BLACK STUDENTS EMBRACE ATTORNEY SHABAZZ AND PAN AFRICAN MOVEMENT COLLEGE STUDENTS GET ACTIVE AND TAKE CHARGE!

BLACK STUDENTS EMBRACE ATTORNEY SHABAZZ AND PAN AFRICAN MOVEMENT    
                       COLLEGE STUDENTS GET ACTIVE AND TAKE CHARGE!
 By Chawn Saddam Kweli

 Atlanta, Ga- “I’m a man on a mission” says the leader of the New Black Panther Party, as he finished up his “Role and Responsibility of the Black Student” college tour. Moving with personal conviction and inner drive, Attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz shared personal and detailed information on his days as a student activist on the campus of Howard University. This college initiative comes on the heels of his “Revolutionary Roots” tour a nine day fact finding mission throughout impoverished and high level parts of Azania, also known as South Africa. Attorney Shabazz is no stranger to the college lecture circuit he came prepared for this [in the same manner] he does all his addresses, with a combination of prayer and study. What makes this a staunchly special moment in time different than any other college event Atty. Shabazz has ever been involved with is this time around he has been baptized by the culture of Africa and the spirit of the ancestors. Attorney Shabazz is a student success story in his own right. He graduated and earned degrees from Howard University and the Howard University School of Law. He also was awarded the “Young Lawyer of the Year” award by the National Bar Association. While at Howard University,

Atty. Shabazz founded student activist groups Unity Nation (UN) and Progressive Student Movement (PSM). These groups were dedicated to tackling the issues of the black college student and injustices that occur to black people in general. These types of qualifications made
Atty. Shabazz the perfect conduit for transmitting the message of Self- education and liberation.
 Atty. Shabazz began immediately on lifting the spirits of the young students letting them know, “you are the key, and a key part of the rise of our people.”
Atty. Shabazz told the future leaders, “I was a black conscious student organizer operating on the highest level and my job was to raise the consciousness and awareness of the black student.” He spoke at length of the trials he faced to take bold stances and positions, while at the same time, attending class and making the necessary steps to fulfill all obligations and graduate.
 Atty. Shabazz says he faced “persecution and controversy” and told the attentive class of Clark- Atlanta University that, “Members of the administration threatened to have him expelled.”
Atty. Shabazz says he and a group of organizers took over the Administration Building in active protest and demonstration, after President George Bush Sr. Appointed a member of his National Committee to the Board of directors at Howard University prompting the revolutionary students to resist and rebel for several days.
 Atty. Shabazz says, “It made national news, they had to call in national leaders and negotiators, to come in and try to settle us down …. We did not passively resist, we took strong action.” The protest pushed Howard University to the forefront and made it the center point for Black Consciousness and student activism. In a funny moment,
Atty. Shabazz told the students “I know what you want; you want the Benz, the nice house, good money… I got all that, “but what’s most important is your character.”

Atty. Shabazz was able to leave Clark- Atlanta University with a freshly re-ignited Pan African student movement. Black students, that day, pledged to help
Atty. Shabazz and the New Black Panther Party in their efforts to rebuild the Black student activist movement. The second day of the tour presented Atty. Malik Shabazz with Georgia State University.
 Atty. Shabazz not missing a beat, delved right into African/Black History, settling religious differences, and ways to make [righteous money.]
Atty. Shabazz taught “your future is not in white America, and helping them to build up their empire, you must build your own!” He continued, “Your people built empires, before the Whiteman was even a thought on the planet.” In a stern but loving manner he warned doubters, “ don’t come at me with this inferior mindset about how much we need White people, I’m here to show you by example[ current example] that you and I are the masters of our own destiny.
” Atty. Shabazz finished with, “you can never adopt and inferior attitude when you are the mothers and fathers of the Red, Brown, Yellow and White people.”

 Atty. Shabazz spoke in a passionate tone about International Trade and commerce, “it’s all over the planet for us... those are our diamonds and our gold.”
 Atty. Shabazz spoke about being interested in opening up a Black owned company that will “employ our people and help us in the effort of Black people selling and owning their own diamond mines.”
Atty. Shabazz looking at the inspired faces said, “This is not just rhetoric, this is reality, it’s a big world out here.”

 Atty. Shabazz spoke direct to the Hip-Hop community “We can have the rappers not just making music about diamonds, but buying and selling them, and investing.” He continued, “I want the rappers [entertainers] to stop jocking the Jews and [Bloodsuckers] like Jacob the jeweler; with all the influence you have I need you to say a kind word about President Robert Mugabe, if you speak a kind word about him it’s over.” Atty. Shabazz told them, “he is that last Pan – African President we have in that region [and he needs support], I’m trying to get him re-elected.” Every Black student at Georgia State University felt good about the prospects of a bright future.
 Atty. Shabazz undoubtedly left his mark on the black college students and beyond any shadow of doubt has much to offer our up and coming leaders. During his tour.

 Atty Shabazz announced an upcoming Pan- African convention scheduled for the summer of 2014, in Africa. “I want to bring one- thousand [Black people] from America to Africa. “ I thank all Black students for their minds and academic prowess, and I encourage you to join with him me in building the Black Conscious Student Movement of the New Black Panther Party (BCSM-NBPP).” To bring Atty. Malik Zulu Shabazz to your college email Nbpp@yahoo.com or go to newblackpanther.com.

