{"id":1812,"date":"2008-05-19T15:16:22","date_gmt":"2008-05-19T21:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.blackactivistwg.org\/blog\/?p=1812"},"modified":"2014-04-15T11:42:43","modified_gmt":"2014-04-15T17:42:43","slug":"an-open-letter-re-cynthia-mckinney-to-our-politically-conscious-sisters-and-brothers-of-black-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.blackactivistwg.org\/blog\/an-open-letter-re-cynthia-mckinney-to-our-politically-conscious-sisters-and-brothers-of-black-america\/","title":{"rendered":"An open letter RE Cynthia McKinney to our politically conscious Sisters and Brothers of Black America"},"content":{"rendered":"

Published in allthingscynthiamckinney.com on May 19, 2008<\/a>
\nPublished in the July 2008 Election Supplement of The Organizer<\/em>, San Francisco, CA (PDF<\/a>)<\/p>\n

AN OPEN LETTER RE CYNTHIA MCKINNEY TO OUR POLITICALLY CONSCIOUS SISTERS AND BROTHERS OF BLACK AMERICA<\/strong><\/p>\n

For far too long Black America has been at the mercy of political pimps and usurpers, particularly of the Democratic Party. It is now the year 2008, and we in Black America, in conjunction with our Brown, Red, Yellow, and White sisters and brothers have a genuine and serious choice in order to build a true people’s movement for\u00a0real<\/em>\u00a0systemic change through the “Power to the People” campaign inspired by former U.S. Congresswoman Sister Cynthia McKinney.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Cynthia Mckinney<\/strong>\u00a0has demonstrated that she wants, and is fighting for, real, systemic change; which is the only change that will address the health care, employment, judicial, and environmental needs of all<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0people.<\/p>\n

STEP UP TO THE PLATE NOW<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sister Cynthia is not a corporately sponsored clone like John McCain, Barack, or Hillary Clinton. She is The Real People’s Candidate.<\/em>\u00a0Cynthia knows that her campaign is about building the opportunity for a different<\/em>\u00a0America; an America that supports and believes in itself and the peoples of the world in a very real<\/em>\u00a0sense.<\/p>\n

For Sister Cynthia’s campaign to be able to lay the serious organizational foundation that<\/em>\u00a0is sorely needed by us all takes money —\u00a0your<\/span>\u00a0money.<\/strong>\u00a0The nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollars that allow this beautiful and powerful sister to go around this nation with her\/OUR message — that we do not have to be, and refuse<\/em>\u00a0to be, hostages to what Brother Malcolm X correctly referred to as the “foxes and the wolves” of the Democratic and Republican Parties [i.e. the Republicrats].<\/p>\n

Every bit of physical and mental energy as well as every single cent from all<\/em>\u00a0of us is needed in this struggle. Cynthia, unlike the candidates of the Democratic and Republican Parties is NOT corporately backed. This means that WE THE PEOPLE must step up to the plate and support her campaign and in so doing —support ourselves!<\/em><\/p>\n

Sister Cynthia McKinney is the ONLY<\/em>\u00a0one who seriously and fundamentally addresses our issues — the concerns of Black America: self-determination, reparations, judicial equality, police brutality, COINTELPRO, political prisoners, employment, decent housing, environmental justice, educational parity, and the absolute end to unjust U.S. wars at home and abroad.<\/p>\n

Sister Cynthia McKinney must be Supported NOW!<\/strong>\u00a0At stake is literally EVERYTHING.<\/strong>\u00a0Time to give our dollars to Cynthia’s ‘Power To The People’<\/strong>\u00a0Campaign; for it is we the people’s — OUR CAMPAIGN.<\/strong>\u00a0Do it now my brothers and sisters. Do it Now!<\/p>\n

Sister Cynthia McKinney speaks truth to power!<\/strong>\u00a0She is one of US.<\/strong>\u00a0She does not pretend that the legacy of slavery is in the past. She makes it clear that jobs, justice, and equality are more important than ever before. She is bold about the fact that Black Liberation is a very important and serious ongoing struggle in the United States of America.<\/p>\n

