Letters

Dear Editor and Staff,

I have never seen or read such a unique, dynamic, powerful magazine for activists as your incredibly well-written, beautiful challenge for revolutionary thought. I will Xerox the opening page and send to fellow activists wherever I can reach them that they become aware of this great gift to the movement. What an amazing crew of writers you must have! 4strugglemag is almost too good to be true…

The poem, “The Warrior,” is magnificent. Is the author, Landi Benitez, a man or a woman? Such skill, in expressing the warrior in such an awesome way… The poem ends with strength, humility, sacrifice, and love.

I am so fortunate to have been sent 4strugglemag – by whom I do not know. I hope you have 10s of thousands of subscribers – and from around the world. I am a very elderly Asian American woman, 89 years old, who lived some 40 years in Harlem. I met Malcolm X by sheer luck at a Brooklyn courtroom years ago, and joined his group, OAU [Organization of African Unity]. Without the Black struggle in America, would there ever be a hope for a revolution in America?

Gratefully for 4strugglemag. Thank you for inspiring us.

Always, Yuri Kochiyama
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4strugglemag,

I am deeply blown away by the knowledge that the 4strugglemag produces to all revolutionaries, political prisoners, as well as brothas and sistas who are searching for the truth. Revolution is a process. We must offer the people ways to override oppression and give them knowledge to make them more conscious that they (we) are the oppressed! Ninety percent of this world’s population is of color (Arab, African, Mexican, Latin, etc) – the other 10 percent is what we call the “white race” (Europeans). But yet the 10 percent (white race) controls the 90 percent (color race) and has been for the last 500 years!

We need to learn to control our own existence and stop allowing ourselves to be oppressed. There is no unity amongst the 90 percent (color race). We need to learn to unite as a whole and take back control over our destiny. We need to teach young brothas and sistas at an early age what revolution is and set examples of how we as revolutionaries react to the oppression that we face daily.

I am a PIRU (Powerful Intelligent Radikal Unified Soldier) who is trying to help rebuild and re-organize the United Blood Nation and Damu nation to its original form. We are not a gang! We are a movement, an organization of warriors who are for the struggle 100 percent and we stand for and with the people (revolutionaries) through all struggles to help fight off the oppression that comes from our true enemy! Bloods and Crips need to stand up and unite as one and rebuild our sets and organizations to become true revolutionaries and not gang bangers fighting over colors, and land that is controlled and owned by our common enemy!

I am currently on death row in Ohio. I am a political prisoner who is in the midst of uniting with the politically intelligent revolutionary unit so we as true Damus can strengthen the United Blood Nation to its true cause. I was once a young hood who helped destroy the UBN because I had no guidance or knowledge of what being a true revolutionary was. But now as a New Afrikan I dedicate my life, blood, sweat and tears for the UBN, BPP, GD, VL, BGF, UCN, and all Black revolutionaries and liberators who stand for the cause and are dedicated to organizing, networking, and rebuilding this nation as a whole.

“Control over the circumstances that surround my existence is of the first importance to me. Without this control, or with control in someone else’s hands, I am forever insecure, subject at times to the whim and caprice of the man in control.” – George L. Jackson

Dedicated to the United Blood Nation and to all political prisoners of the world. Stay strong, stay real through all struggles.

Eddie “Tek” Lang #532018
Ohio State Penitentiary
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In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Brotha Jaan:

Revolutionary Salute! By way of a mutual friend, I have been blessed with the opportunity to peruse a few issues of your publication, 4strugglemag, and can appreciate the literary and political work you are engaged in. Thus, keep up the good work and continue to represent, i.e., speak truth to power. Dennis Boatwright is a friend and spiritual brother of mine, and since I have recently taken on the responsibility of editing his provocative writings, I have decided to take the liberty of introducing him and his piercing perspectives to a broader audience. In my honest opinion, he’s the most prolific prisoner writer I’ve ever encountered—and I do not say this fictitiously! If you wish to have more of our writings, do advise and some will be posted. [See Dennis’ article “Understanding the Role of Prison Intellectuals” in this issue.] Do add our names to your mailing list. We thank you in anticipation.

In solidarity & in struggle,
Siddique Abdullah Hasan