ATTORNEY MALIK ZULU SHABAZZ DAZZLES NEW YORK AUDIENCE By Chawn Saddam Kweli LAYS THE CASE FOR PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE AND PAN-AFRICAN UNITED FRONT Brooklyn, New York- Attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz a Washington, D.C. based Lawyer and head of the resilient New Black Panther Party for Self Defense, delivered an electric keynote address Thursday titled “Africa and Pan- Africanism” Atty. Shabazz said “The main focus was to galvanize the Pan- African community of New York and invite support for the upcoming bid for re-election of Zimbabwe’s legendary leader and President Robert Mugabe.” President Mugabe, a veteran of guerilla struggle fought against Zimbabwe’s (then Rhodesia's) white-led government to win 64% of the vote for election in 1980 and has issued orders to have “Presidential elections to take place before the end of the year even if a new constitution isn't agreed upon.” Due a power sharing deal struck with former political rival Morgan Tsvangirai on September 15 th , 2008, a referendum on the constitution must be held before presidential elections can take place. Morgan Tsvangirai serves as Prime Minister and Coordinator of Government Affairs of Zimbabwe. Atty. Shabazz returned from his international tour of South Africa (Azania), to deliver his webcast address in the House of the Lord church, in the presence of the legendary famous Reverend Herbert Daughtry. Confessing he was in a in a “warrior mode” and “stressed” from making sure this mega- city worldwide webcast went right, Atty. Shabazz spoke direct to the social –economic conditions of the Black African on the continent , in relation to the Black man and Woman in the United States of America otherwise known as the Diaspora African. Making a point to touch on a myriad of subjects, Atty. Shabazz spoke on the subjects of the New York police killing of Kamani Grey, Religious dogma, Stop and Frisk, Political Prisoners, Nelson Mandela, the Pan- Africanist Congress of Azania, and the preparation for a West Africa tour in the near future. Also in a rare move, Atty. Shabazz, spoke on internal meetings, with the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front(ZANU-PF) leadership and the alliances formed on the behalf of a Pan-African/Black United Front. Atty. Shabazz stated, “This was a welcoming home, this was to let the Blackman and woman here in America know the conditions of their people, in Azania (South Africa)… It was also to make our intentions known that we support the Presidency Robert Mugabe, and that we will do everything possible to help him win.” Attorney Shabazz said, “There is an upcoming webcast of President Robert Mugabe planned via newblackpanther.com, to expose the world to his true aims and Pan-Africanist efforts on behalf of Black Africans there and here.” Sharing (for the first time publicly) a vision he had, Atty. Shabazz shared his premonition of Africa saying, “I always knew I would go to Africa but not as a tourist, it would have a political tour just about the liberation of our people.” Atty. Shabazz lamented to the audience that he and his organization were under pressure from “those whom we met [many veterans and heroes of armed struggle] who saw us, and passed the mantle on too us that put a weight on our shoulders”… [he added] “It is a weight we are happy to bare.” The nearly two and a half hour address detailed step by step the 9 day tour with power- point presentations, picture slides, and personal testimony. Attorney Shabazz in a defiant tone said, “ I've gone to Africa and I’m back, I feel stronger, bolder, in more mature... I’m not jiving you I feel transformed!” Attorney Shabazz spoke on the need for Pan- Africanism in the U.S. and encouraged the audience to place the ideology on the minds and hearts of Black people everywhere. He said, “I saw people who look just like us here (in North America) there in Africa and I’m here to tell you that your and African, you nothing but an African with no hyphen.” Speaking with a sobering conviction, Atty. Shabazz stated “there are major problems in South Africa like there are here , a brother right before we came( to South Africa) was hitched to the back of a Police van and dragged to his death, just like racist dragged James Byrd (in Jasper, Texas.) Atty. Shabazz says he took a lot of criticism from naysayers and people calling him crazy or out of his mind, he vehemently fired back at them saying, “ that is part of the reason why we went and carried it out cause we wanna show the Blackman and woman of America ( and the world), that what you develop in your mind, that is a vision of God and if it’s righteous an in accordance with what God wants he will take you through what he got to take you through, but he will make it into a manifest reality.” Atty. Shabazz heralded the ideology and plan of Marcus M Garvey and Elijah Muhammad to separate from the wicked racist powers in North America as he explained, “ we deserve reparations(don’t get it wrong) but for those who are serious about separation and reparation, I went to a land that had diamonds and gold in the ground, and was fertile and minerally rich, I went to a land that was expansive in beaches and water from the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, don’t believe the lie that the African is just savage, I went to places that said they have land, for the Blackman and Woman in America that wants to stand up for the liberation of Africa. In conclusion, Atty. Shabazz said, “don’t you believe the lies of our enemy when they try to tell you that Africa is just a land of savages, don’t go to Africa, or that Africa is just a jungle, they wanna keep you and I blind to the love of Africa, the value of Africa, and to the fact that we need to engage in Africa, trade with Africa and live in Africa, so I’m going to buy me a home in Africa and get my law license.” At press time of this writing Attorney Shabazz is preparing to embark of a major North American tour and plans to re-strengthen the Pan- African and Black community by every available means necessary. Atty. Shabazz says all his successes [in his efforts] are due to his mentors Minister Khallid Abdul Muhammad, Minister Louis Farrakhan and Dr. Leonard Jeffries. He advises us to stay tuned to newblackpanther.com for future details and to hurry a help him in the liberation process of Black People here and abroad. SEE THE SPEECH IN IT'S ENTIRETY HERE : http://newblackpanther.com/ http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/31317069

Worldwide webcast! Chairman Malik Zulu Shabazz, Esq. will deliver a live webcast from House of Lord Church in Brooklyn NY. This Thursday April 11.

