W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News: We Remember Bro. Malcolm Shabazz, Still Our Shining Black Prince (1984-2013)

 

 W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News: We Remember Bro. Malcolm Lateef Shabazz, Still Our Shining Black Prince (10/8/1984-5/9/2013)

“If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”#MalcolmX

"The United States is the land of smoking mirrors and they're very good at what they do..." ~Hajj Malcolm El Shabazz #MalcolmShabazz

 "Too much violence. Not enough love. Too much hate. Not enough healing. He was a father, a leader, a family member, a survivor and a gentle spirit on a Godly mission. And I am broken! And this world is sick. RIP Hajj Malcolm El Shabazz " ~Sis. Shalishah Petey Franklin

 The Universe has me in awe and sad @ the same time...For some strange reason Malcolm X has been on my mind for the last 2 days...I went to 201 Poplar yesterday to file a crime report...As I entered one of the security guards at the metal detectors said as if calling out to the Universe to respond "Where are our Malcolms and Martins of today???" I said they exist but like the originals we do not support them properly while they are alive but I told him to hold his thoughts until I come back...

After I took care of business I had a sustained, enjoyable, and substantive conversation with him and his colleague, thankful that brothers like them still exist and have the openness to receive the ♥ and knowledge that I was imparting to them via the Universe...It lifted my spirit which has been at an low ebb recently...Then this morning I started to post Malcolm X quotes about the media on my FB for a reason I did not understand...I even read one of the quotes and spoke about Malcolm X on Pastor Noel Hutchinson's tv show today...Little did I know how to respond or was prepare to hear the tragic news that Hajj Malcolm El Shabazz, the grandson of Malcolm X, was killed during a robbery in Mexico...

My ♥ is heavy right now as I listen to Miles Davis' "It Never Entered My Mind" on repeat...Live Your Life Everybody & ♥ Hard...Rest In Soul Power Warrior...You have Earned Your Rest!!! ~Bro. Ron aka r2c2h2 tha artivist #R2c2h2Says 5/9/2013

He Called It: "Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained: 'Betty & Coretta' Decoded & Who Really Killed Dr. Betty Shabazz" (2/22/2013)

Watch Video:

 http://youtu.be/c_3ACbyrmkw

Bro. Dick Gregory called it on my show back in February as to what they was planning to do to young Bro. Hajj Malcolm El Shabazz after the Betty & Coretta hit job I mean movie on the Lifetime network and the Feds detaining him from going to a film festival in Tehran, Iran earlier this year...He also talked about how young Malcolm did not kill his grandmother and was set up...Young Bro. Malcolm even liked the video on Youtube and subscribed to my channel leaving his contact info in the video comments section...I tried to reach out to him but never got a response but after reading on his FB page recently before his untimely death that his FB ACCOUNT MAY HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED my message may not have gotten through...HOWEVER HE DID POST THE VIDEO ON HIS OFFICIAL WEBSITE...Please listen for yourself and spread among your networks...One ♥!!! #HandsOffMalcolm #YouCan'tKillTheRevolution #WeAllBeIsRealBlackNews

***In His Own Words: STATEMENT BY MALCOLM SHABAZZ CONCERNING FEBRUARY 2013 HARASSMENT

http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2013/05/statement-by-malcolm-shabazz-concerning.html

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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Friend or Foe??? Chairman Fred Hampton, Jr. On Malcolm Shabazz & JR Valrey

Malcolm Shabazz, JR Valrey (Cleveland Valrey, Jr.), & Chairman Fred Hampton, Jr. in Chicago.

Malcolm Shabazz & JR Valrey

Friend or Foe??? Down for the Cause or Just Because???  

 In this W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News Exclusive Chairman Fred Hampton, Jr., leader of the POCC (Prisoners of Conscience Committee) and the son of the late Black Liberation Icon Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton ,Sr., responds to accusations of slander by defending his position that the journalist and activist JR Valrey, the former POCC Minister of Information and one time close friend of the late Malcolm Shabazz, is indeed a government agent provocateur...He also talks about the life and death of his comrade Hajj Malcolm El Shabazz and breaks down the counterinsurgency or COINTELPRO strategies and tactics that have historically and still does currently undermine The People's Liberation Movement...A Must Listen and share with your networks...One ♥!!!

