Books by John Oliver Killens

Youngblood  /  And Then We Heard the Thunder  /  The Cotillion  /  The Great Black Russian

A Man-Aint-Nothin But A Man Adventures of John Henry  /  Slaves  / Sippi A Novel /  Black-SouthernVoices: An Anthology 

Great-Gittin-Up-Morning: A Biography of Denmark Vesey / The Black Man's Burden

Keith Gilyard, Liberation Memories: The Rhetoric and Poetics of John Oliver Killens (2003)

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Killens, the Black Man's Burden, and the Jena 6

Editorial by Rudolph Lewis

how many Black men/women/children have been lynched or otherwise murdered by white men that weren't even arrested?—Crystal

I was just reading John Oliver Killens "The Myth of Non-Violence versus the Right of Self-Defense" in his The Black Man's Burden (1965, 1969). It is well worth the read in light of the increasing number of cases of white violence (by civilians and police) against African Americans. The case that I find quite extraordinary is that of the Jena 6 down in Louisiana, which suggests a rather national mood in regard to blacks and black juveniles in particular. The Jena cases are now ongoing: Strange Fruit in Jena.  You may also recall the teenaged girl who was locked up for pushing a white hall monitor, Shaquanda Cotton, threatened with 7 years in jail. Then there was the Seven-Year-Old Black Child Arrested, Cuffed, Fingerprinted. Then there was recently the incident in which NYC Police Brutalized a Human Rights Attorney; he and his wife both busted up on the streets in broad daylight by one of New York's "finest."

With these incidents in mind, it would be instructive to recall one of Killen's stories in "The Myth of Non-Violence versus the Right of Self-Defense":

Now this incident of Killens youth is almost exactly what happened in Jena, Louisiana. . . . Killens also points out another scenario that could easily take place today in America. Matter of fact, it is very similar to the New York lawyer incident in which his wife was punched in the face for asking the cop not to beat up her husband:

The situation is much more dire than the celebrity situation of OJ, though Goldman has made him his dog on a leash and the media have joined in on continuing the civilian persecution of the man. But there is a larger situation in which we have returned to the Jim Crow days in which any white man, especially if he's a district attorney or other person in a position of authority, thinks he has a license to chastise, persecute, put himself upon any Negro for any cause and there are many middle-class Negroes who have joined in on such persecutions. And worst, the white consensus continues to deny blacks the right of self-defense.

You may have noted the making of more and more films in which cops are encouraged to be torturers and bullies of Negroes. There is a new film K-Ville, set in New Orleans,  and according to Jordan Flaherty's review, K-Ville "falls perfectly into an agenda of explaining and forgiving brutal police behavior.  In fact, it takes one of the nation's most notoriously racist, violent and corrupt police forces, and explains away their harmful acts as the natural result of the trauma of Katrina and its aftermath." 

Picking up a copy of Killens’ The Black Man's Burden is worthwhile indeed. Some of the essays are highly relevant to our situation today.

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Mychal Bell Injustice Overturned on Appeal—A state appeals court on Friday threw out the only remaining conviction against one of the black teenagers accused in the beating of a white schoolmate in the racially tense north Louisiana town of Jena. Mychal Bell, 17, should not have been tried as an adult, the state 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal said in tossing his conviction on aggravated battery, for which he was to have been sentenced Thursday. He could have gotten 15 years in prison. His conspiracy conviction in the December beating of student Justin Barker was already thrown out by another court. Bell, who was 16 at the time of the beating, and four others were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder. Those charges brought widespread criticism that blacks were being treated more harshly than whites after racial confrontations and fights at Jena High School. Janet McConnaughey. Teen's conviction tossed in La. beating Yahoo.com  14 September 2007

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Rev. Lennox Yearwood Attacked, Arrested, Hospitalized

Let me state from the outset that I am sickened by video footage, available on youtube youtube (part 1) and youtube (part 2) and youtube (interview) and youtube (arrest Bush not Rev address) of the assault on Reverend Yearwood by the Capitol Hill Police.  Nowhere on the internet is the footage available of the press conference I had on the subject of certain Capitol Hill police officers.  But at that press conference were black Georgia constituents who told of the utter contempt with which they were treated at the hands of certain Capitol Hill police officers.  Kudos to whoever it was in the hallway at the time of Yearwood's incident who had the video or cellphone camera and the smarts to record it all. 

I understand Reverend Yearwood's leg was broken—all because he wanted to hear Petraeus testify before Congress.  But what's more incredible is that according to my friends, there has been absolutely no coverage at all of this incident in what we call the mainstream media and that there have been no—repeat—no Members of Congress to speak out against this travesty. 

Kudos to Glen Ford of Black Agenda Report and Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! for covering this incident.  The video will take only 7 minutes of your time, please watch it.  Of course, the police charged Reverend Yearwood with a crime, just like in New York, they've charged the Warrens, noted civil rights attorneys, for having the audacity to take down the license plate numbers of NYPD officers involved in beating a young, handcuffed Latino man. 