Worldwide webcast! Chairman Malik Zulu Shabazz, Esq. will deliver a live webcast from House of Lord Church in Brooklyn NY. This Thursday April 11. subject: "THE STATE OF THE PAN-AFRICAN REVOLUTION AND GROUND REPORT FROM SOUTH AFRIKA AND ZIM...BABWE!" Joining will be Pastor Ted Sutton and delegation members. Time: April 11th at 7pm est 6 pm cst and 5 pm west and 4pm est and 3am Africa Time: SPREAD THE WORD AND SEE IT LIVE AT www.newblackpanther.com

Delivered by Mangaliso R. Sobukwe

AT

THE AFRICANIST INAUGURAL CONVENTION


Mr. Speaker, Sir, Sons and Daughters of Afrika! Mr. Speaker as already informed you that we had hoped that this inaugural Convention of the Africanists would be opened by Dr. Kamuzu Hastings Banda, failing which, by Mr. Kenneth Kaunda of the Zambia African National Congress in Northern Rhodesia. Both have been unable to attend our convention, for both are now, in the language of the colonialists, "detained" in some concentration camps because they dared to demand the right of self-determination for the indigenous African people of Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia. The honourable task of opening this conference has, therefore, fallen to me, an Africanist, and I wish to thank the Central Committee for the honour. I am particularly grateful for the opportunity this offers me to treat briefly of certain issues relevant to our struggle which, though adequately treated in the documents that will be considered by this Convention, require to be presented to such a gathering. I hope, then, Mr. Speaker, in the course of my address, to answer broadly questions pertaining to our stand in contemporary international politics, our relation to the states of Afrika, both independent and dependent, our attitude to the entire nationalist movement in Afrika, our stand on the question of Race in general and the so-called racial question in South Africa. Finally, I hope to outline briefly our ultimate objectives. 10




INTERNATIONAL SCENE:


We are living today, Sons and Daughters of the Soil, fighters in the cause of Afrikan freedom, we are living today in an era that is pregnant with untold possibilities for both good and evil. In the course of the past two years we have seen man breaking asunder, with dramatic suddenness, the chains that have bound his mind, solving problems which for ages it has been regarded as sacrilege even to attempt to solve. The tremendous, epoch-making scientific achievements in the exploration of space, with man-made satellites orbiting the earth, the new and interesting discoveries made in the Geophysical Year, the production of rust-resistant strains of wheat in the field of agriculture, the amazing discoveries in the fields of medicine, chemistry and physics - all these, mean that man is well on the way to establishing absolute control over that environment.
However, in spite of all these rapid advances in the material and physical world, man appears to be either unwilling or unable to solve the problem of social relations between man and man. Because of this failure on the part of man, we see the world split today into two large hostile blocks, the so-called Capitalist and Socialist blocks represented by the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union respectively. These two blocks are engaged in terrible competition, use tough language and tactics, employ brinkmanship stunts which have the whole world heading for a nervous breakdown. They each are armed with terrible weapons of destruction and continue to spend millions of pounds in the production of more and more of these weapons. In spite of all the diplomatic talk of co-existence, these blocks each behave as though they did not believe that co-existence was possible. 11




AFRIKA'S POSITION:


The question then arises, where does Afrika fit into this picture and where, particularly, do we African nationalists, we Afrikanists in South Afrika, fit in? There is no doubt that with the liquidation of Western imperialism and colonialism in Asia, the Capitalist market has shrunk considerably. As a result, Afrika has become the happy-hunting ground of adventuristic capital. There is again a scramble for Afrika and both the Soviet Union and the United States of America are trying to win the loyalty of the African States. Afrika is being wooed with more ardour than she has ever been. There is a lot of flirting going on, of course, some Africans [are] flirting with the Soviet camp, and others with the American camp.

In some cases the courtship has reached a stage where the parties are going out together; and they probably hold hands in the dark but nowhere has it yet reached a stage where the parties can kiss in public without blushing.
This wooing occurs at a time when the whole continent of Afrika is in labour, suffering the pangs of a new birth and everybody is looking anxiously and expectantly towards Afrika to see, as our people so aptly put it "ukuthi iyozala nkomoni (what creature will come forth). We are being wooed internationally at a time when in South Africa the naked forces of savage Herrenvolkism are running riot; when a determined effort is being made to annihilate the Afrikan people through systematic starvation; at a time when brutal attempts are being made to retard, dwarf and stunt the mental development of a whole people through organised "miseducation"; at a time when thousands of our people roam the streets in search of work and are being told by the foreign ruler to go 12


back to a "home'' which he has assigned them, whether that means the break up of their families or not; at a time when the distinctive badge of slavery and humiliation, the "dom pass" is being extended from the Afrikan male dog to the African female bitch. It is at this time, when fascist tyranny has reached its zenith in South Africa, that Afrika's loyalty is being competed for. And the question is, what is our answer?
Our answer, Mr. Speaker and children of the Soil, has been given by the African leaders of the continent. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah has repeatedly stated that in international affairs, Afrika wishes to pursue a policy of positive neutrality, allying herself to neither of the existing blocs but, in the words of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria, remaining "independent in all things but neutral in none that affect the destiny of Afrika". Mr. Tom Mboya of Kenya has expressed himself more forthrightly, declaring that it is not the intention of African states to change one master (western imperialism) for another (Soviet hegemony). We endorse the views of the African leaders on this point. But we must point out that we are not blind to the fact that the countries*which pursue a policy of planned state economy*have outstripped, in industrial development, those that follow the path of private enterprise. Today, China is industrially far ahead of India. Unfortunately, however, this rapid industrial development has been accompanied in all cases by a rigid totalitarianism notwithstanding Mao Tse Tung's "Hundred Flowers" announcement. * Africanists reject totalitarianism in any form and accept political democracy as understood in the west. We also reject the economic exploitation of the many for the benefit of a few. We accept as policy the equitable distribution of wealth aiming, as far as I am concerned, to equality of income which to me is the only basis on which the slogan of "equal opportunities" can be founded. Borrowing then the best from the East and the best from the West we nonetheless retain and maintain our distinctive personality and refuse to be the satraps or stooges of either power block. 13