LISTEN NOW:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2013/05/14/chairman-fred-hampton-jr-on-malcolm-shabazz-jr-valrey

Read Chairman Fred Hampton, Jr.'s  claim here:  

The Defection of (JR)/Cleveland Valrey Jr.

http://chairmanfredjr.blogspot.com/p/defection-of-jrcleveland-valrey-jr.html

 Read JR Valrey's response:

My response to slander initiated by Fred Hampton Jr. and others online saying that I was involved in Malcolm’s assassination

 http://sfbayview.com/2013/jr-valrey-speaks-to-the-loss-of-hajj-malcolm-shabazz/ 

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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Still Our Shining Black Prince: Malcolm Lateef Shabazz Tribute

Featuring folks who knew Malcolm Shabazz as well as those tied to his grandfather Malcolm X's legacy...

Featuring:

Dick Gregory

Roland Sheppard

Dr. Randy Short

Ossie Davis

And Bro. Malcolm Shabazz in his own words

***Also featuring music by United Front, Brothas Keepa, Min. Louis Farrakhan, and Rajae performing a special tribute song entitled "Malcolm Shabazz"***

 Listen To Show Now:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2013/05/14/still-our-shining-prince-malcolm-lateef-shabazz-tribute

  

***Read the great tribute to Malcolm Lateef Shabazz by renowned sports writer and activist Dave Zirin:

The Tragically Brief Life and Cruel Death of Malcolm Shabazz

http://www.thenation.com/blog/174293/tragically-brief-life-and-cruel-death-malcolm-shabazz

 

***

Support The W.E. A.L.L. B.E.
Movement!!!

Donate online:

http://bit.ly/VfaE1N

Or send a money order to
the following address:

Attn: Ron Herd II

The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc.

P.O. Box 752062

Memphis, TN 38175

STATEMENT BY MALCOLM SHABAZZ CONCERNING FEBRUARY 2013 HARASSMENT

 

MALCOLM-LATIF SHABAZZ: MY STATEMENT CONCERNING THE HARASSMENT FROM THE POLICE/FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION WHICH RESULTED IN MY UNJUST ARREST & DETAINMENT IN FEBRUARY 2013, AND PLACED A HALT ON MY TRAVEL TO TEHRAN, IRAN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE INTERNATIONAL FAJR FILM FESTIVAL.

I sincerely appreciate the care & concern of the People over my well-being after Press TV's report of the most recent events which have transpired regarding the F.B.I.'s harassment of me.

Given the storm of lies, and half-truths that come with being associated with being the descendant of El Hajj Malik el Shabazz, also known as Minister Malcolm X, any and everything that I do; great or small, good or not so good, real or imagined is subject to controversy. However, in this missive I will take this opportunity to properly & fully disclose what transpired.

In the beginning of 2012 I had been informed that I was under investigation by the F.B.I.'s Counter Terrorism Task Force Unit located in Goshen, N.Y.

The agents of this division-and in collaboration with others-have visited several residences of which I was known by them to frequent. However, they would never come when they knew me to actually be there. They would leave their cards with the residents asking them to tell me to call them, and then would tell surrounding residents to observe the house and to notify them if they saw me.

These are the homes of long-time friends, and very close supporters. Yet, when federal agents begin knocking on someone's door on multiple occasions to snoop, and ask questions, whether one is guilty of an offense or not, it's enough to coerce people into distancing themselves from you. This cheap tactic employed by the F.B.I. is a means of agitation & harassment. They seek to neutralize my networking abilities.

They have visited locations in California, Chicago, Miami and most aggressively in New York.

People were advising me that if I had nothing to hide, then I should just contact them as requested and cooperate. Though I must say that in these kind of matters I am of a particular ethic. For one, I have been engaged in no criminal activity of their concern, and they could have located me if they so chose. Secondly, I don't recognize the authority in them beckoning me.

