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Tall Grass, Short Memory: Part Two <br><br>
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<br>
Peace All: <br><br>
As a child, I had a view of the Great Plains that was<br>
mostly rooted in television and Eurocentered storybook<br>
fables. <br><br>
I knew that prairie fires could blaze out of<br>
control-the intense heat of the summer produced this.<br>
The little prairie dogs had to duck into their tunnels<br>
to survive. <br><br>
Nebraska and some of the prairie states of the US<br>
midwest had mythical status in movies produced in<br>
hollywood: tough but morally righteous Whites making<br>
nature and the Indigenous people bow down to them and<br>
their guns and their bible. Whites building railroads<br>
west to California through the sweat and ingenuity of<br>
just being Irish or some other Western European stock.<br>
Now and then, these films included some towering,<br>
handsome, physically strong and brainchained figure<br>
such as the actor Woody Strode to be a dedicated<br>
'Black loyalist' to the genocide. If an African woman<br>
appeared in these fantasies, she was almost always the<br>
brusque buxom 'Mammy'. She was even more concerned for<br>
the White calvary officer and the slim White woman to<br>
get married, than she was with her washerwoman duties.<br>
Sylvia Stark, an African child during the wagon train<br>
days through the prairies to the West, had a more<br>
realistic existence, enduring racism everywhere and<br>
including California, finally settling on Saltspring<br>
Island, British Columbia in Canada. She lived to 105<br>
but isn't a movie subject known to billions. <br><br>
What was plainly slipped into this mentally poisoned<br>
sandwich of lies was that Whites had the right to do<br>
whatever they wanted-on land that Indigenous Oglala,<br>
Pawnee and others had lived on for 8,000 to 10,000<br>
years. <br><br>
The global satellite signals of corporations based in<br>
Japan, Australia, the US, UK, and the EU, continue to<br>
spread all over, the Little House On The Prairie,<br>
Gunsmoke,John Wayne and any manner of human<br>
sensitivity killing images. <br><br>
When I grew to my teenage years, I began to get a<br>
different picture, notably when the Wounded Knee,<br>
South Dakota resistance of Leonard Peltier and others<br>
hit the newswaves. I picked up a book called Bury My<br>
Heart At Wounded Knee. The people, those that survived<br>
and resisted the 1500-1900 eradication of thousands of<br>
nations were still fighting! Though many had been<br>
reduced to pacified groupings, there was the spark of<br>
life. I learned from Nana, my mother's mother, that<br>
she was as much as 1/8 Cherokee or Chickasaw. I got my<br>
first glimpse of Seminole history. The Buffalo<br>
Soldiers of Kansas, the Trail of Tears and the<br>
injustice of Indigenous peoples, bantustans run by Red<br>
servants to the US government, the Canadian<br>
government, all governments in Central, South America,<br>
a modern day blight on the Western world unfolded<br>
before me in the 1970s. Mom retold stories of full<br>
blooded Mr. Waw, who had lived with the family in<br>
crowded 1940s South Side Chicago. The Red/Black<br>
heritage we had as Africans born in America came<br>
alive. <br><br>
What I couldn't have easily put into perspective at<br>
the time was that Africans had played a critical role<br>
in the history and development of the US midwest. <br><br>
I learned of Pap Singleton and the Exodusters trying<br>
to establish all African settlements in Kansas, a<br>
thrust for independence and solidarity. Places like<br>
central Missouri's Little Africa, a cluster of<br>
bustling villages prospering after the Whites could<br>
not easily force labor from them in the 1870s-1900<br>
period. The towns and locations are mainly gone,<br>
ruined by American racism, and the forced migration<br>
that defines any Black success. Even cities were<br>
destroyed by Whites determined to stop African growth<br>
as in the massacre and internment of thousands of<br>
Africans in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921. Black Wall Street<br>
has barely been acknowledged by US courts and<br>
reparations never paid. <br><br>
African people during the mid 1800s built, either<br>
under the whiplash or as peons in Reconstruction (post<br>
American North-South War) railroads. This was after<br>
the forced building of Southern rail lines-5,000<br>
Africans physically pounded the spikes, lifted iron<br>
