Editorial introduction
The following statement, which was recorded on November 14 and played the next day at the Center’s inaugural celebration and fundraiser, is Shaka A. Shakur’s appeal to the community to contribute to the Center’s drive to fund a full-time staff person. You can watch Shaka read the statement just below the text, where you can also learn how to support the Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign.
As we prepare for a new era of repression, we need to build our capacity for resistance, strengthen our existing people’s institutions, and create new organizations to not only defend our existing gains but win the fight for a better world.
Make a donation of whatever size to fund a year of freedom today!
Solidarity statement for “Celebrating a year of unity”
This is Shaka Shakur and i want to make a solidarity statement with the Indy Liberation Center, on behalf of the Center, and the work that they doing within the community, and the neighborhood, and throughout state Indiana, actually.
me, being a political prisoner, somebody who’s been incarcerated almost 23 years come this January, and the Center, having been around for a year and myself, having been in contact with them for just about a year, they’ve been very effective in support of political prisoners, and prison reform, and prison abolitionism in general.
But I also want to say that, because I am politically active from behind the walls, that the Center itself represents another approach in terms of supporting the concept of dual power. You know, it’s like a political blood-transfusion in terms of progressive politics into the community and into the neighborhoods. It allows us to develop and cultivate a base within the community.
If you notice programs and ideas and things that they’ve been pushing, and the ability to agitate, educate, and organize around issues and current events and hot topic issues like police killings of unarmed civilians, for example, corruption within the Mayoral office and the sexism they coverup, food security and distribution programs, supporting those that have been wrongfully convicted like Leon Benson (who’s been exonerated) or brother Vernon Bateman, for example. You know, these is real issues that pertain and exist in Our community that the Indy Liberation have been able to give voice to.
You see that the community have come out, oftentimes in over-capacity, to support these programs and projects and whatnot. To keep these type of programs and projects going, and this work going, We need funding. We don’t wanna depend on the state for funding; We don’t wanna depend on grants for funding. We believe in the power of the people.
We asking for the people to represent for us like We represent for y’all, you know what I’m saying? You got to support what’s in your own best interest, and for Us to do that, We need resources. We need donations. We need funding to keep these type of things going.
So, in that regard, I’m asking for everyone to step up, you know, if ain’t nothing but $2, $3, $4, $5, or whatever, and donate. Help Us continue to build this movement, build and this organization, build this Center, and help Us to further recruit more people and more organizations into the Center, so that We can keep this work going.
Again, We say all power to the people. That mean that we Our Own liberators. We don’t depend on nobody else. We depend on ourselves and we take responsibility for Ourselves. Therefore, We step up for Our organizations those that have proven by their actions and their practice that they represent for Us.
All power to the people.
Peace.
“Power to the people means WE OUR own liberators”
Get involved in the fight to free Shaka!
Featured photo: Shaka A. Shakur superimposed on a photo of the Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign headquarters at the Center. Credit: Indianapolis Liberation Center.