It wasn't even until my mother informed me that they had been contacting her that I truly became agitated. She advised me to see what they had to say, and so I obliged the next time they came around looking for me. My encounter was with 2 federal agents of Goshen, N.Y.'s Counter Terrorism Task Foci Unit. The primary agent identified himself as Special Agent Tom Brozicky.

They expressed concern over-as they put it-my "international travels"; I have lived & studied in Damascus, Syria for over a year, and now the U.S. is instigating conflict within the very same region; I went on ex-congresswoman/former presidential candidate Cynthia Mckinney's delegation along with Dr. Randy Short to Libya, and met with Leader Muammar Gadhafi one week prior to N.A.T.O. intervention and I was most recently getting ready to travel to Tehran, Iran to be a participant of the International Fajr Film Festival and give a lecture addressing the issues of Hollywood and violence:

- Modern Violence & Terrorism,

- Provoking clashes between religions & populations

I was picked up by authorities after I filed for a visa to Iran, and 2 days prior to my departure. A detective squad from the City of Middletown Police Department surrounded me in the street about 2 blocks from where I was residing. They asked me my name, and I gave them an alias, but they were already well aware of who I actually was. I didn't tell them my real name because I didn't know what was going on. When I was brought before a Judge of City of Middletown court I was surprised to be informed that I was being charged with Grand Larceny, and False Impersonation charge. Then I was sent to jail, and told to appear again 7 days later. Then following court date the bogus charge of Grand Larceny, which they only put to justify stopping me in first place, was dropped. And they left me to face the False Impersonation. I was offered 90 days for the offense of giving the authorities the wrong name which I declined before bailing out after 2 weeks.

When I was being held within the belly of the beast on trumped up charges, to my rescue came the journalist at Press TV based in Iran. My relationship with powerful & progressive news outfit began in April of 2012, and prior to that I had discussions with their journalist regarding current events internationally. I developed a positive rapport with some of them, and as a result was invited to travel to Iran to discuss the impact of Hollywood in stereotyping Muslims, Iranians and African people. From January 15th through 18th, 2013, I was a featured interviewee for the Press TV documentary “The Façade of the American Dream”. And prior to my date of departure to Iran, Lifetime television released a television bio-picture called “Betty & Coretta” which was a sensationalistic misrepresentation of my grandparents, my mother and me. This film aside from being poorly acted, and shallow in depth also threatened to inflame old controversies, and open unhealed wounds and to remind the public of sad outcomes without ever identifying B.O.S.S.I., the C.I.A., F.B.I. and other forces that set the climate for my grandfather’s assassination, and made my family a long-suffering casualty of COINTELPRO, and other anti-Black repression programs. Naturally, anything done to stir up old hatred of The Shabazz Family will impact me as the name-sake, and first male heir of Malcolm X, and whether I am high or low in fortunes does not exempt me from this reality.

The formula for a public assassination is: the character assassination before the physical assassination; so one has to be made killable before the eyes of the public in order for their eventual murder to then deemed justifiable. And when the time arrives for these hits to be carried out you’re not going to see a C.I.A. agent with a suit & tie, and a badge that says "C.I.A." walk up to someone, and pull the trigger. What they will do is to out-source to local police departments in the region of their target, and to employ those that look like the target of interest to infiltrate the workings in order to set up the environment for the eventual assassination (character, physical/incarceration, exile) to take place.

For several months prior to my arrest in late January, 2013 I faced a pattern of harassment from law enforcement which is usually reserved for important figures.

[[On Thursday, November 1, 2012 @ 11:53pm in the park circle area of Middletown, N.Y. I was stopped by officers of the Middletown Police Department, and given a ticket for "J-Walking" (crossing in the middle of the street), which then escalated into a "Disorderly Conduct" supposedly because of the exchange of words that I had with the officers. I told them that they couldn't possibly be serious for writing me a "J-Walking ticket", that I didn't appreciate how they were treating me and that they shouldn't be looking at me as less of a man because they were in police uniform. For this I was arrested, the officers stole the little amount of money that I had on me, they then stripped me and threw me in a freezing precinct cell for the remainder of that early morning. I was finally taken before the "Judge Steven Brockett" around 1:30pm. He gave me an unreasonable bail, and then ordered that I be remanded to the Orange county Jail.

