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Malik Zulu Shabazz, New Black Panther
Chairman
Speaks on Everything from Obama to Gaza
Interview by Kam Williams
Dr. Malik Zulu
Shabazz is a freedom fighter/activist/attorney who has
served as Chairman of the New Black Panther Party since
2001. A familiar figure on the world stage today, he can
frequently be caught effectively articulating his
controversial point-of-view everywhere from Fox News to
CNN to MSNBC to C-SPAN. Reflective of the new leadership
which has emerged from the Black liberation and Islamic
movements, Dr. Shabazz is also the spokesman for the
Black Lawyers for Justice.
A graduate of
Howard University and its School of Law, his depth of
knowledge, professional organizing skills, potent legal
advocacy and dynamic speaking skills have uniquely
positioned Shabazz to weigh-in on a plethora of
political and legal causes and struggles pertaining to
African-Americans, the Muslim community, and African
people worldwide. Here, he weighs-in on Obama and Gaza
and responds to criticism leveled at him by original
Panther Chairman Bobby Seale.
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KW:
Hi Dr.
Shabazz,
thanks for the time.
MZS: My
honor, sir.
KW:
How do you feel about
Barack
Obama’s
becoming President of the United States?
MZS: Fundamentally,
I feel good. After eight years of George Bush,
Obama
presents the possibility of real change.
KW:
Are you going to Washington, D.C. for the inauguration?
MZS: I
will be there, organizing, networking and recruiting.
KW:
Did you read Obama’s autobiography?
MZS: I liked that
book. It wasn't heavy on my kind of ideology for but it
gave me great insight into Barack's thinking and
background. I felt a common experience with him as a
community organizer, especially the road trips and the
times when the struggles are so hard and your loved ones
are telling you to give it up and pursue purely
financial goals. I liked the fact that he had keyed into
Huey Newton and the Black Power Movement. I like the
fact that he chose Jeremiah Wright as his pastor. It was
a good book, he is an inspiration to me and I see
commonalities between his journey and mine.
KW: Do you think America is on its way to
becoming a “post-racial” society?
MZS: America is in no
way post-racial. Race is still a major factor, but
Obama's
election means that blacks can do what they will,
regardless of systematic racism. Our youth, whose
role models are over saturated with entertainers and
athletes, needed to see a black man overcome all
obstacles in an intellectual arena in order to
understand that we as a people can overcome and master
anything in our path in this world.
KW: Does
Obama’s
win mean there is less of a need for organizations like
yours?
MZS: As far as the
movement is concerned,
Obama's
election does not change the need to fight against
racism, police brutality, bad education, lack of health
care and housing, oppression abroad, or the litany of
concerns our people face. Those problems are real and
no one is lulled to sleep to think that because
Obama has
been elected those problems will disappear. What has
happened is we have been inspired to do better in our
organizational efforts to serve the people better. So,
the New Black Panther Party, Black Lawyers for Justice
is expanding now and building the Black Power Movement (www.Blackpowermovement.org)
which is a broad based mass movement that includes 20
major ministries and organizing committees all over
America and the world . We have been inspired by
Obama's
organizing to organize and serve the people like never
before in 2009 and beyond.
KW:
What do you think of
Obama’s
cabinet appointments so far? Do they reveal anything to
you about how he is likely to govern?
MZS:
Obama's
cabinet appointments have been more conservative than
expected. He has to be careful not become a Bill Clinton
re-mix. I still think he needs 100 days to be judged to
see if he has a superior vision to enact through that
cabinet.
KW:
I just read a recent article by you where you
said that
Obama needs
to get it right on Gaza. Is it fair to be critiquing his
position on the Middle East even before he’s
been sworn in? After all, like he said, we only have one
President at a time, and if anyone is going to intervene
in Israel right now, it seems to me that it has to be
Bush.
MZS: Obama
has not been silent on the economy, nor the attacks in
Mumbai, or on a number of other issues. If Bush is a
lame duck, then
Obama has to
comment on critical matters that will be on his desk on
January 21st. Right now,
Obama is
between a rock and a hard place. He pledged support to
Israel in the election process, now he is in a position
to get politically burned by that because Israel does
not share his vision of reconciliation and justice.
Ehud
Barak, the
defense minister of Israel and presidential candidate,
is using
Obama's previous statements as partial justifications for his
current vicious and errant actions. So, as Israel
continues to illegally pound and invade Gaza, we are not
premature in calling on
Obama to take
the right position. Because if we wait to warn him, we
will be behind the process, if he does what he is
predicted to do: back Israel unconditionally. If
Obama does
this, which we advise against, he will soon unravel the
worldwide goodwill that made his presidency so
attractive to the darker and oppressed peoples of the
world.
