Written by Abbas Muntaqim
Back in 2016, on the eve of Black History Month (BHM), I found myself questioning the current state of BHM. It was clear as day that Black History Month had been de-radicalized and commodified by corporations, stripping away the revolutionary struggle of our history only to sell a sanitized version back to us. This motivated me to re-frame the discussion of Black history, and instead center the Black Radical tradition, which led to the creation of Black Radical Month, which highlighted Black radicals across decades of struggle. This was by no means a diss to Carter G. Woodson, the founder of Black History Month, but rather an effort to re-center our history with its rich revolutionary roots-a direction I believe Carter G. himself would have supported, given the current neo-colonial cooptation of Black History Month.
For those of us dedicated to transforming society from a state of colonial captivity to one of independence, it's essential to critically meditate (word to Yaki) on the past and adapt to meet the challenges of today. This reflection brought me to a realization: we must evolve beyond the “Black” identity into one that truly honors our Afrikan heritage, and the struggle we face here in this land called amerika. It is thus vital to re-frame Black Radical Month to focus on the New Afrikan Identity, while simultaneously learning from the lives of conscious New Afrikans.
ON “BLACKNESS”
Decolonization involves liberating ourselves from our settler colonial oppressors, and becoming free individuals worthy of human dignity! Yet how far are we truly willing to decolonize? Do we entirely reject western influence over our lives? Or do we pick and choose what we like from what the west has defined us as?
It is of my opinion that the clearest marker of how far we are willing to decolonize undoubtedly comes down to our understanding of race and how we identify. The concept of race itself is a western construction, as Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, a German so-called “scholar”, created different racial classifications in order to back up the pseudo claim that Europeans are the cradle of humanity. Consequently, “Blackness” was born not by our own definition, but rather by european eugenicists, who have no concern about our humanity. Why then, do we identify as “Black”? Does this identity tie us to our homeland? Or does it tie us to a color, in which most of our skin is not even jet black.
Throughout our experience as New Afrikans living in amerika, our identification has always evolved. We went from being called niggers, to identifying and being identified as negroes, to Black, to African amerikans. While ‘Black’ as an identity was born out of the Black Power movement as a term of empowerment to combat the racist settler colonial terrorism of the Jim Crow South, the term still is not an all encompassing identity. Even Kwame Ture, one of the biggest proponents of the phrase “Black Power”, abandoned it, and rather developed a Pan-Afrikan perspective. And while we at People's Programs still use ‘Black' today, it’s in a strategic and dialectical approach to start a conversation that ultimately leads to evolving from identifying as ‘Black’ to evolving to the New Afrikan identity. And I get the feelings of empowerment that it brings, but emotions aside, we must critically examine its relevance as a sole identifier in 2024.
Now if you’re still not feelin’ me, let's do a lil thought exercise, as an example to see how backwards this solely identifying as Black is.
If a Chinese person identified solely as “yellow” while disregarding their Chinese heritage we would probably ask them why they hate themselves.
If a Mexican person solely identified as “brown” rather than with their national, and or indigenous heritage, we would call them confused.
If a native person solely identified with “red” rather than their tribal nation, we too might look at them in a state of confusion
Given these contexts, why are we running around calling ourselves Black? “Blackness” does not tie us to our homeland, a civilization, or even a tribe. Thus it’s important for us to develop a national identity based on our collective history and most importantly land! Here lies the importance of the New Afrikan Identity. Sundiata Acoli, a former Political Prisoner of War (PPOW), who was captured alongside Assatu Shakur on the New Jersey Turnpike, helps contextualize the New Afrikan identity: We use the term "New Afrikan", instead of Black, to define ourselves as an Afrikan people who have been forcibly transplanted to a new land and formed into a "New Afrikan nation" in North America.
Furthermore, Jalil Muntaqim, a former PPOW, adds more context to the definition of New Afrikan:
“We call ourselves New Afrikan because of the degree of force breeding and miscegenation we as a people have suffered, as well as cultural imperialism – the psychological plunder and rape of our affinity to Afrika – stripping away our Afrikan language, art and world outlook and national oppression, which in our efforts to combat have created a national heritage rich in resistance based on two ideals of integration and/or separation. These experiences left us stripped of our Afrikanist perspective despite miscegenation and cultural imperialism, encompassing those experiences into an Afrikan national heritage in diaspora, creating the New Afrikan Independence Movement.”
This understanding demonstrates that “Blackness” is insufficient and represents yet another colonial identification. To fully embrace our rich history, we must look beyond the prison of european race science as an identifier, and instead reconnect with our extensive history in Africa and the Blackbelt (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina). Refocusing Black History Month and Black Radical Month to center New Afrikan identity allows us to embrace our true history in amerika while linking us to our ancestral homeland in Afrika. There is a rich history of New Afrikans shedding themselves of the exoskeleton of being Black, and then being reborn as conscious citizens of the Republic of New Afrika. It’s about time we study this history, honor our ancestors (this month and every month), and most importantly, apply their life lessons to the current context of our lives!
New Afrikan Giants: (n) Defined as New Afrikans who have made significant contributions to the New Afrikan Independence Movement, whose impact continues to resonate and materialize in the present day.
