The Impact of Omowale Malcolm X on So-called Street Gangs

The Creator Supreme is all-knowing and Afrikan souls of the world have been bestowed upon with superlative knowingness from the Ultimate Divine. Remembrance is an important part of knowing. For the Afrikan it is recollection and rejuvenation of spirit. For the Afrikan it is the bringing forth of the best s/heroes of the Afrikan pantheon. For the Afrikan it is key in the process for restoration of self. For the Afrikan it is honouring the best of the Afrikan self. For Afrikan it reconnects the soul to higher purpose. For the Afrikan it is profound learning. For the Afrikan it is a part of spiritual and cultural the life and example of this great hero. This great Heru. This great Ogun. The intelligent organised safeguarding of Afrikan souls is an important facet of Omowale Malcolm X’s works. Safeguarding the Afrikan is a holistic endeavour that permeates much throughout the various areas of life and includes physical protection.

Omowale Malcolm X: “{Malcolm tell me why you want to send guerrillas to Mississippi?} Well, Professor Mark De Wolfe Howell of the Harvard Law School speaking for 29 other law professors, pointed out that the United States could intervene by law in the state of Mississippi by sending troops. And since the attorney general and others in the federal government have pointed out that they don’t intend to send federal troops in themselves to protect the lives and the property of the [Afrikans] that are being brutalised down there – it’s our intention to try and organise the [Afrikan] people or the so-called American negroes in this country into self-defence units in that area, and in areas where the government is unwilling or unable to defend our people, we will defend our people ourselves…As long as it’s an organised intelligent effort that is being made, the discipline involved will keep our people acting intelligently and discriminantly. But if something isn’t done in this country to organise [Afrikans] who are fed up with this non-violent, turn-the-other-cheek approach in a sensible direction to bring about the halting of this brutality that we are constant victims of, then [Afrikans] are going to react in a disorganised way, in an unintelligent way and an indiscriminant way when it comes to retaliation. So, we actually think we are doing more to uphold the law in protecting the lives and property of our people in an organised way than to sit around and let a disorganised effort develop”.

Soon after the martyrdom of Omowale Malcolm X inspired young Afrikan souls would pick up the mantle of self-defence and organise themselves:

Bobby Seale: “When we first organised the Black Panther Party for Self-Defence, Huey said,’Bobby, we going to draw up basic platform’. Just basic that [Afrikan] people can read. He said, ‘we don’t want to go real elaborate with all these essays and dissertations and all that stuff. Cause the brother is going to look at that and say man, I ain’t got time for that, I got to go see what I can do for myself’. Just a basic platform that the mothers who struggle hard to raise us. That the fathers who worked hard. That the young brothers in school who come out of school semi-illiterate. Huey said, ‘We want freedom,we want power to determine the destiny of own community. Full employment for our people. Number three, we want housing fit, decent housing fit for the shelter of human beings. Number four, we want all [Afrikan] men to be exempt from military service. Number five, we want decent education for our [Afrikan] people in the community that teaches us the true nature of this racist decadent society and to teach [Afrikan] people, and our young brothers and sisters their place in society. Because if they don’t know their place in society and in the world they can’t relate to anything else. Number six, we want an end to the robbery of white racist business men of [Afrikan] people and [Afrikan] people in their community. Number seven, we want an IMMEDIATE end to police brutality and murder of [Afrikan] people. Number eight, we want all [Afrikan] men held in county, state, federal jails and prisons to be released because they have not had a fair trial. Because they’ve been tried by all-white juries, and that’s just like being tried in Germany being a Jew. Number nine, we want [Afrikan] people brought to trial by members of their peers. And a peer being one who comes from the same economic, social, religious, historical and racial background. If the United States government and the courts and the local courts did this, they would have to choose [Afrikan] people from the [Afrikan] community to sit up on the jury. They’d have to choose some of them mothers who been working twenty years in Miss Ann’s kitchen scrubbing floors like my mom had done. They’d have to choose some of them hard working fathers. They’d have to choose some of those brothers who stand on the block out there wondering when they’re going to get a gig. They’re going to have to choose these [Afrikan] people. And number ten, Huey said let’s just summarise it. We want housing, clothing, we want education, we want justice and we want peace’….Remember number seven, we want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of [Afrikan] people. It’s very, very important”.  

