Kwame Beans Shakur: Contradictions on organizing in post-neo-colonial north amerikkka 

by Kwame Beans Shakur

“Today, this minute, this hour (as Malcolm would say), I have come to realize that picking up the gun was/is the easy part. The difficult part is the day to day organizing, educating and showing the people by example what needs to be done to create a new society. The hard, painstaking work of changing ourselves into new beings, of loving ourselves and our people, and working with them daily to create a new reality — this is the first revolution, that internal revolution … It may take a little longer to do it the hard way, slowly and methodically, building a movement step by step and block by block, but doing it this way is designed to build a strong foundation that will withstand the test of time and the attack of the enemy … If we truly are to create a new society, we must build a strong foundation.” — Safiya Bukhari* 

Today, this minute, this hour, in this new era of community movement/nation building, we find ourselves in a predicament that is not new or unique at all to our course of struggle. It is the same set of contradictions that opposed those before us, yet they still exist within our ranks to stagnate and erode the manifestation of our political line. 

I am speaking about the failure to properly study and struggle around our theory and ideology. Revolution, national liberation and decolonization are based on a science, and when this science is overlooked, it goes against the aims and objectives that we have set forth to achieve our goals. As new Afrikans, I am referring to the PG RNA/NAIM (Provisional Government of the Republic of New Afrika and New Afrikan Independence Movement) and the failure to dissect and apply New Afrikan Political Science (NAPS). As abolitionists and revolutionary freedom fighters, i am referring to PLM (Prison Lives Matter) and the overall prison movement as it relates to analyzing both past and present orgs and lines needed to build infrastructure and applying international law to liberating our PPs/POWs (political prisoners and prisoners of war). 

We are not the majority party in an underdeveloped third world nation whose people are born keenly aware of Our oppression and captive status as neo-colonial subjects. Our colonial experience is unique and has been methodically altered and mastered over a period of 400+ years into its own applicable slave science. Therefore, simply existing as a Provisional Government on these shores, holding elections known only to our own conscious citizens, sprinkled in unknown numbers amongst the masses is insufficient. 

In this post neo-colonial era, Our people are no longer fighting to be free from the shackles of US imperialism in pursuit of national independence/self-government because they have no idea that they are still slaves. The need to separate from their birth certificates and social security numbers, proclaiming their nationality and combating the genocidal tactic of being forced to give live birth in US hospitals are foreign concepts to them because our leaders have abandoned dialectical materialist philosophy. Failing to expose the politics and class contradictions to the people is itself a direct contradiction to everything we know about creating a social climate geared toward gaining their support for a revolution. Through the application of criticism and self-criticism, an open and honest evaluation can be done to study our shortcomings and setbacks. 

Kwame has been in prison most of his adult life.

Our forerunners studied and observed the many anti-colonial peoples’ wars and national liberation struggles around the world, from Queen Mother Moore, Malcolm X and the Obeideles to Sekou Odinga, Jalil Muntaqim and Jihad Abdulmumit. We have traveled internationally building allies in pursuit of self-determination. This led us on the righteous path from civil rights to fighting for international human rights, from lawsuits and the domestic use of US KKKourts to the development of international tribunals and forming The Peoples Senate. 

Yet, in 58 years, the PG-RNA has failed to make any significant concrete growth toward decolonization or regaining the international support of our allied nations. Now, it is apparent based on the class/national consciousness of our founding members as well as the founding documents that our nation was built upon that this stagnation is not based on incorrect lines or ideas. So, where is the error and who is responsible for our collective setbacks? Lenin said that without revolutionary theory there can be no revolution. He was correct in that concept, but let me take it a step further and ask: What good is theory without it being turned into applicable forms of action and practice? One thing our movement isn’t lacking is a philosophy or theoretical foundation; however, by failing to have fully competent cadre pushing and maintaining the political line to each and every member during the recruitment and training stage, there will continue to be a disconnect. 

From birth We only know what We are told by our family, school, church, government etc. and We see all too well how easily We are misguided into believing or simply not questioning the laws or function of society. The same goes for the organization, movement or nation, and those in leadership have a responsibility to adhere to all laws and policies that have been put in place to guide us on our new path. In order for US capitalism, imperialism and racism to function and survive as a global empire, it must keep its captive oppressed nations in a totalitarian state (controlling the people of a country in a strict way with complete power that cannot be opposed), or relating to a political regime based on subordination of the individual to the state and strict control over all aspects of the life and productive capacity of the nation especially by coercive measures, such as censorship and terrorism). 

