In 1998 Exiled Black Panther Assata Shakur Predicted That Prisons Would Become New Slavery

http://breakingbrown.com/2014/04/in-1998-exiled-black-panther-assata-shakur-predicted-that-prisons-would-become-new-slavery/

Law enforcement is still on the hunt for one black woman who stood up to white supremacy, one who was likely wrongly accused of killing a New Jersey police officer. That the hounds are on the trail is no surprise. Anyone who stands up for black people anywhere on the planet may as well emboss a brightly colored bulls eye directly onto their own forehead, which is why Obama never will never stand up, which is why Assata Shakur was added to the FBI’s most wanted list, during the first black president’s tenure.

Still, those like Shakur, who fought white supremacy and were exiled or executed for their trouble, were prescient. Thanks to Michelle Alexander’s diligent and unending mission to educate the public on mass incarceration, and Dr. Boyce Watkins’ work to broaden the base of those who support an end to mass incarceration, the issue has begun to resonate, even among semi-conscious blacks. In 1998, Shakur saw the writing on the wall and predicted that prisons were becoming the new slavery:

"Prisons are big business in the United States, and the building, running, and supplying of prisons has become the fastest growing industry in the country. Factories are being moved into the prisons and prisoners are being forced to work for slave wages. This super-exploitation of human beings has meant the institutionalization of a new form of slavery. Those who cannot find work on the streets are forced to work in prison."

We do have our own people who have their finger on the pulse of white supremacy. They know which way the wind is blowing. They are our weathervane. We'd be better equipped to protect ourselves if only we heard them, incorporated their teachings, and took seriously their warnings. But as an aspirational people, we are not, as a group, prone to gravitate toward the Assata Shakur's of our tribe.

White supremacy demands that we be exquisite in our assimilation, meaning more like white people. So we straighten our hair (or, if you're a man, cut the naps clean off), pull up our pants, buy 10 blue suits, and pick leaders who are pleasing to whites (Obama is so clean, remarked Senator Harry Reid), and discard our true weathervanes. So in the end, we are left with Barack Obama, who released the might of American law enforcement on Assata Shakur.