Greetings to you all!

~I consider myself an activist, and I enjoy meeting others who have their ideas of radical dimensions on society and the way its moving... it amazes me how so many have different schools of thoughts, but I observe the 2 things we all have in common:

*We feel our actions help others

*We stay positive

Action speak louder than words.

I was talking to a close friend a while back about what it means to be an activist in this day and age and we both seemed to agree that too many people have great opinions or complain, but the number of people who actually go out and play a role is minor.

Its time to celebrate those who play a role in moving and changing ideas ~even if the action seems little, it goes along way! It makes a difference, even if its just to one soul.

So I thought I'd start up this topic to encourage people to proudly state how they feel they are working towards their goals for the community...

~Do you consider yourself and Activist?

~What is the definition of an activist to you?

~Whats your inspiration and your thoughts?

~How do you contribute to working towards a better community?

~Any good stories to tell?

~How can we encourage others to work with love and ambition in the way forward?

~any other comments welcome!

*stay blessed*

~Do you consider yourself and Activist?

Are you?

~What is the definition of an activist to you?

The best type of activist in my opinion would be the militant types who would go out on a limb for a cause. Why?

~Whats your inspiration and your thoughts?

What are yours?

~How do you contribute to working towards a better community?

How do you?

~Any good stories to tell?

Why not tell us some of yours?

~How can we encourage others to work with love and ambition in the way forward?

You can't. In my experience, those who want to work etc. usually find out how themselves.

~any other comments welcome!

Hi athaba,

Activism works in many ways, it doesn't neccassarily have to be by brutal force.

I consider myself an activist because I choose to work with my healing work, my knowledge of nature and people to promote others to heal themselves, build their inner strength, open their minds to their own inner power -my opinion is it all starts from within first. Thats how I work as an activist within the community.

Thats my main aim -I work with love and show others (who choose to...) to do the same. That may sound small, but it extends to others in their lives and passes on.

Building the community is spreading love and self-worth.

OK-so its not militant, but there are many ways to move society-this is mine.

I work in others ways too -but I stated my main aim and principles.

@Alma24. Another excellent and practical thread my sister.

Your specific questions were

Do you consider yourself and Activist?

Yes....An oath taking and card carrying one..

~What is the definition of an activist to you?

I don't like the term myself. But I take it to mean somebody who is commtted practically to some desired course of action, for example social change.and is prepared to excercise personal and other forms of leadership to that end..

~Whats your inspiration and your thoughts?

Too many motivators and sources of inspiration from family, neighbours and great figures in history. Chancellor Williams being one of the biggest who drafted a ten point plan of action in the back of the 'Destruction of Black Civilisation' and I got a group of my teen age friends, the most concious ones together and we planned the down fall of the enemy in my bedroom using that plan.

I had been active and volunteered for things prior, but Williams gave me a model of how to appraoch things. After a while and by accident came cross an impressive black organisation and we made history as my group joined up in one block. All of us became members and our group's previous existence aided the larger one as we were already very disciplined and working under structured leadership. I was the leader in effect. So we made an immediate impact on the organisation. The thing that is so touching is that initial group ,plus others we later joined up with, are still together and I take much pride in that.

~How do you contribute to working towards a better community?

Been working consistently day in and day out since 1978 and in my teens in community development activities of all types, from education, policing, international events of all kinds, fund raising inititatives of all kind. Setting up and designing projects and programmes of all kind especially those specialising in male development for a good while. Done a lot of specialist work helping brothes and others set up projects and am designing one for some brothers as we speak.

Ran very successful study groups for years. Also in the process to run a couple of programmes have been refining and modifying and waiting for some of my key people to finisih other things before we start.Been working on very complex strategy for Caribbean islands linking projects and infrastructure here with there and has taken over 12 years to take to this stage.

If I am not out in my community working, I am in the background working on stuff or advising people. For example I was asked by the Nation of Islam to act as a special advisor in their intial planning of their equivalent of Million Man March and similar things behind the scene. Also do a couple of special guest star appearances for old friends on projects or stuff they are running, as I don't particularly like public profile work. But have a soft spot and duty to issues concerning young men and young brothers. For example ran annual workshops for black boys for annual conference on education for many years until funding cut..

Done quite a bit of work for my island government on projects here and others.

~Any good stories to tell?

Too many. You obviously never read one of my posts[Smile].

~How can we encourage others to work with love and ambition in the way forward?

Assuming they want to committ themselves obviously and their level of experience and exposure. You need to find good teachers or good and positive environment to learn your trade.

