On December 4, 1969 Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were assassinated by Chicago cops while they slept. The murders were part of the FBI’s COINTELPRO. Fred was deputy chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party and a rising charismatic leader. He was only 21; Mark was 22. There are potential Freds and Marks walking our streets today that need to know their history and who their enemy is. The spirit of the Black Panther lives on!
It’s been 174 years since the famous abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, issued his scathing address on July 4 celebrations. The nation couldn’t handle the truth then, and it cannot handle it now. The Trump regime is giving us a harsh reality check as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday.
I often boast of being a child of the 50’s and 60’s. That’s because those years, which included the compelling Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, helped to shape my political consciousness. But I also have to admit I was a child of the Cold War and the Vietnam War, which informed my developing worldview.
Our ancestors gifted us with the concept of Sankofa, which translates to “go back and get it.” This means that we must examine the past to inform, build, and guide our future.
