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Stand fast therefore...be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage...
Stand fast therefore...be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage...
Gal 5:1, KJV
Gal 5:1, KJV
We desire to bequeath two things to our children. The first one is roots; the other one is wings.
We desire to bequeath two things to our children. The first one is roots; the other one is wings.
Sudanese Proverb
Sudanese Proverb
August Reflections by Ayize Sabater I, EdD
August is known for “back to school” efforts and for “liberation,” particularly where liberation is promoted in a movement known as “Black August.” Some might be asking...what is #BlackAugust and I’m glad for that question. Black August is a month-long commemoration of the Black freedom struggle and sacrifices of Black freedom soldiers (like George Jackson, Nanny of the Jamaican maroons, Denmark Vessey, Amy Ashwood Garvey, etc.). This commemoration began in the 1970s in the California penal system as a way to remember the sacrifice of Black political prisoners, particularly Jonathan and George Jackson. A comrade of revolutionary organizer George Jackson, Doc Holiday, who is a long-distance Black freedom soldier said:
“Black August asserts that it is only natural for each generation of New Africans faced with the task to liberate the nation, to draw strength and encouragement from each generation of New African warriors that preceded them.
It is from such a rich heritage of resistance that Black August developed, committed to continuing the legacy of resistance, vowing to respond to the call for the destruction of colonial oppression with our George Jacksons, Malcolm Xs and Fred Hamptons, etc...
Black August attempts to place struggle and sacrifice on center stage. In this respect, Black August summons all progressive people who identify with the legacy of resistance to colonial oppression to actively participate in Black August.
Thus, during the entire month of August in commemoration of those Africans who have made the supreme sacrifice for the cause of African Liberation and reflect upon the significance of those contributions...” (Holiday et al).
(Image at left: "We Honor Black August" professional development webinar www.blackmontessori.org | @blackmontessori).
Many observers of #BlackAugust call for a release of all political prisoners today as well as for one to engage in “study, fast[ing], train[ing]” as well as “fighting” for Black liberation. Lifting up commemorations like #BlackAugust seem critical as Black people globally confront the forces of backwardness and oppression “at home and abroad.”
Similarly, many see the interconnectedness of the global liberation struggle, where many are rallying around the plight of our Palestinian brothers and sisters right now. Particularly given the brutal assault, which is horrifically unfolding right before the world’s eyes, so I implore readers to consider to work of UNRWA or AFSC or Jewish Voice for Peace or to learn what one can do &/or consider supporting the BDS (boycott-divestment-sanctions) movement or other liberation efforts.
Further, in reflecting on liberation, we can take some lessons in emancipatory action from comrades like: George Jackson, aka “The Dragon,” who was a Black freedom soldier who, at the age of 18 years old, was sentenced to one-year to life for stealing $70 and was educated/politicized while being incarcerated. He organized against the inhumane prison conditions, connected it to the exploitation of oppressed people by the capitalist system and went on to become an influential revolutionary leader who wrote popular books (Soledad Brother (see picture right) and Blood in My Eyes).
George was killed, by prison authorities, in an alleged San Quentin prison escape. These types of stories are important to understand our freedom struggle “lest we forget,” which is what “usisahau” means (and why our organization has been posting monthly cultural reflections). This is critical because if we do not tell our story then how will our children know of our struggle and triumphs?
The Hon. Marcus Garvey once said “a people without knowledge of their past history...is like a tree without roots.” So, as the Sudanese proverb talks about “roots,” it is imperative to tell stories of our people’s sacrifices to our children, particularly of those who helped to advance the cause of justice for our people and in this way our children’s “wings,” as discussed in the opening Sudanese proverb, can be strengthened to allow them to soar – “uhuru” or freedom is the #BlackAugust call!
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