By supporting Cynthia, we support\u00a0ourselves and our own humanity<\/em>. We must do this and we must urge our sisters and brother to send every dollar, dime, nickel, and penny to support ourselves — to support the Cynthia McKinney campaign for President.<\/strong><\/em> Remember that “the journey of thousand miles begins with the first<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0step”!<\/p>\n

ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

Open Letter Initiated by:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Larry Pinkney<\/strong>
\nEditorial Board Member & Columnist
\nThe Black Commentator<\/em>\u00a0&
\nFounder \/ Director
\nBlack Activist Writers Guild
\nEmail:\u00a0Lecconsult[at]aol[dot]com<\/p>\n

Colia L. Clark<\/strong>
\nReconstruction Party Organizing Committee
\nRichard Wright Centennial 2008-2010
\nEmail:\u00a0ColiaClark[at]aol[dot]com<\/p>\n

Kali Akuno<\/strong>
\nReconstruction Party Activist
\nFormer Executive Director, Peoples’ Hurricane Relief Fund
\nMalcolm X Grassroots Movement
\nEmail:\u00a0kaliakuno[at]gmail[dot]com<\/p>\n

* * * * *<\/strong><\/p>\n

Initial List of Signatories of Open Letter<\/strong><\/p>\n

(*) denotes organization\/title listed for id. purposes only<\/strong><\/p>\n

Monica Moorehead (*)
\n<\/strong>Millions for Mumia\/International Action Center
\nNew York City, New York<\/p>\n

Yuri Kochiyama
\n<\/strong>Veteran social justice activist, comrade of Malcolm X
\nOakland, California<\/p>\n

Glen Ford<\/strong>
\nExecutive Editor
\nBlackAgendaReport.com<\/p>\n

Wilson Riles, Jr.<\/strong>
\nFormer Oakland City Council member
\nOakland, California<\/p>\n

Jahahara Amen-RA Alkebulan-Ma’at<\/strong>
\nFormer National Co-Chair,
\nNational Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N’COBRA)
\nOakland, California<\/p>\n

Jared Ball<\/strong>
\nMixtape Journalist with FreeMix Radio (voxunion.com)
\nAsst. Professor of Communication Studies at Morgan State University
\nMalcolm X Grassroots Movement
\nGreen Party and Reconstruction Party Supporter
\nHost of Jazz and Justice on WPFW 89.3 FM
\nWashington, DC<\/p>\n

Howard Williamson<\/strong>
\nMember, Teamsters National Black Caucus,
\nPast Chairman, Portland, Oregon NAACP Labor and Industry Committee
\nPortland, Oregon<\/p>\n

Pam Africa<\/strong>
\nCoordinator,
\nInternational Concerned Family and Friends
\nof Mumia Abu Jamal
\nPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

Lenore Jean Daniels, Ph.D<\/strong>
\nEditorial Board Member and Columnist Black Commentator
\nand Columnist, City Capital Hues
\nPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

Netfa Freeman<\/strong>
\nDC Pan-African and Internationalist Activists
\nWashington, DC<\/p>\n

Sundiata Sadiq<\/strong>
\nPast President, Ossining NAACP
\nLife member NAACP
\nOssining, New York<\/p>\n

Gwendolyn Debrow<\/strong>
\nCo-Chair, Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coaltion
\nNew York City, New York<\/p>\n

Betty Davis<\/strong>
\nCo-founder
\nNew Abolitionist Movement<\/p>\n

Eddie Perez<\/strong>
\nChicano Community Activist, Educator,
\nand former Brown Beret
\nSan Diego, California<\/p>\n

Leona Heitsch<\/strong>
\nBourbon, Missouri<\/p>\n

Donald H. Smith, Ph.D. (*)<\/strong>
\nFounder, Center for Inner City Studies, Chicago
\nFounder, New York Alliance of Black School Educators<\/p>\n

Dr. Nancy J. Dawson<\/strong>
\nIndependent Researcher and Scholar
\nRusselleville, Kentucky<\/p>\n