RELATIONS TO STATES IN AFRIKA


Our relation to the States in Afrika may be stated precisely and briefly by quoting from George Padmore's book, 'Pan Africanism or Communism'. Discussing the future of Afrika, Padmore observes that "there is a growing feeling among politically conscious Africans throughout the continent that their destiny is one, that what happens in one part of Afrika to Afrikans must affect Afrikans living in other parts". We honour Ghana as the first independent state in modern Afrika which, under the courageous nationalist leadership of Dr. Nkrumah and the Convention People's Party, has actively interested itself in the liberation of the whole continent from White domination, and has held out the vision of a democratic United States of Afrika. We regard it as the sacred duty of every African state to strive ceaselessly and energetically for the creation of a United States of Afrika stretching from Cape to Cairo, Morocco to Madagascar. The days of small, independent countries are gone. Today we have, on the one hand, great powerful countries of the world; America and Russia cover huge tracts of land territorially and number hundreds of millions in population. On the other hand the small weak independent countries of Europe are beginning to realise that for their own survival they have to form military and economic federations, hence NATO and the European market.
Beside the sense of a common historical fate that we share with the other countries of Afrika, it is imperative, for purely practical reasons that the whole of Afrika be united into a single unit, centrally controlled. Only in that way can we solve the immense problems that face the continent. 14




NATIONAL MOVEMENTS IN AFRIKA:


It is for the reasons stated above that we admire, bless and identify ourselves with the entire nationalist movements in Afrika. They are the core, the basic units, the individual cells of that large organism envisaged, namely, the United States of Afrika; a union of free, sovereign independent democratic states of Afrika. For the lasting peace of Afrika and the solution of the economic, social and political problems of the continent, there needs must be a democratic principle.

This means that White supremacy, under whatever guise it manifests itself, must be destroyed. And that is what the nationalists on the continent are setting out to do. They all are agreed that the African majority must rule. In the African context, it is the overwhelming African majority that will mould and shape the content of democracy. Allow me to quote Dr. Dubois, the father of Pan Africanism: "Most men in the world", writes Dubois, "are coloured. A belief in humanity means a belief in coloured men. The future of the world will, in all reasonable possibility, be what coloured men make it". As for the world, so for Afrika. The future of Afrika will be what Afrikans make it.
THE RACE QUESTION:


And now for the thorny question of race. I do not wish to give a lengthy and learned dissertation on Race. Suffice it to say that even those scientists who do recognise the existence of separate races, have to admit that there are border line cases which will not fit into any of the three Races of mankind. All scientists agree that all men 15


can trace their ancestry back to the first Homo Sapiens, that man is distinguished from other mammals and also from earlier types of man by the nature of his intelligence. The structure of the body of man provides evidence to prove the biological unity of the human species. All scientists agree that there is no "race" that is superior to another, and there is no "race" that is inferior to others. The Africanists take the view that there is only one race to which we all belong, and that is the human race. In our vocabulary therefore, the word 'race' as applied to man, has no plural form. We do, however, admit the existence of observable physical differences between various groups of people, but these differences are the result of a number of factors, chief among which has been geographical isolation.

In Afrika the myth of race has been propounded and propagated by the imperialists and colonialists from Europe, in order to facilitate and justify their inhuman exploitation of the indigenous people of the land. It is from this myth of race with its attendant claims of cultural superiority that the doctrine of white supremacy stems. Thus it is that an ex-engine driver can think of himself as fully qualified to be the head of the government of an African state, but refuse to believe that a highly educated black doctor, more familiar with Western culture than the White premier is, cannot even run a municipal council.
I do not wish to belabor this point. Time is precious. Let me close discussion of this topic by declaring, on behalf of the Africanists, that with UNESCO we hold that "every man is his brother's keeper. For every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main, because he is involved in mankind". 16




IN SOUTH AFRIKA:


In South Africa we recognise the existence of national groups, which are the result of geographical origin within a certain area as well as a shared historical experience of these groups. The Europeans are a foreign minority group, which has exclusive control of political, economic, social and military power. It is the dominant group. It is the exploiting group, responsible for the pernicious doctrine of White Supremacy, which has resulted in the humiliation, and degradation of the indigenous African people. It is this group which has dispossessed the African people of their land and with arrogant conceit has set itself up as the "guardians", the "trustees" of the Africans. It is this group which conceives of the African people as a child nation, composed of Boys and Girls, ranging in age from 120 years to one day. It is this group which, after 300 years, can still state with brazen effrontery that the Native, the Bantu, the Kaffir is still backward and savage etc. But they still want to remain "guardians", "trustees", and what have you, of the African people. In short, it is this group which has mismanaged affairs in South Africa just as their kith and kin are mismanaging affairs in Europe. It is from this group that the most rabid race baiters and agitators come. It is members of this group who, whenever they meet in their Parliament, say things, which agitate the hearts of millions of peace-loving Africans. This is the group, which turns out thousands of experts on that new South African Science - the Native mind.
Then there is the Indian foreign minority group. This group came to this country not as imperialists or colonialists, but as indentured labourers. In the South African set-up of today, this group is an oppressed minority. But there are some members of this group, the merchant class in particular, who have become 17