rail into place and created the legendary 'gandy<br>
dancer' singing and cultural legacy, in West Virginia<br>
alone. These men and women were engine drivers, stoked<br>
fire in the chamber, blacksmiths and signal operators.<br>
Omaha headquartered Union Pacific admitted in a 2002<br>
African reparations lawsuit in America that it also<br>
exploited Africans on its railroads. The legal action<br>
claims that Union Pacific, a major employer and<br>
billion dollar corporation abused the Africans' Human<br>
Rights: <br><br>
"It accuses the companies of conspiracy, human rights<br>
violations, unjust enrichment from their corporate<br>
predecessors' roles in the slave trade and conversion<br>
of the value of the slaves' labor into their profits."<br><br>
<br>
Yet, the dawn of the 1940s brought on the shake up of<br>
apartheid US political and economic systems. A half<br>
million Africans in uniform for the imperialist aims<br>
of the US governmnet/corporate elite did not all see<br>
the freedom promised. In Topeka Kansas, in 1954, the<br>
Brown v. Board of Education case for effective and<br>
balanced education standards between Africans and<br>
nonWhites and Whites went to the US Supreme Court. <br><br>
The children born in this era didn't see themselves<br>
ending up as mental wrecks over the brutality and<br>
suppression of their personality as a people held in<br>
check for centuries. <br><br>
In basic terms, the 1919 Omaha murder, lynching and<br>
castration of William Brown, (hundreds of bullets shot<br>
into his body) one of several that terrorized the<br>
African population into accepting subhuman treatment<br>
could never be tolerated. In 2004, Omaha politicans<br>
outlawed a vigil to held for William's memory-at the<br>
courthouse were he was killed by the White mob. <br><br>
But in the 1960s, formations of Africans, some calling<br>
themselves the Black Panther Party, came to the scene<br>
of Omaha's social ills enforced by racists. One was<br>
Mondo we Langa, born in 1949 in Omaha. At 20, he<br>
joined the Black Panthers to defend his community. <br><br>
In the same Douglas County that William Brown perished<br>
in, a 34 year old 'lynching in slow motion ' goes on<br>
for two former Panthers who wouldn't be broken. They<br>
felt they had to fight for freedom. In 2004, they<br>
fight on. <br><br>
Writer Leon Satterfield of the Lincoln, Nebraska<br>
Journal Star is quoted: <br><br>
<br>
"...the Rice-Poindexter case. It's the one that just<br>
won't go away. <br><br>
That's David Rice (who's since changed his name to<br>
Mondo we Langa) and Ed Poindexter, both sentenced to<br>
life in prison for the 1970 suitcase bombing that<br>
killed Omaha police officer Larry Minard. They were<br>
convicted largely on the testimony of a 15-year-old<br>
boy named Duane Peak. <br><br>
At a morning preliminary hearing Peak provided<br>
evidence that seemed to exonerate Rice and Poindexter,<br>
but after the noon break, he changed his story to one<br>
that suggested their guilt. Prior to that testimony<br>
Peak had been the primary suspect, having been the one<br>
thought to have called police to report a woman<br>
screaming at the address where the booby-trap suitcase<br>
would later explode, killing Officer Minard. <br><br>
Rice and Poindexter had been Black Panther activists;<br>
former Gov. Frank Morrison, who was the Douglas County<br>
Public Defender in 1970, later said that the two "were<br>
convicted for their rhetoric, not for any crime they<br>
committed." <br><br>
Today, Nebraska's 3 percent African population (state<br>
of Nebraska) makes up 40% of Nebraska's prison<br>
population. <br><br>
Mondo we Langa (formerly known as David Rice) and Ed<br>
Poindexter remain standing firm for court justice and<br>
peoples' justice. FBI COINTELPRO and the mass US<br>
dehumanization of Africans hasn't stopped them. <br><br>
>From exile, it is often difficult to explain to people<br>
how much has been won in the Black Movement for<br>
Justice in America. While there have been setbacks,<br>
indeed crippling attacks, some of us carry on. <br><br>
What has happened before is not taken lightly. It is<br>
taking us further. <br><br>
African people must recall the true history and deeds<br>
of the present day freedom fighters, and ancestors! <br><br>
Then the prairie fire, that of liberation, that need<br>
not be feared , sweeps the world. Free Mondo we Langa<br>
and Ed Poindexter! <br><br>
Keep Strong, <br><br>
Bankole <br><br>
<a href="http://www/" eudora="autourl">http://www</a>.
