By Malik Washington, Destination Freedom Media Group
For those who consider themselves independent thinkers, especially my friends and allies at U.C. Davis, I highly recommend you read and study these two remarkable books.
- States of Emergency: Keeping the Global Population in Check (Atlanta: Clarity Crest 2022 by Kees Van der Pijl)
- The End of America: A Letter to a Young Patriot (Chelsea Green 2007 by Naomi Wolf)
To many Black people and descendants of slaves in America, Juneteenth is known as our emancipation or freedom day. In 1865, two years after U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) which freed Black slaves in America, the slave masters on plantations in the State of Texas refused to acknowledge or inform Black human beings that they were free. The White slave masters in Texas were addicted to the lucrative profits produced by free slave labor. Even today, administrators and government officials who operate the Texas State prison system love the benefits gleaned from free prison labor. Some, like myself, have coined the term “prison slavery.”
End Prison Slavery in Texas Now
Link: https://1drv.ms/b/c/bd2dbf553c0a1145/ERKkibzEcThPvOfUxmCI4e8BrOmSIfHwggKh7gPwu4dc1A?e=tKNaco
Aaron Cantu, Lil Sis, Who Benefits from Free Prison Labor in Texas
Link: https://portside.org/2016-05-16/whos-behind-unpaid-prison-labor-texas
In order to solve the “problem” of ongoing slavery, the President of the United States ordered federal troops to Galveston Bay, Texas. Once there, soldiers enforced the federal law which outlawed slavery and indentured servitude in the United States except for those who have been duly convicted of a crime.
Ava DuVernay’s Documentary entitled: 13th
Link: https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/13th-documentary/
Pardon me, ladies and gentlemen, but I’m not exactly in a celebratory mood this Juneteenth (weekend). What I’m actually feeling is a desperate need to raise my voice in protest and to provoke all of you to think deeply about what is happening in our country.
FASCISM IS HERE!
As I observe and study the geopolitical climate in America at this moment in time, I’m witnessing some stark contradictions. We all are familiar with the phrase “Home of the Free, Land of the Brave,” right? Who would have ever thought that in the year 2025 we would see federal ICE agents chasing migrant workers through agricultural fields in the State of California in an effort to arrest and deport them. Iconic migrant worker lead and organizer, Cesar Chavez, would be rolling in his grave.
ICE Raids in Ventura County farm fields – ABC 7
After a loud public outcry, the Trump Administration has said that it will refrain from this type of senseless behavior. But the fact that it happened in the first place is telling. And what about U.S. Marines and National Guard troops being sent to the City of Los Angeles in an effort to intimidate, threaten, and silence our voice of protest?
Was what happened in Los Angeles a response to a legitimate threat or was it a manufactured crisis aimed at testing the boundaries of government power? Can anyone say, “social control!”?
Here’s a link to examples of social control:
SYSTEMIC RACISM
Consider the asylum protection orders for Haitians, Cubans, Venezuelans, and other nationalities who are people of color being rescinded. However, the United States of America seems very eager to admit White South Africans. Have we forgotten about the scourge of Apartheid in South Africa? I suppose if Elon Musk says it’s ok, everything must be alright. But it’s not! Can I ask why our Sudanese sisters and brothers in Africa who are suffering horribly in the midst of civil war and famine are not being offered a safe haven here in America like their White South African counterparts are? I’ll tell you why. It’s because THEIR SKIN IS BLACK and they are unworthy of any empathy or compassion from the current U.S. administration in Washington, D.C.
I want to clarify something. I am not implying that we should ignore the plight of White South Africans. What I’m saying is that we as Americans should practice equality in our diplomatic relations and extend protection to all African people facing persecution and harm.
Have our rights to peaceful protest been suspended? Let’s study the video of California U.S. Senator Alex Padilla being forced to the ground and roughly handcuffed by police because he dared to question the Director of the Department of Homeland Security. I heard some rightwing news reporters claim that Senator Padilla attempted to charge the podium where Director Noem was speaking. I watched the video and that’s not what I saw. I encourage our readers to review it also.
FULL VIDEO: U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla forcefully removed from Noem news conference, handcuffed – KTLA 5
Recently, a New York City mayoral candidate and a City Comptroller were arrested at an immigration court proceeding in New York. Question: What do you think is the message being sent by ICE and DHS?
We are at a crossroads in America, and I firmly believe that we must look toward our youth for solutions. I’m talking about young, intelligent, energetic Progressives and Democrats (like AOC and Delia Ramirez).
I strongly believe that California Governor Gavin Newsom has woken up and he now realizes that California and America as a whole needs leadership that will fight to preserve, protect, and defend this democracy as well as the Constitution that it was founded on. It’s time for all of us to stand together in solidarity and fight for the future that we want and deserve.
This article is dedicated to former Minnesota House speaker. Melissa Hortman. and her husband, Mark. Let us honor their memory and preserve their legacy with righteous and peaceful political actions. I encourage all of our readers to re-read my article that was published in the Davis Vanguard in September 2024, Project 2025 and the Veiled Threat of Rightwing Violence.
Project 2025 and the Veiled Threat OF Right-Wing Political Violence
Remember everyone: “To be aware is to be alive.” All power to the people!
We leave you with a song and video by Jadakiss and Anthony Hamilton, entitled Why?
Malik Washington is a freelance journalist and Director at Destination: Freedom and Destination Freedom Media Group. For over 13 years, Malik has been a published journalist and news reporter focusing on criminal justice issues, conditions of confinement in jails and prisons, as well as hot-button political issues. You can reach him via email: mwashington@destination-freedom.org or email him directly by visiting www.sacsheriff.com, Keith Washington, #5383546. Sacramento County Main Jail.
Suggestions or leads on stories are always welcome.
From article: “The White slave masters in Texas were addicted to the lucrative profits produced by free slave labor. Even today, administrators and government officials who operate the Texas State prison system love the benefits gleaned from free prison labor. Some, like myself, have coined the term “prison slavery.”
Can’t help but notice the similarities regarding those who benefit from “immigrant” slavery. (Indirectly, that includes school districts which benefit from illegal immigration, as well as Trump’s friends who are pressuring him to back off regarding illegal immigration.)
I’d have more respect for Trump if he actually stuck to his claimed beliefs, instead of caving in to those who want to take advantage of “slave labor”.
Then again, Trump also claims to be an adherent to some kind of religion, which also seems doubtful. (Again, I’d have more respect for him if he publicly rejected religion to more-closely align with his actions – which are more-likely an “accurate” reflection of his beliefs.)
Now that I think about it a little more, Trump might have more in common with Newsom than I first realized.