Unfortunately, the wicked alien forces of destruction set out to destroy the Black Panther Party. And from the turmoil of a vicious onslaught Afrikan young people did there best under some of the most wickedly imposed conditions to re-organise themselves into self-defence units.  In a live performance comedic artist and actor Eddie Griffin sheds light on this most serious subject:

Eddie Griffin: “Bloods and CRIPS started right here in Oakland. It’s an offshoot of the Black Panthers, I’m gonna teach y’all something tonight. When the Feds came to break up the Black Panthers – you know they shooting Huey P. and everybody up – getting these n****s all doped up and s**t because the Movement was too strong. Two of the brothers went down to LA. One went to Inglewood and started the Bloods which meant if the police f**k with anybody on this block we all Bloods, we all family – we stand together. Another one went down to Compton and started the CRIPS. CRIPS stands for Community Resistance in Progress. If you f**k with anybody in this community, the community has got a resistance in progress – Officer!  You ask these youngsters today, ‘What CRIP mean?’ [you could get the response], ‘It mean CRIP Cuz’”

Of course, the wicked alien forces set out to destroy all forms progressive Afrikan self-defence and the seeds of so-called ‘gang banging’ were wickedly planted by alien forces through infiltration and pitting one group against the other. As a Blood, rap artist B-Dot articulates:

 B-Dot: “Our fathers, Black Panthers who questioned authority. They plot on the answers- disorganised US. You see, LA been banging ever since Bunchy got shot on that campus. But you wouldn’t understand this”.

What he is referencing is the wicked alien enemy attack on progressive organisation in the Afrikan community and how the enemy planted seeds of Afrikan self-destruction can linger. 

Huey P. Newton: “the FBI participated in the murders of two Panthers. John Huggins and Alprentice ‘Bunchy’ Carter, at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1969, helped to cover up their role and sought to pin the blame on the [US organisation]”.

From generation to generation and throughout the world young Afrikan souls have felt the brunt of alien wickedness and have rightfully and naturally sought to come together and organise to protect themselves and their community. In 2010, a mainstream press publication stated the following about the local scene in Birmingham(UK):

“Born out of the poverty and decay in inner-city Birmingham, the gangs emerged from the ashes of the Handsworth riots in 1985.

Originally formed in response to the threat of the Far Right”

Born of the Black Power era, rap artist Tupac Shakur articulated this:

Tupac Shakur: “I think that what we need to do as a community is start taking control back of our community…I think, I’ll get a lot of flack for it, I think gangs can be positive. It just has to be organised and has to steer away from being self-destructive to being self-productive. I think this country was built on gangs, you know. I think this country is still run on gangs – Republicans, Democrats, the police department, the FBI, the CIA – those are gangs. You know what I mean. The correctional officers. I had a correctional officer tell me straight up, ‘We’re the biggest gang in New York state’. Straight up. You know what I mean. This whole country is built on gangs. We just have to be not so self-destructive about it. Organise, you know…America is the biggest gang in the world…Now, until we as [Afrikan] men, Puerto Ricans, whatever, until we stand up and start taking control of our communities we can’t get mad at anybody who stands up to do anything, you know what I mean. So, I believe it’s the community that needs to do something about it”.

Tupac pioneered the Thug Life code for Afrikan souls in the so-called gangs in order to help steer members into a self-productive direction.

Tupac Shakur:“Thug life is always real to me and it still is real to me. Because as long as the factors that make thug life are there, Thug Life will be there.”

The spirit of Omowale Malcolm X transcends time and impacts ever-expansive numbers of lives. Decades earlier the words of this great hero had again been echoed:

Omowale Malcolm X:”I’ll probably continue to use Malcolm X. Because, and Ill probably use it as long as the situation that produced it exists…I personally feel that my personal problem is never solved as long as the problem is not solved for all of our people in this country”.

The grand continuum of progressive transformation that Omowale Malcolm X’s life manifested in a deep and profound way is continally being realised again and again generation to generation. In the following articulation Ermias Asghedom (Nipsey Hussle), associated with the CRIPs shares insight on the dire circumstance of self-destruction. 

