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Word to the People It is often stated that the youth are our future, and that if we want our future to be promising we must give them the guidance to be successful members of this society. In the Black, Brown and Red communities of Amerika, the youth are being sucked up by the prison industrial complex, and falling victim to homicide and self-destruction. If it is true that these youth are our future, then unless we get involved in their lives, and reclaim control of our communities, we're in a lot of trouble. In assessing how our youth and community are being consumed by the prison system it must be noted that, at the dawn of the 21st century, the United States of Amerika has a cumulative incarceration populace of 2.7 million citizens of varied ethnicities-a non-negotiable figure that exceeds the prison population of China, which stands at 500,000, in a nation of over 1 billion people. The population of United States barely exceeds 291 million. Throughout the first three quarters of the 20th century, the U.S. incarceration rate remained relatively stable, at about 110 prison inmates for every 100,000 people. In the mid-1970s the rate began to climb, doubling in the 1980s, and again in the 1990s. The rate now is estimated at around 760 per 110,000. Among adult men between the ages of 18 to 34 it is estimated at 1,160 per 100,000. 45% are of Alkebulanian (Black/Afrikan) descent. It
is no coincidence that the majority of the people incarcerated in
Amerika's gulags are poor people and people of color. Without question,
the conditions of the Black, Brown and Red community(s) in Amerika
are designed and rooted in the legacy of racism, kapital exploitation,
and apartheid/Jim Crow politics. We too, are to blame for the current
dismal state of our communities. The physical poverty of the community,
for instance, is the It
must be emphasized that the youth emulate what they see us do, and
also what they witness in the community. If we act responsibly,
so will they. If we demonstrate responsibility and positive conduct
and instill such values in them, they will act accordingly. If we
don't teach them how to be responsible and respectful, they will
turn to the streets for guidance. And, if the streets are saturated
in negativity and criminal conduct, their attitude and behavior
will reflect such. I base everything stated herein on My parents were a part of the Black consciousness movement in the 60s and 70s and tried to influence me and my two brothers with those experiences. They encouraged us to read, to be righteous, and to take pride in our Alkebulanian heritage, but they didn't lead by example. Well, Mama did, but not Pops. Pops had his problems with drugs and alcohol and was abusive to Mama, and that's what I picked up. Pops and Mama split when I was nine years old, and although he stayed in touch, without his presence and discipline the household became fragile, and we (my eldest brother and I) wandered. To top it off, Mama became preoccupied with three jobs and thus had no time for us. We fell into the politics of street life and became the antithesis of everything our parents wanted us to be. Mama and Pops tried to reach out to us, years down the line, but it was too late. Had our parents and the parents of those we ran with in the streets been involved in our lives on a consistent basis, led by example, and helped shape the community in a positive sense, most of us probably would have become productive members of society. I've been in prison since 1993, and before that in and out of group homes and juvenile detentions. All of the brothers (and a few sisters) who I came up with are either dead, in prison, or strung out on drugs and alcohol. The community failed us, and it failed itself. I'm not suggesting that an individual is not responsible for his or her own actions. For I'm the first to point a finger at myself. I'm only highlighting the fact that such actions are shaped by one's upbringing and, like the Afrikan proverb says, "It takes a village to raise a child"- translation: the child belongs to the community and therefore the community is responsible for the child. If the child succeeds, the community succeeds, and likewise when it fails. Investing in the youth/community and building educational institutions and programs designed to edify the youth and community as a whole will not obliterate every problem that we as a community face, but it will definitely improve our condition and curtail many dilemmas that result from the lack of structure and opportunity. Here
are some ideas for community development: Conclusion I write these words, not only to persuade, but to encourage you to get involved with the affairs of the community and embrace all of the community youth, as if they were your own children. We can't save the world, but we can save our communities, and this is no one's responsibility other than own. On that note, I will conclude, and pray that Allah (God) will bless us all with direction and guide us to greater promise, greater than this world can offer. Peace!!! Yours in Continued Struggle, Kamau
Tebogo Zulu Damali Kamau
Tebogo Zulu Damali is housed in Wisconsin's sole supermax, the Wisconsin
Secure Program Facility. He describes himself as a self-educated
man who has been learning Swahili and dreams of receiving a college
degree if ever released. He is helping his wife-to-be plan the founding
of a nonprofit organization for underprivileged children in Washington,
D.C. Kamau recently completed a book entitled, Prison Letters, and
is working on a second, called Poetic Revolution. He is looking
for progressive publisher http://www.prisonersolidarity.org/RaynellMorgan.htm [You may contact Kamau T. Z. Damali directly by writing to him at the address listed above. The following link offers tips for writing to prisoners: http://prisonersolidarity.org/TipsForWritingPrisoners.htm |
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