{"id":3063,"date":"2011-05-12T14:30:06","date_gmt":"2011-05-12T19:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/?p=3063"},"modified":"2011-05-12T14:30:06","modified_gmt":"2011-05-12T19:30:06","slug":"mumia-abu-jamal-una-raza-encarcelada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/?p=3063","title":{"rendered":"Mumia Abu-Jamal: Una Raza EncarceladaMumia Abu-Jamal: Racial Imprisonment"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/span><\/strong> Mum\u00eda Ab\u00fa-<\/span>Jamal<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
Discurso del 25\/3\/2011*<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/span> Queridos Amigos, Activistas, Acad\u00e9<\/span>micos y Colegas: Ona Move<\/em>!<\/span> Gracias por su invitaci\u00f3n a que venga\u00a0a participar en esta Conferencia. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span> Es un honor compartir estos breves momentos con Ustedes\u00a0 — un saludo especial a los panelistas, a muchos de los cuales conozco y admiro.<\/span><\/p>\n

El t\u00f3pico es, para decirlo de una vez, amedrentador: los incre\u00edbles n\u00fa<\/span>meros son pasmosos, especialmente\u00a0si vemos su impacto familiar, social, comunitario y pol\u00edtico.<\/span><\/p>\n

Me atrevo a decir, para aquellos entre Ustedes que son Afro-Norteamericanos, no importa su clase social o sus ingresos, Ustedes no van a tener que\u00a0pensar mucho para recordar que tienen un sobrino –y ahora\u00a0mucho m\u00e1<\/span>s — una sobrina– (sin mencionar un hijo o una hija) que, si no est\u00e1<\/span> en este momento en la c\u00e1<\/span>rcel, estuvo en el pasado en\u00a0una del condado, del estado o en una prisi\u00f3n del sistema\u00a0federal. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Eso habla de la ubicuidad del problema, de los vastos n\u00fa<\/span>meros de hombres, mujeres y j\u00f3venes que pueblan el complejo industrial de prisiones en Estados Unidos.\u00a0Como muchos de Ustedes sabe, Estados Unidos, con solo el 5% de la poblaci\u00f3n del mundo, tiene en sus c\u00e1<\/span>rceles el 5% de todos los prisioneros del mundo.\u00a0Como Michelle Alexander (a quien van a escuchar esta noche en el programa de esta Conferencia) ha escrito, los n\u00fa<\/span>meros de prisioneros negros aqu\u00ed, rivaliza y sobrepasa los n\u00fa<\/span>meros de prisioneros en Sud\u00e1<\/span>frica durante\u00a0el odioso sistema del apartheid,<\/em> en sus tiempos m\u00e1<\/span>s culminantes.<\/span><\/p>\n

No debemos pasar por alto esta analog\u00eda, porque el apartheid<\/em> sudafricano fue el\u00a0 ep\u00edtome del estado racista polic\u00eda, segundo solo a Alemania nazi en lo repulsivo de su naturaleza. Adem\u00e1<\/span>s, mucha de su energ\u00eda era dedicada a su guerra de hecho contra la mayor\u00eda negra, (en jerga militar, espionaje, conflicto de baja intensidad<\/em>), que criminalizaba casi todas las formas de la vida independiente africana, restringuiendo los lugares para vivir, para trabajar, estudiar e incluso los lugares para hacer el amor. <\/span><\/p>\n

