ONA Move! Long live John Africa's Revolution!

Statement by Mumia Abu-Jamal, son of Abu-Jamal, read at Unity Nation's African Holocaust Conference, 15 October 1995

ONA MOVE! LONG LIVE JOHN AFRICA'S REVOLUTION!

Many of you will, no doubt, gasp and be alarmed when you hear that the writer of these words is on death row; But, why be alarmed? Why be surprised? In America, are we not all on death row?

Think of Malice Green, of Detroit; Brother McDuffie of Miami; of men, women and children known and unknown - nameless to all except those who loved them - Eternal Black Victims of the Great White Executioners - Since 1619 till this very day, when the relentless war on Black Life continues unabated.

Think of the martyred ones; those 28 men who soldiered for the Black Panther Party, like Fred Hampton, Mark Clark, George Luther Jackson, and Jonathan Jackson; think of the MOVE martyrs of May 13, 1985, bombed into oblivion by this very government - were they not on death row?

And that is our problem, isn't it?

At this march, let us now use this massive strength to organize, to rebuild, to breathe new life into our people's movements to free ourselves from our deadly daily reality.

If we merely come together to beat our feet, shout our lungs out, and shake our fists at an empty sky, we have failed.

All the Universe pulsates with purpose - will we be out-of-sync with the natural rhythms of the Universe itself?

What is our purpose?

Let us organize our strength for our collective freedom! Let us organize our collective power to shout out, not in supplication, but in militant affirmation of our God-given worth! ON THE MOVE!

Let us organize - for in Unity there is strength!

Use this opportunity to build strong, deep and lasting organizational expressions of our truest selves - ones which speak our truths unafraid to the world, ones that do righteous battle for our interests, ones that support the simple yet profound principle that a truly free and independent people do what needs to be done to preserve their existence and protect their tomorrows - no matter what.

Be militant! Be committed! Let freedom become your faith! Let Revolution become your religion! ON THE MOVE!

It is one of America's firmest goals to keep the grandsons of slaves helpless and virtually powerless. If you can't help yourselves, you can't help others. Power ain't a job, nor a title - it's the ability to make things happen - period.

Let us organize our collective will, let us build! Our grandmothers and grandfathers built this nation with the blood, sweat and tears of their stolen toil; Let us build - Organize!

ONA MOVE!

LONG LIVE JOHN AFRICA!

Mumia Abu-Jamal