Wallace Nixon<\/strong>
\nwriter, Black political activist, free-lance English teacher
\nMexico City, Mexico<\/p>\n

Connie White<\/strong>
\nPolitical Analyst &
\nOrganizer of the 2000 African Tribunal
\nin Compton, California
\nLong Beach, California<\/p>\n

Patricia Hill (*)<\/strong>
\nExecutive Director
\nAfrican American Police League,
\nChicago, Illinois<\/p>\n

Rick Tingling-Clemmons<\/strong>
\nRick, Ward 7 representative to DC Statehood Green Party, Washington, DC;
\nNational\u00a0 Representative, Black Caucus,
\nAdvisory Neighborhood Commission representative (elected official)
\nWashington, DC<\/p>\n

Michele Tingling-Clemmons<\/strong>
\nmember, DC Statehood Green Party,
\nWashington, DC<\/p>\n

Terence Courtney<\/strong>
\nOrganizer\/Activist
\nAtlanta, Georgia<\/p>\n

Rip Mason<\/strong>
\nHomeless youth counselor and street organizer
\nSeattle, Washington<\/p>\n

Joan Berniard<\/strong>
\nCo-Founder and Treasurer
\nLagniappe Caravan – Common Ground
\nSeattle, Washington<\/p>\n

Ralph Poynter<\/strong>
\nNew Abolitionist Movement
\nBrooklyn, New York<\/p>\n

Akinyele Sadiq<\/strong>
\nMusician, teacher, activist
\nFounder-Director of Troublemakers Union (band)
\nSan Francisco, California<\/p>\n

Richard Brown<\/strong>
\nDefendant, San Francisco 8; Elder
\nSan Francisco, California<\/p>\n

Dedon Kamathi<\/strong>
\nBroadcast journalist, activist
\nLong Beach, California<\/p>\n

Mesha Monge-Irizarry<\/strong>
\nDirector, Idriss Stelley Foundation
\nEducation Not Incarceration, SF Chapter
\nSan Francisco, California<\/p>\n

Amber Garlan<\/strong>
\nSecretary of the St. Paul Green Party
\nMinnesotans for Cynthia McKinney<\/p>\n

Bill Quigley<\/strong>
\nHuman Rights Lawyer & Professor of Law
\nNew Orleans, Louisiana<\/p>\n

David P. Bremenstuhl<\/strong>
\nretired Educator\/Civil Rights nd Peace Activist
\n(named “Laureate in Education” by
\nInternational Biographical Centre @
\nUniversity of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK)<\/p>\n

Jorge Mujica (*)<\/strong>
\nCoordinator, March 10 Movement
\n(conveners of immigrant movement marches
\nin Chicago); columnist, community activist
\nChicago, Illinois<\/p>\n

Larry Adams<\/strong>
\nPostal Workers Against the War<\/p>\n

Carlos Muhammad<\/strong>
\nLuv4self Network<\/p>\n

Richard A. Koritz<\/strong>
\nPublisher, Open Hand Publishing LLC
\nGreensboro, North Carolina<\/p>\n

Marcus Bellamy<\/strong>
\nActivist, MC of hip-hop group Treble Army
\nCaracas, Venezuela<\/p>\n

Lisa V. Davis<\/strong>
\nCommunity activist
\nNew York, New York<\/p>\n

Edward R. Mortimer<\/strong>
\nCitizen Activist
\nDanielson, Connecticut<\/p>\n

Nkosi DuBois Anderson<\/strong>
\nEducator\/ Activist
\nSouth Orange, NJ<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Published in allthingscynthiamckinney.com on May 19, 2008<\/a>
Published in the July 2008 Election Supplement of The Organizer, San Francisco, CA (PDF<\/a>)<\/p>\n

AN OPEN LETTER RE CYNTHIA MCKINNEY […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[50,68],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.blackactivistwg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1812"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.blackactivistwg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.blackactivistwg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.blackactivistwg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.blackactivistwg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1812"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.blackactivistwg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3337,"href":"http:\/\/www.blackactivistwg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1812\/revisions\/3337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.blackactivistwg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.blackactivistwg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.blackactivistwg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}