Getting it together / George Jackson (Part 1 of 2)

I understand that. A local radio station is. Taping these proceedings so. In order to sort of protect myself and the audience I think that we better. Have certain remarks stated at the very outset. I'd like to address these remarks to your governor. And I want to make this very clear to the governor and to all of the personnel related to him. Governor. Although you have participated in moving pictures which have. Placed you on the side of the people who have lynched my brothers and sisters and although you as governor of the state have

participated in events which show you to be in favor of enslaving my people I do not come here with any violence in my mind. And I do not come here crossing the St.. Boundaries to start a revolution. I want you to understand that I do not believe in violence and I am not here to hurt you although you know you hate me. I don't want this to be interpreted as meaning that I believe in trying to do anything to harm established. Now having said those words perhaps I will not have to worry about being picked up and arrested and thrown in your jails. You know. Seems to me that.

As the sister of sister pointed out. I say to people when I move to various meetings I'm not necessarily convinced that there is a black revolution. But I certainly am convinced that for 400 years we have been the victim of a war. And this being the case I think we have to adopt appropriate techniques. I understand that there was once in a little school back in East where I come from a black student who took it upon herself. To refer to a white student as a devil. And the teacher found out about this. And in the stupid manner which is consistent with many of our teachers who think that they are able to teach but can't teach

because we are culturally deprived. The teacher admonished the child and said to the child now how dare you call the white girl a devil. She is your equal. And I want you saue. To say to her three times. That she is your equal and you know exactly are and she said Well little girl you are my equal. Me little girl. You're my equal little girl. You are my equal. Now I think that this is the dialogue that we. Who espouse the black cause

must begin to utilize. From our ancestors we understand black history. We know. That it was not necessary for us to utilize certain terminologies which people could interpret as being revolutionary. And while I am not suggesting. That we become. Demeaning to people. And while I'm not suggesting that we become less militant I'm suggesting. That from here out. We do not make it easier. For the man to know. Who is who and what we are about. There was a student in one of the classes I. Spoke to who.

Wanted to know from me Well you know you're from Newark and you talk like you're a revolutionary. Since I'm interested in guerrilla warfare would you be able to provide me with a demolition expert. And I had to say to him my brother you not talking guerrilla warfare not when you make your statements so overt. It's just like there was a group out in the East who consider themselves to be revolutionary and they called a press conference and told the press conference we're going underground. Now it would seem to me. That if we are about. Taking care of business that we've got to take care of business in a manner which is going to preserve the lives of black people and not lead to the

destruction of black people. I don't think that anyone has to prove. That black people are willing to die. We've been dying long enough. And what I am pushing for. Is that we learn to live in the black revolution or in the black movement the liberation struggle whatever you want to call it throughout the country. Talk reverberates around the various halls relating to the survival of black people. Well goddamnit I am tired of having people talk about me surviving. We don't need to have revolutionary tactics to survive. We don't need to have organizations to help us survive. We have benn surviving. What I am interested in is that we begin to live. And I am tired of having people talk about teaching us how to survive

what we have to be about as scholars is taking the techniques which have been utilized by our forefathers who have shown how we can survive in the face of overwhelming odds and put them together and teach us how to live. And unfortunately too often through our fervor and through our anxiety to carry the day when we get rid of the yoke of oppression many times what we have done is had black suicide rather than black revolution. And I don't dig that either. Now since I came to Merrick college made a couple of observations I'd like to share with you. First of all it's been my observation that we have

a very alert very committed and very alive student body. And I would also submit to you that. We have a very good president. But I'm going to have to tell you like it is your faculty is all fucked up. Me. I want you to understand that. So far as I'm concerned maybe I should raise my hand so that you would turn off the radio tape. But you can you can. But. Your faculty is all fucked up. Oh little girl. Are you. Now what I mean by that. Is. I have seen evidence that

there are some people in this faculty that you have here who are not able to accept the fact with you know accept the fact. In a manner with that they should accept it that we have a black president. I don't dig it. You know. And they seem to me to be involved in the kind of thing where they come up and shake you by the hand. And as the spiritual says then turn around and try to scandalize your name. Now I would urge you to take care of business in this regard because until your faculty understands that if they mess with Dr Smith. They are messing with you. Then they go keep on playing in these games now. This is something that no one discussed with me like I picked it up just by digging what was

going on diggin in there. Now I have. I have a suggestion for you and I don't know if you've done this if you have. Then I read. I would take back a suggestion as a tactic. As a strategy. I think it's time that the black community got together and gave a testimonial for Dr Smith. And that this testimonial you bring in if you'll come. You know the governor. And you bring in you know all of the members of the white power structure so that they can see for themselves that the black community is proud of the fact that we have a black college president here and we will not stand for any more trifling with him. That would be one of the suggestions that I would like to leave with you tonight as I said if you've already had this. This testimonial form and I take it to have you have a testimonial.

