If They Come in the Morning by Angela Davis

Author:Angela Davis
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi
Publisher: Verso Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

15

Letters to Jonathan Jackson from George Jackson

To the Man-Child;

Tall, evil, graceful, bright-eyed, Black man-child—Jonathan Peter Jackson—who died on August 7, 1970, courage in one hand, assault rifle in the other; my brother, comrade, friend—the true revolutionary, the Black communist guerrilla in the highest state of development, he died on the trigger, scourge of the unrighteous, soldier of the people …

George Jackson

September 25, 1969

Dear Jon,

Robert told me that you were driving the new automobile to school. If that’s right, you’re not doing too bad. Do you use it at school and drive home too? But he also mentioned that if you didn’t show improvements in things of a scholastic nature, he would be very disappointed.

I am thinking that he feels a lot for you. He really does, I know. He simply doesn’t know how to relate to you. When I was young, I felt that Robert didn’t care for me very much because he wouldn’t take me anywhere or ever talk to me in anything less than a shout. Mama used to talk him into beating me up just for leaving the house to play ball or talk with my peers. I mean real beating, belts, table legs, fists, etc. But what I didn’t notice was that he was feeding me and that whenever I got into a bind with the local representatives of the oppressors (police), he would always be there to help me. Always, no matter what I had done or how much he hated what I’d done.

Life has been one long string of disappointments for Robert. It wouldn’t be too good to just take lightly his wishes to see you become more aggressive in your development. It isn’t necessary to disappoint him. You can satisfy him, help yourself, and serve the cause of Black self-determination by picking yourself up and taking Chairman Mao’s Great Leap Forward.

I hope you are involved in the academic program at your school, but knowing what I know about this country’s schooling methods, they are not really directing you to any specialized line of study. They have not tried to ascertain what fits your character and disposition and to direct you accordingly. So you must do this yourself. Decide now what you would like to specialize in, one thing that you will drive at. Do you get it? Decide now. There are several things that we as a group, a revolutionary group, need badly: chemists, electronic engineers, surgeons, etc. Choose one and give it special attention at a certain time each day. Establish a certain time to give over to your specialty and let Robert know indirectly what you are doing. Then it only remains for you to get your A’s on the little simple unnecessary subject that the school requires. This is no real problem. It can be accomplished with just a little attention and study. But you must now start on your specialty, the thing that you plan to carry through this war of life. You must specialize in something. Just let it be something that will help the war effort.

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