geocities.com/exiledone2002 <br>
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<br>
Addresses below at bottom. <br><br>
More Information on Mondo and Ed at:<br>
<a href="http://www.n2pp.info/about_mondo.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://www.n2pp.info/about_mondo.htm</a> <br><br>
Wopashitwe Mondo Eyen we Langa (formerly known as<br>
David Rice) has been a political prisoner in the<br>
Nebraska State Penitentiary since 1970, when he and<br>
fellow Black Panther Ed Poindexter were convicted for<br>
the bombing murder of Omaha policeman Larry Minard,<br>
and given life sentences. Both have consistently<br>
denied any connection with the crime, and Amnesty<br>
International, after reviewing the many<br>
inconsistencies in the trial transcript, as well as<br>
FBI files obtained through the Freedom of Information<br>
Act, have called for either a new trial, or immediate<br>
release. <br><br>
He was born in Omaha in 1949, graduated from Creighton<br>
Preparatory School and took courses at Creighton<br>
University. He wrote for the local underground paper,<br>
Buffalo Chip, from 1969 to 1970 and joined the Black<br>
Panther party. In the 32 years since his conviction,<br>
Mondo has created art, written short stories, poetry<br>
and journalism. He had five books of poetry published<br>
between 1973 and 1978 and has contributed poems and<br>
stories to such literary journals and magazines as<br>
Prairie Schooner, The Black Scholar, ARGO, Black<br>
American Literary Forum, Shooting Star Quarterly<br>
Review, Pacifica Review, Obsidian, Black Books<br>
Bulletin and over 30 more. In addition, his poem,<br>
"Great Babaleur" was featured in Malcolm X: By Any<br>
Means Necessary by Walter Dean Myers (Scholastic, Inc,<br>
1993). Two of Mondo's plays, Different Dances and We<br>
Dance in Our Neighborhood, were performed by Ujima<br>
Youtheatre in Nebraska, as well as in New York City. <br><br>
Mondo is one of several co-authors (including<br>
Yosef-ben-Jochannan, John Henrik Clarke, et al) of The<br>
Race: Matters Concerning Pan Afrikan History, Culture,<br>
and Genocide (Native Sun Publishers, 1992). He is a<br>
contributor to Nebraska Voices, the anthology<br>
commissioned by the Nebraska Humanities Council in<br>
celebration of the sesquicentennial of Nebraska<br>
statehood. <br><br>
In prison, he has continued his education, and now in<br>
his 50s, is a mentor and exemplar to young inmates<br>
just coming into the system. In all the years of his<br>
incarceration, he has not committed a single act of<br>
violence; he has, in fact, been an exemplary prisoner.<br><br>
<br>
But he is an African-American, and to the authorities,<br>
no matter what evidence is presented, he is a<br>
"cop-killer." The Nebraska Pardons Board is made up<br>
entirely of elected officials (the Governor, Attorney<br>
General and Secretary of State), and election depends<br>
on being "tough on crime." <br><br>
ииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииииии<br>
<br>
<br>
Mondo on Education and the 1954 Brown case: <br><br>
"In establishing our own schools, whether single-sex<br>
or co-ed, we are taking responsibility for the<br>
education of our children and youth and giving them<br>
protection from the racist indoctrination offered by<br>
the generally Caucasian-run public school system. Many<br>
of us have come to realize that our children and youth<br>
have been and are being put into a kind of cultural<br>
and intellectual critical condition by the public<br>
school system's Eurocentric curricula, racist<br>
instructors, etc. And though it may sound cute to<br>
compare separate schools for Africans that have been<br>
established by African choice to the segregated<br>
schools for Africans that were forced upon us by<br>
Caucasian legislators and school boards up to and<br>
beyond Brown vs. Board of Education, the comparison is<br>
ludicrous. It is tantamount to trying to equate the<br>
situation of a person who is lying down because he or<br>
she desires to rest to that of a person who is lying<br>
down because a four-hundred-pound person is sitting on<br>
his or her chest." <br><br>
<br>
Write Ed: <br><br>
Ed Poindexter #110403 <br>
Minnesota Correctional Facility <br>
7525 4th Avenue <br>
Lino Lakes, MN 55014-1099 <br>
USA <br><br>
<br>
Write Mondo: <br><br>
Wopashitwe Mondo Eyen we Langa (s/n David Rice) #<br>
27768 <br>
PO Box 2500 <br>
Lincoln NE 68542-2500 <br>
USA<br>
_________________<br>
Share knowledge of realities, fear no one.<br><br>
Bankole Irungu <br><br>
<a href="http://www.geocities.com/exiledone2002" eudora="autourl">
http://www.geocities.com/exiledone2002<br>
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