And therefore the first act of the colonizer must be to strip us of any knowledge or science of self, wipe out all original content and implement our minds with foreign data. The individual slave or captive nation held within the oppressor nation must be frozen in a permanent state of codependency to prevent any real separation or independence. With that being said, We are overlooking the fundamental transition period and process for successful decolonization. If it is understood that colonialism is a process, and beyond the physical kidnapping and captivity of a colony/group, it has to colonize the mind, spirit and culture of its subject for the end goal of complete totalitarianism, then our leaders and the organizations, movements and nations struggling to counter that with decolonization have to fully understand that it TOO is a process. 

At some point our captors realized that they needed a science of controlling slaves for the long term objective. That science was neocolonialism, and its “success” and crippling effects are evident in the way our revolutionary abolitionists attempt to go about “separating,” “liberating” the people, or “overthrowing” the current system. The conscious organizations and citizens who make up the NAIM are supposed to be employing NAPS in ALL social spheres of life to educate, foster and nurture its members into cadre capable of agitating, educating, organizing and mobilizing the unconscious masses and poor working class around tangible decolonization programs that allow them to put a face and name on capitalism and completely see the dialectical and historical social process they experienced. 

This is the level of force used by the police in Terre Haute, Indiana, to arrest Kwame.

Without that method, process, program or purpose, We have a movement and PG with no tangible foundation spewing revolutionary rhetoric. Trying to convince masses of people who not only still have an amerikkkan colonial mentality, but even those who are in a conscious state of rebellion or organizing, and are still tied to this system on an educational, economic, political and agricultural level that they should separate from the US capitalist class structure and fight for land, independence, socialism/communism, anarchy etc. 

When the individual, organization, movement or governmental worker is allowed to sidestep all the fundamental stages required to transition the people toward decolonization, We/they are engaging in counter revolutionary activity. The consequence and results have led to the appointment of incapable, underdeveloped comrades in positions of authority; dysfunction and chaos in the PG/PCC; decades of sectarianism and fragmentation; confusion and uncertainty within the overall movement, and a continuum/normalcy of struggling in a low tide. 

The masses have had no steady presence from the PG-RNA, nor have they had any signs of tangibility or education that the nation exists. Aside from failing to adopt or develop a policy on cadre development, this evaluation highlights another harsh reality of trying to organize anti-capitalist movements in post neo-colonial north amerikkka. We tend to view neocolonialism through a narrow lens and use it as a negative term to identify the petty bourgeois class enemies and Uncle Toms like Obama or Al Sharpton. But the entire New Afrikan Nation is a captive neo-colony again, whose life and productivity is subordinate and dependent to the US totalitarian empire. 

We as a nation own no land, we have no economic structure that offers jobs, no schools to educate our youth and no food source; so the reality is that even the most militant individuals, including the president and ministers in the PG-RNA and other prison abolitionists or Black nationalists at the highest level of political consciousness, need US currency to pay rent or mortgage, send their children to daycare, pay for food, clothing and all other daily essentials in order to survive, but do not control or produce on our own. Neo-colonialism doesn’t afford its dependents the time or opportunity to wage a national liberation struggle, nor does capitalism create space for the poor lower working class to stop production long enough to organize and overthrow it. 

The average worker who has the ability or power to demand economic change cannot afford to go without pay to stage a strike or work stoppage. There is no real sense of urgency or need from even the poorest, oppressed individuals or class to go through the hard, painstaking and arduous tasks it takes to build infrastructure and transition themselves into a sustainable state of self determination. 

We have to be open and honest and analyze this aspect of our revolutionary leadership and its relationship, or lack thereof to the masses, who also see no immediate need to leave the comforts of slumber in their amerikkkan dream for the “new society” we have failed to materialize. This is because the poorest, oppressed people who historically are those with the most potential to wage a people’s war — are still living more comfortably, pacified by neo-colonialism in the US, than those who have nothing to lose and everything to gain around the world. 

The US government showed the people with COINTELPRO what happens to revolutionary freedom fighters who truly dare to struggle and win, and while those who survived languished in prison or exile the last 50 years, capitalism/colonialism morphed again, strengthened its stranglehold on us all the while making conditions a little more comfortable and rocked the tread to sleep. 

