<html>
<body>
<font size=4>Jalil's new book, the second edition of <i>We Are Our Own
Liberators</i>, is now available from
<a href="http://www.arissa.org/">Arissa Media Group. </a><br><br>
<b>Review of We are our own liberators by political prisoner Jalil
Muntaqim.<br><br>
</b>by Kit Aastrup<br><br>
</font><font size=3> I have been waiting more than 3 month for this
book, as it's publishing was delayed. Now it is finally lying on my table
with its shiny cover in brown and purple with a photo of Jalil taken
months before he was incarcerated at the age of 19. Consisting of more
than 36 years of prison writings by Jalil Muntaqim, this second edition
contains numerous updates, poetry and additional essays added by
Muntaqim.<br><br>
This is not a book you read from page one till the end. I started with
the Last Word by George Jackson: "Settle your quarrels, come
together, understand the reality of the situation, understand that
fascism is already here. That people are dying that could be saved, that
generations more will die or live poor butchered half-lives if you fail
to act. Do what must be done, discover your humanity and your life in
revolution. Pass on the torch, join us, give up your life for the
people."<br><br>
This collection represents some of the significant contributions Jalil
has made to the Black Liberation and New Afrikan Independence Movements,
and it is <b>not</b> bedtime reading. His poems are strong and
multi-layered and his analytical insight is sharp as a razor. One of my
favorite essays is <b>The Criminalization of Poverty in Capitalist
America</b>. Although it was written years ago, it is still as relevant
today as it was then.<br><br>
Another one is added after 9/11, <b>America reaps what it sows?</b>
<dl>
<dd>In the 60s, U.S. progressives evolved the slogan 'Bring the war
home!'
<dd>"The question is, what will be the slogan this time, now that
the war has been brought home? Free the land!!"
</dl>I really like the poems, What color is your blues?, Scream
Black,<br>
Outpost, Chairman Fred and Captain Mark, The Bush Family and more.
<br><br>
The following poem is written after the assassination of Puerto
Rican<br>
independentista leader Filiberto Ojeda Rios by FBI snipers on September
23,<br>
2005:<br><br>
Filiberto's Song<br><br>
My machete is adorned, draped in red<br>
and green, sharpened with the blood<br>
of a patriot whose life beckons.<br><br>
Viejo, I hear you from a distant land,<br>
your words of liberation, freedom and<br>
independence cut the wind of tyranny,<br>
the howling ravishing wolves of the<br>
U.S. neo-colonialism and exploitation.<br><br>
The ancestors speak through you on this<br>
137th anniversary of El Grito de Lares,<br>
telling our youth NOW is the time to<br>
restore and rebuild our nation.<br><br>
Their echoes reverberate into chords of<br>
African drums and coquitos "Libertad, Libertad,<br>
Libertad, Libertad, Libertad"<br><br>
We will not forgive or forget!<br>
We will heed the call!<br>
We will champion the Patriots!<br>
We will free our nation.<br><br>
For our machetes are adorned, draped in red<br>
and green, sharpened with the blood of a<br>
patriot whose life beckons.<br><br>
Jalil Muntaqim calls on the Black progressive forces in <b>A challenge to
the Black Bourgeoisie</b> to take the lead in building national campaigns
and mobilizations within a popular civil and human rights movement.
<dl>
<dd>"The struggle for the preservation and restoration of democratic
and civil rights must evolve towards a struggle for human rights, which
in turn will take the class struggle for national unity toward the final
and complete destruction of corporate-capitalist class exploitation and
racist imperialist neo-colonial oppression."<br><br>
</dl>This new edition of the book is published by
<a href="http://www.arissa.org/">The Arissa Media Group,
Portland.</a><br><br>
<br>
</font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<font size=3 color="#FF0000">Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#008000">415 863-9977<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#0000FF">
<a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">
www.Freedomarchives.org</a></font><font size=3> </font></body>
</html>