01.18.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:52 pm by Administrator
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Dear Subscribers and Supporters:
Happy New Year!
I hope this email finds you and your family in the very best of health and revolutionary spirits. I also hope that you will give me a few moments of your time to offer some reflections on my slavery disclosure and qui tam (whistleblower) lawsuit, and to appeal to you for your help as we move into the next phase.
Osagefyo Kwame Nkrumah suggests that there are moments in history that are hard to discern, yet fatal if let slip by. I believe that this is one such moment in the 2,000 year long struggle to abolish and prohibit any and all forms of slavery and declare them crimes against humanity, and in the 2,000 year struggle for reparations and the right to return to our ancestral homes. Unfortunately, time does not permit us in this email to list the enormous list of victories that have been won in this twenty centuries of struggle. But, let us mention three.
On September 7, 2001, the World Conference Against Racism, which was held by the United Nations in Durban, South Africa, declared that the slave-trade and slavery are crimes against humanity, and should have always been so. On February 6, 2003, the Chicago Slavery Era Disclosure Ordinance went into full force and effect. As you perhaps know, this law requires all entities that conduct business with the City of Chicago to search any and all of their and their predecessor entities’ slavery era records, and to disclose any and all records of profits and investments, and the names of any and all slaves and slaveholders. Similar ordinances have been passed in Philadelphia, Detroit, Wayne County, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Richmond (California).
On January 10, 2005, the Chicago False Claims Act went into full force and effect. This act, which was passed in the wake of the procurement scandals that rocked City Hall, mandates penalties, fines and treble damages against any and all entities who commit perjury on any and all government documents, including their Slavery Era Disclosure Affidavits.
No one can deny that these inter-connected events were tremendous victories, not only for the reparations and larger human rights movement, but for the struggle to reclaim and rewrite African, Indigenous and World history as well. No one can also deny, that the Slavery Era Disclosure Ordinances in Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Wayne County, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Richmond (California), and the False Claims Acts in Chicago and California have not been implemented or enforced by any of the entities who conduct business with these cities and county, or by the city and county governments themselves. This is a crime against humanity, living, dead, and as yet unborn, as well.
On May 12, 2006, Pan-African Roots filed, pro se, after more than 6,000 hours of research, a massive, historic and precedent setting lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Oral arguments were held on this Lawsuit on November 9, 2007. We are waiting for Judge Rita M. Novak to announce her decision. Whatever decision she makes will be a legal landmark and a movement milestone. Our struggle however, for the disclosure of any and all slavery era records in Chicago, and in every city and country in the world, will and must continue and intensify!
On January 30, 2008, I will get on the Greyhound dog to go to Chicago to launch a nationwide and worldwide Tour to build support for this Lawsuit. Our opening event will be at the Flossmoor Public Library on the evening of January 31st. I have been asked to offer some thoughts on sixty years of my life, forty-five of which I have given to the Movement, what I am doing now, and my plans for the future. Needless to say, my thoughts will be “thought provoking,” at the very the least.
Pan-African Roots needs and asks for your help to ensure the success of our Slavery Disclosure Tour! This Tour is a low budget tour. You can help by making a contribution, no matter how small; by providing a floor to sleep on and a piece of bread as I pass through your town or visit your campus; and/or by organizing a meeting with Movement veterans and a new generation of youth/students, whenever and wherever you can.
Pan-African Roots is a 501c3 tax-exempt project of the Alliance for Global Justice. You can make a secure, online contribution by clicking here, or you can mail your contribution to Pan-African Roots, 1247 E Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. Our office number is (202) 544-9433 office. Ask for Banbose.
Kwame Ture never tired of saying that the greatest crime that anyone could commit is the crime of being ungrateful. I am working longer and harder for the Movement than I have ever worked before, and I will continue to do so until the lasat second, of the last minute, of the last hour, of my last day. And I will never be ungrateful for the help that you have given in the past, and will give now, and in the future. I could not have come this far, or this long without it, and need your help to continue.