This penalty may seem a bit extreme or harsh to most of you, but here is where it gets worse: On Tuesday, October 30th, exactly 2 nights prior to this incident, the same officer "J Berman" who wrote me the ticket for "J-Walking" & "Disorderly Conduct" stopped me coming from out of a store in the same area, and questioned me as to what I was doing. I told him that I was coming out of the store. He asked to see what I bought which was a pack of sun flower seeds. I had actually just so happened to be eating a few while he was talking to me, and I spit one of the shells on the ground. At this point officer "J Berman" threatened to write me a ticket for littering. Needless to say, I was dumbfounded, but I went home that night.

Yet, it still doesn't even begin there. I had an encounter with other officers of the Midletown Police Department one week prior to officer "J Berman's" threats to write me a ticket for spitting a sun flower seed on the ground: I was coming out of a restaurant with my mother, and her friend. As the 3 of us entered the car to leave 2 police cars converged on our vehicle, and boxed us in. My mother was petrified. With guns drawn I was then ordered to step out of the back seat. I asked them why to which they replied that I had several warrants for my arrest. I told them that they were mistaken, but I still complied with their request. Humiliated in front of all on-lookers I was then thrown on the car while the officers ripped through my pockets. After they were done they said that it was my lucky day because I actually didn't have any warrants at all, and so I was free to go! One of these officer's name was "R. Ribeiro"...

You may wonder if it could possibly get any worse than this. Well, it does! Approximately 3 weeks prior to the public humiliation of my mother, and me by "R Ribeiro" and another officer of the Middletown Police Department I found myself subject to the discrimination & prejudice of Mayor Joseph M. Destefano of Middletown, N.Y. himself. A friend, and I went out to eat at a restaurant in Middletown, N.Y. which is owned by the Mayor, and to our surprise he appeared from nowhere and asked us to leave. When we inquired as to why he stated that officials of the Middletown Police Department told him not to let us patronize his establishment. Mind you that this goes without incident. As I stand for the people, God-Willing, I would pray that the same people wouldn't hesitate to stand for me. If these unjust & heinous actions are tolerated & allowed to be done to me without recourse, then no one is safe. Just as Huewy P Newton of the Black Panther Party stated that police are in the white community to protect & serve, yet occupy ours like a foreign troop... I tell you that we shouldn't fall victim to the conditioning of feeling inferior or fearful at the presence of law enforcement for no apparent reason.]]

With that being said, I was not arrested by federal agents. I was taken in by a squad from the City of Middletown, N.Y.'s Police Department. I was not being held in an "undisclosed location" so to speak. I was actually being held in the Orange County Jail in Goshen, N.Y. However, from the time that I was booked at the precinct, to standing before a Judge the next day who told me to come back in 7 more, to being processed at the Orange County Jail and up until 7 days later I was not permitted to make any calls to notify anyone of my status; as though I had just been kidnapped from of the street.

Unfortunately, until this day my family hasn't been fully abreast of my situation as I haven't had the opportunity to properly consult with any of them. Dr. Randy Short who notified Press TV of my situation is a close comrade of mine who was on our delegation in Libya. Media reports from Press TV about my situation were not intended to create controversy. In reality, I have a few associates that are affiliated with this reputable International media outlet, and they had expected to meet with me in Iran. So when I disappeared, and rumors spread, the inability to get concise information from a credible source prompted them to rouse public attention on my behalf, for which I am grateful. In April of 2012 I had the opportunity to be a guest analyst/contributor on Press TV. This network has a large following all over the world, and millions find it’s news, documentaries and programming to be both an educational, and insightful alternative to the conglomerated, and highly biased mainstream American & British news media. Regarding the Source magazine, nothing that they published was vetted by me, and was made by persons, at best, vaguely familiar with my situation. Further, I have never had an affiliation or relationship with The Source, nor have they ever directly consulted with me about anything.

