The Mind is the spear behind the shield, and Theory is the man behind the gun. It must be understood by all proponents of Love, Peace, Truth, Freedom and Justice that our infrastructure is our politics, but armed struggle is our theory and policy. Therefore, all of our advancements, whether economic or educational, are in support of intensifying the struggle.

Our people must become independent from the oppressor's nation, and this cannot possibly occur if we lack discipline, strategy and revolutionary enthusiasm. We understand that the only way for imperialism to continue is through the expansion of colonialism. Thus, in order to counter imperialism, we must free ourselves from the imperialist yoke. Our primary objective is to instill dignity into people because the sole purpose of oppression is to kill the dignity within a people or nation. A people with knowledge of self will always obtain dignity, pride as well as a purpose, while a people who are oblivious to their history are easily persuaded into believing anything that the colonizer tells them. By knowing that an educated people are not fit for subjugation, he, the colonizer, will form academic institutions that will systematically negate the richness of the colonized people's history. He will create studies that make the colonized people seem inferior in all material and psychological aspects of his-story, while, at the same time, making the colonizer seem superior in all aspects of life. This process slowly eats up the dignity within a people because the mind discards prejudice, discrimination and unconscious racism, so subsequently the colonized people seek to integrate with the oppressor. Instead of trying to become independent, they become more dependent on the colonizer until they feel that they are incompetent as a people unless they are 'equal' in culture to their oppressor. That is why our people must regain our true history so that we may understand that our people are warriors in mind, body and soul, that have been fighting colonialism and subjugation on these shores since 1619, and as a nation of warriors it is our duty to seek liberation by any means necessary.

When our people attempt to compensate dignity with material assets, it only reveals how mentally disturbed we are. When you witness an oppressed people continue to be happy, it shows how their dignity has been drained out of them because the people are content with their harsh condition and accept this condition as typical. One who does attain true dignity and consciousness will perpetually maintain a Militant Mind because he recognizes things for what they are and not for what the oppressor makes them appear to be. Dignity can only be manifested through your ambition to succeed, prevail and overcome. The more your ambition pushes you to learn, the more you will begin to understand just how much was stolen from us and what steps must be taken to regain the most important elements: history, dignity, and land. A people with no history have no future, and a people with no dignity have no ambition, and a people with no land have no foundation.

Therefore, our focus is not only to gain but to re-gain what is rightfully ours, but, in order to do this, our minds must be right. The enemy we are facing is not docile and passive but brutal and sadistic, so our minds must be trained on how to observe things strategically, politically, and consciously. Our bodies must be programmed to endure agony, move fearlessly, and able to exhibit discipline in the time of chaos and confusion.

We know that true knowledge comes from practice and experience, so we do not claim to be intellectuals or scholars. We are activists who change with the times but keep our politics in command. We only acknowledge theory when it is manifested through action. Too many 'book smart' people have kept us stagnant through the years with their intellectual ignorance, and since most Amerikans intellectuals were taught by Amerikkkans, we know that their theories are repressive, counter-revolutionary or passive. History has shown us that when New Afrikans or White Amerikans have risen up in resistance, they had to reprogram their theories, abandon what White Amerikkka has taught them, and begin to seek true knowledge from other lands such as South Amerika, Russia, Afrika, etc.

It should be noted that some of these places (i.e. China and Russia) actually put some practice behind their theory, and so only one's daily activities can determine his level of consciousness. An academic intellect should only be praised when it can successfully be applied to specific or general circumstances that call for theory and practice. To obtain an academic intellect without the ability to utilize it only reduces one's character to that of a babbling parrot who can be conditioned to rap but not act. So don't get into the habit of showcasing your degrees around because like Comrade Fred Hampton stated, "You can have as many degrees as a thermometer but if you don't know this, you ain't nothing!" Many use these degrees to stroke their egos and showboat their false sense of dignity, but it only shows that they are proud to be looked at as being smart by the oppressor's standards and when you allow for your enemy to dictate how smart you can be, it only shows how uncon scious and dumb you truly are.

In the name of Love, Peace, Truth, Freedom and Justice

Brotherly Love Overrides Oppression and Destruction,

Comrade Mumia Askari
A New York State Prisoner
September 2004