Will you want to be goddamn ashamed of yourselves. You see one of the things that we do unfortunately too often. And I've seen this throughout the black liberation struggle. We indulge in a kind of prolific punitive practice with regard to our brother him. It's very easy for us to look at a particular guy who's struggling you know when trying to do his thing and we can find all the reasons why he isn't succeeding or we can look at him and we can say you know fine you know wow you know he sure as a man of courage. All too often unless he is the kind of guy who comes and tries to make like a deity and we have some of those around we don't put our arms around him and we don't shield him and we don't let the rest of the community know that we

love him and that we will not tolerate anyone playing with him. We haven't learned this tactic. And this I think is a tactic that we have to adopt if we're going to have a successful liberation movement. You know there's an old story about punishment which I tell to some of my students that show you she took the young girl out right. Yeah. I thought I saw someone taking a little baby out with her right. No. So you have to forgive me we had a few drinks before I came on and now I'm sort of blind you know. That's me. But punishment really doesn't do that much when you're trying to win over a people. There was a father who took his two sons to a

restaurant for dinner or breakfast rather and the waitress came and asked. What will you have. For breakfast. One of the young kids and this little boy looked up and he said I want some motherfucking pancakes. And so the father said now. And we just walked away and she came back in the second little boy and she said I said What would you like to have. And he said you bet your sweet ass I don't want no motherfucking pancakes. Yeah. Or you say that that punishment thing doesn't necessarily. Register in the direction that you want to register it in. Your figures you always give in and shoot. It.

You can call a man an Uncle Tom but I think rather than call him an Uncle Tom maybe would be better to view him as a casualty of the battle thereby giving him an opportunity to come home. And I think that it is very easy to attack an individual for not doing what it is you want him to do when you want him to do it under the conditions that you want him to do it. But what is the outcome going to be. Are you going to bring an additional person into the black struggle or are you going to push another individual from our all too meager personnel. Into the white power structure. And I think that this is one of the things that we have to be about. Is trying to find alternative ways of bringing black people home instead of driving them further and further to the devil.

Who's the devil I don't know. I'd like to make one of two other observations about my stay here. At the college. I think that. The student body to a large degree is caught up. In a conflict. Over non consequential ideology. It is people coming up to me asking me well are you in favor of cultural nationalism or Pan-Africanism. You know like I'm in favor of freedom and you know you get a label and you pin it on something and it sounds like it has some substance.

And if you have a young mind sometimes it becomes more attractive than the actual goal that you were supposed to be pursuing. And so it is that 20 years ago. It was very easy to find in the black community terms such as dialectical materialism synthesis and all the terms which relate to it. This is nothing new on the scene. It's we've heard it before. But what I think we haven't heard are scholars who have looked into the problems related to black people in terms of what black. Authors and black philosophers from the continent of Africa and so on have had to say about theoretical problems in society.

Now I'm not. Of a breed of person who would mechanically translate and transfer from the past solutions for the present. But I would submit that an ideology which was born in Europe born by a European which was relevant to European problems. And while he did have something to say about black people it was secondary is not necessarily the philosophy that is going to help black people. At the same time I don't think that the kinds of jargon which we hear about what we can do you know in terms of establishing a free Africa so that we can have a place in Africa to go.

And I think that that's a solution. It may be the solution for some of us you know who really want to take off in and spend time in Africa but I doubt that it's going to be the solution for the bulk of our black people and that's what we're supposed to be about a solution for black people. I also have heard people ask questions about black capitalism. What do I think of black capitalism. And I've had to respond that I haven't seen any evidence that the good ole honky President Nixon is going to turn over any steel mills to us. Nor is he going to give us General Motors. You dig it. And unless we're going to be talking about that kind of caste capitalism we ain't talking about capitalism. Unless I can own the Prudential Insurance Company. I'm not talking about capitalism. Unless you going to tell me that black capitalism is something