tainted with the virus of cultural supremacy and national arrogance. This class identifies itself by and large with the oppressor but, significantly, this is the group, which provides the political leadership of the Indian people in South Africa. And all that the politics of this class have meant up to now is preservation and defence of the sectional interests of the Indian merchant class. The down-trodden, poor "stinking coolies" of Natal who, alone, as a result of the pressure of material conditions, can identify themselves with the indigenous African majority in the struggle to overthrow White supremacy, have not yet produced their leadership. We hope they will do so soon. The Africans constitute the indigenous group and form the majority of the population. They are the most ruthlessly exploited and are subjected to humiliation, degradation and insult. Now it is our contention that true democracy can be established in South Africa and on the continent as a whole, only when White supremacy has been destroyed. And the illiterate and semi-literate African masses constitute the key and centre and content of any struggle for true democracy in South Africa. And the African people can be organised only under the banner of African nationalism in an All-African Organisation where they will by themselves formulate policies and programmes and decide on the methods of struggle without interference from either so-called left-wing or right-wing groups of the minorities who arrogantly appropriate to themselves the right to plan and think for the Africans.
We wish to emphasise that the freedom of the Afrikan means the freedom of all in South Africa, the European included, because only the Afrikan can guarantee the establishment of a genuine democracy in which all men will be citizens of a common state and will live and be governed as individuals and not as distinctive sectional groups. 18




OUR ULTIMATE GOALS:


In conclusion, I wish to state that the Afrikanists do not at all subscribe to the fashionable doctrine of South African exceptionalism. Our contention is that South A frika is an integral part of the indivisible whole that is Afrika. She cannot solve her problems in isolation from and with utter disregard of the rest of the continent. It is precisely for that reason that we reject both apartheid and so-called multi-racialism as solutions of our socio-economic problems. Apart from the number of reasons and arguments that can be advanced against apartheid, we take our stand on the principle that Afrika is one and desires to be one and nobody, I repeat, nobody has the right to balkanise our land. Against multi-racialism we have this objection, that the history of South Africa has fostered group prejudices and antagonisms, and if we have to maintain the same group exclusiveness, parading under the term of multi-racialism, we shall be transporting to the new Afrika these very antagonisms and conflicts. Further, multi-racialism is in fact a pandering to European bigotry and arrogance. It is a method of safeguarding white interests, implying as it does, proportional representation irrespective of population figures. In that sense it is a complete negation of democracy. To us the term "multi-racialism" implies that there are such basic insuperable differences between the various national groups here that the best course is to keep them permanently distinctive in a kind of democratic apartheid. That to us is racialism multiplied, which probably is what the term truly connotes.
We aim, politically, at government of the Africans by the Africans, for the Africans, with everybody who owes his only loyalty to Afrika and who is prepared to accept the democratic rule of an African 19


majority being regarded as an African. We guarantee no minority rights, because we think in terms of individuals, not groups. Economically we aim at the rapid extension of industrial development in order to alleviate pressure on the land, which is what progress means in terms of modem society. We stand committed to a policy guaranteeing the most equitable distribution of wealth. Socially we aim at the full development of the human personality and a ruthless uprooting and outlawing of all forms or manifestations of the racial myth. To sum it up we stand for an Africanist Socialist Democracy. Here is a tree rooted in African soil, nourished with waters from the rivers of Afrika. Come and sit under its shade and become, with us, the leaves of the same branch and the branches of the same tree. Sons and Daughters of Afrika, I declare this inaugural convention of the Africanists open!
IZWE LETHU!!

"THE STATE OF THE PAN-AFRICAN REVOLUTION AND GROUND REPORT FROM SOUTH AFRIKA AND ZIMBABWE!"

Worldwide webcast! Chairman Malik Zulu Shabazz, Esq.  will deliver a live webcast from House of Lord Church in Brooklyn NY. This Thursday April 11.    subject: "THE STATE OF THE PAN-AFRICAN REVOLUTION AND GROUND REPORT FROM SOUTH AFRIKA AND ZIMBABWE!" Joining will be Pastor Ted Sutton and delegation members. Time: April 11th at  7pm est 6 pm cst and 5 pm west and 4pm est and 3am Africa Time:  SPREAD THE WORD AND SEE IT LIVE AT www.newblackpanther.com

NEW BLACK PANTHERS MAKE GROUND WITH PAN- AFRICANIST MOVEMENTS OF AZANIA (SOUTH AFRICA)
 