I'm also told that in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania another incident, this time involving a woman, Diane White, was beaten and maced by cops, after having been pulled away and out of site of the Festival she had organized for neighborhood children.  This happens in the midst of two unthinkable incidents:  the Jena 6 situation in Louisiana with the imbroglio that has resulted from black teenagers sitting under the "white tree" in the Jena High schoolyard and the situation in West Virginia where a 20-year-old black woman was kidnapped, raped, and tortured amid racial epithets and the Feds decide yesterday that it's not a hate crime! 

Unarmed blacks and Latinos are attacked and killed in city after city across this country and there is little justice to be found in the courts.  It is clear that our country needs a peace and justice movement that brings people from all backgrounds together with a single vision:  to make a better U.S.A. for all of us and the world!  If people in Haiti and Bolivia, Venezuela and Cuba, Nicaragua and Brazil can do it, I know we can do it, too!

I wanted to send a recap of my London visit because I think some important observations and conclusions were reached there—like the need for an international tribunal on 9-11 truth.  But I'll send more on that and other news later.  Right now, after viewing the video, I think this situation is so urgent, I wanted you to know right now. The BlackList
 

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"Reasonable men adjust themselves to their environment. Unreasonable men attempt to change their environment to suit themselves. Therefore all progress is the work of unreasonable men."  George Bernard Shaw

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints.  We  spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.  We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. . . . Dr. Bob Moorehead

"It's called the American Dream, but you have to be asleep to believe it."  George Carlin

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DB CONTRIBUTES TO JENA 6 LEGAL DEFENSE FUND—David Bowie has come forward to lend his support by making a $10,000 donation to the Jena 6 Legal Defense Fund. And he has posted extra information on the BowieNet MBs regarding the situation in Jena, useful to those of us outside of the US that may not be particularly familiar with the case. David Bowie

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Revealing Racist Roots: The 3 R’s for Teaching About the Jena 6 Network of Teacher Activist Groups (TAG) Edited by Ariana Mangual and Bree Picower (September 20, 2007)

Statement from TAG (excerpt)—Last April several teacher activist groups across the country came together to form a network, Teacher Activist Groups (TAG), to challenge injustice through teaching and participation in social movements. We developed this resource guide because we believe the Jena 6 case is a critical one about which teachers can make a difference. How can the Jena 6 engage our students in an examination of the history and current reality of racism? How can this case open up space for students to examine their own experiences with racism and to build solidarity? The Jena 6 might have gone unnoticed nationally, ignored by corporate media, if activists had not used alternative media to get the word out. This could be a starting point to develop students’ critical media literacy and to explore how media can be used to challenge injustice. The national outpouring to defend the Jena 6 has already had an impact. How can teachers help students find their own ways to act? We offer this guide as a resource, and we call on educators to seize on this critical case to teach and act to make a difference. Pauline Lipman September 14, 2007 NYCORE 

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Georgians Stand in Solidarity with Activists Nationally: Demanding Real Justice In Jena, Louisiana

Atlanta, Georgia—Activists, organizers, students, and community members throughout Georgia are called to participate in a Public Demonstration and Press Conference in solidarity with the "Jena 6" at 10:30 a.m . Thursday, September 20, 2007, in front of Rush Memorial UCC Church at 150 James P. Brawley Drive located on the campus of Clark Atlanta University in  Atlanta, Georgia.  Speakers include Professor Kathleen Cleaver, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, Senator Vincent Fort, Reverend Timothy McDonald, John Evans, and Reverend Derrick Rice.  We are encouraging all participants to wear black to demonstrate solidarity with those demonstrating around the country.

The ongoing legal battle of six African American teenagers against trumped up charges in Jena, Louisiana makes it even clearer that racism and its systemic aggression against Black Americans continues to grow in this country. In Georgia, over two thousand people rallied in Douglas County to demand justice for Genarlow Wilson. On September 20th, we will put tens of thousands more in the streets in Jena, to demand justice for Mychal Bell and the Jena 6. This time the demand for justice will resonate throughout the land.

In addition to the over thirty organizations and churches that have endorsed this effort, students and community members throughout the state will join in solidarity with a national coalition for justice called for by Detroit City Councilman Kwame Kenyatta and activist radio personality, Bob Law.

This national coalition not only stands in solidarity with the Jena 6 but also with The Katrina International Tribunal and the many others fighting for justice in Louisiana.

While the conviction of Mychal Bell, one of the six Black youngsters in Jena, has been thrown out by the Third District Court of Appeals, the struggle for justice is far from over.  Our concern is that the racist double standard remains in tact allowing whites to commit acts of aggression against Blacks with impunity, while Black youngsters face unjust prosecutions and harsher prison sentences.