KW:
Normally, a new administration gets a pass from the
press for its first hundred days? Are you going to give
Obama
that
traditional wait-and- see period before criticizing any
of his decision-making?
MZS: Not
on foreign policy matters. On foreign policy matters, we
call it as we see it. The world can be at war in one
month, a lot less than one hundred days. On domestic
policy, he gets a little longer because it is a more
drawn out process to see what effect his infrastructure
program, bailouts or market reforms will have. We want
to be clear. We want
Obama to
succeed and make change and we are trying to give him
the benefit of the doubt. One thing that
Obama respects is good political pressure and advocacy.
KW:
What issues do you think ought to be high on the
President-elect’s
agenda?
MZS:
Setting a new tone abroad that is different than the
Bush administration’s well as urban policy that the poor
can benefit from. We heard a lot about the middle class
during the election, but in my neighborhood the poor
need help, the ex-felons need help, the youth and
inner-city schools need help. So, urban policy and help
in the inner cities is critical. Obama
must make good on his pledges to close Guantanamo and to
end torture, and he has to resist being swallowed up by
the neoconservatives.
KW:
How do you plan to get his attention?
MZS:
By organizing the Black Power Movement, aligning with
oppressed peoples, speaking up and engaging in vigorous
politically-savvy advocacy. By using the legal tools
available to Black Lawyers for Justice from my base in
Washington D.C., we will be heard. I will be using my
diplomatic hand heavily in 2009 in order to work with
others to affect U.S. Government policy. Even if we
don't get
Obama's
attention, it makes no difference, because the real work
is re-organizing the movement so that it makes sense and
becomes more organized and effective. When our
liberation movement and its
power is concretized, the powers that be will begin to
bend to our will. We have taken a positive tone on
Obama because
the people are in a good mood and we respect the people.
KW:
In October, Jesse Jackson predicted that after
Obama was
elected, “decades of putting Israel’s
interest first would end” and that the “Zionists who
have controlled American policy for decades” would lose
their power. Do you agree?
MZS: I
don't agree
that
Obama will
necessarily end the Israel-first policy. He should, and
can, but he has to have the will to do it. Today, it is
mainly whites in the streets demonstrating against
Israel's
attack on Gaza. So, the American people do not support
an Israel first policy and all
Obama has to
do is reverse the cycle of bias, thus helping himself
and the world to be a more peaceful place. Obama promised he wouldn't be controlled by special
interests. The pro-Israel lobby is not an American
majority; it is merely a special interest.
The choice is
Obama's. He
can either be an agent for peace and change or be used
as a tool by a special interest group whose
actions actually endanger U.S. national security. Every
bomb that Israel drops on Gaza, every baby that is
killed, will produce a martyr ready to avenge the
murders of their people or to die trying. If
Obama
criticized the foreign policy of George Bush, then he
cannot afford to be a hypocrite and back the policies of
Israel as they are being carried out in this hour. He
can change this; all he has to do is do it.
KW:
How do you propose to bring peace to Gaza, immediately,
and to the Middle East region, long term?
MZS: Recognize
Hamas as the
democratically elected government of Gaza, which it
is. Give them the rights and privileges of an
independent nation which is free trade, supplies, rights
of defense and internationally protected borders. End
the blockade and the stranglehold on Gaza. Turn over the
entire West Bank and end all checkpoints and settlements
in the West Bank. This will ease the crisis in the short
term. However, because of the fact
that the
basis of the original set up of the state of Israel was
based on the illegal removal of the
Palestinians, killing them, razing their villages, and
making them refugees in their own land . . . hostility
will certainly always exist.
The Arab nations are woefully
divided and could do much more to bring justice to this
process. Ultimately, a better day will come when America
practices a fair foreign policy and Arab
governments allow more democracy. The Arab governments
must also unite, end oppression, get back to Islam and
pool their resources, particularly in the areas of
military defense.
KW:
When I interviewed Bobby Seale about the New Black
Panthers, he said that your organization’s
“leadership is nothing but government operatives.” He
was also upset by your politics, saying that you “spout
a bunch of black racist remarks” and that you support
Al-Qaeda. Is that true?
MZS:
Does it sound like I’m uneducated? Do I sound like I'm a
racist? Show me where I have ever supported Al-Qaeda!
