Dr. John Henrik Clarke - African Americans the lonely nation away from home

"My talk for tonight and unfortunately the last in the series will deal almost solely with the 𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏-𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 because the African-American is the most misunderstood, most abused, most wounded of all the African people who live outside of Africa and yet he is the target for destruction by more forces than any other African people. He's the one African that the western world won't destroy principally because he has grown insensitive to his oppressor and he, more than any other African, has fought in larger numbers for his oppressor and mastered his oppressors modern war technique. He's also the most dangerous African on the face of the earth because he is the only African on the face of the earth trained in the modern warfare technique called combined operations. Combined operations is the art of striking a target from land, air and sea. No other Africans on the face of the earth have enough training to move on a target with ships, airplanes and infantry and the Black American has been trained to do all three. He wasn't trained to do this to liberate himself or to liberate anyone. He was trained to do this for someone else but the training is still with him. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. . . After world war two, Africa could have picked up almost for nothing one of the finest black air forces on the face of the earth. But because Africa was not ready to do this their talent deteriorated. Many of the men went bussing dishes and clerking and lost all their skills. But I'm saying that the skill and the training to make a modern army was with the Black America and right now, right this very minute, there's been enough Black Americans discharged from the U.S. army with enough modern skill they can train a modern army for every nation in Africa. This is what makes him the target for the colonists because they realize if contact is ever made with him and if he becomes aware of his skills and affects the wedding between his skills in Africa he could change the world. He could have stopped the congo situation. He can revitalize any nation in Africa because of his training. He can learn faster than almost any other African on the face of the earth. The question is why then do we have slums if he can fix houses? Why don't they fix them? Why then do we have dope? Why is his institution deteriorating? Why is he debating his integration instead of maintaining his institution? Because his mind has been trained into dependency. I'm saying that one thing about Jim Crow, one thing about that oppression - it was real.

We in the United States, then and now, was never given the illusion of nation. They will let us know right now that they don't want us here and they didn't let us dream that we were part of this nation. They let us know that we were brought to do a set labor and once the labor was over we were a surplus population, a nation within a nation without a nationality. We were not brought to this country to be given a nationality. We were not brought to this country to be given status. When they said liberty and justice for all, we were not a part of the all. No one let us dream or think that we were part of the all.

When we look at the atrocities against us day by day they keep saying again and again, not you. When I say American citizen I don't mean you. Now we have . . . . This nation has mortgaged its soul and lived a lie and tells a lie to the world because they dare not face up to the fact that you've got a massive nation inside of the United States living in under a condition many times worse than Nazis. 

We have not examined the illusion that went into the original entry in the united states that wouldn't go away. We can't deal with the present because we think that maybe this country has betrayed us. This country has not betrayed us, didn't promise you anything in the first place because it wasn't talking to you. . . . 

When we arrived in the country the country had not worked out its racial pattern. To understand what I'm talking about you have to understand once more the design of the country. White male protestant middle class and those who agreed with the prevailing political state and who owned property. Everybody in this country is trying to impress that group. The jews are trying to impress that group. . . .  That's the, that is the big rooster in the in the pecking order and if you watch chickens in a yard the big rooster can peck anybody but instead of pecking him you pick the next smallest one till you get down to the little one, but you don't peck,  you don't peck the first pekka which is the rooster. This is what you call the pecking order. You pass the peck down but you don't pass it up. So the gentile white male protestant is the rooster in the barnyard. He has his way and if you look at a book called 60 American families, the richest people in this country falls into that category. Right now its the same 60 family and their descendants who control the major wealth in the country. At the turn of the century, still control the major wealth in the country.

Now our history in this country is working our way around all these illusions and assuming that certain promises were made to us that were not made to us. Taking handouts and crumbs from the table while other groups and other places fair a little better but do not assume that slavery was mild anyplace slavery was different and being different does not mean it is less harsh. Ii mean the slave owner was less crude in his administration of the system but he still administered the system. He still killed, he still sold families from families. All right now come the American revolution. We hear all this talk about liberty and justice for all We believe some of it now. Look at the United States on the eve of the civil war. African-Americans would go into that war and in one battle alone, win 16 congressional medals of honor. It had never been done before. Why did they fight so bravely for a nation that had betrayed them and that still betrayed them? They had the illusion that if they show that manhood maybe someone will reward them with the concept of citizenship. It was a gamble but the gamble didn't totally pay off . . . .