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: "Bro. Dick Gregory Make It Plain 2013 LIVE!!!" (Thurs. 5/16/2013 @ 3pm e/2pm c/12pm p)

    

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio:"Bro. Dick Gregory Make It Plain 2013 LIVE!!!"

 W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Resurrecting Black Radio one podcast at a time!!!

Date: Thursday May 16, 2013

Showtime:

3pm Eastern/2pm Central/12pm Pacific

 This is a 2 hour show/discussion

Listen Live!!!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2013/05/16/we-all-be-radio-bro-dick-gregory-makes-it-plain-2013

Call-In & Participate!!!

646-652-4593

***

Featured Guests...

1.)  The Honorable Bro. Dick Gregory

 A meeting of 2 artivists: The Honorable Bro. Dick Gregory & Bro. Ron aka r2c2h2 tha artivist (6/14/2012)

2.) You!!!

The call in Phone Number: (646) 652-4593

***The show will be archived and available for listens/downloads 24/7 after live airing @ same link...***

***

Dick Gregory Gone Wild I Mean Viral…

'Nigger' Happened!!!~Bro. Dick Gregory
 
In January 2013, an interview W.E. A.L.L. B.E. did with venerable comic legend, author, nutritional guru and civil rights activist Bro. Dick Gregory went viral…The interview, which was uploaded on the W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV YouTube channel deals with his endorsement of the controversial award winning film “Django Unchained” and his criticisms of Spike Lee as ‘a punk’ and ‘a thug’ for offering a negative review of the film without even seeing it…My video has caused a firestorm of controversy, debate and was even picked up by respected and popular national media outlets such as The Huffington Post, Bossip, NewsOne, The Root, and Black Enterprise magazine just to name a few…The comments made on the YouTube video range from the profane to the profound…I also enjoy reading the insightful comments and blog posts it has generated on social media forums and other internet outlets…I have also received phone calls from folks all over the USA thanking me for the video and sharing their own insights on why hearing the interview was such an affirming learning experience for them…The literally tens of thousands of responses it generated could actually probably make for a great foundation for a decent dissertation on the topic…I was glad that the moment W.E. A.L.L. B.E. captured and shared for posterity also became a true teaching moment for the rest of the world too…

You can view the actual interview and video that I created at the following link:
 W.E. A.L.L. B.E.: Bro. Dick Gregory On 'Django Unchained': "Spike Lee Is A Thug & A Punk." (1/13/2013)
http://youtu.be/CS34OiuNmG0

As a matter of fact the first 4 full interviews the master teacher did with W.E. A.L.L. B.E. this year have gone viral!!! Please listen and/or view at your leisure via the following links...And remember to share with your networks:

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 1 (1/13/2013)
http://youtu.be/PuQQSsSpYPE


W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 2 (1/16/2013)
http://youtu.be/jCpmwm8TmFY

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 3 (2/22/2013)
http://youtu.be/c165Gj_rGgQ


W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 4 (4/14/2013)

http://youtu.be/KCEtvgglFiw

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 1 (1/13/2013)
 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2013/03/20/bro-dick-gregory-unchained-part-1-1132013

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 2 (1/16/2013)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2013/03/20/bro-dick-gregory-unchained-part-2-1162013
 

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 3 (2/22/2013)

 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2013/03/20/bro-dick-gregory-unchained-part-3-2222013

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained Part 4 (4/14/2013)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2013/04/14/we-all-be-radio

For more Bro. Dick Gregory Unchained episodes please visit W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV(http://www.youtube.com/weallbetv)!!!

And The Best Is Yet To Come!!!
 

***

Support The W.E. A.L.L. B.E.
Movement!!!

Donate online:

http://bit.ly/VfaE1N

Or send a money order to
the following address:

Attn: Ron Herd II

The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc.

