“Why don’t you live for the people? Why don’t you struggle for the people? Why don’t you die for the people?”─An excerpt from “The Murder of Fred Hampton” (1971) that was screened in Akwaaba Hall at the Uhuru House In St. Petersburg, Florida on February 26th, 2018.
This event was hosted by the Uhuru Solidarity Movement (USM) and keynote speaker Iniko Kitemoma, Secretary of Office of the Secretary General of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP).
The film took place during the counterinsurgency of the Black Liberation Movement of the ‘60s, launched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)─otherwise known as the political police.
In the film, Huey P. Newton, the Black Panther Party’s co-founder, had just been arrested and imprisoned.
Just as all of the black Freedom Fighters of this period, Hampton soon became a key target in the government’s war on African Liberation, as he was able to inspire and mobilize thousands of people to a revolutionary agenda.
The FBI along with the Cook county state’s attorney’s office, and the Chicago police department collaborated to assassinate Hampton and in doing so, crush the black revolution. This action was part and parcel of the counter intelligence program (COINTELPRO).
The FBI used informant William O’Neal and his assignment was to bring them intel on the Panthers and the layout of Hampton’s apartment and the Panthers every move by functioning as his bodyguard.
On December 4, 1969, sedatives were dropped in Hampton’s drink that knocked him out cold and defenseless.
Hampton was lying in bed sleeping next to his eight-month pregnant girlfriend, when the police knocked down his door and stormed into his apartment, alleging a search for weapons as they fired 82-99 shots, killing Hampton and another Black Panther, Mark Clark.
The murders of Hampton and Clark were ruled as justifiable homicide despite evidence that clearly showed that this had been an act of premeditated murder to destabilize the Black Liberation struggle.
The murder of Fred Hampton was also supposed to serve as an example for the entire African Nation─ this is what could happen to you if you dare to struggle; Dare to win.
Even Hampton knew, however, that in death, the Revolution would live on, saying:
“You can kill a revolutionary, but you can’t kill the Revolution.”
The legacy of Fred Hampton and the Black Panther Party, however, continues to live on through the APSP in their struggle for total liberation of Africa and all African people dispersed throughout the world.
The African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) continues to fight against this parasitic capitalist economy built off of slavery, genocide and colonialism, to create a world where no one lives at the expense of anyone else.
It is the duty of all white people to work under the APSP in their fight for African liberation rather than creating our own battles about political issues we feel affects us exclusively.
This is why the Uhuru Solidarity Movement was founded─ to work under the leadership of the African working class, to build a culture amongst the masses of white people; to turn over all of the stolen resources hoarded in the white community, by paying reparations to African people in order to create a social and economic system that doesn’t oppress anyone.
In this era now, where the masses of people around the world are ripe for revolution, we white people have been given the opportunity by Chairman Omali Yeshitela and the African People’s Socialist Party to stand in solidarity and overturn this system of oppression.
We have the responsibility as white people in this struggle to defend African people, by refusing to be complicit with the counterinsurgency.
The FBI has recently debuted their latest characterization for African revolutionaries─ Black Identity Extremist (BIE)─and with that term comes a program.
They have defined a BIE as anyone who doesn’t identify with white power and wants separation from this white imperialist State.
We white people then too should become Black Identity Extremists!
At the film showing, keynote presenter Iniko Kitemoma, a 16-year-old high school student and member of the African People’s Socialist Party, delivered a powerful statement, mentioning that the stance of reparations to African people is in our own interests!
African children are being denied the right to know their own history. Films, such as “The Murder of Fred Hampton,” isn’t shown in schools uncovering the gory history of the emergence of the white people’s State.
African children are being forcibly taught to uplift the same system that has murdered and continues to assasinate and imprison their leaders.
In his presentation, Iniko says, “Colonialism is the root of the problem and fighting against racism is only fighting the branch of the whole tree. The historical basis for our struggle starts with the fact that we are colonized, not that white people don’t like us.”
As white people, it is our time to pay reparations and express our unwavering solidarity in this fight for African liberation.
Long Live Fred Hampton!
Long Live the African People’s Socialist Party!
Unity through Reparations!