 
Pledge to liberate Africans by Any Means Necessary
BY Chawn Saddam Kweli


“A long overdue family reunion”, is the way Attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz, National Chairman and organizer of the New Black Panther Party( NBPP) describes the historic meetings of  his organization, based in the United States,  with 30 national chapters and several international bases, and the revolutionary Pan- Afrikanist Congress of Azania( PAC), whose President is Letlapa Mphahlele, with a steady seat in Parliament of Azania, known by the criminal settler name of South Africa in the Western hemisphere and many parts of the world. The PAC has a lengthy history of struggle at various stages of its existence, going all the way back to the great leadership of the Honorable Robert M. Sobukwe.  The connection marks the first time that two revolutionary groups joined forces, to begin what is now known as the “Revolutionary Roots Tour.” The main objective of the tour is to connect the African of the Continent with the lost and disjointed African or Black Family of the Diaspora.  The circumstances surrounding this historic movement, is a tragic event in time, called the Sharpeville Massacre.  The Massacre at Sharpeville occurred in the black township of Sharpeville in South Africa. This is place where the police fired on a crowd of blacks, killing over 69 of them and wounding some 250 of them. It was one of the first and most violent demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid by definition is a “system of racial discrimination and segregation.”  Formalized in 1948, this system produced, the base, for political and economic rule by the white  settler population, and severely restricted the political rights of the Black African, who are the majority of the population in Azania (South Africa). The African National Congress (ANC) due to ideological shifts has become the primary opposition to the PAC but not sole opposition to the party.  The ANC’s role in “selling out the people” , and “failing to deliver to the masses of Black people ”  has left a sour taste in many of the revolutionary PAC cadre.
During the 1960’s through 1990, the African National Congress (ANC) and other mainly black opposition political organizations were banned. The National Party headed by F.W.  DeKlerk the seventh and last State President of the former apartheid-era- South Africa cracked down on all black opposition to apartheid. Leaders of ANC and PAC and other opposing forces were imprisoned, exiled, or killed.
The Pan-Afrikanist Congress (PAC) came to birth in 1959, and from its inception the organization, focused on the treatment of Black people in Africa. A countrywide demonstration was called by the PAC on March 21, 1960, for the abolition of pass laws in Azania.  The demonstration participants were instructed to surrender their passes and invite arrest as the form of protest.  20,000 black protesters gathered near a police station in Sharpeville.  In response to the protest approximately  69 blacks were killed and more than 180 wounded,( some studies suggest more)  some 50 women and children being among those hurt or killed.  A state of emergency was declared in South Africa and more than 11,000 people were detained.  PAC became a serious threat to the Apartheid regime, and colonial forces of South Africa. The PAC became outlawed and was fought against at every turn.  PAC’s organization and the incident helped focus international attention to the  South African apartheid policy.  Subsequently, President Nelson Mandela  chose Sharpeville as the site at which, on December 10, 1996, he signed into law the country’s new constitution. The PAC rejects any notion that there are strident gains since the release of President Mandela, from prison in the highest seat of the land- The Office of Presidency. The PAC teaches its mission is to,” liberate the minds and hearts of African people from white domination, and the remnants of the Apartheid forces.   Commander Chris Sankara, a PAC loyalist and Azanian Peoples Liberation commander, said (Azania) remains impoverished, uneducated, and unequal in many areas, while at the same time the rich are continuing to get richer… he adds, “these new age oppressive taskmasters continue to brutalize and murder our people“The complexion of the oppressor has only switched from all white faces, to highly placed black faces.”
Commander Sankara played a pivotal role in uniting the two Pan- Afrikanist organizations, the NBPP and PAC.  He says he stayed in communication with Attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz for “well over a year”, communicating going back and forth to get the every detail right. Commander Sankara fought against invading forces in the early 90’s, via armed struggle and pushed back the criminal settler racist. The Whiteman’s Colonial forces caved due to extreme losses and unbeknownst to Commander Sankara and the APLA soldiers, who were in exile in Tanzania, the leadership of the PAC and the colonial forces of the Whiteman came to the table and told PAC members, that both sides called for a ceasefire, which was a total lie and aberration of the truth.  The APLA forces were still in combat and unaware of the apparent “Peace Treaty” until much later, after they arrived home from exile. The Leadership of the PAC announced that it would “suspended its armed struggle”, and that it would take part in (Azania’s) South Africa's first universal suffrage election on April 27, 1994. The South African General Election of 1994 was an election held to “ begin the end of apartheid”, and was the first to include, what was known as Universal Adult Suffrage, PAC supporters say, “ the election was a trick to wrest away power from the masses of African people” . Conducted by the  Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), the Peace treaty also called for, the Azanian People’s Liberation Army ( APLA), In the 1960s, APLA commander Potlako Leballo modeled the APLA on  the basis of other indigenous liberation armies,  Templeton Ntantala was his deputy. The APLA, then known as Poqo, in 1976, APLA received 500 recruits and carried out missions to defend the people of Azania. The APLA forces adapted the battle cry of "one settler, one bullet” and in the early 90’s became known for its willingness to fight the colonial forces at all cost.   The mainstream progress of  negotiations at the Convention for a Democratic South Africa, became a military tactic that by  1994, gained PAC a seat in Parliament  but forced  APLA to be  absorbed into the new South African National Defense Force (SANDF).
