HAVE IT YOUR WAY CONVICT LEASING
“America would have to make a different choice; to choose to care about people’s humanity versus profit.” These are words from Britt White, a sister who, in her 20s was incarcerated in Alabama for five years. While serving time, and allowed to work at Burger King, the state of Alabama took 60% of every dollar Britt made because she and others were considered property of the state. And yes, convict leasing is alive and well in 2023. By 1898, Alabama “earned” 73% of its revenue from convict leasing. And here we are, 125 years later, and convict leasing is still making state-sanctioned profits off labor stolen from predominantly Black and Brown incarcerated souls. Britt, now an activist fighting to end the “slavery if incarcerated” exception in the 13th Amendment, said, “People I love are denied parole and kept in prison because their physical beings equal capital for so many wealthy people in America.” Y’all, we can’t let her fight alone. Let’s all support the Abolition Amendment.
DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE
Blackfolk wisdom says, “Folk can call you whatever they want. What matters is what you answer to.” When people tell you Blacks benefited from skills learned during enslavement,” they’re calling you and yo’ mama every kind of fool there is. But you don’t have to answer to that nonsense. First, records abound that show that enslavers sought to capture Africans from specific regions BECAUSE of the skills they possessed (in growing rice, masonry, animal husbandry, etc.). We already had skills, intelligence, creativity, etc. Second, countless millions of our ancestors died penniless, or darn near, skilled or not, because the racist social structure wouldn’t allow them to profit off their genius in the way the U.S. “free market economy” advertises. So, don’t let them “piss in your face and tell you it’s raining.” Another Blackfolk wisdom nugget for the road.
PROJECT 2025
I recently heard an activist friend start a sentence by saying, “I don’t want to get all conspiratorial on y’all, but…” And I felt that. I’m not one to jump on all the conspiracy trains. But, one, not all crazy theories are crazy. And two, it’s not a conspiracy if they’re doing it right in your face. Case in point: Project 2025. You can visit their website right now. They unashamedly announce their intent to make America a fascist nation. They lay out their plan for centralizing all power in the president… more specifically, the next Republican president. Even more specifically, they’re praying it’s Trump. They want to take Congress’s power over the nation’s money and power of all law enforcement and place it in the hands of this GOP president who they’re working to see inaugurated Jan. 2025. And to whom all administration members must a loyalty pledge. Not too long ago, if any other democracy-practicing country had a political party talking about removing all checks and balances from their elected leader, thereby making that person a dictator who answers to no one, U.S. media would roast them as a danger to the planet. Lo and behold, that danger is right here. The call is coming from inside the house.
