Rock Creek Park by Dr. Jeffrey Fearing (c) 1990
Anamakeesuk Sekwun
Today is Spring
Happy new year! Spring is the season that begins a new year. It is a time for celebrating new beginnings, new life and new hope. The planted seeds will germinate and begin to grow in the womb of Mother Earth as the warmth from Father Sky enfolds her and the rain moistens her. There were gatherings and meetings of the people in the early days to see who survived the cold winter. These meetings are Katamu Sekwun or in English, June Meetings. They are happy reunions (sometimes). During Sekwun, it is also the time of the Strawberry Moon. Our gatherings are loaded with lots of food made with strawberries! Even the leaves. When dried, strawberry leaves make a good tea. Strawberry tea is good for women’s health especially during her moon time. I never met a strawberry pie or slice of strawberry bread I didn’t like. Here’s to our new hope and another chance to rededicate ourselves to well being, joy and health.
Wanatowush Sekwunanit
Blessings in the Spirit of Spring
Thank you for visiting!
IN EVERLASTING GRATITUDE
There have been many experiences and connections that have been life changing for me. One of those pivotal moments came through an introduction to Neely Fuller, Jr. I am always working on how to clarify my ideas since coming to realize the workings of systemic oppression, resolving my personal childhood trauma and the overall chronic racism growing up in America. Mr. Fuller was one of those people who could dissect the effect of racism/white supremacy instead of internalizing or reacting to it. I was introduced to him by Harry Allen, hip-hop activist, journalist, historian, teacher and presenter who at the time invited me to participate in a panel he was moderating for “The Source" magazine. He gifted me a copy of Mr. Fuller’s book, THE UNITED INDEPENDENT COMPENSATORY CODE/SYSTEM/CONCEPT: A textbook / workbook for thought, speech and/or action for victims of racism (white supremacy). I am proud to brag that I have an autographed copy of this book in our Longhouse collection. I am also honored that he has read my first little book Taking Another Look about all that is normalized in America and listened to my recording on the same topic, “A Beginning to an End”. I have shared on many occasions his words of wisdom that have been instrumental in adding another layer to presenting systemic oppression. He said:
“If you don't understand white supremacy/racism, everything that you do understand will only confuse you..”
I saw this as a direct clarification to what I refer to as systemic oppression as I try to present it. White supremacy/racism is systemic oppression which comes in many forms. It is my opinion that his statement could actually be a fill-in-the-blank for other oppressive structures. When I make reference to him, I say his words first then I add that if you don’t understand your oppression, everything that you do understand will only confuse you. For example, if one is a victim of repeated assault and battery (domestic violence), those words apply to those who don’t understand their oppression and consequently what they do understand (apologies, gifts, honors and oaths…) confuses them into more of the same.
I recently learned of his passing on February 1, 2025. He was 96. I couldn’t even begin to detail his incredible life, his publications, and his decades long activism. Visit producejustice.com where his work continues and you can see it and hear it all. There’s hours of recordings. I know the subject of racism is frightening to many but I promise, a straight forward confrontation is healing and sustaining.
Work to do…
Everything hitting the fan right now was done with permission by way of an unspoken law in the American mindset. America allowed it to happen. We really have to get moving on this because if we don’t undo what got us here the perversions will repeat.
To make it plain, America is on stolen land.
That’s not meant to be a protest mantra, slogan, bumper sticker or guilt thing. None of that is the point. It is a matter of fact. And its not as if this fact isn’t bad enough, it is the process by which the crime has been covered up. A cover-up that authorized a convoluted identity of supremacy. An identity of supremacy that has defined the American rationale, its esteem, its personality. It has been maintained over generations right up to this point where a now convicted felon is in the white house again. And where again, there is talk of land invasion moving on Greenland.
Marauding invasions and pillaging behaviors from that original 500 plus year-old mob hit continued through generations of raids, threat, beatings, torture, murder and unspeakable savagery by lynch mobs, vigilantes, militias, and gangs - some with police badges others wearing sheets.
In a recent show of force last October, armed and masked neo-Nazis showed up in Lincoln Heights, Ohio to stand on a bridge “vetting” the presence of passers by and stopping cars in the name of protecting the area. This neo-Nazi group had police protection as they carried out their mission. This repeated pattern of protected terror and domination is rooted in America’s beginnings and has spawned decades of systemic oppression. That is the point.
America is on stolen land and we now stand in a succession of events in a society that exists by a mythical brand called a democracy.
I am very aware that my view is easy to dismiss. I come with no professional titles, endorsements, academic accreditation, corporate endorsements, statistics or any other institutional stamp of approval in this regard and I don’t want it. I don’t need it. That which never protected me does not apply to me. I stand on my experience as a survivor of compounded trauma, assault, and erasure while existing in a series of convoluted lies invented to uphold a convoluted identity of supremacy that the indigenous nation of my people does not exist. Having broken through that, I claim my personhood, my womanhood and my nationhood. I’m not giving it up for anybody.
Its always a good idea to know who you are and by what authority.
We have work to do.
What is systemic oppression?
It starts with an assault. An assault is an intentional criminal act to harm, injure, threaten, imprison / kidnap or obliterate to disempower or terminate the personhood of another through physical battery, murder, or theft or other criminal acts to seize power, gain profit or gratify some illicit need that would not exist under normal or moral circumstances. Assault as a singular incident is one thing. Repeated assault occurs by domination. Ongoing domination is oppression.
