The political assassination of Shaka Sankofa

ITAL Shaka Sankofa, formerly known as Gary Graham, was executed by 
the State of Texas on June 22, 2000, despite a weak case against 
him, unfair process in his trail, and widespread protest from 
around the world. In his final statement he said, "I'm being 
lynched. The death penalty is a holocaust for black Americans." 
This article was written by a Texas prisoner and edited by MIM. 
END

The political assassination of Shaka Sankofa is part of white 
supremacy and national oppression -- not just an ideology, but a 
value system, a culture, a fact in the imperialist system of 
power. White supremacy permeates every single aspect of our lives, 
either as perpetrator or victim. So, it should come as no surprise 
that George W. Bush, and the parole board he put together, along 
with the courts that previous presidents, including his sappy-
pappy George Bush, put together would proceed with the 
assassination of Shaka Sankofa.

However much people talk about international solidarity of "the" 
working class, the fact is that national oppression, and its 
racial expression, is primary in this country. That's why white 
workers could bring their white working class children to the 
lynching of a Black and be entertained by the target practicing, 
mutilating and burning of the helpless Black victim. Or why the 
white workers and their white working class children are so intent 
on reversing any and all "gains" make by Black (along with our 
white friends) struggle, whether those gains were civil rights, 
workers' rights, or prisoners' rights. There is a white-wing 
assault, and George W. Bush is a standard bearer.

The Bush boys, George and Jeb (governors of Texas and Florida, 
respectively), were born and raised in West Texas, in Midland. 
West Texas is dessert. There are a few Blacks that live in the 
Midland/Odessa area, but the area is overwhelmingly Hispanic and 
white. In terms of the attitudes of whites from this area, one 
would be hard-pressed to find any who did not view and treat 
Blacks any differently than virulent Klansmen. In Midland, the 
Confederate Air Force and Museum plays a prominent role in the 
political and social life. Texas has a CONFEDERATE air force! 
There was no flight during the U.S. Civil War. And they're crying 
about a flag in South Carolina.

West Texas was the recipient of several prisons under Bush's 
welfare program. Not counting two units in Amarillo, Bush gave 
West Texas 15 prison units. The Texas prison guard uniform is an 
exact replica of the Texas Confederate uniform. Texas prisoners 
must say "yes, sir / no, sir," "yes, ma'am / no ma'am," or "yes, 
sir, boss" (page 15, Inmate Orientation Handbook). These demons 
have hundreds of acres of fields where vegetables and cotton are 
grown. On this plantation, as on others, they have combines to 
pick their cotton, but they have prisoners picking the cotton, 
singing slave songs as they do, with some punk slave driver on a 
horse with a pistol making sure they slaves don't miss a boll.

This is slavery to the fullest. On some plantations, the field 
hands have to be counted, and when they walk past the overseers on 
the horses they have to take their hats off. This is the same 
thing the Black slaves of 1700 and the Black people of Jim Crow 
Amerikkka of the 1900s had to do when in the presence of a white 
working class person: hold your hat in your hand and never look 
Mr. Charlie in the eye. Up until about 1971 Black folks still have 
to step off of the sidewalk when a white worker was on it. Here in 
Texas prisons we are still required to step off the sidewalk when 
the white worker (represented by the Confederate soldier of any 
race) is on the "sidewalk." Instead of a curb, however, there is a 
painted yellow line. In Texas we're still stepping off the 
sidewalks.

Prisoners held in Texas prisons do not get paid for their labor. 
There are two units where the State of Texas built those complexes 
for private manufacturers to use prisoner labor They are, 
technically, not TDJC-ID units. They've turned the plantation over 
to private concerns. The prisoners who make it to one of the 
manufacturing units are on "pre- release" status and their numbers 
are statistically insignificant -- 200-300 prisoners out of 
150,000.

What all these factors demonstrate is a slave state. It is against 
this backdrop that the assassination of Sankofa must be viewed. 
Simply put, Bush, adept at reading the pulse of his constituency, 
took no political gamble but instead gave the people what they 
wanted. The day after the assassination Bush led Gore in the polls 
by 16-20%.(1) But the Democratic Party generally and Al Gore 
specifically also support the racist death penalty, explicitly in 
the party platform, and in speeches in which he brags about 
expanding the death penalty.(2) In the weeks that followed the 
Democratic convention Gore's poll numbers pulled even with or 
passed Bush's.(3)

Bush and Gore are the standard bearers of white supremacy. As the 
Fort Worth newspaper demonstrated, whites interviewed said Shaka 
"got what he deserved," that "the system worked," that "he had his 
day in court," and that the Parole Board "did the right thing."

Notes:

1. The Fort Worth Star Telegram, on June 23, p. A13.

2. AlGore2000.com.

3. MIM does not oppose all executions, if they are very limited 
and carried out under a people's justice system. But we oppose the 
Amerikan injustice system's death penalty. See MIM Notes 214, July 
15, 2000.