Category Archives: Interviews

By Any Means Necessary Radio Segment on the Struggle for Compassionate Release

Last week, Watani Tyehimba of the Friends and Family of Dr. Mutulu Shakur joined Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman to discuss the effort to get compassionate release for life-long radical organizer Mutulu Shakur, his recent diagnosis of life-threatening bone marrow cancer and medical mistreatment while incarcerated, and what people can do to spread the word about Dr. Shakur’s condition.

“By Any Means Necessary” on Radio Sputnik is hosted by Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman and aims to connect the political, social and economic movements shaping the world around us. With a sensibility informed by movements from Black Power to #BlackLivesMatter with a dash of Occupy, the show elevates the people and narratives that (while often ignored) are driving some of the most important changes in the world.

2018 Interview about Acupuncture & The Opioid Crisis

The opioid crisis is a hot topic this year, and a recent article in The Atlantic mentions Dr. Shakur as one of the figures who brought acupuncture treatment into the mainstream particularly as a method of detoxification from drug use. Despite conducting an 11-question written interview, the article did not feature any of his own words, and inaccurately states the reason for his incarceration. In an effort to add to what little accurate information is publicly available about the highly influential Lincoln Detox program, we are posting his full response to the questions raised by the interviewer.

1. How did you first become involved with Lincoln Detox? Who did you know who already worked there? Why did you decide to apply for a job, and why do you think they opted to hire you?

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Interview with NuAfrikan Queen and Empress Yetzion on Repatriation (April 2009)

Posted on the Assata Shakur forum

NuAfrikan Queen, TX writes: I am in search of a solution to our problems. At first, I figured we needed to master the art of capital to survive in a capitalistic society. I went out, registered a corporate name and attempted to get in the real estate game with an ultimate goal of creating subdivisions with an Afrikan village concept (hence the reason I am in school for architectural drafting with a minor in civil). I had a plan to pay the mortgage using section 8 voucher. The subdivisions were to be planned with Black nationalist strategically placed within to influence the deaf and blind. I just gave up on all that a week ago. I am Pan-Afrikanist; I believe we are better off going back but how can we leave our brothers, especially those in prison. There should be one organization that represents all Afrikans living in amerikkka, perhaps the RNA, and that organization should be negotiating land grants for us. I believe many of us would go back if we could. plus, the only way to get our brothers out is to first organize and we cant do that here. I dream of a day when we have organized our own transport from here to Afrika with communities set up to welcome our brothers and sisters home. I ask my people all the time would they go to Afrika to live if someone offered them 10 acres there. The response is mostly yes. Many of our people are on the run and living miserable, waiting around for our leaders to save us.

Empress Yetzion, London writes: I know sending responses are difficult but please please can you meditate and give us some guidance on the issue NuAfrikanQueen is reasoning when you have the chance? Fear is a big issue and what she brought up about Repatriation but not wanting to leave our brothers and sisters i.e. in prisons, reservations and concentration camps, is a concern I also feel at times. Also there are so many Black, Brown and Red brothers and sisters in the whole western hemisphere like Latin America and the Caribbean that will probably not want to immigrate to the continent and frankly I don’t think its fair they should feel the need to, just to have equal rights and justice just for being poor, disadvantaged, Non White 2nd class citizens. The caucasoid race and the culture they spread like a cancer is in fact a very small percentage on this planet. Hence I guess the perpetration of caucasoid supremacy and fear of annihilation by Afrikan Unity. My question Dear Elder is since we are a good-hearted race what can we do? Most Whites are ignorant even when they try to understand Afrikan consciousness. Do we continue the “turn the other cheek” philosophy to our own detriment? Do we just abandon our Red brethren already on the verge of extinction or help them fight for their heritage and stolen lands to be returned? Even if we were to separate ourselves from our oppressors they would most probably get on their war ships and try to pursue us down like a modern day runaway slave hunt! They reject our spirituality and the basis of our educational fundaments and in turn brainwash us to believe we know nothing and without embracing Western ideologies we are ignorant (Obama is a good example). It looks like the domination of the Khemet civilisation by the savage Greeks coming back to haunt us once again.

Tolerance seems to not be getting us to our goals for liberation at all, what as a warrior would you suggest we do? My apologies for all the questions but I’m burning to learn and fight. Blessings to you and I hope the ancestors keep you well until we can free you. Haile I

Asante sana for such thoughtful questions, Sistas!

Response to Questions (1) and (2) they interrelate —

I believe we must redefine certain terms and positions in this 2.10 period in the face of the very real structural transformation of our People and their natural resources. Now there exists a new paradigm that requires critical thinking and analysis.

Historically the domestic land question as a part of reparations or a part of the question of New Afrikan independence or self reliance has been a bedrock of Black Nationalism. The Nation of Islam, C.O.R.E. as well as the Yoruba Temple were very much in vogue with this, although rarely reported there exists great thesis and documentation memorializing that struggle, which is instructive upon review.