P.O. Box 752062

Memphis, TN 38175

    

Never Too Late But Still Bittersweet: The Official Exoneration & Pardon of The Scottsboro Boys

"Let Justice Be Done Though The Heavens May Fall!!!"

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: The Official Scottsboro Boys Pardon & Exoneration Ceremony @ The Scottsboro Boys Museum & Cultural Center 4/19/2013

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2013/05/05/we-all-be-radio-the-scottsboro-boys-pardon-ceremony

About the radio show/podcast:
This is the historic Scottsboro Boys Pardon & Exoneration Ceremony that took place on 4/19/2013 in its entirety along with interviews I did with Bro. Clarence Norris Jr., the son of the last living Scottsboro Boy and the only one to be actually pardoned during his lifetime, Clarence Norris Sr. and Dr. Kwando M. Kinshasa a leading expert on the Scottsboro Boys and a friend of the late Clarence Norris, Sr....Also featuring the music of Lead Belly (The Scottsboro Boys), United Front, Brothas Keepa' & FreedomWriter PreciseScience...Share with your networks...Also featured in the ceremony are Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, State Rep. Laura Hall, State Sen. Arthur Orr, Tony Award winning producer Catherine Schreiber, Scottsboro Boys Museum & Cultural Center founder Shelia Washington and the music of Franklin McDaniel…One ♥!!!

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV:

The Official Scottsboro Boys Pardon & Exoneration Ceremony @ The Scottsboro Boys Museum & Cultural Center 4/19/2013
http://youtu.be/cP5rNOSptc8

About video:
This is the historic Scottsboro Boys Pardon & Exoneration Ceremony that took place on 4/19/2013 in its entirety…Featured in the ceremony are Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, State Rep. Laura Hall, State Sen. Arthur Orr, Tony Award winning producer Catherine Schreiber, Scottsboro Boys Museum & Cultural Center founder Shelia Washington and the music of Franklin McDaniel…One ♥!!!

Bro.Clarence Norris, Son of Scottsboro Boy Speaks Out on The Scottsboro Boys' Pardon & Exoneration 4/19/2013

http://youtu.be/BWDoxLP8kUg

Dr. Kwando M. Kinshasa on The Scottsboro Boys' Pardon and Exoneration. (4/19/2013)

http://youtu.be/2PAGwsmvAJk

Never Too Late But Still Bittersweet: The Official Exoneration & Pardon of The Scottsboro Boys
 

"The lesson to black people, to my children, to everybody, is that you should always fight for your rights, even if it cost you your life. Stand up for your rights, even if it kills you. That's all that life consists of." ~Clarence Norris, Sr., The Last Of The Scottsboro Boys, on his pardon by Alabama Gov. George Wallace in 1976

Bro. Ron aka r2c2h2 tha artivist with Sis. Shelia Washington, the visionary behind the Scottsboro Boys Museum & Cultural Center and the main advocate for the Scottsboro Boys (9) Official Pardon and Exoneration

On April 19, 2013, W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News was there to document ‘history on history’ as we recorded Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley signing the official pardon and exoneration of the Scottsboro Boys also known as the Scottsboro 9…The event took place at the Scottsboro Boys Museum & Cultural Center which was the brainchild of the resilient visionary Shelia Washington who has been arguably the biggest advocate for the Scottsboro Boys and their exoneration since she was a teenager growing up in Scottsboro…This day was 82 years in the making…And make no mistake about it these were not men but they were boys…

In March 1931, 9 Black boys, ranging in age from 13 to 19, in Great Depression Era America were riding the rails from Chattanooga, TN, to Memphis, TN, looking for employment in order to support themselves and their families…Unfortunately, they ended up finding trouble, more trouble than even their worst nightmares probably could ever conjure…Some of the Black boys ended up getting in a fight with a gang of white boys (the white boys by all accounts initiated the confrontation) on the train, handily defeated them, and threw them off the train…However, little did they know that the skirmish was only the beginning of their problems…