different. Now. So you see we I think we get hung up in all of these ideologies integration the segregation what the hell kind of crap is that. You know separation you know is something which you know came out. As a response to oppression as did the cry for integration. And now that we talk about we want separation the man has said OK we'll sanction that you know. And then soon as we decide we want integration he's Lafite that name eventually he'll say will he sanctions that. THE GAME THE GAME of the man plays we have to be hip to it seems to me. And so as students I think we have an obligation to cut through the mental fog to not be hung up. In. The intellectual mast of the Tory kinds

of concepts which are laid out here. By the man. We have to understand one thing I think. That we as black people. Have to be free. And the less we get hung up. In certain kinds of differences which on the street can lead to slaughter and in the classroom leads to assassination by the pen unless we can get rid of that kind of thing we're not going to make it. And what about the scholars. What about the student. I have many students who are activists and they're caught up in the dilemma. As to whether or not they should be more activist than scholars. Or more scholar than activists. And as matter of fact last term I had. People who are working with the Young Lords. And they would come into my class with their heads bandaged from the beatings given by the police.

And I said beatings by the police now remember that they say beatings that we gave. I'm not talking about just beating up people. Only the police and I guess it's OK if I say that the police can be people right Governor. Now. So. They would come in with their heads bloody having been beaten and sit down to try to understand abnormal psychology. And you can imagine. You can imagine how. They felt. Try to listen to me talking about schizophrenia. Head's aching IMHO. And you can imagine how I felt trying to teach them. You know knowing what they were going through. Of course one of the things that I found that we could do as teachers. Is that when they were on when they were holding the church. Insisting on a breakfast program for the kids in the community. Then I thought that my obligation as an

instructor to go there and teach and I think you know maybe a little bit more easy for them to understand me and need to understand them. So one of the things I think that we can insist on. Is that our teachers you know when the battle is not in the classroom the teachers votes with the battle. And if you really go where the battle is you ain't no black teacher. Now yet but the still doesn't answer the question what are we going to be. What's going to happen when one of your students is has been let's say gassed. By the National Guard and after having been gassed he has to come into the classroom try to study or what's going to happen. You know if he knows that something's going to happen in his community he has to be there to defend the women and children. Or. And then the next thing he has to come into a class.

How do we what we do. Should we be more of an activist or more of a student. She'd be more of a student than an activist. It's a tough question and I think each individual has got to answer it to some degree for himself. There are those individuals who are gifted and they can pass on one night

and come in get A's The next day but they'd be few. And for most of us you know when we've been out there in that thing it's you know the transition is a little difficult. But for those of you who are here. Who may be attending school. I must suggest to you. That if you're going to be a doctor. And be a surgeon then your task has first got to be to be a good surgeon because like you know we need good surgeons and we need the people who are involved in aerial dynamics. We don't need people who are going to get us up in a jet plane. You know when they can make it behind you know they left their studies because things were relevant. But. What you have to do it seems to me

is relate your scholarship. To the revolution. There is no reason why a doctor. When he is studying needs to feel that his studies are removed from the revolution unless he is. There is enough for a black doctor to do in medicine. Medicine which is. Out here and promulgated by the A.M.A. is racist and it is practiced. In a manner which is destructive to black life. Go into any hospital. A teaching hospital for example and see what the guardians of life who are members of the A.M.A. do with black people. I know or know. Some of them are my patients and you

know. So there's enough work for a black person to do in terms of making medicine relevant and revolutionary. So he need not feel because he's studying bacteria bacteriology that it is irrelevant. The same thing is true certainly of a psychologist psychology far from being a progressive force working towards a deal. The liberation of black people has been a reactionary force in this country functioning to keep us in captivity. Witness what happens if you go to the average therapist or witness what the average psychologist does count for me. The number of articles which have been produced in the previous fashionable journals in the last two

years which suggest or even advocate that. The system which we live in is responsible for racism. And I could go on. And so it is possible. Seems to me for the black scholar. To be primarily a scholar and yet be revolutionary. And I would suggest to you that. Virtually every revolutionary new path. In recent times the. Name. But. Also. What's important to understand. Is that we have in the black community a job to do. To help the. Black Scholar. If. We leave the blacks. To.

Move for himself. In the. American white university. Then he's going to come out of a cesspool. Being what comes out of there. And I can't. You know. If on the other hand. We get a hold of our dollars and get a hold of our university and. Get a community involvement. Then we have we're helping. A black person remember where you are. And so. Hear from the community. I say you have a job to do. It is not simply one dollar. And I'm not relevant. It is not simply. Rather as I said before.