Those loyal to the principles of Robert M. Sobukwe refused to accept the agreement and do not view it as valid, whether in the SANDF or not. APLA forces,  joined an estimated 10,000-member, multi-party national peacekeeping force within the government,  in essence co-opting the struggle of liberation to a position of weakness rather than the  position due to the ultimate choice of former PAC Party President Clarence Makwetu. President Makwetu said he made this change because his organizations, “commitment to peace and free and fair elections." A re-newed vision” and “directional change” were what’s needed to Commander Sankara as he has seen the effects of the Post- Apartheid era first hand.  This became the backbone to the entire tour and the motivation of the trip,  which spanned a total of 8 townships and provinces of Johannesburg, South Africa all the way to Zimbabwe to meet with leading officials, from the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (Zanu- PF party) led by the Pan- Afrikanist firebrand, President Robert Mugabe.   The 8 person delegation from the United States(U.S.) consisted of high ranking New Black Panther Party Officials, All- African People’s Revolutionary Party (GC)  represented by Bob Brown, organizer with the Student Non violent Coordinating Committee(SNCC) and Kwame Ture’ (formerly Stokely Carmichael), Pastor Ted Sutton, a Baltimore, Maryland based  youth pastor, founder of, “ The Ministers of Defense” a mentorship program that teaches about self respect, decency, and curbing Black  violence among so-called gangs and finally a beautiful, bold,  Black woman,  from the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s, Nation of Islam under the direction of  Minister Louis Farrakhan in Phoenix, Arizona, named Sister Khameelah Shabazz who has studied with the Muslims Girls Training Classes(MGT) since 1975. The schedule was jam packed, and O.R. TAMBO or Oliver Tambo Airport, named after a former President of the ANC was the first port of entry into this monumental occasion.  From the moment the New Black Panthers and delegation stepped off the plane (piloted and stewarded by Black Africans) into the airport they were greeted and received, with the cheers and applause and embraces of love from our brothers and sisters of the PAC.  Family who has waited 400 long years to greet each other now had the chance.  The mood was electric as banners of PAC streamed the airport and voices yelling “Welcome Home.”  Nothing but love, and the 9 member delegation took time to breathe all this in, but there was no time to waste.  The first stop was PAC headquarters to meet with key leadership and time was ticking.  The Delegation rushed off into a caravan of cars and trained members of the APLA forces took the lead in ensuring the safety of the NBPP delegation, and its membership, meanwhile, the NBPP was equally watchful of its leadership and delegation as the threats against this united front were flying from all around.  Members of opposing White parties threatened to do harm, it was clear the criminal settler racist, were vehemently, concerned with the apparent overthrow of the old slave Apartheid ways.  As the NBPP delegation and PAC commanders pulled into headquarters, the African’s were everywhere, stunned at the arrival of their long lost brothers and sister, who are now dressed in Black Battle fatigues, berets, and patches that read, “Freedom or Death.”   Panthers said “hey brother, we missed you” as they got out and walked into the marble tower offices of the PAC headquarters.  The office was packed from wall to wall with membership of the PAC, both high ranking and rank and file, all excited to see their African Revolutionary family, whose ancestors left as slaves but have now returned, as warriors for African people.  Attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz received standing ovation as he championed the cause of Pan- Africanism and talked about the importance of the serious days ahead. He reminded the audience sternly, “The same rabid dogs that bite you, bite us too, we are one!” It was this attitude that set the tone or the entire tour. The commemoration of Sharpeville (March 21st) is considered a National Holiday in Azania, and it is one that has continued for several years, however the commemoration has not happened without a fight. Segments of the ANC have taken the militant and tragic tone away from the event and now instead of the focus being the massacre at Sharpeville, it has now been reduced to something President Mandela calls “Human Rights Day says PAC organizer Lehlohonolo Shale – Branch Chairman of Pimville/ Klipspruit” Comrade Shale calls this a “tragic departure from the original concept of the commemoration.”  PAC leadership under the voice of Commander Chris Sankara  laugh at this attempt to re-write this tragedy of Azania, and continue to hold their own commemoration independent or the ANC and even some of their own PAC reformist leadership.
Chris Sankara and others like him are hard-line fundamental Pan- Afrikanist revolutionaries; they refuse to allow the mainstream politics of this new ANC leadership or watered down figures within the highest ranks of the PAC to dilute what was started by the venerable founder Robert Sobukwe. They hold their own commemoration every year, and make sure that there is massive support from the staunch PAC members and the downtrodden Blackman and woman in Azania, who want freedom coupled with their land.    Thousands pour into the streets shouting “Izwe- Lethu” meaning “the land is ours.”  Attorney Malik Shabazz and delegation walked to the very spots where members of the Sharpeville Massacre were slain.  Attorney Shabazz was shocked, as the ages of the murdered became younger and younger. He hugged, embraced, shook hands, and kissed the hands of the mothers, who lost sons, uncles, fathers, brothers, husbands, companions and the like. The delegation could not believe its eyes, as they read the names of those who lost their lives, just for standing up to a brutal color struck regime and those who knew that the pass laws were/ are unjust. At the same time the ANC hosted its own Human rights day, and as they took the stage PAC and the NBPP took to a high stage, with a waterfall behind them to address a massive crowd, which had formed. Attorney Shabazz who stands around 6’ 7’ inches tall was at an advantage as he was able to be seen from far away, with no microphone, no megaphone, he yelled “ Izwe- Lethu” and the massive crowd of thousands yelled in return “ I- Africa” meaning “Africa is our Land.”   With their attention the National Chairman of the New Black Panther Party, and founder of the U.S. based Black Lawyers for Justice went to work and began to talk about the foundational aims of PAC, the position of the NBPP, and a United States of Africa.  As he spoke more people came in from the streets, singing revolutionary Azanian songs, and instead of stopping them, Attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz encouraged them to sing louder and in his words, “come on with that!”  The Atty. Shabazz said, “You give me life with that.”, “Even though I don’t know all the words, because the Whiteman stole our language, your soul and your spirit gives me life.”  Atty. Shabazz told the audience this was, “his first time in Africa, but not his last.” The crowd erupted with applause and cheers of “Black Power.”  