Esto\u00a0habla de lo ciegos que somos en este pa\u00eds a la magnitud del problema (mucho m\u00e1<\/span>s a su soluci\u00f3n), y de como se ha hecho normal en la conciencia social y pol\u00edtica, en parte porque las corporaciones de los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n no se preocupan por la historia, o la tergiversan; porque si ellos pudieron fallar en los reportajes conducentes a una horrible guerra (aqu\u00ed estoy hablando de Irak) ellos ciertamente pueden fallar en sus reportajes de los parametros del conflicto de baja intensidad que destruye la vida de los negros. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span> Quiz\u00e1<\/span>s las palabras de uno que no es norteamericano (no quiero llamarlo, extranjero<\/em>), pero que por much tiempo es un observador de este pa\u00eds, nos puedan dar una mejor perspectiva. A los 71 a\u00f1os, el gran regalo musical de Sud\u00e1<\/span>frica, Hugh Masekela, di\u00f3 una entrevista en la que\u00a0habl\u00f3 de\u00a0post-apartheid <\/em>Sud\u00e1<\/span>frica: “La mayor\u00eda de la poblaci\u00f3n solo obtuvo el derecho a votar y bajaron los ataque de la polic\u00eda. Pero cualquier otro cambio ser\u00eda malo para los negocios. Lo mismo\u00a0que aqu\u00ed en Estados Unidos –los frutos del Movimiento de los Derechos Civiles son muy pocos, m\u00ednimos.” <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Cito a\u00a0Masekela no solo porque es c\u00e9<\/span>lebre (tampoco porque amo su m\u00fa<\/span>sica), si no porque \u00e9<\/span>l, como millones de africanos, vivi\u00f3 bajo la locura del apartheid,<\/em> (a\u00fa<\/span>n cuando \u00e9<\/span>l escap\u00f3 y despu\u00e9<\/span>s vivi\u00f3 como exiliado) y en consecuencia lo conoce \u00edntimamente. Por \u00e9<\/span>so \u00e9<\/span>l puede reconocer los elementos del apartheid<\/em> en la vida norteamericana.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pero,\u00a0\u00bfporqu\u00e9<\/span> es que el apartheid<\/em> es visto como algo repugnante y el complejo industrial de prisiones norteamericano (PIC, de su\u00a0sigla en ingl\u00e9<\/span>s)\u00a0es visto como algo tan benigno?<\/span><\/p>\n

Creo que la respuesta es doble: 1) las elites pol\u00edticas de los partidos dem\u00f3crata y republicano\u00a0llegaron a un consenso bi-partidario en este asunto;\u00a0y 2), la presencia de actores pol\u00edticos negros en diferentes posiciones de gobierno act\u00fa<\/span>a como escudo que protege de los ataques sobre la naturaleza racista del sistema. <\/span><\/p>\n

Como en Sud\u00e1<\/span>frica, las elites pol\u00edticas negras de Estados Unidos\u00a0se han beneficiado de un sistema econ\u00f3mico que es profundamente injusto para la gran mayor\u00eda de los negros, especialmente para los pobres y para la clase trabajadora.\u00a0 Asi, la raza protege la divisi\u00f3n de clases, y a pesar de las apariencias, la raza termina protegiendo la desigualdad social.<\/span><\/p>\n

En esencia, el r\u00e9<\/span>gimen post-apartheid<\/em> consigui\u00f3 un resultado que la era del apartheid<\/em> trat\u00f3 de conseguir, pero no pudo: crear una clase\u00a0para protejer las tierras, la propiedad y la riqueza material de la minor\u00eda formada por los colonizadores blancos.<\/span><\/p>\n

Es una de las iron\u00edas de la historia que el gobierno del Congreso Nacional Africano (African National Congress, ANC) pudiera haber conseguido ese resultado, si en verdad fue un acuerdo al que se lleg\u00f3 despu\u00e9<\/span>s de negociaciones. <\/span><\/p>\n

Pongamos de lado las interpretaciones te\u00f3ricas y pol\u00edticas para ver un ejemplo real. Have varios meses, un pelot\u00f3n de polic\u00eda asalt\u00f3 una casa de la clase trabajadora negra, dispar\u00f3 a la casa desde afuera, y mat\u00f3 a una ni\u00f1a. Eso, en s\u00ed, desgraciadamente, no podr\u00eda ser noticia de importancia. Sin embargo, tiene significado\u00a0si vemos que tanto el alcalde de la ciudad,\u00a0como su jefe de polic\u00eda, eran negros. Aquellos que recuerdan este incidente quiz\u00e1<\/span>s reconozcan el nombre de la linda ni\u00f1a asesinada, Aiyannah Jones, si recuerdo bi\u00e9<\/span>n, y la ciudad, Detroit, Michigan. En verdad \u00e9<\/span>sto nos ofrece una idea sobre la funci\u00f3n pol\u00edtica de los l\u00edderes negros, y sobre su impotencia si tratan de limitar la acci\u00f3n del estado cuando est\u00e1<\/span> en peligro la vida de los negros pobres.<\/span><\/p>\n

Una de las participantes principales\u00a0en esta Conferencia, la profesora de leyes, Alexander, trata algunos de estos puntos en su libro, El Nuevo Jim Crow, (The New Jim Crow), <\/em>pero lo que para m\u00ed tiene m\u00e1<\/span>s importancia es algo que no he visto en ninguna de las cr\u00edticas\u00a0que he le\u00eddo de ese libro, (naturalmente, comprendo que la mayor\u00eda de los presos no tenemos acceso a computadores, y probablemente\u00a0no he visto muchas de las cr\u00edticas.)\u00a0Y es su observaci\u00f3n que los negros de la clase pobre y trabajadora forman parte de una casta social en la sociedad norteamericana. <\/span><\/p>\n