We faced some problems that we haven't dealt with and finished dealing with to this day. We had been betrayed, have been an attempt to sell us back into slavery. The promises of the reconstruction had been betrayed. . . .  We need to study again the negro convention movement. It was meeting every year. We are the meetings and the talking -ist people in all the world. We call more meetings pass more resolutions and get less done than any people in the world. We will meet and vote and forget what we voted for . . . . 

When I said that we are the loneliest nation, we are the lonely African away from home, we are the ones who were invited to the United States and when we finished laboring, the labor, the jobs became obsolete. To this day no African nation has invited us to come home officially. The same as Israel has a law, that any Jew wants to return can return, Africa has no such law. Not one nation in all africa and yet africa has more space than Israel, one thousand times more. In fact all Black Americans fit into one corner of the Sudan and they will not miss the space. On the proper cultivation they feed ourselves there, too. But the African has been brainwashed into not inviting us home. 

So we came into the 20th century with illusions but it was the Italian-Ethiopian war that made us think of nation again, made us think of wholeness. The protection of nation made us relive some of Marcus Garvey's teachings about nation and nation structure. . ."

This is the reason why Under Director J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI launched its COINTELPRO (Counterintelligence Program). On August 25, 1967, the United States government launched a new CounterIntelligence Program against “Black Nationalists” calling them “Hate Groups” instead of freedom fighters seeking justice. According to the The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) memo revising the United States’ war strategy, 23 FBI offices were instructed:

“The purpose of this new counterintelligence endeavor is to 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆, 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒕, 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕, 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑, 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒔𝒎𝒆𝒏, 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔. . . . "

The policy was then expanded on March 3, 1968 in another FBI secret memo that listed the goals of the war against the New Afrikan people:

"1. Prevent the COALITION of militant black nationalist groups. In unity there is strength; a truism that is no less valid for all its triteness. 𝐀𝐧 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 “𝐌𝐚𝐮 𝐌𝐚𝐮” [𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲] 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧."

The true black revolution in America started on April 12, 1964. Malcolm X returned to Detroit to support his friends, including Milton (Henry, later known as Gaidi Obadele) who had created the Freedom Now Party. That night, Malcolm X gave his famous "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech, stating,

"It is our intention to have 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 which will consist of delegates from all over the country who are interested in the political, economic and social philosophy of black nationalism. After these delegates convene, we will hold a seminar; we will hold discussions; we will listen to everyone. We want to hear new ideas and new solutions and new answers. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲, 𝐰𝐞'𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲. 𝐈𝐅 𝐈𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌 𝐀 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐘, 𝐖𝐄'𝐋𝐋 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌 𝐀 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐘."

At a national meeting convened in Detroit, the 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭/𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐔.𝐒.𝐀. was formally organized as a national organization. Max Stanford was elected National Field Chairman, Donald Freeman was elected Executive Chairman, James Boggs, Ideological Chairman, Grace Boggs, Executive Secretary, and Milton Henry/Paul Brooks, Treasurer. RAM’s international representatives were El Hajj Malik Shabazz (Malcolm X), International Spokesman, and Robert F. Williams, International Chairman.

Three weeks later, the Afro-American Student Conference was held in Nashville, TN from May 1-3, 1964. By its end, the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM) convinced the conference that 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 which embodied cultural revolution, promoted Pan African socialism and was ready to form an organizational apparatus to 'translate' Nationalist ideology into effective action and whose members were willing to make the supreme sacrifices to build and sustain a dynamic Nationalist Movement.