Stay Strong!
Bob Brown
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01.09.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:32 pm by Administrator
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AN OPEN APPEAL!
To the Members of the Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity and Reparations Movements, and to all Peoples of African and Indigenous Descent, and all Forces in the world who truly seek justice and peace, and want to build a better world!
Pan-African Roots reported in our last post that Oral Arguments were held on November 9, 2007 in the Circuit Court of Cook County on Defendants’ joint motion to dismiss our historic and precedent-setting slavery disclosure and qui tam lawsuit. We are waiting for Judge Rita Novak to announce her decision, which will be a landmark, whatever decision she makes.
We also announced that, starting now, our Campaign to demand enforcement of the Chicago Slavery Era Disclosure Ordinance, and similar ordinances in Philadelphia, Detroit, Wayne County, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and Richmond (California), will intensify, regardless what decision the Judge makes, by any and all means necessary and available. We will continue to demand:
- An apology from Defendants for their and their predecessors’ participation in the MAAFA, in the Trans-Atlantic slave-trade and slavery, the Atlantic Trade, the Triangle Trade, and for the crimes they and their predecessors’ committed against African, Indigenous and World Humanity.
- That the City of Chicago, and the other jurisdictions, enforce, immediately and unconditionally, the Slavery Era Disclosure Ordinances.
- That penalties, fines and treble damages be assessed against any and all entities who have yet to implement these ordinances; and that their contracts be voided; they be barred from doing future business with the City of Chicago and the other jurisdictions; and that any and all governmental and non-governmental assets be immediately and fully divested, until they comply fully and truthfully, in disclosing any and all of their slavery era records.
- Revolution, a radical redistribution of land, wealth and power in the world, reparations, and repatriation, the of African and Indigenous Peoples to right-to-return to, own and control their ancestral lands in Africa and the Western Hemisphere, respectively.
As you are aware, sugar, and its molasses and rum by products, was the reason why two-thirds of all Africans, mostly men, were stolen from Africa between 1435 and 1888, and enslaved in Europe and the Western Hemisphere. Sugar, and its molasses and rum by products, was also responsible for the murder and enslavement of an equal or greater number of Africans, mostly women, in Africa; for the murder, torture and rape of hundreds of millions of women, children and men; for the destruction of thousands of African Kingdoms, Empires and Civilizations; and for the almost six centuries long, and continuing, theft of African land, labor and lives. You are perhaps not aware, that sugar, and its molasses and rum by products, was also the primary reason for the invasion and colonization of the Western Hemisphere, and the theft of Indigenous land, labor and lives.
These twin thefts were two of the greatest thefts of land, labor and lives the world has ever seen, and it continues today. These twin thefts were and are genocide, they were and are crimes of war, and they were and are crimes against African, Indigenous and World Humanity.
Defendants in our landmark slavery disclosure and qui tam lawsuit include United and American Airlines, and Maximus and Unison-Maximus who manage and control concessions at 80 airports in the United States, including O’Hare and Midway.
As you perhaps know, United and American Airlines are partners with British Airlines and Air Canada respectively, both of which were founded and owned by their respective governments. Duty Free, which sells Bacardi rum, and other liquor, tobacco, chocolate and perfumes, McDonalds, who owns 25% of Duty Free at O’Hare, Coca Cola, who has exclusive trade, marketing and distribution agreements with Bacardi and McDonalds; and Domino and CH sugar, which is owned by Florida Crystals, are the biggest airport concessionaires in Chicago, the other slavery ordinance jurisdictions, and the world.
These Defendants, and their partners and sub-contractors, own and control the sugar, beverage and related industries worldwide. They in turn, are owned and controlled by a handful of Gusanos, “Cuban worms,” who live in Miami, Atlanta, and the Caribbean. These companies, and the handful of families who own and control them, are the successors-in-interest to the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, British, French and American slave sugar, molasses and rum industry.
These Defendants, and the handful of families who own and control them, have been, and continue to be, illegally, immorally and unjustly enriched by and through their participation in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, and the slavery and slave-like practices and conditions which grew and developed in their wake, including but, not limited to racism and white supremacy, colonialism and settler colonialism, segregation and apartheid which has raped Africa, the African Diaspora, the Western Hemisphere, and their Peoples, for almost 600 years.
These Defendants, and the handful of families who own and control them, are also responsible for the current misery and suffering of tens of thousands of workers in the sugar fields, and the cola and rum bottling plants of the Caribbean and Latin America, especially in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Columbia, etc. They are responsible for suffering of millions of people in Cuba under five decades of the United States imposed embargo. They companies financed the theft of the 2000 Presidential election in Florida. They are responsible for the murder of Patrice Lumumba, and for the murder of millions of people in the Congo, Angola, Nicaragua, Haiti, and other areas in Africa and Latin America. They are also responsible for the pandemic of cancer, obesity, diabetes, alcohol and drug addiction that is raging African, Indigenous and Hispanic/Latino communities through the Americas and the World.
These Defendants, and others named and not named in our lawsuit, have failed to disclose any and all of their slavery era records thus far, and therefore should not be permitted to conduct business with or in the City of Chicago, or in any corner of the Africa, the African Diaspora, the Western Hemisphere, or the World, unless and until they comply.
Pan-African Roots has developed a dynamic and exciting presentation entitled “Sugar, rum and coke was and is made with blood!”
We have a 60-minute version for evening or weekend meetings, and a 30-minute version for classrooms or similar venues. Question and answer session will follow, and, where permitted, we will recruit new members and supporters for the sponsoring organizations.
We need your help:
- In organizing a North American and World Tour in order to make this presentation before a new generation of progressive and revolutionary students and youth, Black, Red, Brown, Yellow, and White.
- To reach them and present to them the truth about the historical origins and current reality of the sugar, rum and beverage industry, and to appeal to them to stop patronizing these companies unless and until they comply, fully and truthfully, with the slavery disclosure ordinances.
- To encourage, enable and empower this new generation of youth to join your and our movements and organizations, to help us build a better world!
Joining the movement and our organizations might change and save their and other lives. Joining the Congress of Racial Equality, becoming a Friend of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, co-founding the Black Panther Party of Illinois, and becoming an organizer for the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party changed and saved mine.
You can help:
- By forwarding this email to every corner of Africa, the African Diaspora, the Western Hemisphere, and the World!
- By making a secure, online contribution to Pan-African Roots to help defray the administrative, organizational and logistical costs associated with organizing, promoting and implementing a North American and World Tour. Pan-African Roots is a 501c3 tax-exempt project of the Alliance for Global Justice. Click here, to make a secure, online contribution!
- By inviting us to speak in your home or prison cell, office or classroom, library or bookstore, church, mosque, temple or synagogue. Click here, to invite us to speak!
This Tour is a low-budget and no-budget tour. Money has never been a motivating factor in our life, and never will be! All we need is an invitation, a one-way ticket on the Greyhound dog, a ride from the bus station, a floor to sleep on, a piece of bread to eat, and a computer and projector to make our presentation, and hopefully, recruit, recruit, recruit!
Thank you in advance for any and all help you might give. Kwame Ture, whom you may know as Stokely Carmichael, never tired of saying that the “greatest crime that anyone could commit is the crime of being ungrateful.” We will never be ungrateful to you for whatever help you give.
Stay Strong!
Bob Brown, co-editor
Pan-African Roots
Please forward this Open Appeal!
Related links:
- Click here to Subscribe
- Click here to Link!
- Request Bob Brown to speak to your organization!
- Help poor students & youth hear Bob speak!
© Pan-African Roots. All rights reserved.
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