ARM THE SPIRIT "Settle your quarrels, come together, understand the reality of our situation, understand that fascism is already here, that people are already dying who could be saved, that generations more will die or live poor butchered half-lives if you fail to act. Do what must be done, discover your humanity and your love in revo• lution. Pass on the torch. Join us, give up your life for the people."-George Jackson, prison organizer/revolutionary, assassinated by San Quentin guards August 21, 1971. HAIGHT-ASHBURY ARTS WORKSHOP NUMBER 4 AUGUST, 1979 50< Honor Fallen Black FrQQdom Fighters BUILD BLACK AUGUST MONTH Message from S.Q. Adjustment Center Comrades: The month of August has a special meaning within the hearts of all freedom fighters who have lived the era of Revolutionary strain in Cali• fornia prisons of the last decade. We came from that point in time where the consciousness of our people got its first "push, and our scorn for the enemy order led its inevitable course and delivered us to the prison gates. Since that time the strain and de• vastation to Revolutionary maturity has been great and priceless if we lonathan Jackson, William Christmas, James McClain — Marin County Courthouse, August 7,1970 are totally conscious of its histor• ical value to us as freedom fighters. Black Cultural Development and Revolutionary Growth It has afforded us the necessary tem• weekly, and yearly, and yet priceless pering to advance in our determined Greetings Comrades: if we are totally conscious of its liberation. "A new unitarian and progressive historical value to us as African current has sprung up in the move• August 7, 1970; the manchild Jona• Freedom Fighters and professional ment centering on political prison• than Jackson took courage and carbine revolutionaries. It has afforded us ers. (African prisoners in general in hand and delivered Black conscious• the necessary tempering to advance and P.O.W.'s in particular) How can ness to its next practical level. to the next stage in Nation building, this unitarian conduct be developed in our National Liberation struggle/ August 21, 1971; Comrade George further in the face of determined Black Liberation movement, and in the Jackson reared the head of the fire resistance from the establishment? Worldwide Socialist Revolution. breathing Dragon and showed by su• How can it be used to isolate reac- Traditionally, within the move• preme Revolutionary example his re• tionary>elements??... Unitary con• ment, the month of August has lentless, selfless, devout love for duct implies a 'search,' for those brought to mind in particular, the the people. elements in our present situation exemplary selfless and relentless which can become the basis for joint August 1, 1978; Comrade Supreme examples of George Jackson, assassi• action." (Comrade George, "Toward A Khatari who carried the ideals of re- nated August 21, 1971 at San Quentin United Front") and Jonathan Peter Jackson, Comrade See AC MESSAGE, p. 16 The month of August has a special George's brother and comrade, set meaning within the hearts and minds up and murdered in front of the-Ma• of all African Freedom Fighters in rin Courthouse on August 7, 1970, particular and progressive people of when he attempted to free three com• various persuasions in general, be rades of v;hich only one 'Ruchell Ma- they outside in the larger prison or gee' remains the sole survivor. captured behind the walls of concen• More recently in California in tration camps, from San Quentin and particular, and the west coast in Folsom prisons in California to Pon- general, comrades inside and beyond tiac, Trenton, Statesville and Attica. the walls pay special tribute to the For sisters as well as brothers who fallen Comrade Jeffrey "Khatari" have doggedly survived the oppress• Gawlden who was victimized by the ive/repressive era of revolutionary ^blatant assassination of capitalist strain of the last decade in particu• corporate medical politics, on Aug• lar. Sisters and brothers who walked ust 1, 1978. Comrade Khatari the path of suppression and the most was the stern believer of retaining unhuman brutal aggression and yet the image of the 'Black Communist come out whole. Many of us came Guerilla' to the highest without from this point in time in which we compromise. Also in recent years received our first "Great Leap For• there have been August 21st Coali• ward" in the development of Black tions and committees organized spec• awareness and revolutionary conscious• ifically around the month of August ness. and the comrade/soldiers that were Since that time, the strain and murdered during this historical devastation of revolutionary matur• month. ity has been surging forward daily. See BLACK DEVELOPMENT, p. 16 Folsom by a group of racist white prisoners armed with knives, (see page 5.) MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORS To commemorate the lives of George and Jonathan Jackson, Black prisoners at San Quentin have set aside the August 7th and 21st will mark the known as the San Quentin Six, were month of August as a month of Blaik 9th anniversaries of the deaths of charged with an assortment of crimes, cultural and revolutionary develop• Black revolutionaries Jonathan and including murder. Throughout their ment. Through educational and other George Jackson. year-long trial much evidence was activities, efforts will be directed Jonathan, who was 17 years old at produced to show that the state plan• toward transforming the Black "crim• the time of his murder, was gunned ned and executed the assassination of inal mentality" into a revolutionary down in a hail of police bullets out• George Jackson. The most damaging mentality, to making the popular pri• side a Marin County, California court• evidence came from the direct testi• son masses conscious of their social, house on August 7, 1970 in an armed mony of police agent Louis Tackwood political, economic, and racial op• attempt to liberate three imprisoned when he testified that he had been pression, and to elevating the al• Black liberation fighters, two of instructed by high ranking police ready existing revolutionary consci• whom were on trial for their lives officials in Los Angeles to help ousness. that day. The two, James McClain and smuggle an inoperative gun into San Just before press time over 50 William Christmas, were killed along Quentin and set up George Jackson. Blacks in Max. B (a.k.a. the Manage• with Jonathan when an army of San His last assignment for the Los ment Control Unit) had signed up to Quentin guards and Marin police reck• Angeles Police Department was, he participate in one or more of the lessly and sadistically opened fire stated in response to defense ques• planned activities, such as poetry with automatic rifles on the van in tioning, "the assassination of reading, lectures, readings from which the revolutionaries and their George Jackson". Nevertheless, the George, current and historical events, hostages had taken refuge. The third American judicial system proved it organizing to speak on prison strug• prisoner, Ruchell Magee, who is cur• works in the interest of the ruling gles, etc. Committees have been es• rently held at Folsom Prison where he class, and the six were convicted of tablished to provide food for the is constantly harassed by racist one or more of the charges, some many who will stay away from the pri• guards, was wounded in the assault. lesser than others. son mess hall during the month of George Jackson, Jonathan's elder As a result of intense struggles August. And much more participation brother, mentor and close comrade was and support from outside, four of the including a massive demonstration out• murdered by guards during a Black six were finally released from prison. side the walls on August 25th, is ex• prisoner rebellion at San Quentin on But the remaining two brothers, Hugo pected. August 21, 1971. Three guards and Pinell and Johnnie Spain, are still To George and Jonathan Jackson, to two white prisoners were also killed targets of the state's assassination Khatari who also died in August, to that day. attempts. Recently, attempts were Black August and to freedom, we ded• In an unsuccessful effort to cover made on both brothers' lives. Johnnie icate this issue of ARM THE SPIRIT. up the state's pre-planned assassina• Spain was attacked by white racist In struggle. tion of George, prison officials se• prisoners at Tracy. He escaped in• Editorial Collective lected six Black and Latino prisoners jury. Hugo Pinell suffered serious ARM THE SPIRIT to make scapegoats for their racist injuries, however, wlten he and a num• P.O. Box 5548 murderous act. The six, who became ber of other Blacks v;ere attacked at Berkeley CA 94705 i E T DEMONSTRATE AT THE GATES T OF SAN QUENTIN E R SUPPORT THE BLACK LIBERATION MOVEMENT S IN THE PRISONS AND ON THE STREET Greetings of Solidarity! Stop Genocide Against Black Prisoners. This is just a note to ask y'all Solidarity with Black August Month — Black August is a month of organizing and would y'all please send a subscrip• education intiated by Black prisoners in honor of fallen Black freedom fighters. tion of ARM THE SPIRIT, I'm sending Honor Fallen Black Freedom Fighters: y'all one (1) dollars. I. hope it George Jackson will help in some way, I know the Jonathan Jackson subscription is free to prison, but khatari Caulden I want to contribute financially in Malcolm X some way! Abolish the Death Penalty! Free the Pontiac Brothers! In struggle. Free Graham and Allen! Free the Reidsviile Brothers! State Correctional Institution, Pittsburg Stop White Supremacist Attacks on Black Prisoners. End California Department of Corrections Collaboration and Support of the Aryan Brotherhood, Nazis and KKK.