Being a activist is very much like being in the army there is a lot to learn technique, tactics, how to produce a leaflet, organise a meeting, raise money, speak and interact with people, handle conflict, chair a meeting, understand human behaviour and a range of things, before you even get to grips with the technical complexities of the task in question.

So without good teachers, role models and a good environment, good intention can count for nought and have a reverse affect. Plenty black people want to do things and are just turned off by the what they meet.

~any other comments welcome!

There is no better life. The kind of skills and abilities a quality and calibre activists have make the average profeissional in most feilds seem as late developers or retrarded.

Also battles create brother/sisterhood and you will have very few more trusted friends than those you have been through serious struggle with. Your true and real friends are found via struggle, because very little can be hidden about human character.

Fredniceone.gif

thanks Fredblackfor joining in -some very good points niceone.gif

~Do you consider yourself and Activist?
Dont know, but I doconsider myself as someone who helps the progress of revolution, I don’t know if I can classify myself as a revolutionary yet though. However, we understand that as an African willing to commit class suicide for the benefit of the working class African’s and I have giving up many financial opportunities which wage the oppression of our people to apply the most of my time to ours peoples struggle, so in a couple of months I think I would be definite if I can call myself as revolutionary


~What is the definition of an activist to you?
Don’t know, but I know revolution means change, and therefore a revolutionary is someone who is dedicated to that change and ready to sacrifise the existence in the name of that change. The question most people are clueless on, is what change they are fighting for, I am clued on what I strive for.


~Whats your inspiration and your thoughts?
I’ve hardly read a book except for that of which I look through quickly for education reason, so most of my inspirations might not come from historical leaders butcomes to me from the day to day African people we see on road. The youths out there spitting garage lyrics, hip hop lyrics, sometimes its not even what they say but the energy the vibes and the intellect style they use to construct it, the power in the voice of our female singers. Even sometimes listening to musical productions that the artist perform on and I think wow, what goes through our peoples heads that gives us the force to do so. The athletes we see on TV, our comedians, the natural style of our people that comes out of our own expression that every body every where tries to copy, slang, music, cloths, everyting. And that’s only before you discover the intellectual history and accomplishments of our people an our past heroes, and communties who got organised for our uprise. Imagine if this is what wedo when we are colonised, imagine what we would be when we become a free and self-determining people. PS: Can’t no body grow afros like we, for some reason, that means quite a lot to me. Dont know why.


~How do you contribute to working towards a better community?
Many things I don’t know where to start. I make music to inspire and reach as many people as I can for starters as correct political education is vital to the rise of the masses. Also in the name of education Im out there on the streets selling Burning Spear news papers on the streets of African communties everywhere I can, Im also involved in building a summer school within the UHURU movement. I’ve set up a musical event for the economical benefit of talented Africans who strive for a platform to express theirselves musically called FREE DA MIC. I design leaflets, flyers, and website for Africans for very cheap prices if I agree with their direction of the struggle. I’m also a member of the A.P.S.P. (African People’s Socialist Party) which is a revolutionary sector of the UHURU movement of which Im the coordinator of the Burning Spear News Paper in the U.K.. The A.P.S.P. is also provide leadership to other sector of the UHURU Movement which includes InPDUM and if you know what we work for you can see their platform at.. And Im in the process of setting up an international record label under the international political movement of which U.K. would be the base, which would give the youngins a chance to spread their word internationally and financially profit from it. The movement is not musically based but it aims to reach those certains goals in the platform and since I agree with them I aim to reach them but I prefer to approach it musically cause that’s my interest, other members and sectors in the movement get involved with work such as fighting court cases, police resistance, writing articles, organising internation trade, etc etc.


~Any good stories to tell?
Too many to think of, many interesting things, the whole experience is like one big story. You see people come and go, people make excuses, real activist turn into sellouts, historical things about eh people you work with that you might have acknowledged sometime in the past. The experience of meeting those that are unaware of the real issues and meeting those that know but just sit down and chat a whole heep of shit but when things are in their face their missing or never present, and the biggest part of all adult activist who don’t appreciate young people showing them where their ideologies are wrong. Actually the most interesting thing is how many people turn to external, spiritual or religious beliefs to giving understanding to their problems and as they get more experienced with understanding world issues they start to come down to reality. Too many stories in there though.