As the Delegation made its way through the thousands of spirited Africans, they made their way to the streets, only to be greeted by more members of PAC and community.  The Delegation ran in the streets with fist pumping and hearts beating as they made their way to the awaiting PAC Rally “under the tent.” This was to bring all the PAC loyalist and top brass together and that’s exactly what it did. The tent featured top members of the PAC and veteran freedom fighters of the Azanian stuggle with a banner of PAC in hand; we marched to the Sharpeville cemetery, where the fallen warriors were laid to rest.   Delegates we’re told to pick up pebbles and place them on the gravesites of those who lost their lives at the hands of the Apartheid regimes.  Attorney Malik Shabazz and delegation walked past each of the graves, over 69 in all, and laid pebbles on the headstones. The youngest to be killed was just 13 years old.  From there we walked the streets of Sharpeville singing revolutionary songs, only  to be greeted by an impromptu African dance/ drum session, by a the PAC youth group,  Classic Youth dance Corps.  They preformed their hearts out dancing in traditional African attire. They were happy to see the NBPP and delegation, and agreed that wherever Attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz and his delegation go in Africa, they want to go also. All who participated where overtaken, by the magnitude of all that gathering. The next day the delegation made its way to Kliptown, a small Ghetto of Azania where some of the roughest parts and examples of the post Apartheid era politics remain.  Poverty and need of Blacks run high in this area, as Attorney Shabazz and delegation walked this neighborhood they saw tin houses, impure water, health conditions and looks of despair.
Residents told the delegation that “Politicians only come to see about us for election times.” In essence they squeeze the votes out of the people with false promises of improvement only to deceive after the election process is over.  The NBPP and delegation stopped by homes in Kliptown along with roadside businesses to give away Rand (South African Currency) worth   thousands of dollars in U.S. money, not for fame or fortune- NO, this was done just to pick the people’s spirits up and give them the inspiration they need to keep pressing on. From there the delegation walked into a small section of the town that housed a center called Soweto Kliptown Youth orphanage (SKY), this recreational center serves as a home for orphans, some who have no mother or father, or may have lost both. Immediately the entire delegation gravitated to the children who although poor and parentless, had “some of the greatest spirits he had ever seen” Atty. Shabazz recalls. The orphanage was directed by a young spiritual Blackman named Bob affectionately called “Bo Bo” by the youth. What was next no one could prepare Atty. Malik Shabazz or the delegation for. Brother Bob had the children perform; a musical they created called “The More You Give, The More You Have.” It was worthy of a slot on Broadway, based upon their lives and being able to persevere by being good to others. These children although impoverished danced and sang their hearts out, so much so, Atty.Shabazz and his delegation we’re up on their feet dancing and singing as well, as the request of some of the performers who wanted them to dance  right along with them. Attorney Shabazz and delegation we’re so moved, they donated the Rand value of 3,000 dollars in U.S. value to the orphanage and have promised with the permission of the director to adopt the orphanage and financially support it by any means necessary.
As the delegation travel throughout Azania, Attorney Shabazz reminded the delegation, “we are the People’s servants”, and our people all over the world need service.”  Every member of the Delegation pledged, to do more about the conditions of our people in Africa, and to do much more for Black people the United States. Another Glaring highlight of the trip was Zimbabwe, as the National Chairman chartered a plane and made his way to the Pan- Afrikanist nation, which is now currently fighting off U.S. sanctions and economic stranglehold, Atty. Shabazz met with key cabinet members including: secretary of publicity and information comrade gumbo, Director of External Relations comrade Jonga, Secretary of woman’s Affairs Comrade Oppah comrade Mariaere, director of transportation, Secretary General Dr. Mutassa and Zanu- PF of Azania official Linda Gondo. Atty. Shabazz and delegation were hosted by comrade Chen Chetumengwende, an advisor to President Mugabe and Pan- African organizer. They all were instructed to come representing President Mugabe also, to hear what Atty. Malik Shabazz and the delegation had to say. It was a meeting of the minds as Atty. Shabazz laid out a solid case of solidarity, unity, and comradery.  Atty. Shabazz called for an end to U.S.  Sanctions against Zimbabwe, and spoke of the work that the New Black Panther Party and his legal group, Black Lawyers For justice we’re willing to do in the United States.  He also pledged to help expose the west to the real aims and objectives of the Presidency of Mr. Mugabe, and make Americans aware of President Mugabe, ZANU-PF the great good that they are doing and have done for Zimbabwe and oppressed Black people. ZANU- PF was so overjoyed, that their comrade and brother from the New Black Panther Party, would pledge such solidarity under tough times and economic hardship that they demanded he have a meeting with the President himself.  Atty. Shabazz was elated, and was asked to stay another day- which he did. The next day the two Parties reconvened, and Atty. Shabazz was scheduled to meet with President Robert Mugabe, even receiving word that Mr. Mugabe was asking about him and his Party, however, due to upcoming elections and serious party matters at hand, his meeting with key leaders ran over and President Mugabe unfortunately had to postpone the meeting and attend the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa) conference.  Atty. Shabazz made it clear, “we strongly endorse President Robert Mugabe in the upcoming elections”, “to support this effort we will hold a major webcast within the next 60 days via our website (newblackpanther.com) and other allied sites.”  The Chairman also unveiled actual facts on opportunities, for Black people in the West to mine producing diamonds and gold, to work independently for self, as he learned during the course of his visit to Zimbabwe.  Atty. Shabazz views the entire trip as a success and says, “this provides a strong beachhead for Pan African relations in Zimbabwe and worldwide.” He added, “We have also established the NBPP in Azania and Zimbabwe.”  Atty. Shabazz and the delegation are eternally thankful to have the opportunity to visit their mother country, and although some never get the chance, or find the means to make such an audacious move, Atty. Shabazz says, “this was the first time for some of us in Azania (South Africa), but it won’t be our last.”
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