Malcolm X then traveled to Ghana and met with representatives of liberation organizations, including the African National Congress of South Africa (ANC) and the South African Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC). After returning from Ghana, 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐦 𝐗 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐤 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐨 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 (𝐎𝐀𝐀𝐔) 𝐨𝐧 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟖𝐭𝐡, 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟒 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. Malcolm said the purpose of the OAAU was to bring independence to people of African descent in the western hemisphere; first in the United States fighting against enemies by every means necessary. He said the motto of the OAAU was freedom, justice and equality by any means necessary. He said the purpose of the OAAU was to unite all persons of African descent into one united force and when this is done in the western hemisphere to unite with Africans on the motherland on the continent of Africa. In the book, 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑪𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒍 𝑹𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑳𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝑴𝒂𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒎 𝑿 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒐-𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚, William Sales, Jr. notes,

"Paralleling these discussions, and in as much secrecy, were discussions Malcolm X had with RAM through its field secretary, Muhammed Ahmed. . . . The OAAU was to be the broad front organization and RAM the underground Black Liberation Front of the U.S.A. 𝑴𝒂𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒔𝒚𝒍𝒖𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍/𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔. While Malcolm was in Africa, the field chairman was to go to Cuba to report the level of progress to Robert Williams. As Malcolm prepared Africa to support our struggle, ‘Rob’ [Robert F. Williams] would prepare Latin America and Asia. During this period, Malcolm began to emphasize that Afro-Americans could not achieve freedom under the capitalist system. He also described guerrilla warfare as a possible tactic to be used in the Black liberation struggle in America. . . . The OAAU was to be the organizational platform for Malcolm X as the international spokesperson for RAM’s revolutionary nationalism, but the nuts and bolts of creating a guerrilla organization were not to take place inside the OAAU. The OAAU was to be an above-ground united front engaged in legitimate activities to gain international recognition for the African American freedom struggle.”

The OAAU was given Observer Status at the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and at its second Summit Meeting, Malcolm X, as Chairman of the OAAU and representative of the 22 million black people in America, joined the other African liberation movements housed on the boat named "Isis" docked in the Nile River for the OAU Summit held in Cairo. On July 17, 1964 Malcolm X distributed a memo to the African Heads of State that said,

"If South Africa is guilty of violating the human rights of Africans here on the mother continent, then America is guilty of worse violations of the 22 million Africans on the American continent. And if South African racism is not a domestic issue, then American racism also is not a domestic issue. 𝐖𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, on the grounds that the United States Government is morally incapable of protecting the lives and the property of 22 million African-Americans. And on the grounds that our deteriorating plight is definitely becoming a threat to world peace."

Within seven months, Malcolm X was killed. However, his followers formed the Malcolm X Society. In January 1968, one of its members, Imari Obadele, published 𝑾𝒂𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂 outlining RAM's counter-response to the war being waged against black Americans. Obadele stated, "A second important aspect of the renewed black warfare is that it was initiated and carried out during the first three years (1964-1966) by young members of the most exploited class of black people. . . . That units of the black underground army were present in Harlem (1964) and destroyed property with noteworthy effectiveness in Watts (1965) and Cleveland (1966) should not be overlooked." The Malcolm X Society then convened the National Black Government Conference in Detroit from March 29-31, 1968 (just after the FBI's COINTELPRO Memo) and issued the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of New Afrika. On May 31, 1968 about 30 leaders of the RNA met at 40 North Ashland Avenue in Chicago to address some of the biggest issues facing the new government. Among them was, “the legislative act that established the Black Legion, the RNA’s military."

By 1969, a Newsweek poll was showing that 68% of "northern negroes under the age of 30" approved of the idea of "black power", 36% felt that violence was necessary, and 27% wanted a separate black nation.

Rather than respect their human, civil and political rights as well as the UN Resolution 1514 on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (1960) that recognized the New Afrikan's right to self determination, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐲 through the COINTELPRO.

THE TIME IS NOW FOR THE REPARATIONS MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES TO FOCUS ON BREAKING THE DEPENDENCY ON AMERICA, CONDUCTING A PLEBISCITE FOR SELF DETERMINATION WITH THE FOLLOWING FOUR CHOICES:

(1) return to Africa,

(2) the creation of a new African nation on American soil,

(3) emigration to another country and

(4) US citizenship

and our education campaign should be focused on promoting number 1 and 2 to break the dependency on number 4.