Dear Brother Hugo: Letter from a young revolutionary

by Christopher Talib Spencer

Angola-prisoners-march-to-work-in-fields-2001-by-Bill-Haber-AP-color, Dear Brother Hugo: Letter from a young revolutionary, Abolition Now! Brother Hugo, you inspire me to do better. After I read your letter to your comrade Terry, you sent me into a thinking and reflecting mode. I am a 24-year-old Afrikan revolutionary fighter, and I have been going through a transformative process using the Malcolm self-evolvement way. However, I do not have a teacher, so I have been teaching myself, and I’m still growing.

I have, however, run across a serious brother by the name of Kenny “Zulu” Whitmore, an oldtimer, and he breaks bread with me, but it’s hard for us to communicate with each other since the institution has put in so many new restrictions on CCK inmates.

My transition started in David Wade Correctional Center when I saw and experienced firsthand the chains of repression. At first I was just a young, wild, ignorant brother with no sense of self. I was headed for self-destruction.

One day a Muslim brother came with a book by my bed and told me to read it. The name of the book was “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” which I’d read before. After reading this book for a second time with a different outlook on life and self, it showed me how Brother Malcolm went through the same thing I was going through at that particular time. He embodied my whole conscious struggle within the text of that Malcolm X book.

I would like to bear witness with you when you said that your self-transformation was a “wake up” call and a liberate call. As for me, I’m still learning the true meaning of liberation.

Brother, at times I get this overwhelming sense of urgency to help educate and liberate my fellow brothers on true knowledge, but they are so shallow at times and I get upset and want to give them a fat lip for murder-mouthing but doing nothing that actually involves the liberation of self and the people.

Brother, at times I get this overwhelming sense of urgency to help educate and liberate my fellow brothers on true knowledge, but they are so shallow at times and I get upset. I’m just now learning to channel all my negative energy into the proper frequency channels.

Brother, it’s a constant struggle, and at times it has this paralyzing effect on me, whereas at times I get so mad, full of rage, that throughout my daily orbit all I do is more destroying than building. I’m just now learning to channel all my negative energy into the proper frequency channels.

After reading your letter, it just gave me hope that anything is possible with the right dedication. Even though I lack the proper educational tools to help me continue to develop, I’m still dedicated to the cause of liberated love and helping my people become conscious or in the know.

The fight that you and Brother George Jackson and Brother W.L. Nolen fought for and are still fighting for is helping me cope and find meaning with my life.

Also, it’s an honor to have a newspaper such as the Bay View to help us brothers get our voices heard and to have brothers like you featured in it.

Before I close, I would like to say to you to stay strong and sane and the fight that you and Brother George Jackson and Brother W.L. Nolen fought for and are still fighting for is helping me cope and find meaning with my life. Thank you, Brother, for being so inspiring.

Send our brother some love and light: Christopher Talib Spencer, 521940, Louisiana State Prison, Camp D Hawk, 2-Right Cell#14, Angola, LA 70712.