Monthly Archives: February 2019

The U.S. Mafia State (USMS) is still trying to bump off another sovereign state – Venezuela. Meanwhile, WikiLeaks retweeted the USMS regime change handbook, more formally known as Army Special Operations Forces Unconventional Warfare Field Manual 3-05.130, whose authors reveal that major global financial institutions like the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Organization for Economic Cooperation are all part of the mob, whose specific assignments include extortion, infiltration, fraud, racketeering, loan sharking and corruption of public officials.

Although he did not study art at a university nor an art school to enhance his innate artistry, it led him to many colleges and universities across this country, and through his art he met and mingled with those of prominence and great stature as well as many everyday people as he journeyed across this country promoting himself through his works of art with wife and daughter in tow. Homegoing is Monday, Feb. 18, 11 a.m., at Third Baptist Church, 1399 McAllister, San Francisco.

Prisoners in 3C Unit at the state prison in Corcoran, California, who went on hunger strike in January are speaking out after the warden backed out of negotiations to end a months-long lockdown and violence orchestrated by prison officials. Family members and supporters gathered outside the prison on Feb. 9 and 10 to protest during what would have been visitation hours.

The following is a transcript of Stacey Abrams’ Feb. 5 statement, as prepared by The New York Times: Good evening my fellow Americans and happy Lunar New Year. I’m Stacey Abrams and I’m honored to join the conversation about the state of our union. ...

“How I Lost by Hillary Clinton” is a collection of the DNC and Podesta emails published by Wikileaks in 2016, introduced and annotated by Consortium News Editor Joe Lauria, with a foreword by political prisoner Julian Assange. I had a hard time putting “How I Lost By Hillary Clinton” down until I was done. Like most Wikileaks releases, it drew me into the minds of those who decide who will live, who will die, who will be impoverished and who enriched.

May our Divine Mother-Father Creator of and in All – and Beloved Ancients and Ancestors from yesteryear and yesterdays – find you and (y)our extended Family in sacred Spirit, healing and thriving. WE hope that this special period of remembrance and celebration of Alkebulan/African OURstory, history and heritage, Black Love, Joy, Resistance and Visioning for our Future is enlightening, reflective, productive, fun and transformative for you and yours. Asé.

Since I became “woke” about the true level of racism and injustice in this country, it has become easier to recognize the proverbial “house negro.” One of them recently commented to another prisoner, “He thinks he’s Black,” referring to my constant defense of Black people and anti-racist views and loud comments about that racist pig in the White House. Of course, he didn’t say this to my face.

Coco Das’ article, “Should we celebrate when a fascist regime endorses prison reform?” reached me at a particularly ripe time. None of the ironies observed about Trump’s endorsement of the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill, were misconstrued, nor did I take them for granted.

Gabriel Clyde Powell was born on May 14, 1978, at Saint Luke’s Hospital in San Francisco, California, to proud parents Edward Emile and Norean Marie Powell. He loved spending time with his family, laughing, and always wearing a smile on his face. He was a fun loving and caring person, devoted son, brother, father and friend, always thinking of others first. “To know him is to love him.” Gabriel departed this life on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019.

Enslaved Black folk in America used to play a game called “The Dozens.” The object of the game was to tease and ridicule each other in order to develop a thick skin and high critical tolerance against the verbal insults of the enslavers. This was very important because if you reacted the wrong way you could get yourself and or your loved ones tortured or killed. This poem, “Ain’t Yo Mama Black,” flips the script and uses the dozens in a positive way!

It is clear now that the 45th president of the United States is knowingly or unwittingly a tool of the Russian government. But for many years before the dumpster fire in the White House came into office, the Kremlin has been wielding a secret weapon against the “land of the free.” This weapon is “secret” not because it is hidden, but because a large segment of the American public refuses to acknowledge its existence.

On Jan. 10, I did a reading of my novel, “White Knight,” at the Hunters View housing complex in Hunters Point. One of the characters in my novel was based on Tessie Ester (Cali Robinson in the book), a woman I met back in the ‘70s when she enrolled her two boys, Henry and Terrell, in Geneva Towers Children’s Center, where I was a teacher. The novel is about how she and I organized the Towers to keep the center open when the school district tried to close it after Prop. 13 – among other things.

On Dec. 14, 2018, families of prisoners and supporters traveled to Sacramento to rally in front of the California Department of Corrections and rehabilitation’s (CDCr) headquarters against the CDCr-induced violence that many of their loved ones are experiencing. The next rally is Friday, Feb. 15, 1 p.m., in front of CDCr Headquarters, 1515 S St., Sacramento.

Poor, homeless and disabled scholars are releasing a book sharing their truly innovative solutions to homelessness and poverty and launch a national theatre production on poverty, homelessness and criminalization of poor people. This book and curriculum release will be accompanied by a series of theatre and poetry workshops in community centers, schools and jails with other homeless and formerly homeless communities.

The Free South Carolina Movement is a collective of political prisoners, politicized and political prisoners of war, organized with friends, family, loved ones and supporters with a common cause, aims and objectives, i.e. self-determining education, adequate healthcare suitable for poor and oppressed peoples, bringing families closer together, true freedom, transforming the present genocidal sentencing structure, bringing awareness to the public and the youth, putting an end to the pipeline from preschool to prison and the systematic extermination of Black and Brown peoples.

The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi’s 19th annual Crystal Ball awarded its Star of Hope honor to award-winning journalist and novelist Jesse J. Holland. The awards ceremony took place in January at the Arena in Southaven. Previous recipients of the Star of Hope award include Morgan Freeman, Archie and Olivia Manning, Sen. Thad Cochran, Sela Ward, Marty Stuart and others who give hope to their fellow Mississippians.