Bobby Seale‘s problem is that he is uneducated about me
and the New Black Panther Party. He is so caught up in
discrediting a new generation of Panthers that he
refuses to dialogue or become informed and
therefore comes off very ignorant and emotional when
discussing us. What Bobby Seale also knows from his own
history, that calling someone a government operative
without any facts whatsoever is a Cointelpro [Counter
Intelligence Program] move on his own behalf. So who is
doing what here?
Despite his libel and slander
of the New Black Panther Party,
we will generally ignore him because the New Black
Panther Party is growing every day and if he
misunderstands today, perhaps he will see better
tomorrow. We love him the same as we do all the Black
Panthers of the Sixties and Seventies. We even offer all
of them to come join with us and let’s continue the
mission together, elders and new. We have good relations
with former Black Panther members all over the
country. I am here to tell all former Panthers that by
God's
permission the New Black Party will become larger, more
educated, more skilled and more effective than ever
before.
We have an impressive and
experienced young cadre. We have the benefits of 42
years of successes and failures since 1966. We are
connected to black peoples and their issues all over
America. Our Black Power Movement will change the
face and nature of struggle in America. To be against Malik
Zulu Shabazz, the New Black Panther Party and the Black
Power Movement is to be against the very liberation
struggle itself. Watch and see.
KW: Do The New Black
Panthers have a website where people can learn what you
stand for and more about the organization?
MZS: Yes, www.newblackpanther.com
and
www.blackpowermovement.org. The Black Power
Movement is a mass movement we are pioneering amongst a
variety of new and established leaders that is
developing 20 national and international ministries to
serve black people as well as 300 national and worldwide
organizing committees. The New Black Panther Party is
adding
about 6 chapters a month. We
expect to be 100 chapters strong by the end of the year
in the U.S., Europe and
Africa.
KW:
The Columbus Short question: Are you
happy?
MZS: Yes,
I feel good. I am in the prime of my life. My law
practice and business life is successful, organizing is
going good, and me and my daughter want for nothing. I'm
in good shape, and all my time and labor in the movement
is paying off. I am happy to be alive right now.
KW: The bookworm Troy
Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
MZS: I am re-reading
Blueprint for Black Power by Amos Wilson. Also,
I’m currently re-reading the Old Testament.
KW:
The
Tasha Smith
question: Are you ever
afraid?
MZS:
Surprisingly not, even when the FBI has visited me. I am
a Muslim and I believe that I am a part of a divine work
that is ordained. I was raised by Dr. Khallid Muhammad
and Minister Louis Farrakhan. They were not felled by
their enemies and, God willing, neither will I. The Lord
is my Shepherd and as long as I remain sincere, Allah
will prepare a table for me in the midst of my enemies.
KW: The music maven
Heather Covington question: What music are you listening
to nowadays?
MZS:
I like T.I., Common, NY Oil and the rappers in the New
Black Panther Party. Jennifer Hudson and
Beyoncé
are cool too. Conscious reggae is standard.
KW: Rudy Lewis asks:
Who’s at the top of your
hero list?
MZS:
Dr.
Khallid
Muhammad, Huey P. Newton, Louis Farrakhan and
Kwame
Ture and
Barack
Obama and most importantly, my mother, who
has given me superior training.
KW: Is there a
question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone
would?
MZS: The
question that I don’t get asked is' "Do you feel you
have been misrepresented?" The answer is “Yes.” I have
been misrepresented by certain interest groups as other
than what I am, which is an educated man who is a lover
and tireless helper of black people. I don't feel that
the beauty of what I represent or what I can offer has
been allowed to shine. But we are overcoming that
today. I’m also just an average working-class man. I
live in the inner city, get up and work every day and
live the life of the people. I like to have fun,
socialize and enjoy family like anybody else.
KW: What inspired you
to become a politically-active attorney as opposed to a
corporate one?
MZS: The
culture and climate of Howard University, which as an
undergraduate was very black conscious and rife with
pro-nationalist activity. At Howard, I became a student
and helper to minister Louis Farrakhan, Dr.
Khallid
Muhammad, Dr. Leonard Jeffries, Dr. Tony Martin and
others. I heard
Kwame
Ture and worked with the All African Peoples
Revolutionary Party. I helped Marion Barry get
re-elected Mayor. I read everything black I could get my
hands on and was inspired by
Huey P. Newton, Elijah Muhammad, Marcus Garvey and
Malcolm X. I embraced them all, despite the
differences.