We will stand in solidarity on September 20th, the day Mychal Bell was scheduled to be sentenced for a bogus second degree battery conviction, with not only the tens of thousands that will march in Jena, but with those gathering around the country including St Louis, Kansas City, New York, Detroit,  Philadelphia, Newark, and more.  We stand in solidarity with activists nationally calling on the mayor of each American city, as well as everyone with a national voice and influence, to publicly denounce the judicial farce taking place in Jena, Louisiana. We encourage city councils nationwide to follow the lead of Atlanta, Georgia, Cambridge, Maryland and Detroit, Michigan and pass resolutions in the interest of justice, calling for the dismissal of all charges against the Jena 6 and not just another trial in juvenile court. 

Additionally, we call on the corporations in Louisiana that are the recipients of millions of Black consumer dollars, to denounce the injustice and blatant racism in Jena, Louisiana, in New Orleans generally, and in the Ninth Ward in particular. Some communities have already begun to say, "No justice, No profit!"

Across the country we say, "Enough is Enough!" We draw the line against racism and injustice here and now.  We will continue to strengthen this coalition of organizations across the country, fighting to challenge racism, whenever and wherever it raises its ugly head.

Supporting organizations include:  First Afrikan Presbyterian Church, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM), The Avarita L. Hanson Chapter of the Black Law Students Association, New Afrikan People's Organization (NAPO), Let Us Make Man, The Davis Bozeman Law Firm, Sankofa Society of Georgia State University, International Action Center, Foreverfamily, AfriSalsa Cultural Organization, N'COBRA Youth Commission, Operation LEADS, African American Ministers in Action, Sankofa UCC Church, The Law Office of Chris Leopold, N'COBRA at CAU, AYAED   AYA Educational Institute, African Community Centers, Minister Kenyatta Bush, Youth Pastor, Shiloh Baptist Church & Chair, Henry County Democratic Party, Youth Task Force, Campaign for Juvenile Justice, Grassroots Link, Armstrong & Associates, Law Offices of Robert Daniel, LLC, The Secret Firm, P.C., Georgia Alliance of African American Attorneys (GAAAA).

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BBC documentary on Jena, Louisiana—This World: Race Hate in Louisiana—This World investigates the rise of discrimination in America's Deep South as six black youths are charged with an alleged attack on a white student, which could see them jailed for up to 50 years

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The African-American teens were dealt with differently. They were expelled, but appealed to the school board. The school district had conducted an investigation, but the school board was not allowed to review it. The school board’s lawyer was none other than the prosecuting district attorney, Reed Walters.

Board member Fowler recalls the January meeting: “Our legal authority that night was Mr. Walters.” I asked, “And he told you, you couldn’t have access to the school proceedings, or the investigation?”

Fowler replied: “That’s right. [Walters said] it was a violation of something.” The board voted, without information. Fowler recalls: “It was unanimous. No, no it wasn’t. There was one board member who voted no, and that was Mr. Worthington.” Melvin Worthington, the only African-American on the school board, voted against upholding the expulsion of the black students.

Asked if he felt that Walters had a conflict of interest that night, Fowler replied, “Well, I’m assuming that Mr. Walters knows the law.”

Louisiana’s 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals doesn’t agree. The court just overturned Walters’ first conviction in the Jena Six case (by an all-white jury), that of Mychal Bell, ruling that he should have been tried as a juvenile. Walters pledges to challenge that ruling in the Louisiana Supreme Court, while continuing to pursue the other five prosecutions. Amy Goodman. Tipping the Scales of Justice in Jena

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Demonstrators descend on Jena—Protesters from across the nation cheerfully defied obstacles placed in their way by town officials, such as a line of portable toilets put directly in front of the courthouse steps where the demonstration was held. They celebrated what Rev. Al Sharpton described as the birth of a "new civil rights movement for the 21st Century," driven by black Internet blogs, e-mail and talk radio more than any traditional civil rights leader. Many of the participants traveled 20 hours or more by bus from both coasts and even Alaska to arrive at dawn for the peaceful, six-hour rally, which featured Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King III, radio personality Michael Baisden and dozens of other black leaders and celebrities. . . .

Louisiana state police estimated that the crowd numbered between 15,000 and 20,000 people, but organizers said they believed there were at least twice that many demonstrators filling this two-stoplight town of 3,000. . . . President Bush offered his first comment about the Jena case at a press conference, following three of the Democratic presidential contenders—Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards—who last week all questioned the administration of justice in the town. "The events in Louisiana have saddened me," the president said. "And I understand the emotions. The Justice Department and the FBI are monitoring the situation down there. And all of us in America want there to be, you know, fairness when it comes to justice."—Chicago Tribune

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posted 15 September 2007 (last updated 20 September 2007)

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updated 12 June 2008