“Consciousness grows in spirals. Growth implies feeding and being fed. We feed consciousness by feeding people, addressing ourselves to their needs, the basic and social needs, working, organizing toward a united national left. After the people have created something that they are willing to defend, a wealth of new ideals and an autonomous subsistence infrastructure, [then] they are ready to be brought into ‘open’ conflict with the ruling class and its supporters. This conflict must extend to every level of capitalist production and distribution. Consciousness of our power will grow, as a result of this mass contact with the ruling forces. There is no question that people must be organized and educated to the benefits of a people’s government before they can successfully move against their class enemy. However, there seems to be some question as to how seriously we should take ourselves and our work of organizing.” – George Jackson, “Blood in My Eye,” p. 81.

The peoples consciousness is NOT BEING FED, the potential of the people is not being met by those who have tasked themselves with leading the struggle. The people are ready, the US government and its extreme right wing fascism has perfectly set the stage for a social revolution, but the people are never going to organize themselves. They have to be fed the right information and given the right tools to evolve past this stage of agitation that they are in. 

However, if those who have the potential to educate and organize are themselves (consciously or unconsciously) so neocolonized by these social constructs and class antagonisms that they refuse to make the necessary sacrifices for Our freedom, then they too are a contradiction that opposes the power of the people. This is one of the biggest forms of liberalism that we must combat. How long shall we wade in the shallow waters of this low tide because we know that we’re not supposed to splash or make waves?

Continuing to struggle and organize at a level that is allowed or deemed acceptable, safe or “legal” is not revolutionary at all. As Safiya Bukhari pointed out, revolution in its initial stage should be to create a new society or identity. Our cadre and governmental workers do this by transforming the hearts and minds of Our women, men and children with decolonization programs. These are the basic tenets for any collective or government, things to win over the people and guide them on a path toward liberation. Most comrades who have started a formation or taken on the task of developing a national united front already know this. 

Kwame’s Aunt Peggy Joyner and her son enjoy a video visit with Kwame on Feb. 21, 2022.

The error is that We onboard new members who we meet in the course of “doing the work” on a variety of political prisoner campaigns, defense committees, prison abolition or community based networks, mostly virtual or on a call — and we often mistake our own consciousness or knowledge of the line for others and We assume these individuals understand the mission or vision being pushed. BA is a united front or umbrella, PLM is a network that includes a majority of the leading PP campaigns, defense committees, BPP veterans and prisoner support groups who are active today, with overlapping membership and goals that work in unison to build statewide, regional and national coordinating committees, PLM is a vehicle for decolonization, unification and infrastructure to strengthen the overall movement. 

In recent months i have had to do a serious assessment and evaluation of the reason we continue to suffer surrounding the issues of coordination, communication and capacity in regard to various subcommittees and a lack of commitment to assigned tasks. I asked myself in frustration: “How can We have this many individuals and organizations from ALL walks of movement life on our monthly calls, yet so many of our short term aims and objectives are not being met? Why are we having to reiterate the same structural needs and organizational determination on each zoom meeting?” 

As the national director, i have to take on the self criticism and acknowledge the fact that the majority of these comrades were allowed to come on board within the last two to three years and take on significant roles and responsibilities. We entrusted or assumed that because they were already a part of “this or that org” or invited by “this or that comrade” that they would effectively carry out said task as it aligned with PLM/SOM/Jericho or The People’s Senate. There has been no clear cut policy on orientation, political education and mandatory retention of PLM’s line or an overall process for cadre development. Again, like anything else in life, we only know or do what we have been told or shown in regard to movement work. 

Since joining the movement or nation in the last 10 or 15 years, individuals have been allowed to join a collective, having never been properly introduced or educated to the inner connectedness of the PISC to our outside struggle to Free the Land, or developed politically through a curriculum rooted in dialectical/historical materialism, then we have failed. Coming to the realization that we have to collectively hit the emergency brake and establish a series of political education and cadre development across the board as it relates to the NAIM, PLM + SOM, i again go to the words of Safiya Bukhari: “Individual and organizational safety and well-being begin with the knowledge of what you’re about, what the organization is about, your limitations, the organization’s limitations, your strengths and the organization’s strengths. 