~How can we encourage others to work with love and ambition in the way forward?
You can only encourage other if you real to them and you have true political education and if you as a person can see a light in the goal you fight for. You can never make someone believe something wholeheartedly if you don’t even belief that shyt yourself. People are looking for solutions, going to them and telling them some bullshy like you need to wear an African cloth or you need to eat fufu to experience your freedom could get you shot. Critising people for the sake they hold a gun or sell drugs or steal to live is no way of us moving forward, but exposing the poverty question, education sector and exploitation of the masses is the best way to reach those with the true problems, that way the streets understand you because they can easily recognise the problem you expose to them as they live in it. Its only fake reich black people who think our problem lies in our cultural lifestyle, because no matter how much you change your culture it doesn’t change the fact you are under colonisation. So to get them involved you have to expose the truth to the young black youth, and show them how to identify fake ass .that work in the name of white power.


~any other comments welcome!

The UHURU movement is a mass organisation that fight to put power in the hands of the African working class, this movement is here for us all we need to do is to get involved and speed up the work. We are far more practical than theoretical and that’s the best way to develop your own self theories rather than hearing and reading people yap and yap every second. As long as you for the people bring your ideas, your efforts and your energy and lets get organised. We need to get organised, when Tony Blair attacks you he doesnt come on his own, they come in organised bodies, you have the police, you have souljahs, you have secetaries, you have teachers, you have poisonous scientists, they come orgtanised playing different roles for the same agenda but through organised linsk understanding and order, there best way for us to resist these attacks and defeat imperialist is if the real ones amongst us identify what true courage is and get down to get up.Because for true, if anyone tell you we are going to get FREE running around like little individuals hiding behind some false doctrine or some global movement all they are doing is inviting you to their weekness, be strong get up and lets finish this struggle not for our youths youths etc etc, but for ourselves in this present day, it can happen as soon as you say it should. .


.

@NAT question is Omali Yashetella part of your crew bro..?



Fred

Is that a way you express your jokes?

What cus I speak with a lot of slang does it tickle you to take the piss?

I recognise how low you are trying to stoop your ignorant mentality to. U claim you are an activist for the people but yet you chose to mock slang of which majority of your people express themselves with, it's acts like this that makes me appreciate the fact that our movement recognises the class issue, because then it makes it easier for us to recognise betty boo brothers like yourself.

Nevertheless, yes he is part of my crew, as a matter of fact, the chairman can get thugged out at times, even as a grown man he still out derre on the streets with the people in a bandana and sleveless top, check it out for yourself.

@NAT hey keep cool my brother I asked you a simple question when I read your post and the names and stuff. I don't know what the rest of your rant is about class struggle etc. That was not my concern and I was debating the abstracts or delicacies of these issues with your boss long time ago.

I met Omali a long time ago when he first came here and had a very interesting time and I could remember the name of the brother. We had a private meeting in South London. Sorry I was not referring to him as comrade Chair as he was my peer not superior. Sorry.

Hence the question...One of fact not value dear brother..Perhaps you should read other people's post to see how people refer to each other.

Don't preach struggle to me son now you got berret.. It's obviously new and fresh to you hence why your jumpy at an innocent genuine question to think someone is besmirching your boss, when in fact I was going to big him up until you opened your mouth....


Slow down if you want to last in this game, don't go jumping grasping at air you could land with a serious thud...Peace...


Fredniceone.gif

@Nat that should read

Don't preach struggle to me son now you've got your berret. It's obviously new and fresh to you hence why you're jumpy.....

Not....

"Don't preach struggle to me son now you got berret.. It's obviously new and fresh to you hence why your jumpy at....


Fredconfused3

Listen, you knowing my chairman at a specific time and date or whatever doesnt mean nothing to me, I dont appreciate the chairman because hes reached a certain age, I appreciate him because of what he has accomplished which is a movement with correct political agendas, just because you spoke to him before I knew him dont give you none of my credit, I seen kids out there who I give credit to to adults over 30, so your, 'Im an old man talk' is irrelivant to me.

Besides, the chairman is not my leader, he might be the chairman and the leader of the movement of the organisation I am involved with, but for your info I was doing my works for African people long before I got involved with the movement, I joined this movement because it related to me and I related to it and I saw it advance my understanding of the political system in the way my vision was heading. I got other activities I do for the masses existing outside the movement. And besides our organisation is democratically centralised, so the real leaders of the movement are the African working class and the members who participate in it. Get your facts right Old Man.

Big him up Chairman Omali Yeshitela or dont, I doubt him or I are gonna change whatwe do with or without your compliments. And sorry, I wasnt preaching struggle to you, I was exposing your mentality, swallow it like the big wheel chair revolutionary you are. I though your reply would be more mature, but actually you sound even more childish now, with your 'I have been in the struggle before you', 'I am a professional activist'.!

PS; You might be soo pro whatever u think you are, but over here,thats minor to me! Your reply sounded like a pyss take so I adressed it, it was a bit obvious wasnt it?