You have to find a way to help. Black Stalins come home. And one of the ways of doing this is to gain control of the Senate bills of learning. And make them relevant to you. You must take whole of America. A San Francisco State and make sure. That. The community input is sufficient to keep the black scholar related to his community. And now I've sort of talked more. And I point to. I really wanted to throw some questions asked Have you asked questions. Before I do I want to tell you one story. And. Some of you may have been with me last night when I told the story and sorry to repeat it but I think it's very relevant since it happened just as I was leaving Merritt campus

last year. And I think it depicts the baseness the out right. Well. Anyhow let me tell you the story. You know the old saying about I want to holler but the wrong room ain't big enough. That's about where it is. I left Merritt campus last year. In the morning to fly back east. And I boarded the plane. As I walked down the aisle. I ran into. My brother Roland Kirk. You all know who Roland Kirk is. Do you all know. All right well let me hear you now don't don't. Don't be white out there. Well tell me. You know right on say something.

That's another thing I've observed to you about tell you about that later. You know I went to I went to a farewell celebration today you know for a black person you know only with white. You really got some work to do. I got to get our feelings together. White people you know have taught us not to dig our feelings we have feelings why should we not cry when it's time to cry. And fight when it's time to fight. You dig it when you know that I went to this sterile faculty thing you know. We I mean who would put in a year and a half here at Merritt College you know and they had a piece of cake there you know. And you know people told some white jokes as he was talking you know and nobody acted like they were sorry that the cat was going. That's what white people do. You know this is a white thing. Black people have no business

relating to each other that way. You know there's a spontaneous spontaneity that we have which makes Miles Davis blow his horn and Dizzy Gillespie you know and we lose that we have lost our soul and we've got to get it back. Got to feel. Anyhow this is what was going on in that plane that I got on I got next to my brother. Roland Kirk. Who is a blind black musician who plays street horns at one time. And if you look like Stan Getz he'd be a millionaire but because he's black he's poor. You dig it. So you know imagine a cat playing three horn simultaneously and being pour. You know because he's black. That's why he's poor. Stan Getz. You know with that effeminate sound he has on his hone. You know if you know it

sounds like he's well nevermind you know. And Desmond you know with that anemia I think he sounds like he has. Making all the money. And my brothers. Whose music you know it is you know starving to death that a bitch. And on top of that. On top of that I've even heard on this KPFA. Be a guy. I think it's related to in Newark in New Jersey rather. I think I'm right. You're all related to be a guy. Yeah well y'all got white people on your station being critics about my music. You know. I heard a black commentary on black jazz get on be a I mean I dig you. You are free on sponsored station. But you need to get some black talent on your station. You going to have somebody talk about my music let them be black what you all know about my music.

That arrogance. In any event I want to get back to roll with me on this plane. So I can show you the real degeneracy of the beast. We get on the plane. I go on the plane I don't know the brother was there. And his wife stopped me hey you know. And I asked a cat who was walking me on the plane this is can I sit here. And he said Yeah OK so. Roland sat sitting on one side of the aisle with his wife and boy. And I sat down on the other side. And you know as you hear we are having holy communion. You know two brothers have found each other you know 8:30 in the morning. You know you understand what I'm talking about don't you. You understand. You know enjoying ourselves. I'm coming from talking about black psychology and he's coming from playing his home on you know.

And we get together Chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp. And. Here comes this cat there in Iowa he says excuse me fellas. If you fellas can't sit here. And you know why. I don't know what he was talking about. Can either good or win you know. And Rowan said what you say man. You talking to me he said. Yes you fellas can sit here. So why man. Because you blind rogue and say hi to him. And I've been forced to sit in the back because I was Black years ago but you know behind being blind the first time I've ever heard that. So I thought he was kidding that first really you know. And I sat there trying to you know I'm a psychologist Ph.D. rational you know I'm going to analyze this thing you know and

so I said to this this this dude I said. You're not really suggesting that we have to move because we're blind. And he said yes. You can't sit here and so Roland said why and he said well we just can't have you here you by the exit. So Rowan said you son of a bitch you need to tell me what you're saying is that we got to move in the back. Because if something happens to this plane that our lives you know are not as valuable as anybody else's. Will know with me now the man said. So then he walked away. From the role when went into his thing. I'm certain I'm sitting about two feet from rolling in Rohan says John. You better get something going for you man because you black and you blend. Don't you know that these white folks don't understand that you are

worth anything that they are worth. And he kept on going like that. And the stewardess walked by and still with this. I got to go to the bathroom can I pee. I mean I'm blind but is it all lie. Well this went on and lo and just you know kept going into his thing you know just talking about him you know just talking about him you know running it and. So we decided that we will sit there. We made a decision that we will sit there we weren't going to move. Here come the pilot. Pilot gets down in his on one knee. He's got a pontifical sound you know and he said Gentlemen I'm the pilot. I said Rohan don't mess with this cat man. Just playing.

