I hope you will print the following letter as a contribution to a possible debate on the probiems oT olack vouin anon particular the article by Tunde Anthony in Red Weekly of 4 November.
The technica ane somerimes actual 'assault' and theft of money from middle aged and elderly women by young blacks is sarisi racist ang explo alive in ine worst traditions of capitalism. There can be no socialist or alternative justification for these attacks. •Inose wno apologise for these actions do no service to the real problems of black youth.
would be well teaching of MALCOLM X and the lyrics of the 'Last Poets'. The real tragedy is that insteac or followine macoim s examole and concepts of Black Power, black youth have been criminally misled so-called" -black rower whose retoric was and still is a mask for own personal wnite man's marenanstic. sexist values and actions.
To Malcolm and other Black Power brothers and sisters, Black Power was a means for black people to self-respect and control over their miserunder capitalism [black aole concuons as well as WhHe 1o a18ck fellow victims of capitalism, weaker and sometimes poorer than oneselt, and use such tinancial gains not to atracı capitalism, but to escape from it, or to prop it up further by spending this money on the trappings of the sick white man's world, is very antithesis of Black Power or any radical alternative to capitalism. It also shows a cynical lack of death and memory Malcolm X and other Black Power militants sul a ive out imorisoneo intouenout the world.
It is a moral issue. If it is wrong for capitalists to exploit us. it is wrong for young blacks and anyone else to exploit old defenceless women. them to concentrate their energies on the real enemy - and the dole money is still sufficient for that battle. „mareate)
Tunde Anthony's article stated that this form of activity by black youth was antisociai. bur to our cabraist exoronalon on the same level as hand-bag snatching, however violent, is precisely to fall into moralism- not revolutionary moralism but bourgeois moralism.
This moralism expresses itself again in lan mines statement represents a cynical lack of respect for memory of Maicolm X, and other Black Power leaders TOW Ian y youth have even heard of Malcolm X, let alone seen fit to spit on his grave?
ms is me rear proorem class understanding of racial oppression. lan King's position can only mystily that understanding by equating the violence of the oppressors with the violence of the oppressed, however misdirected against seek remember the many acvocates racist dna recain inel ano TOE LETTERS
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to Far better for IAN KING