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She Who
Struggles: Serena Turley
"I have been a political activist most of my life, and although the U.S. government has done everything in its power to criminalize me, I am not a criminal, nor have I ever been one. In 1978, my case was one of many cases brought before the United Nations Organization in a petition filed by the National Conference on Black Lawyers, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice, exposing the existence of political prisoners in the United States, their political persecution, and the cruel and inhuman treatment they receive in U.S. prisons. I was falsely accused in six different 'criminal cases' and in all six of these cases I was eventually acquitted or the charges were dismissed. The fact that I was acquitted or that the charges were dismissed, did not mean that I received justice in the courts, that was certainly not the case. It only meant that the 'evidence' presented against me was so flimsy and false that my innocence became evident. This political persecution was part and parcel of the government's policy of eliminating political opponents by charging them with crimes and arresting them with no regard to the factual basis of such charges. During the 1960's and early 1970's, the FBI formed a special squad, COINTELPRO, to deal with revolutionary groups such as the Black Panthers, the BLA, and even AIM (the American Indian Movement). The BLA was rightly seen as anti-establishment and a threat to the Status Quo; for those in power, this was obviously seen as something negative. Therefore, COINTELPRO used clandestine measures to discredit and disrupt the activity of revolutionary groups. Assata Shakur risked everything to help fight against social injustice. Her life truly blurs the distinction between those those who are the "terrorists" and those who are the "terrorized". She explains further: “But at this moment,
I am not so concerned about myself. Everybody
has to die sometime, and all I want is to go with dignity.
I am more concerned about the growing poverty, the growing despair that
is life in Amerika. It has been a
long time since I have lived inside the United States.
But during my lifetime I have seen every prominent black leader,
politician or activist come under attack by the establishment media.
When African-Americans appear on news programs they are usually talking
about sports, entertainment, or they are in handcuffs.
They often gear their reports to reflect the foreign policies and the
domestic policies of the same people who are oppressing their people.
In the establishment media, the bombing of and murder of thousands of
innocent women and children in Libya or Iraq or Panama is seen as
‘patriotic,’ while those who fight for freedom, no matter where they are,
are seen as ‘radicals,’ ‘extremists,’ or ‘terrorists.’ We need
to create media outlets that help to educate our people and our children, and
not annihilate their minds. I am
only one woman. I own no TV
stations, or Radio Stations or Newspapers.
But I feel that people need to be educated as to what is going on, and
to understand the connection between the news media and the instruments of
repression in Amerika. All I have
is my voice, my spirit and the will to tell the truth.
But I sincerely ask, those of you in the Black media, those of you in
the progressive media, those of you who believe in truth freedom, To publish
this statement and to let people know what is happening.
We have no voice, so you must be the voice of the voiceless.”
You can contact Serena at serena_turley@yahoo.com.
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Born July 14, 1947 as Joanne
Chesimard, Assata ("she who struggles") Shakur ("the
thankful") has become known as the Mother of the Black Liberation Army
(BLA). Assata Shakur's experiences in Amerikkka's injustice system have
caused many people to compare her to likes of Cesar Chavez, Malcom X, and Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1973, Assata was falsely convicted of a
crime. After six years of imprisonment, she escaped and exiled herself
to Cuba. She was considered so dangerous that in April 1998, New Jersey
Governor Christine Todd Whitman placed a $100,000 bounty on Assata's
head. In an open letter on April 1, 1998, Assata explains: