December 4, 2014
Reality Check
Black Folks Must Organize a Movement or Continue to Pay the Consequences
By A. Peter Bailey
(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Numerous people have asked me to respond to the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner by White cops. My response is the same as one I gave in July 1964 in the Organization of Afro-American Unity Newsletter (founded by Brother Malcolm X), of which I was editor. It was first published as an editorial in Volume 1, Number 2 of the newsletter and was later republished in a 2013 column for the Trice Edney News Wire, entitled “The Connection Between Trayvon Martin and James Powell.”
My response focused on the killing of 15-year-old James Powell by New York City cop Thomas Gilligan. The following is an excerpt from that editorial: The events that began on July 15, 1964 with the killing of 15-year-old James Powell by Lieutenant Gillian and which ended in demonstrations in several Afro-American communities has once again exposed the powerlessness of Afro-American communities. No one in his wildest dreams can imagine a black police officer shooting and killing a 15-year-old white boy without losing his job and possibly his life."
Yet a white cop brazenly shot down an Afro-American boy without even being suspended. This type of killing happened because Afro-Americans are powerless and therefore are not respected by the white community. And the reason that Afro-American communities are powerless is due to total DISUNITY in their communities. Developing unity of purpose and method is the most urgent problem facing Afro-American communities."
Unity must be achieved or there will be no progress. With UNITY will come POWER; with POWER will come RESPECT; for one of the most basic problems in relationships between individuals, groups, races or nations is that POWER RESPECTS MORE POWER. White America is generally united in its desire to keep black America powerless….”
I believed in 1964, in 2007, in 2013 and I still believe in 2014 that unless we form a movement with the mission of promoting and defending our cultural, economic and political interests in this country, all kinds of manifestations of White supremacy/racism will grow bolder and bolder. We have resolutely refused to do this for the past 45 years. What’s happening today are consequences of that refusal. Demonstrating, chanting “No Justice, No Peace...Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” and rhetorical woofing from visionless “leaders” will not launch a movement.
They only provide enormous overtime loaded paychecks for the cops and propaganda windfalls for the likes of Rush Limbaugh Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and their fellow haters. My next column will include suggestions on concrete actions we can take to promote and defend our interests.
A. Peter Bailey, whose latest book is, Witnessing Brother Malcolm X, the Master Teacher, can be reached This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..