En una naci\u00f3n\u00a0que promueve la\u00a0democracia, uno podr\u00eda pensar que la acusaci\u00f3n de que una casta racial distinta existe al centro de esa democracia podr\u00eda provocar controversia.\u00a0 A juzgar por lo que he le\u00eddo, ese importante punto ni siquiera se ha notado.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusi\u00f3n<\/span><\/p>\n

Para terminar, quiero\u00a0naturalmente recomendar\u00a0ese libro a todos Ustedes para que lo estudien.\u00a0\u00a0Pero debo hacer algo m\u00e1<\/span>s. <\/span><\/p>\n

Debemos pedir, agitar, y si todo lo dem\u00e1<\/span>s falla, crear un nuevo movimiento popular que luche for destruir de una vez por todas el sistema de castas. En verdad, es en\u00a0nuestro inter\u00e9<\/span>s colectivo hacerlo. Porque la mayor\u00eda de los eruditos, intelectuales, acad\u00e9<\/span>micos y elites pol\u00edticas\u00a0de los negros est\u00e1<\/span>n a una generaci\u00f3n de distancia de los getos, que para muchos de ellos ya son solo una memoria lejana. Pero, con el\u00a0derrumbe de la econom\u00eda norteamericana, al reducirse el sistema de protecci\u00f3n social –y cuando el estado mismo se reduzca– \u00bfd\u00f3nde creen Ustedes los cortes van a empezar?<\/span><\/p>\n

Finalmente, nosotros sabemos que el impacto de las leyes que privan a los delincuentes de sus derechos civiles, especialmente de su derecho al voto, inexorablemente condujo a la elecci\u00f3n de\u00a0George W. Bush, en 2000.\u00a0 Piensen como luciera el mundo si ese evento pol\u00edtico no hubiera pasado.<\/span><\/p>\n

Esto es en el inter\u00e9<\/span>s de todos.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gracias.<\/span><\/p>\n

Onamove!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Mum\u00eda Ab\u00fa<\/span>-Jamal, M.A. <\/span><\/p>\n

Corredor de la Muerte, Pensylvania<\/span><\/p>\n

*Discurso para la Conferencia, “Encarcelamiento de una Raza,”<\/em> del Centro para Estudios Africano-Norteamericanos, de la Universidad de Princeton, Princeton, Nueva Jersey, EE.UU., del 25 de marzo, de 2011. <\/span><\/strong>Speech written by Mumia Abu-Jamal for a conference titled PRISONMENT OF A RACE
\nThe conference was held at Princeton University on March 25th, 2011<\/p>\n

Dear Friends, Activists, Scholars and Colleagues: On A Move!
\nThank you for your invitation to join you and to participate in this conference. It is an honor to share these brief moments with you \u2013 a nod and a salute to your panelists, many of whom I know and admire.
\nYour topic, is, to say the least, a daunting one, for the sheer numbers are breathtaking, especially when you consider its familial, social, communal and political impacts. I dare say, for those among you who are African-American, no matter your class or income, you won\u2019t have to think very long to recall a nephew \u2013 and far too often a niece \u2013 (not to mention a son or daughter!), who, if not presently a prisoner, is then an ex-prisoner of some country, state or federal system.
\nThat speaks to the ubiquity of the problem, of the vast numbers of men, women and juveniles who populate the prison industrial complex here in America. As many of you know, the U.S., with barely 5% of the world\u2019s population, imprisons 25% of the world\u2019s prisoners. As Michelle Alexander (whom many of you will hear from in this conference\u2019s evening program) has noted, the numbers of imprisoned Blacks here rivals and exceeds South Africa\u2019s hated apartheid system during its height.
\nWe shouldn\u2019t take this analogy lightly, for the South African apartheid was the epitome of the racist police state, second only to Nazi Germany in its repellent nature. Moreover, much of its energy was consumed in a de facto war (or, at the very least, in military-espionage jargon, a low-intensity conflict) with the Black majority that criminalized almost every feature of African independent life, restricting places to live, work, study and even love.
\nThis speaks to how blind we are in this country to the scope of the problem (much less its resolution), and how it has been normalized in social and political consciousness, in part because the corporate media neglects or slants such a story; for if they can fail in reportage leading to a hot war (here I mean Iraq) they certainly can fail in reporting the parameters of a low-intensity conflict that crushes Black lives. Perhaps the words of a non- American (I hesitate to call him a foreigner), but long an observer of this country, can give us some insight. At 71 years, South Africa\u2019s great musical gift, Hugh Masekela gave an interview in which he made note of the post-apartheid South Africa:\u00a0 \u201cThe majority of the population only got the right to vote and a lack of harassment from the police. But any further changes would be bad for business. Same like here in the United States \u2013 the fruits of the Civil Rights Movement are very minimal.\u201d
\nI quote Masekela here not merely because of his celebrity (nor because I love his music), but because he, like millions of Africans, lived under the madness of apartheid, (even though he escaped it by later moving abroad) and therefore knows it intimately. He therefore is able to recognize its elements in American life. Buy why is apartheid seen as so repellent and the U.S. prison industrial complex (PIC) seen as benign?
\nI think the answer is twofold: 1) the political elites of both [U.S.] political parties reached bi-partisan consensus on this issue; and 2) the presence of Black political actors in various offices act as a shield repelling attacks on the racist nature of the system.<\/p>\n

