfish ass people don’t get to destroy Mother Earth, don’t pollute our water and soil. Where mothers are forced to give birth to children who are born with deformities, with mental health issues or various cancers. A society where the government and its representatives aren’t knowingly and intentionally serving so called poor folks or lower class folks tainted, contaminated or lead based water and food.
I am for a society where there are more options for people who want something out of life and maybe a career rather than this society where for some options are increasingly restricted to becoming a Correctional Officer/Law Enforcement Officer, going into the Military, or into the field of Nursing. No disrespect to any of those professions, but We shouldn’t have to settle for such just for the benefits offered or so that We can afford an education.
I am for a society where human beings aren’t programmed and desensitized to rape, robbery, and murder because they get a paycheck. The petty paid assassin! A society where under the color of law people aren’t gunned down in their homes or in the streets by authority because of the color of their skin, gender, class, sexual identity or lack thereof.
This is just a small portion of what I am for, what I fight for, what I struggle for and some day will ultimately give my life for. The right for not only myself, but for All People to be FREE and being FREE doesn’t mean being addicted to privilege or overdosing on vulgar materialism/consumption.
Prisons are just another front in the continuity of the larger struggle for Freedom, Justice, and Equality. It is just another theater of struggle which is what we call behind enemy lines. Just as many of Us will return to you, many of you will come behind these walls or someone who you know or love. The struggle, the fight, the resistance continues no matter what front or terrain you stand on. The Right of a People to be free never ceases.
THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES…. A LUTA CONTINUA
- PART OF MY STRUGGLE IS TO BREAK THESE CHAINS OF BONDAGE!!
- FREE THE LAND!!
- FREE SHAKA SHAKUR!!!
In Solidarity!!
– Shaka Shakur