I believe that if we want to transform as individuals, it’s important we study and honor the people in the past who made such a transformation. The New Afrikan Independence Movement (NAIM) is filled with heroes and Martyrs who made the ultimate sacrifice for the Nation. When we learn from the examples they set, we can begin to embody what it means to be New Afrikan. So, I wish to highlight a few New Afrikans who have made great contributions to the New Afrikan Nation. In highlighting them, I pray we can learn from their political struggle and transformation - and most importantly, adopt what we learn from them in our day to day lives!
IMARI OBADELE: “Many New Afrikan people, unfortunately, must have our souls repaired and appreciate our history. We have always achieved things that were supposed to be impossible.”
One of our New Afrikan giants is none other than Imari Abubakari Obadele. Imari was part of the Civil Rights Movement and had a stint in the Nation of Islam, and also was part of the Black Power Movement. After the assassination of el Hajj Malik el Shabazz, Imari was one of the founders of the Malcolm X Society, which was tasked to bring Malcolm’s vision to life. Then in 1968, he co-founded the Republic of New Afrika, and led a group of RNA members in Mississippi in 1969 to establish the provisional government on land that they had purchased. He was arrested by the FBI and became a political prisoner, in which he served 5 years.
BETTY SHABAZZ: "The only way to truly honor our ancestors is to continue their fight for justice and equality."
Betty Shabazz played a major role in the early years and the founding of the Republic of New Afrika. She was the second vice president in 1978, and was a prominent leader within the NAIM. She was a steward of the movement, while also honoring her husband Shaheed Maclom’s legacy, and keeping his message alive while simultaneously connecting his philosophy to the organizing efforts of the Republic of New Afrika.
SEKOU ODINGA : “Some of us have never agreed to be amerikan and have struggled to free and build the Republic of New Afrika. Under international law, oppressed people have that right... the right to be free of the oppression and to build a nation that will protect their right to be free and independent.”
Sekou Odigna is yet another New Afrikan giant who recently transitioned to an ancestor, whose life we should learn from. Sekou was apart of revolutionary organizations through his life, whether it was the Organization of Afro American Unity, founded by el Hajj Malik el Shabazz, to the Black Panther Party, to the Black Liberation Army, to becoming a conscious citizen of the Republic of New Afrika, and organzing with the Spirit of Mandela Coalition, which led a tribunal that found the united states guilty of genocide. Sekou was a PPOW for his role in freeing Assata Shakur from captivity. His unwavering commitment to justice, and the New Afrikan Nation, is an example to all of humanity.
SAFIYA BUKHARI: “The discipline of making salat five times a day and having Allah constantly in your remembrance is a wonderful thing, because it enables you to deal with the madness around you. It worked for me in the Norfolk City Jail, and it continued to work for me in Goochland. I could take time out from the insanity of prison life to communicate with the things that centered me.”
Safiya Bukhari in many ways paved the way for many of our PPOW’s to be released from the Babylon penitentiaries. Safiya was a member of the Black Panther Party, and then ultimately made her way to the underground, and joined the Black Liberation Army. She was incarcerated as a political prisoner of war, and once released, dedicated her life to freeing other captives. Alongside Jalil Muntaqim and Herman Ferguson, she helped found the Jericho Movement that was tasked with freeing political prisoners and political prisoners of war. Safiya Bukhari was also a part of the Republic of New Afrika, and served as the vice president of the RNA from the 1980s, until she transitioned in 2003. Safiya exemplified what it means to be a New Afrikan Muslim Revolutionary, and provides us with a great example of how to evolve into a r/evolutionary!
Towards Picking up the Torch
Reframing and refocusing plays an important part in allowing us to gain ideological clarity towards rebuilding the New Afrikan Independence Movement. Some of our greatest soldiers of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army embraced the New Afrikan Independence Movement, and became conscious citizens of the Republic of New Afrika, which gives those of us who are interested in freedom, clear direction towards what will allow us to gain freedom. When they became conscious citizens of the Republic of New Afrika, they put into practice the philosophy of el Hajj Malik el Shabazz : “land is the basis of all independence. Land is the basis of freedom, justice, and equality.” This allows Malcolm to live on, and his Martyrdom is put into the material world, by people organizing around his philosophy. So the question is, when will we pick up the torch, become conscious citizens of the Republic of New Afrika, and rebuild, brick by brick, the New Afrikan Independence Movement?
Now by no means is this a traditional “Letter From the Editor”, but aye, we out with the “old” and in with the new. And who made up these traditions anyways? But anyways, before I end up on another tangent that takes this essay somewhere else, we are juiced to share with you the third issue of Free The People Press. We invite you to join us on this journey of reclamation of our humanity by defining ourselves as New Afrikans. This will result in a transformative shift in our collective consciousness, which then will transform our material day to day reality. With this issue, we will again dive into the importance of the New Afrikan Independence Movement and its revolutionary potential to free the land, and ultimately rid the world of u.s. imperialism. We truly are the only people who can liberate ourselves from western domination.
Free the land, free the people!
And never forget, we are our own liberators!