The Great One's

Martin & Malcolm

The Great One's!!!


AT THE CLOSE OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH WE CONTINUE TO ASK OUTSELVES THE QUESTION DR. KING POSED "WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?" WE MUST CONTINUE TO STUDY OUR HISTORY BEYOND THESE 28 DAYS. WE MUST STUDY ALL HISTORY TO HAVE A BETTER GRASP OF OURS. HOWEVER, WE MUST CONTINUE TO TELL OUR STORY!!! AS THE AFTERMATH OF KATRINA STILL LOOMS IN THE AIR--WE MUST NEVER FORGET THE PRICE THAT HAS BEEN PAID. YESTERDAY AND TODAY!!!

YOU KNOW THE GREAT ONE`S BELOW--THEY HAD MORE IN COMMON THAN PEOPLE WILL EVER KNOW... BELOW ARE SOME OF THEIR THOUGHTS IN THEIR OWN WORDS...


-AL HAJJ MALIK AL SHABAZZ aka BROTHER MIN. MALCOLM X

THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO PREPARE FOR IT TODAY.

THERE IS NO BETTER ADVERSITY. EVERY DEFEAT, EVERY HEARTBREAK, EVERY LOSS, CONTAINS ITS OWN SEED, ITS OWN LESSON ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PERFORMANCE THE NEXT TIME.

YOU`RE NOT TO BE SO BLIND WITH PATRIOTISM THAT YOU CAN`T FACE REALITY. WRONG IS WRONG, NO MATTER WHO DOES IT OR SAYS IT.


-MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

THE ULTIMATE MEASURE OF A MAN IS NOT WHERE HE STANDS IN TIMES OF COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE, BUT WHERE HE STANDS AT TIMES OF CHALLENGE AND CONTROVERSY.

BEFORE THE PILGRIMS LANDED AT PLYMOUTH, WE WERE HERE. BEFORE THE PEN OF JEFFERSON ETCHED ACROSS THE PAGES OF HISTORY THE MAJESTIC WORDS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, WE WERE HERE. IF THE INEXPRESSIBLE CRUELTIES OF SLAVERY COULD NOT STOP US, THE OPPOSITION WE NOW FACE WILL SURLEY FAIL.

A NATION THAT CONTINUES YEAR AFTER YEAR TO SPEND MORE MONEY ON MILITARY DEFENSE THAN ON PROGRAMS OF SOCIAL UPLIFT IS APPROACHING SPIRITUAL DOOM.

A NATION OR CIVILIZATION THAT CONTINUES TO PRODUCE SOFT-MINDED MEN PURCHASES ITS OWN SPIRITUAL DEATH ON THE INSTALLMENT PLAN.

Copyright Feb 2006

Become

Become the thing that you envision is what someone once said to me. We can have what our inner most self desires, if we truly seek it! Life is not meant for us to go through without some pain, we must experience it. As a wise man once said "adversity is apart of life itself," and that "hard trials are necessary." Hey, I've only been here 29 1/2 yrs and The Creator knows I've experienced some pain. But guess what? It has made me better; it has allowed me to grow! I say be what you allow yourself to become. Un-trap yourself! Many people mentally cannibalize themselves. I say stop it and live your will!!!

Become...

Copyright 12/5/03

For Cuzin' Chipper

The Black Panther Party for Self Defense founded in Oakland, CA by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton came on the scene in the 60's like a whirlwind with the seeds of change that bucked the power structure of America with a nonconformist Black Nationalist ideology inspired by Malcolm X, at its core.  An ideology, which shook the very fabric of American life, which caused her to examine herself like never before! Many young Blacks, particularly college students were the one's took to this progressive movement because it represented how they felt during an era where challenging the American power structure was not the norm in the mainstream.

The attraction to the Panther Party was much more powerful than being able to brandish firearms but more so about taking responsibility for one's community and doing for self.  The Free Breakfast Program for Children was a great example of this philosophy.

My mother would always tell me she had a cousin who was heavily involved with the Panthers back in the day and that he got locked up because of his affiliation with the organization.  Having been a student of Black history as a teen, I was always fascinated with the Panthers, which caused me to study the organization more in depth as I entered my first year of college. 

Ma Dukes would always say “Cuzin' Chipper was a Panther,” and she would say it gleaming with pride because she was very fond of him; also perhaps she saw him in me because in my youth, I was a forward and progressive thinker like Cuzin' Chipper.  At the time, little did I know of the intricate history of my cousin Romaine "Chip" Fitzgerald, and his journey with the Black Panther Party that led to his now going on 41 years of incarceration in the California Correctional System.  A story all to familiar was the Panthers and other progressive organizations of the 60's were concerned because of the vicious tactics implemented by the COINTELPRO program. From 2Pacs' mom Afeni Shakur to former Panther Geronimo "Ji-Jaga" Pratt to Native American activist Leonard Peltier, and to Chicago's very own Mark Clark and Fred Hampton all were victims of J. Edgar Hoover's diabolical hell-bent plan to destroy anyone who challenged the oppressive American socio-political power structure of that era.

Cuzin' Chipper early 90's

Fast forward to 2004, my mom’s put Cuzin' Chipper on my radar screen again.   She would always mention from time to time how she wished she could get in touch with him, and how she would always think about him over the years.  I promised her that I would track him, and our West Coast family down especially since I was travelling back and forth to LA on business quite often during that time.  But of course life got in the way, and my focus was not there.

Ma Dukes passed in April of 2008 so I took it upon myself to do my due diligence to track Cuzin' Chipper down; low and behold I found a wealth of history regarding his story and I was like wow, Ma Dukes was right!  Since April of 2010 the two year anniversary of my mom’s passing, I am proud to say I am in touch with her Cuzin' Chipper!  Of course, I wish she could be in on our conversations but I guess in a very spiritual kind of way she is.  And, I can now see why she had a special fondness for him!

Currently, we are prayerful and eagerly awaiting for him to be free and be with his loving family.  He is blessed to have his mom who is in her mid 90's still here with us and I hope he'll get out soon so he can spend time with her.  He and I have older sisters with the same name--my mom’s got my sister's name from his older sister's name.  At age 61, and after serving over 40 years, he is still down for the liberation of all poor and oppressed people especially Black people.  One cannot knock his stance at all because that means he's a man, a brother, and solider of conviction.

*In December of 2012, We lost Cuzin' Auntie Marie at 94 years young, Cuzin' Chipper's dream was to see her before she passed but God knows best.  It will not be long before he is released as the CDCR has to release 30,000 inmates at the order of the Supreme Court.  We pray justice will prevail and Cuzin' Chipper will be released in due time!  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/24/supreme-court-decision-or_n_866308.html

Peace & Blessings, Bro. Cuzin' Chipper, Thank you for standing up!!!

Family Love, Your Lil’ Big Cuz Dubie
*Updated March 2012

*For more info about Chip visit http://freechip.org & http://www.abcf.net/abc/pdfs/chip.pdf
 Drop him a line of encouragement & solidarity...

Please sign the petition gopetition.com/petitions/free

Write Chip at

Romaine Fitzgerald B-27527

Kern Valley State Prison 

P.O. Box 5101 A-5-110 

Delano, California 93216

Cuzin' Chipper at 18yrs of age

A Very Dangerous Time...

People all over the planet are suffering today it doesn't matter whether you're Black, White, or Brown, etc. Muslim, Christian, Jew, or Agnostic, etc. rich, middle class or poor--this world is coming down all around us. We're living in a time that is very dangerous and if we don't get our stuff together it's gonna be too late! Our backs are already against the wall, it's no wonder we're seeing calamity after calamity, downspin after downspin. This world is enmity in the eyes of The Creator and He is not playing with this world any longer.

My concern especially is where Black people as a whole are in the picture of things, we have allowed this world to dupe and bamboozle us again and again. Every Black History Month we're always talking about Black unity and Black folk coming together and a Black agenda. And year after year we do nothing, sure as a 36 year old Black man in America--I am grateful for the Civil Rights movement but what did it really get us? Many of the old Civil Rights Champions of the 60's regret the movement believe it or not. Why? Although we got rid of racial segregation, fought for the right to vote, etc. it ultimately killed the Black Community as we know it. We use to have hotels, motels, stores, etc. you name it-now we have very few Black businesses and our money goes out our community like 40 going north! But yet we got the Oprah's, MJ's of the world and a few of those of us who have some money but the whole of our people are still broke. We love giving our money away to other's versus giving it to ourselves, we make these big companies richer and richer cause we're worried about the latest style. We have let this world put our people into an even deeper coma today. Some of you may get mad at me for this statement but I'm in a Riley from Boondocks mood this morning!!! "I'm so damn tired of luke-warm niggas and their tired ass behavior that it is driving me crazy and that includes me." We continue to procrastinate as if we have a lot time to get our houses in order with God!

The we shall overcome days are over; we are truly those dry bones in the valley and that hard-headed people that scriptures speak of. Sure we go to church, mosque, temple, etc. hec we got 'em on every corner in Chicago and other cities but the condition of our neighborhoods our still deplorable and running to the burbs isn't gonna save us either! We have no respect anymore, any time you can beat an old man up at McDonald's cause he won't give you a damn dollar is sickening! That's why we can't get mad at the young generation--the way we have allowed them to become and behave is our fault as adults and people. Anytime grandmothers are raising children who have all type of social and psychological issues trying to keep up with them at 70 and 80 yrs. old is crazy! Parents who have to work two and three jobs to keep food on the table and the lights on. Hec, what do you expect the children to do and be? Especially when they go to school and the educational system is failing them and they learn nothing and it's not always because they don't wanna learn--hell it's like a zoo at some of these public schools so they don't cultivate an environment that is conducive to learning. So, the kids become un-interested and look toward the streets as a way of making it!

Granted this all may seem like I am painting a dark and bleak picture but it is the reality that we see every day--even with the first elected Black President in office. In reality, nothing has changed--I'm excited for President Obama and thankful for his leadership but I know he's not the real power in charge. America has a deep history to say the least where we're concerned and I know by him being in office doesn't change the landscape totally. Bottom-line is we have to do for ourselves, we have to save ourselves. To many great one's have come among us giving us warning after warning and we're in the Final Call of that warning. God is not going to wait on us any longer at some point even God's mercies run out so teaches the scriptures. I'm a working diligently on myself first and then spreading it to those in my family and friends circle because time is of the essence and we must get movin'!


To God Be the Glory!

Bro. Lamon