December 4th marked the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Fred Hampton. Since first seeing him through the Eyes on the Prize series 25 plus years ago, I've been fascinated by thoughts of what if.
What if this young man's life wasn't cut short? How would his vision have manifested itself? How would his leadership have matured? Where would he lead an organization like the Black Panther Party? What would he be doing today?
After all, possibility for him was lost that day 40 years ago when the police entered his home, while he slept, and opened fire. What did he do that was so bad, that they disliked him enough to take his life?
"Power to white people, Power to yellow people, Power to red people, Power to brown people, Power to black people, All power to all people. Power to the people!". He said that. He imagined a world where all people had power! Revolutionary for a world that felt threatened by the power of a vision articulated by a 19 year old black man. I guess that made him dangerous. He was on the verge of doing something in Chicago no one had ever done before or since - unify young black men under a purpose fueled by being proud to be black. Gang members would direct their energy toward the empowerment of the community instead of their energy being misdirected toward a purpose that would continue to exploit them and the community. Wow! If not for the interference of government forces, he was close.
Fred Hampton's name is not just symbolic of the potential of so many black men but also the need for us to take notice of young black men so we don't have another example of possibility lost.
But alas, Fred Hampton continues to serve as a reminder for what is the potential in all of us. If you have a vision, you can live forever as your vision manifests itself in the world as a living legacy for all to see. Today, and every day, Fred Hampton is one of my heros. He is what I see in every young black man I work with.
At his funeral, no surprise that young people in attendance, seemingly spontaneously, started shouting, "I am Fred Hampton!". They saw what I saw, he lives in everyone that has a vision for themselves, black communities and the World.
"I am Fred Hampton!"
www.seeingblack.com (Dec 8th, 2009 blog entry)
"I am the source of my vision" IBS 2009 Declaration
www.3dreads.com
Sent with love from a Crackberry Device