I do think the TX questioner should stay the course she put herself into play for a foundation for future manipulation of available access to a process that can be a part of an experimental option.

I believe if she’d use the “environment” as a synonymous physical and mental process, there are real opportunities to acquire the physical space to address the mental transformation. The U.S. Internal Stimulus by the direction of this President Obama will open creative resources and ideas that “transform” depressed communities. Use it .. Section 8 or whatever. I believe there is a sister in the South Bronx who’s planting trees and building co-ops that are “environmentally friendly” – with sweat equity — all the components of New Communities. That establishes a fish bowl, that allows others to see the principles and values manifest of the Pan “Africanist,” to say nothing of the learning curve.

Brother Pete O’Neal, living in Tanzania, can give concrete examples of the needs and pitfalls of the “returner,” who also happens to be one of our political freedom fighters in exile.

As in the “State of the Black Nation” and the Urban League Status of Blacks in America, the search for solutions should be an open debate perhaps called Defining or Redefining Pan-Africanism.

Question II

Objective — We must clearly identify those nations, organizations, ideology, economic and military structures that formulates the infrastructure that will dictate Africa’s future, by the control of various means of economic, cultural, and military development, particularly with the IMF gaining more power over the development of countries, and what political direction will come with it.

As a point to start, from the diaspora, all ‘Pan’ Africans must re-engage their present resident nation state’s political apparatus to influence legislatively the purse string and demands of foreign aid to Africa, as a matter of principle. Bilaterally — direct involvement with the nation state N.G.O. civil organization functioning for change or influence of the progress of the people of Africa.

The silence or the failure of a collective response to the murder and human crisis that exists from the hands of African upon African is unforgivable, particularly in the world wide crisis which offers opportunity for the continent.

Redefining —

1. Pan Afrikanism: That as Africans we must help define the future not only on the continent, but African people wherever they exist. Similarly, but distinctively different, than the Zionist of the state of Israel.

1a. Land. Which means “the land.” We can not only personalize the question of land as it relates to a small plot, as important as that may be. But as to the land of the whole of Africa which means the question of the external reliance on the natural resources and the world wide race to push for land and mineral rights by multi-nationals and governments themselves, such as Sarkozy of France in Uganda during the present economic crisis. The “Non” Pan Africanist that leads many of the African states and even well meaning pragmatists believe the terms of the IMF should be adhered to as a prerequisite, without a “Pan African” agenda and principle recognizable to all Pan Africanists. A body of principles and values must be demanded concerning key questions of self reliance, self determination, and cultural innovation.

2. Military. Africom is one of the clearest organizations that presents the challenges which confront the lack of the African collective Pan Africanism. How does and when does a military capability serve the goals of Pan Africanism. How does the African Union transmit to the Diaspora the new 2.10. Objective use is part of developing a future for our people. This understanding of the use of a military input re-establishes a new image of our people on the home land, and forecasts to everyone’s venture the level of determination of our self reliance and principles.

3. Political Prisoners. Freedom for political prisoners, although quite a personal level of sacrifice, illustrates the lack of a strategy of Pan Africanists that’s taken part over 30 years of historical sacrifice. While, i might add, political prisoners in Africa gain national mass support, this is one of the key tools for Pan African awakening that has not taken hold to the Freedom Fighters that languish in U.S. prisons dying of maltreatment and emotional neglect. There is a loud absence of the historical analysis in the education of our children — there exists no early, middle and high school development of our children. The failure in the current mainstream political debate — The amount of fear of losing political capital in conventional electoral politics, demonstrated by Bill Ayers, which means in the national debate of the “State of the Race” forum, or the Urban League Report on the Black Race, that the statistics of disparities of New Africans are raised but never ever the mention of the status of political prisoners of the Black Liberation struggle. So therefore there is never a process which opens up the historical analysis, debate and apparatus, that allows for a more distinct mechanism which puts the action of our freedom fighters into context pre the 2001 re-defining of resistance fighter to terrorist.

We have not joined in the debate of torture and status in terms of International law, be it by way of a Truth and Reconciliation Hearing that we as the people and our “leaders” applauded or another.

“The people should select someone as their ‘Watchman’ who will see ‘the sword coming against the land’ and ‘blow the trumpet to warn the people.’

If the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and take the life of one of them —

God will hold the Watchman accountable for their blood.” Ezekiel 33:1-6.

A Nation neglects no man more shamefully then their freedom fighters of their wars.

Like the Jewish Lobby that uses the domestic political legislative process to protect the interest of the Jewish state and people all over the world, without apologies — How will we use the new political landscape to shape a world view or position — We first have to obtain one for “Pan Africanism.”

Aim High and go all out.

Stiff Resistance,

Dr. Mutulu Shakur
4-3-2009