All of these forces shaped my
life. By the time I graduated Howard University School
of Law I was already well known in the black community
and they have provided me a solid client base ever
since. I have been a solo-practitioner from day one,
which gives me not only the freedom of movement to fight
for the people politically but just as importantly to
wage a variety of civil rights struggles against forces
of discrimination that harm African people. I'm at my
legal peak right now, busy as ever. Now, Black Lawyers
For Justice is coming up and will give the legal
struggle new definition.
KW:
What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow
your footsteps?
MZS: Be
active in the student or liberation movement and resist
the temptation to give up struggle for personal comfort
and ease or because of a particular disappointment.
KW: How do you want to
be remembered?
MZS:
As an honest and sincere servant to our people and by
what I do in the years to come with what I have.
KW:
Tell me a little about your family
background.
MZS:
I was born in Los Angeles, California in 1968. My father
was a law student and activist before he passed. My
grandfather was a Black Muslim in the Nation of Islam
from 1955 until his recent passing. My mother is from
the Deep South, Mississippi, so she witnessed Jim Crow
personally. She is a successful educator and reformer
of our youth. All I am is just a humble product of my
family and the movement.
KW: What is your
organizational experience?
MZS:I formed
the Progressive Student Movement in 1988 at Howard
University. We sponsored Minister Farrakhan and that's
where our relationship began. I formed Unity Nation
before I went to law school and was Chairman until
1998. In 1993, I became the student organizer for Dr.
Khallid Muhammad and became trained in the Nation of
Islam. In 1996 I formed Black Lawyers for Justice and
was ordained as a minister in Black Liberation
Theology. Also in 1998, I became the National Youth
Director for Dr. Muhammad's Million Youth March in
Harlem. In 1998, I followed Dr. Muhammad into the New
Black Panther Party and became his National Spokesman
and Minister of Justice.
In 2000, I served as a local organizer for NCBL
(National Conference of Black Lawyers). In 2001, after
Muhammad's passing, I was elected Chairman of the New
Black Panther Party. In 2002, I served as a national
organizing member of the Millions for Reparations
March. In 2004, I served as a national organizer for the
NDABA Reparations Movement. In 2005, I was a National
Co-Convener in Minister Farrakhan's Millions More
Movement and March. In 2008, I initiated the Black Power
Movement.
KW:
That’s quite an impressive resume’ reflecting a
commitment to activism. Thanks again for the interview,
brother, and best of luck with all your endeavors.
MZS:
Thank you very much brother for the opportunity. It
means a lot.
posted 6 January 2009
* * *
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|
Jefferson's Pillow
The Founding Fathers and the Dilemma of Black
Patriotism
By Roger W.
Wilkins
In
Jefferson's Pillow, Wilkins returns to
America's beginnings and the founding fathers who
preached and fought for freedom, even though they
owned other human beings and legally denied them
their humanity. He asserts that the mythic accounts
of the American Revolution have ignored slavery and
oversimplified history until the heroes, be they the
founders or the slaves in their service, are denied
any human complexity. Wilkins offers a thoughtful
analysis of this fundamental paradox through his
exploration of the lives of George Washington,
George Mason, James Madison, and of course Thomas
Jefferson. He discusses how class, education, and
personality allowed for the institution of slavery,
unravels how we as Americans tell different sides of
that story, and explores the confounding ability of
that narrative to limit who we are and who we can
become. An important intellectual history of
America's founding, Jefferson's Pillow will change
the way we view our nation and ourselves. |
 |
* *
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Representing the Race
The Creation of the Civil Rights Lawyer
By Kenneth W. Mack
Representing the Race tells the story of an enduring paradox of American race relations, through the prism of a collective biography of African American lawyers who worked in the era of segregation. . . . Mack reorients what we thought we knew about famous figures such as Thurgood Marshall, who rose to prominence by convincing local blacks and prominent whites that he was—as nearly as possible—one of them. But he also introduces a little-known cast of characters to the American racial narrative. These include Loren Miller, the biracial Los Angeles lawyer who, after learning in college that he was black, became a Marxist critic of his fellow black attorneys and ultimately a leading civil rights advocate; and Pauli Murray, a black woman who seemed neither black nor white, neither man nor woman, who helped invent sex discrimination as a category of law. The stories of these lawyers pose the unsettling question: what, ultimately, does it mean to “represent” a minority group in the give-and-take of American law and politics? /
For Love of Liberty |
* * * * *
The White Masters of the
World
From
The World and Africa, 1965
By W. E. B. Du Bois
W. E. B. Du Bois’
Arraignment and Indictment of White Civilization
(Fletcher)
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Ancient African Nations
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The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan
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Only a Pawn in Their Game
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Thanks America for
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Hurricane Carter
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