Knowledge is the key to security. History has shown that the best security depends upon the internal strength of the organization and the internal principles of the people who make up the organization. The question, then, is how do we get to this point? It begins with knowing what you’re about — what you want and what you believe in and how far you will go to obtain it. The reciprocal reality is knowing what the organization is about. If the purpose and mission of the organization is clear, not subject to interpretation, then people joining will not be able to say that they thought the organization was about one thing when they joined, only to find out later that it was about something totally different. 

PLM is not solely about the lives of prisoners, nor is it designed to complain about poor food, living conditions or the treatment from guards, naturally these things will be addressed and a platform and resources for captives and our families will be readily available to confront these daily realities. We are not a reactionary social movement like #blacklivesmatter. From my observation and analysis of the past 50 years, i see that there was a major disconnect between the inside-out movement, and like the countless individuals/formations within the NAIM, the overall prison movement lacked a clear cohesive program that established infrastructure. 

We then proceeded to use the blueprint and theory found within FROLINAN (Front for the Liberation of the New Afrikan Nation) to build a concrete/sustainable front. PLM is a primary component to help achieve class struggle for national unity if properly understood and applied. Over a span of eight years, We have unified new Afrikan, chicano, indigenous and poor working-class euro amerikkkans around building tangible bases for agriculture, medical, inter-faith, legal and multimedia initiatives. Captives all across the US have responded to PLM’s call to action to help build statewide chapters in their region, to establish inside-out coordination between prisoners in their state and those with boots on the ground. 

Based on this method of movement and nation building, PLM has been designated to advance the cause of self-determination, like the People’s Senate, by distributing the Senate’s explanation and recruitment manual to every prison and state where We have individuals or formations to help build up the six  national regions that make up The People’s Senate. Through coordination, communications and meeting our capacity as a united front, We can galvanize the momentum of all our collective efforts. 

As a whole, We probably have comrades and allies in nearly every state across the map, but we lack a concrete tactic or process to utilize this network to uplift the determination of our mission. The individual comrades, orgs, collectives who accepted the call from PLM to serve as NCC members or field marshalls must have a principled understanding that commitment is key. We may be autonomous moving parts that move freely in our own individual organizational capacities, but it is our endeavor to spearhead and coordinate collectively that make up the body as a whole. 

Organizational structure and determination – the methods, programs and process We set in place to guide us and carry out the vision – cannot be disregarded or abandoned in the middle of committing to the task at hand. Monthly meetings of NCC members and biweekly meetings for each subcommittee are routine schedules necessary to ensure that the entire body is aligned and organized around a national agenda. This communication and coordination is the heart and soul of a united front; each and every member has a role to play in its capacity to function properly. Joining a subcommittee, taking on specific work and failing to follow through on your commitment is unprogressive and harmful to the entire membership. 

Andy Williams of the Kwame Shakur Freedom Campaign pulls a Bay View paper out of the rack at the site of the New Afrikan People’s Center.

In closing, i would like to apologize on behalf of PLM to the countless captives across the KKKountry who have sent letters or responded to our call to develop study groups or structure in your prison, state, region and received no response or lost contact with a coordinator in chicago or virginia. This is another setback as a result of coordination and capacity issues. All unanswered mail sent to our chicago P.O box will be forwarded to outside comrades in the state or region from which the correspondence was mailed in order to develop inside out coordination in 2026. 

Texas PLM now has its own PO box, we look forward to further developing that chapter to advance the work already being done. Maintaining regional PO boxes is a priority for PLM moving into 2026; however, we are focused on making sure these coordinators are trained and vetted to our political line and have the necessary materials on file or in print to distribute. 

Study and Struggle! ReBuild to WIN!! WE ARE our OWN LIBERATORS!!! 

one love/struggle, 

Kwame Beans Shakur

*Safiya Bukhari joined the Black Panther Party in 1969 and served nine years in prison as a prisoner of war on charges related to the Black Liberation Army. She was released in 1983 and remained an active freedom f¡ghter until her death in 2003. She co-founded the Jericho Movement with Jalil Muntaqim and Herman Ferguson in 1998 to demand the release of u.s. held political prisoners and prisoners of war. Her life and legacy continues to be honored through the Safiya Bukhari and Albert Nuh Washington Foundation. She is also the author of “The War Before: The True Life Story of Becoming a Black Panther, Keeping the Faith in Pr¡son & Fighting for Those Left Behind.”

Send our brother some love and light: Michael (Kwame) Joyner, DOC #149677, Miami Correctional Facility, 3038 W 850 South, Bunker Hill, IN 46914.

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