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

Your Minute...

Do you ever reflect on what your legacy will be?  Who's life have you changed or touched, have you given your all, and have you made a difference?   Make the most of this life, don't take advantage of people mistakes will happen but they don't define you.  Know that you stand of the shoulders of some of the strongest men & women to ever walk the planet, so make them proud and maximize your minute  -The Brotha

 http://www.godswork.org/inpoem189.htm

I think about the above statement everyday!  "Maximizing my minute & moment."  Using my life up for the greater good is what I think about cause I really want the Creator to truly be able to say "job well done, my son now take your rest."  I want to use it so I don't loose it... The Creator has given us all gifts whether we use them or not, is on us!  I believe the remarks in the video by two admirable and intelligent men will sum it up better than I can...  *For the second part click the video to go to YouTube (Watch the whole thing it's a real gem)

I've only just a minute,
Only sixty seconds in it.
Forced upon me, can't refuse it,
Didn't seek it, didn't choose it,
But it's up to me to use it.
I must suffer if I lose it,
Give an account if I abuse it,
Just a tiny little minute,
But eternity is rapped up in it.

By Dr. Benjamin E. Mays

More than "I Have A Dream..."

Dr. King weekend... He was born Jan. 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. It would have been his 82nd birthday. Make sure your children & any young people you are around know who he truly was. Especially those born after 1990. He changed the world for all of us, please NEVER forget this soldier! Give him and all those whom were "Bridge Builders," the honor & respect they deserve everyday!!!

Yes!!! We have to teach this generation our history indeed because those who are sinister minded; want to re-write our history and flip the script to make it more palatable instead of honestly acknowledging what took place is overtly and covertly happening.  Prime example is The Huck Fin novel changing the word "nigger" to "slave," let's keep it 100--no need to sugar-coat what it really was!  Furthermore, you'll never see history re-written in regards to the dreadful atrocities of the Holocaust that occurred. That's why we have to continue to tell our story--the whole story.

Dr. King for me means so much more than what they taught me in school as youth "I Have A Dream," no doubt was an all time great speech but MLK was way more heavier than that! They never talk about why he was vehemently hated by those in government circles especially the like of Mr. Hoover.  He was hated on even more towards the end of his life than in the beginning when the conversation was just about being able eat a burger in a restaurant.  When his conversation became more about the human rights of poor, marginalized and oppressed people all over the world.  He became a big threat to the establishment and that is why he was killed.  Dr. King's legacy will forever live and we must continue to tell the whole story or else we will be doomed!

UNAPOLOGETICALLY BLACK & AMERICAN...

"God damn America..." the powerful words Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. got lambasted for during the historic 2008 Presidential race that produced America's first Black President.  The speech that Rev. Wright gave was actually much more poignant than just the two minute sound bite that was presented to the public.  It actually expressed the sentiments that most Americans share whom have been poor, oppressed, and marginalized by her ugly past and present.  Today, I was sent the Pledge of Allegiance by a friend of mine from the "baby boomer," generation that made me reflect on growing up in America as a young black male who is apart of "Gen X."  A pledge that we hardly hear anymore today especially in schools where it was a standard part of our daily lives as adolescents. 

The message that my friend sent was plain and very straight to the point, she states as follows:  "I am an UN-APOLOGETIC AMERICAN!! I pledge allegiance to the flag of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands, one nation under GOD, indivisible, with LIBERTY and JUSTICE for all!! I grew up reciting this every morning in school. We no longer do that for fear of OFFENDING SOMEONE!! Let's see how many AMERICANS will re-post this & not care about offending someone."   As a young African American male in America, I know her ugly and shameful history where we as Blacks, the Native Americans and other poor and oppressed people are concerned.  We have a stake in this thing too so it is never wrong for us to pledge allegiance to a flag that has systematically sniped us out.  Moreover, this is the only land that I know and the land that my ancestors help build, bled, & died for.  Although I may not be in agreement with her biased and unfair laws, tactics, policies, and practices--I can respect and honor the country of my birth and want for her wholeheartedly what the pledge states  In my opinion that is what Rev. Wright was challenging--challenging America to be what she said she would be for all Americans!   True Americans like us don't exist anymore... because it's hard for some that are among us to accept that Liberty & Justice is for ALL not a few or some but ALL!!! 

