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By Brother Salim Kujitawala

In the late 1960's the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), under the direction of J. Edgar Hoover initiated a program entitled the Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO). Targeted towards Black community organizations and activists, COINTELPRO tried to prevent organizations from mobilizing Black People. The FBI was instructed to infiltrate many organizations such as the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, the Student Non Violent Committee (SNCC), Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Nation of Islam (NOI) and to disrupt, discredit and misdirect the organizations. In some instances the FBI worked with local police departments to create false charges and evidence to convict members of these organizations for crimes they did not commit. These sisters and brothers are known as Political Prisoners of War.

Political Prisoners include Janet Holloway Africa, Sundiata Acoli, Mumia Abu Jamal and Dr. Mutulu Shakur, the father of Tupac Shakur. There is also Imam Jamil Al-Amin, Jalil Muntaqim, Bashir Hameed, Robert Seth Hayes and many more. Even Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a victim of COINTELPRO and held as a political prisoner. Actions and programs they have participated in were food, clothing and voter registration drives. Other programs have included free breakfast for children, free medical clinics for people with sickle cell anemia and fair housing for the poor. They have also built independent schools and have helped Black people to over come drug addictions. Though still incarcerated, they still continue to organize.

Dr. Mutulu Shakur has worked to bring about gang truces in the prison system and has addressed issues regarding the "Hip Hop" community. Robert Seth Hayes has helped to educate prisoners about HIV. Currently, political prisoners are organizing a program to deliver medical and school supplies to orphans with AIDS in Africa. Former Black Panther Party member Jalil Muntaqim has inspired this action. Now it is time to help them.

Political Prisoners are the frontline soldiers of the Black community. They have fought and continue to fight in the longest war America has known, the war for Black Liberation. Many of them are abused, denied proper medical care and are locked in cells for 23 hours a day. They have sacrificed their family, friends, goals and careers to literally fight for the human and civil rights of Black, Latino and oppressed people. As a result, they have lived a very large portion of their lives behind bars. Not only have they suffered, but so have their families, friends and the entire Black community.

How can they be helped? One can write a letter to a political prisoner. One can also write letters to the governor and parole board of the state the political prisoner is incarcerated in. Financial contributions can be made to the commissary of political prisoners as well.

The release of Black Political Prisoners of War is an unconditional demand of FULL AND COMPLETE REPARATIONS for African People in America. The fact is Europeans waged a war on African people when they kidnapped the African people and brought them to America to fulfill their political and economic aspirations of building a new country. This makes all Black People being held in prisons, political and economic prisoners of war, because they would never be in prison, if they weren't taken hostage and brought to America in the first place.

For more information on political prisoners one can contact the Jericho Movement at P.O. Box 340084 Jamaica NY 11434 (718) 949-3937. Website thejerichomovement.com or email at info@thejerichomovement.com.
FORWARD EVER.

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