So Roland didn't say nothing the man said I have to explain to you that you fellows can't sit here move plane can't take off until you move. It. So. I told the fellas of mammal listen you know my name is Doctor Jackson. And I just left the Black Panther office I don't think you want to keep messing with me. I don't think my brothers with big huge messing with pulling me off the plane you know. I'm trying to be rational with the cat and he said Well. We just can't move the plane I said What you going do because we know and if you pull me off the Panthers last see you doing it. So he walked away. I thought about this better for 45 minutes we delayed this plane to blah blah niggers you understand. Me with my Ph.D. and him the genius of all musicians you know. So then here come the pilot again. Now

you all got understand Roland he has bells and he wears on and he's got a two or three canes you know and all kinds of do you know for him the pilot again he said Don't you understand you fellows are handicapped you're disabled you can't sit here. Rowan said Man don't you see my son sit next to you and you talk to me like that. And Rowan jumped up and said you know the global audience got being plain off your ass. And he moved towards him. Get on him you understand. And with your kick is ass but that pilot can. Now you've got to understand about two minutes later the her. And me and Rowan say again. Oh. Now what you got to understand is that when. They were about 50 white people on that goddamn plane and not one of them

not one white person stood up and said don't. You tell me if that ever happened to white people what happens. Here we were being told that our lives were not worth what other people's lives are worth because we're blind. You tell me that white people would have allowed that to happen to them. And you can't tell me about a goddamn coalition with white people. You gotta understand that. The depravity of this monster. And every time I think about it I get warm. Oh I know he'll kill. I know he will maim you. I know he'll gas us. But I think a backpack go to the back of the plane because you are blind if you hear me. Other cultures would have said You go first.

But not this bastard. But I don't love I don't hate him. I'm not here to create no violence against him I love him. You ask your governor what he would do about that. You ask him about that kind of law and order us that pig up in Los Angeles. Whose election you lost and has helped us herd us in Newark. About that. You've got to understand brothers and sisters there are there are people there are white people we can work with and you know I'm not going to tell you that when people when one sister want to know what my thinking about interracial Wessex naman. You know. And they no sense me you know talk about something I know is going to keep on happening. You know his brother has gone through with anything and you know this guy the snake in the brother's home.

Do. So you got to stop him. You know what you've got to understand. You've got to understand. That there is a difference in this day in age. Not a genetic difference not a biological difference but a difference predicated on experience. There is a difference between black folks in white folks in this country. And don't you ever forget it. Because once you forget it then we gone be lost. Don't you let anyone tell you that it's just a function of a little bit of thinking. A function of. Something which is not big enough. To make a difference in the revolution. Unless. We recognize and hold. The black experience. As we move into the war. Unless we step

back. You understand in program somebody else to do the thing we'll lose. Don't let anyone tell you about a coalition where you lose your identity. Because they will tell us. If you blindly sit in the back. One of the thing. There's a little story about the farmer and his friend in the chicken farm and his friend walked out in the yard when they found in the chicken coop. A bird that had gotten there and he was functioning like the chickens even though he wasn't a chicken. And the farmer you know thought. That he would always behave this way. But his friends said No no I can change that. He's not a chicken. He you know I can change it. So he took the bird out.

And took him to the top of the barn and he talked to me said you not a chicken not a chicken. You don't have to eat stools like chicken. You don't have to peck like a chicken you're not a chicken. Now fly. The bird flapped out. And looked down saw the chicken coop and pull back with the chickens starlike like the chickens in the pharmacy ha told me he was a chick and he don't know the difference. I act like a chicken even if he isn't a chicken. So Castle I want one more try. You thought about it. He picked up the bird and he walked away from the chicken coop. When upon a mountain. He said to the bird he said you're not a chicken you are an eagle. And I want you to spread your wings and you fly away. And he took the bird loose and the bird looked down looking for the chicken coop at the chicken coop you couldn't see it was too far away and he spread his wings like an eagle and he flew.

He went to see what I just told you. You understand what you don't have to do with the nigga who's going to act like a chicken. You don't have to get him away from the chicken and then make him law on t t. T any. Thoughts. On t.