Yes, it is hard for some to accept her ugly history and therefore can never be honest without trying to sweep her ugly past under a rug.  When those of us who speak up and expose her ugly truth--we are deemed as un-American and unpatriotic.  Fredrick Douglass said it best "A true patriot is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins."  For America to truly get back to being a standard barer among the world's nations she must be allowed to face the truths of her history and allow God back into the picture.  For if she doesn't, she will continue to rapidly fall and fail in all areas of her existence and will no longer be the world power that she is perceived to be.  I leave you with these words by one of her founding father's who understood the consequences very profoundly, "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever."

Innuendo...2010 v. 1997

"Whoever controls the images, controls your self esteem, self-respect, and self-development. Whoever controls the history controls the vision." -Dr. Leonard Jefferies

So, all the young girls & now even the young boys b/t the ages of 5-21 have a new roll model!!! I don't have a problem with one's artistic expressions but when there's an agenda behind all the madness that our children are seeing visually and hearing through sound that clouds their brains and souls... It must be addressed in proper context!    

The blatantly sexually suggestive, foul language, misogynistic, and believe it or not misandrist over and undertones that permeate the music and video production today has run a muck! Our kids our absorbing this garbage at a more faster rate than they do their school curriculum. There is no buffer today--it's all on the damn table for everyone see and hear. And not enough people seem to be appalled by the downward spiral that our society is on! So, we allow this madness to continue to enter our homes and surroundings. And chalk it up as if it's no big deal and is not having an ill affect on our children today.

I know this generation is smart and very fast when it comes to technology and things of that nature. But being on the ground everyday whether it's in the hood or burbs with this cohort--the social-psychological context by which most process with is totally different today. They see nothing wrong with Nikki Minaj 'atwa' and Superman that hoe! Perhaps because they haven't been taught or perhaps because we as adults don't emphasize the degrading nature of such? Any thoughts? Or am I just getting old? :-)

Believe it or not? God's Movement & Presence is Real...

"Believe it or not there is no doubt that God is on the scene today."

The rapid degradation in society that we live in today can truly warp one's sense of hope and belief.  In this time of so-called "keeping it real or 100," there is not much that we as a society have to hold on to that is decent or morally fit today.  From youth as young as 5 years old cursing on a YouTube video to explicit music lyrics and videos, we as a society over the past twenty years have sunk lower and lower by the minute in terms of moral standard and conduct.  It has gotten so bad that we have become use to and immune to the degradation, as a normal part of life.  Back in the day, when I was a youngin' I can remember when being respectful was a thing of high priority even for those of us who grew up in the "hood."  But not today!  And it's disheartening to witness.

Residing in the great City of Chicago where you can find a church or religious institution on every block from north, south, east and west one would think it would be much different.  Because as a society we have truly fallen off and it makes one question the movement and presence of God today.  There has been much critical examination done in the area of social and moral decline which has produced many profound conclusions and answers.  But why does the condition of the people continue to worsen?




A Glimmer of Hope



Looking at it through a frame of reference that utilizes scripture is most applicable in the authors' perspective.  Utilizing scripture coupled with the good sense that grand-momma passed down gives one hope.  Knowing that God's Almighty presence still exist is reassuring in this time of moral and social degradation.  God's movement is real and He keeps it 100 with us at all times.  So, I say like Dr. King said "Don't cha get weary..." cause "believe it or not there is no doubt that God is on the scene today."

Scriptural & Literary Support:



Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. -Psalm 91:3 NKJV

Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land.  There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.  Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away.  “But let no one bring a charge, let no one accuse another, for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest.  You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother— my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.  -Hosea 4:1-6 NIV
 

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! -2 Tim 3:1-5 NKJV

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. -James 4:4 NIV

On no account will Allah leave the believers in the condition which you are in until He separates the evil from the good; nor is Allah going to make you acquainted with the unseen, but Allah chooses of His apostles whom He pleases; therefore believe in Allah and His apostles; and if you believe and guard (against evil), then you shall have a great reward. -Holy Quran 3:179


Surely Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change their own condition... -Holy Quran 13:11

 I swear by the time, most surely man is loss, except those who believe and do good, and enjoin on each other truth, and enjoin on each other patience. -Holy Quran 103: 1-3