The Accusers: Ruby Bates (left) & Victoria Price (right)

Some of the white boys alerted other white folks as to what happened to them on the train…The Black boys were then pulled off the train by white men in Paint Rock, Alabama, after being accused by two white women on the train, Ruby Bates and Victoria Price, of rape…The two white women were well known prostitutes and lied about being raped in order to avoid vagrancy and prostitution charges under The Mann Act which could have led to jail time…Their little white lie ended up destroying the lives of these young Black boys as well as left behind psychological scars and trauma that still effect their families to this day…

The boys were then taken to jail in Scottsboro, Alabama, where they were almost lynched by a mob of angry white men…Fortunately, the sheriff did not give in to the mob vigilante justice mentality and got the governor to send in the National Guard for reinforcements…During their first trials, all 9 boys were found guilty and with the exception of Roy Wright, the youngest, were sentenced to death in the electric chair… The Scottsboro Boys plight ended up becoming a landmark case in U.S. Judicial history and also ended up becoming the catalyst and foundation for what would later be known as the modern American Civil Rights Movement…

"My name is Clarence Norris, one of the Scottsboro Boys. I was arrested in Alabama in 1931 and sentenced to the electric chair three times. The governor commuted my sentence to life in prison. I was released on parole twice, once in 1944, and I broke my parole and went back to prison until I got out in 1946. I broke my parole again and I have been free ever since. I want to know if Alabama still wants me." ~Clarence Norris explaining the reason for his call to Alabama Governor George Wallace, 1973

 

Clarence Norris, Sr. was the only Scottsboro Boy pardoned during his lifetime…Although Norris receiving his pardon is indeed inspiring and triumphant If you read about the stories of how these boys were forced to become men early and brutally it will make even the most hardened skeptic shed at least a tear…For example, the boys were brutally beaten on a regular basis by sadistic prison guards and fellow prisoners…Ozie Powell was shot in a head by a police man which caused him permanent brain damage…On several occasions Haywood Patterson was stabbed multiple times by prisoners and was even marked for death by prison guards…Everything you can think of as it pertains to prison life that you have gotten from pop culture and mass media happened and even worse…Please check out the resources listed below to find out more…

"If I have to spend more than one or two years longer, I just as well spend the rest of my life. If I was an old man perhaps I wouldn't mind it so much but that's what's against me; I'm young and innocent of the crime…I was put in solitary confinement in January 1936 and got fresh air once out of the thirteen months and that was last Friday. Some may count it a year but I count it thirteen months."~Roy Wright at age 19, January 1937

Although I do agree with Gov. Robert Bentley that it is never too late to do the right thing I must say that this victory came at too high of a cost, really almost Pyrrhic…These boys were brutalized by the system of White Supremacy to the extreme degree…They were victimized beyond any ‘reasonable’ monetary compensation because they were robbed of their youth and hopes which are indeed priceless …With that said it is also sickening for me to know that these men who are now all dead won’t ever be compensated financially at all for their hardships let alone their surviving families and yet Alabama, Mississippi and other places with rich civil rights movement history stand to make or are making millions of dollars in tourism off these horror stories…That to me a blood money and blood relatives should have a share in it… 

Whether it's The Scottsboro 9, The Central Park 5, Liberty City 7, or the Jena 6 it has been proven time again that Black Males are the ultimate Prison Bitches of the Amerikkkan Judicial System…With that said never forget the sacrifices of those who came before…In closing let us take this history lesson learned and use it today as a foundation to build a better tomorrow…One heart.

~Bro. Ron aka r2c2h2 tha artivist for W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News 5/11/2013

P.S.

Check out pics by W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News from historic day at the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100187590693572.1073741828.3111521&type=1&l=31f0e4134e

More coverage of Scottsboro Boys Exoneration & Pardon Ceremony:

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/04/the_black_and_white_of_the_sco.html

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/04/post_1132.html

Some great resources to find out more about The Scottsboro Boys:

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_acct.html

http://www.scottsboro-boys.org/history.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/scottsboro/index.html