Oppression becomes systemic when there are belief systems, outer sources and controls that enable, support, permit and protect it. This way, it can repeat or manifest without direct physical contact, participation or even the presence of the oppressor.
How it works
Oppression is not natural and can only exist by force. No human being volunteers to be repeatedly violated under normal circumstances. Normally, in addition to the needs of physical well-being such as food, shelter, and so on human beings need identity, personhood, validation, personal sovereignty, kinship and community to function and thrive. When a human being is abruptly cut off from these needs, constantly suffers the loss of these needs or denied these needs by way of attack, by threat or under duress, the oppressed become physically and emotionally entrapped, incapacitated, isolated, alienated and nullified. Under these conditions a human being is subject to dominating mind control, thus oppression.
While assault and abuse can directly and openly occur, the nature of systemic oppression is such that a predator or source of domination doesn’t even have to be in the room, so to speak, or at the scene of the crime. The dominated are conditioned to be controlled, defend oppression and participate in destructive behavior against themselves and/or each other.
The engine that keeps it running
A rationale develops a type of logic or set of reasons for why one would do something, take a course of action or achieve an end. Rationale defines the thought process. Thought process initiates behavior. The rationale that defines America - as per its beginnings - is coded to normalize, allow and even celebrate invasion, obliteration and control in the name of upholding the falsehood of supremacy through the mechanics of systemic oppression.
Because oppression is the opposite of human personhood, it is impossible to actualize a sovereign identity. An invented identity is assigned to condition human beings to be objects and agents of oppression. Consequently, assigned identities (white womanhood, racialized inferiority, etc) are defined to enable domination. The oppressed are required to comply with rules, controls and instructions that uphold the falsehood of supremacy. This blocks and disconnects an indigenous ability to think, feel, see or behave.
All participants are victimized by systemic oppression even those - especially those - who are assigned under the illusion of being privileged. Hurt people hurt people. While those alleged to be privileged can leave a path of destruction, death and suffering in their wake, they fail to see how their degeneracy can destroy themselves.
In the end, all identities of oppression are false and leaves everyone to exist as objects. Those who resist are deemed as a threat. Resistance can come in the form of being successful, smart and intelligent. This is a direct threat to the falsehood of supremacy. Such threats can be met with punishment both lethal and symbolic.
How does it end?
First, the condition must be identified and acknowledged. The big step is admitting it. Accept that this is occupied stolen land that has been sustained through systemic oppression. That must first be accepted in order to undo the truth of what has resulted from its beginnings all the way up to the present day fallout. It was the rationale of domination, genocide, nullification of human beings into objects. Assigned identities must be recognized with a willingness to purge the self of any mental, physical or emotional attachment of privilege, escapes or safety nets.
Next, participants must learn / unlearn the techniques and components of assault, attack and control. In other words, unlearn the tactics of oppression. Both insidiously and literally.
Then there must be a hard firm decision to break addictions and attachments to romanticized disguises of what is actually going on. This was never a democracy. This is not a land of immigrants, to believe this is to erase what this land truly is - stolen. Yes immigrants are here but nobody brought any land with them. Nevertheless, here we all are stuck in an elevator of the chaos and confusion of oppression. With our human genius and programmed DNA of altruistic empathy we can change what we need to, take care of each other and establish a true democracy.
If this is going to be a democracy then that’s what it has to be unconditionally and consistently. This is a science. You can’t be pregnant only three days a week. Democracy can’t be qualified or bigoted. You can’t choose what is domestic terrorism only when convenient. “Only for some, not those other people” is a dangerous area where infection can take hold. In the immediate, it can appear to the simple mind that domination prevails. However, what in fact manifests is a shut down of the ability to see, hear, think and feel as a result. This can lead to being manipulated, invisibly used or self destruction like dying by a thousand paper cuts.
Failure to recognize the behavior of a predator is lethal. The delays, denials, distractions from the what’s going on is the pathway to the ultimate goal of the predator. What’s been demonstrated is a pattern of a predator who will use the quickest way to profit materially or with power by invoking threat, contempt, fear and other perversions.
The hype: He’s going to make us rich!
The fact: No he’s not. His actions will gut and devastate you. He will throw blame for what will happen on others. He will blame the failure on you as you rot and make you clean it up. He will keep you paralyzed by who it is he’s allowed you to be until you are of no more use.
“If you don’t understand white supremacy/racism, everything you think you understand will confuse you” Thank you, Neely Fuller, Jr.
Systemic oppression can be deodorized and renamed, however, nothing changes its reality. Yes, it can end and must end or else after all the work and sacrifice it takes to correct and make change, the perversions will repeat. Ending systemic oppression requires an unconditional purge and change of mind.
The revolution will not be televised. Nor can it be delivered by a popular influencer on your favorite social media. Not even your viral video through multitudes of followers or subscribers will bring it. A zillion “LIKES” don’t mean damn thing. Revolution happens when you change your mind.
Admit, confront, detox and recalibrate.
Thank you for visiting Spirit of January
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Asiba
Matinecoc Nation
Confront oppression
All it takes is a change of mind
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Rock Creek Park by photographer Dr. Jeffrey J. Fearing appeared on the very first issue of my print newsletter, “The Spirit of January Monthly” in 1990. Rock Creek Park is in Washington, DC where we both attended Howard University in the late 60’s. It was a golden time at a phenomenal institution where I met Jeff, a friend for life, Nemot - my brother. I am honored to share this photograph once again 30 years later.