Ermias Asghedom (Nipsey Hussle): “My dad is from Afrika, but I was raised in South Central LA. And you know, I was turned ‘cold’ to be honest. I adapted to the ‘culture’. Naturally, that’s not who I am naturally, the culture of gang banging in LA. None of us. As kids we come from nurturing. But there’s a lack of that in the coldness you get from going outside and having to survive. You get in survival mode…I’ll be honest and speak blunt, I like you know what man, as a gang banger right. When you go on a mission, you might, when you’re looking for your so-called ‘enemy’, You driving through the hood down a different street. You know. It’s an invisible street. You cross the line, you in another hood. And you hunting. And when you looking, you going to pass up the dude that’s dressed ‘square’ right. You going to pass up a dude from a different race. When you see someone that’s dressed like you dress and got the walk like you got, and got the body language like you. You’re going to say, ‘There he go, get him’. And that’s deep, you know what I’m saying. When you really unpack that, you know what I’m saying. You looking for yourself just on the other side of town. And you’re going to hop out and attack him and try to down him in a real way. And being caught up in gang banging culture, you don’t think that deep. You just think of, these n***** just came through and shot the hood up. We about to go back through there and return the favour. But as you really mature. As I’ve matured and became exposed to other opportunities and embraced them, I had to be honest with myself and start being honest and thinking about like damn, you know. Just the selection process, the way that you select who your target is going to be. That’s something to think about…

[Going to Afrika], it was profound going over there,  it made a huge impact, I was different. There’s me before I went and there’s me after I came back".  

Restoration of the living knowingness of the Afrikan self and of Afrikan experience is key in order that magnificent powerfulness of Afrikan souls is not wickedly manoeuvred by enemy forces into self-destruction whilst the vicious alien onslaught continues:

Omowale Malcom X: “Every case of police brutality against a[n Afrikan] follows the same pattern. They attack you, bust you all upside your mouth and then take you to court and charge you with assault. What kind of democracy is that? What kind of freedom is that? What kind of social or political system is it, when a[n Afrikan] has no voice in court. Has nothing on his[/her] side other than what the white man chooses to give him. My brothers and sisters, we have to put a stop to this. And it will never be stopped until we stop it ourselves. They attack the victim and then the criminal who attacked the victim accuses the victim of attacking him. This is American justice. This is American democracy. And those of you who are familiar with it, know that it in America democracy is hypocrisy. Now, if I’m wrong, put me in jail. But if you can’t prove that a democracy is not hypocrisy then don’t put your hands on me. Democracy is hypocrisy”.

In the approach to Omowale Malcolm X Kukumbuko, learning can become a progressive and purposeful mission. Time taken to learn can go a long way. Learn of Afrikan progressive mission and live Afrikan progressive mission is the becoming of vital Afrikan acumen.

Throughout the annual cycle of the spiritual and cultural calendar of the Universal Royal Afrikan Nation observance to observance, Afrikan life is endowed with the essential of living knowingness. For the Afrikan souls, being a part of an organ for mission ascendancy is key. The Universal Royal Afrikan Nation is a spiritually and culturally rooted organ for Afrikan ascension.

The Universal Royal Afrikan Nation (URAN) is an Afrikan-centred spiritual and cultural mission for ascendancy that embodies living spiritually and culturally rooted life. To find out more about URAN and its spiritual-cultural mission for liberty and nationhood click here. The exquisite URAN pendant can be obtained online by clicking here.

In his capacity as an Afrikan-centred spiritual cultural practitioner this author is available for further learning in this regard and also for the carrying out of ceremonies such as naming and name reclamation. For details please click here.

Afrikan World Studies programmes are an important forms of study in understanding the Afrikan experience. There are a range of subjects covered on these programmes including History, Creative Production, Psychology and Religion. To find out more about these learning programmes please click here. For the video promo for these learning programmes click here.

Also, in the approach to the important cultural observance of Omowale Malcolm X Kukumbuko, the text: From Ajar to Omowale – The Spiritual & Garveyite Journey of Malcolm X by this author is available to purchase online here. The trailer for this important text can be found online here. This publication provides detail on the life and example of this great hero. You can also visit the institution of Yemanja to pick up a copy.

At nominal cost, also consider acquisition of an a4 laminate poster of articulations by this author when visiting the Yemanja institution to enrol, consult, learn, gather or otherwise.

Also, visit www.u-ran.org for links to Afrikan liberation Love radio programme on Universal Royal Afrikan Radio online.