contact:
Queen Mother Falaka Fattah
President
House of Umoja, Inc.
(215) 473-5893
E-Mail:
falakaffatah@aol.com
Website:
www.houseofumoja.net
“A CONVERSATON BETWEEN BROTHERS”
AUTHOR: Mr. Ahmad Jabal Shabazz
COPIES CAN BE OBTAINED BY SENDING E-MAIL TO: redeemshep54@yahoo.com or CALLING (215) 594-6918 ”
On
Monday, 19 June 1865, United States Army General Gordon Granger traveled to
Galveston, Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862 in the State
of Texas, signed into law by late United States President The Honorable Abraham
Lincoln. The Emancipation Proclamation made slavery illegal and freed 4,000,000 enslaved
souls of African descent in the United States. African
Americans throughout the United States celebrated with great fanfare on
Saturday, 19 June 2021, the historic and
momentous event, known as “Juneteenth” that occurred 156 years ago in
Galveston, Texas. On 17 June 2021, Juneteenth
became a federal holiday as a result of legislation passed by the United States
Congress and signed into law by United States President The Honorable Joseph R.
Biden, Jr.
.
As souls in Philadelphia’s African
American community convened and participated in observances of Juneteenth, they
find themselves grappling with how to resolve out-of-control gun violence that
is snuffing out the lives of family members, friends, and neighbors. As of 20 June 2021, there have been 255 homicides
least 758 nonfatal shooting victims in the fourth largest metropolitan area of
the United States. The city’s African American community is also
impacted by a racially subjective criminal justice system. Although African Americans only comprise 12%
of the United States’ population, they comprise at least 33% of the nation’s
prison population according to statistics compiled in May 2021 by the Pew
Research Center (www.pewresearch.org).
An article published by the Penn Political Review on 11 March 2021, “The
Other Death Penalty: How Philadelphia
Leads American In Life Without Parole Sentences,” (http://pennpoliticalreview.org/2021/03/the-other-death-penalty-how-philadelphia-leads-america-in-life-without-parole-sentences/), reveals that Philadelphia has the
dubious distinction of leading France, Germany, Russia, and 45 of the 50 states
In the United States in life without parole sentences. The article also points out that Pennsylvania
leads the nation in the number of incarcerated souls serving life without
parole sentence, the majority of whom are African Americans from the City of
Philadelphia.
Prisons in the 21st
Century are managed and operated in a manner similar to plantations. Incarcerated African Americans find that
their treatment by prison officials mirrors the dehumanizing treatment endured by their enslaved ancestors
at the hands of plantation overseers and owners. As an example, Angola State Prison in
Louisiana, one of the nation’s most violent and abusive penitentiaries, is
built on land formerly occupied by a plantation. Many African Americans incarcerated at the Angola
State Prison offer harrowing tales of being forced to pick crops, including
cotton, on fields under the watchful of shot-gun toting and horse-riding prison
guards. Refusal to engage in this type
of work can result in parole denials or being placed in solitary confinement
known as “the hole”. In “Why American Prisoners Owe Their Cruelty To
Slavery,” published by the New York Times at https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14
/magazine/prison-industrial-complex-slavery-racism.html, a straight line is drawn to slavery
and the American criminal justice system.
“Our Ancestors’ elation over their
newfound freedom one hundred fifty -six years ago was short-lived. Although the Thirteenth Amendment which was
passed by the United States Congress on 31 January 1865, ratified on 6 December
1865 by 27 of 36 states, and proclaimed on 18 December 1865, on the surface,
abolished slavery, it also opened the door for the massive warehousing of souls of African descent in prisons that
we witness today. How? Section 1 of the Thirteenth Amendment
reserved ‘slavery and involuntary
servitude’ as a punishment of souls convicted of crimes ‘within the United States, or any place
subject to their jurisdiction’. In 1865,
Southern States enacted a series of laws known as ‘Black Codes’ to ensnare our
Ancestors into becoming a source of cheap labor for Southern landowners.
African Americans were forced to sign annual employment contracts. If they refused, they were arrested, fined,
and imprisoned. Once imprisoned, they
were forced to provide free labor.
African Americans were not allowed to testify against Caucasians in
court cases, serve on juries, vote, serve in state militias and could not seek
new employment without the consent of their current or former employer. In 2021, the ‘school-to-prison pipeline’ is
the modern day ‘Black Code’. As much
as Juneteenth is a cause for celebration, Juneteenth must also serve as a
vehicle of reflection, collaborative implementation of solutions that address
the causative factors of gun violence, the school-to-prison pipeline, poverty,
recidivism, unemployment, underemployment, hunger, homelessness, and physical
and mental health issues that marginalizes African American communities. Juneteenth must serve as a pathway to
creating solutions-based intergenerational dialogues, healing, and peace. The signing by President Biden of making
Juneteenth a federal holiday in the United States has created a momentum,” observed Queen Mother Falaka Fattah,
the President of the House of Umoja, Inc. (www.houseofumoja.net) .
The House of Umoja, Inc., an internationally
acclaimed institution established in 1968 is utilizing the momentum created by
the enactment of legislation that has transformed Juneteenth into a United
States federal holiday to create pathways to peace and healing through:
·
An
expansive and historic solutions-based collaboration with SCI Phoenix, Inc. (www.lifersincpa.org), an “inside out” Restorative Justice,
Criminal Justice Reform, Reentry, and Social Justice think tank established in
1989 , comprising several components designed to reduce gun violence, save
lives, and bring healing and peace in the City of Philadelphia
·
Facilitation
of a conversation that moves the African American community and the City of
Philadelphia toward healing and a recommitment to peace through the purchase of
“A Conversation Between Brothers,” a literary work that offers a
pathway to healing and peace authored by Mr. Ahmad Jabal Shabazz. Copies of “A Conversation Between Brothers”
can be obtained by sending an e-mail to: redeemshep54@yahoo.com or by calling (215) 594-6918. SCI Phoenix LIFERS, Inc. has pledged to
donate US$2.00 to the House of Umoja, Inc. when purchasers of “Conversation
Between Brothers” say the phrase, “For Umoja” at the time
of their purchase.
·
Sign
the Imani Peace Pledge™ which is published on the House of Umoja, Inc.’s website
at www.houseofumoja.net.
·
Support
the mobilization of a gun violence zone by becoming a volunteer. Contact
the House of
Umoja, Inc at (215) 473-5893 or send an e-mail to: falakafattah@aol.com.
To learn how you can participate in
the momentum created by Juneteenth becoming a national holiday in the United
States and the historic collaboration between the House of Umoja, Inc. (www.houseofumoja.net) and SCI Phoenix LIFERS, Inc. (www.lifersincpa.org) to resolve gun violence in the City of
Philadelphia and bring healing and peace to the United States’ fourth largest
metropolitan area, contact the House of Umoja, Inc. at (215) 473-5893 or send
an e-mail to falakafattah@aol.com.
SMART COMMUICATIONS/PA DOC
Mr. Kevin Mines #AY591
SCI Phoenix
Post Office Box
33028
St..
Petersburg, FL 33733
#
# #
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