As in South Africa, Black political elites have benefited from an economic system that is profoundly unfair to the vast majority of African people, especially the poor and working-class. Thus, race protects a class divide, and despite its imagery, social inequality. In essence, the post-apartheid regime achieved a result that the apartheid era tried to, but failed to construct:\u00a0 a buffer class that protected the lands, property and material wealth of the white minority settler class.<\/p>\n

It is one of the ironies of history that the government led by the African National Congress (ANC) would achieve this result, albeit by negotiated settlement.<\/p>\n

Let us depart from theoretical political constructs to note an example of the real. Several months ago, a police squad raided a Black working-class home, shot into it from outside, and killed a Black child. That, in itself, unfortunately, can\u2019t be called noteworthy. Yet it has a certain resonance when we note that both the mayor of the city, and its police chief, were Black. Those aware of this incident may recognize the name of the beautiful child involved, Aiyannah Jones, I believe, and the city: Detroit. Surely this provides some insight into the political function of Black leaders, and their impotence when it comes to curbing state action that endangers Black poor life.<\/p>\n

One of the keynoters, law professor Alexander addresses some of these points in her book, but what had the best salience for me was something that I\u2019ve not seen in any of the reviews I\u2019ve read (understanding that as most prisoners don\u2019t have computer access, I\u2019ve probably missed scads of reviews). It was her observation that the Black working-class\/poor constitute a caste position in U.S. society.<\/p>\n

In a nation that promotes democracy, one would think the charge that a distinct racial caste exists at the heart of it would provoke controversy. Judging from what I\u2019ve read, this central point has been glossed over.
\nIn closing, I, of course, commend her book to you all for study, but I must do more.
\nWe must call for, agitate for, and if all else fails, create a new popular movement that struggles to break this caste system, once and for all. Indeed, it is in our collective interest to do so. For most Black scholars, intellectuals, academics and political elites are one generation removed from the ghettoes of distant memory. With the collapse of the U.S. economy, where do you think the cuts will occur, as the welfare state \u2013 and the State itself \u2013 shrinks?<\/p>\n

Finally, we know that the impact of felon disfranchisement laws led, inexorably, to the election of George W. Bush, in 2000. Think of what the world may\u2019ve looked like, if that political event didn\u2019t happen.
\nIt is in the interest of all.<\/p>\n

I thank you. On\u00a0 A \u00a0Move!<\/p>\n

Mumia Abu-Jamal, M.A.
\nDeath Row, Pa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mum\u00eda Ab\u00fa-Jamal Discurso del 25\/3\/2011* Queridos Amigos, Activistas, Acad\u00e9micos y Colegas: Ona Move! Gracias por su invitaci\u00f3n a que venga\u00a0a participar en esta Conferencia. Es un honor compartir estos breves momentos con Ustedes\u00a0 — un saludo especial a los panelistas, a muchos de los cuales conozco y admiro. El t\u00f3pico es, para decirlo de una […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[183],"tags":[919,72,37],"class_list":["post-3063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-estados-unidos","tag-mumia-abu-jamal","tag-presos-politicos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3063\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}