Education Expropriation Now!

"Justice is on our side, but victory won’t be handed to us."

-Herukhuti


    I think all liberationists, seekers of justice, and anti-imperialists would agree that we can’t execute a robust campaign against the state’s penal, educational, criminal justice, or economic institutions with personnel who: still believe in the promises of capitalism, are still convinced of this Government’s legitimacy, and/or silently accept the shameful “Privileges” of “Whiteness”, labor aristocracy, “Black Elitism”, or Neo-Colonizer status. Even when we consciously say “We’re against capitalism, racism,” etc. our habits and subconscious are still infected with the individualist and materialist ideologies. That’s why WOMMB Institute is committed to the decolonization and re-development of the hearts and minds of oppressed captives as the cornerstones and prerequisites for prison abolition, state resistance, and community building.


    What we’re trying to tackle has a seldom, if ever, discussed obstacle that has been in freedoms way for a long time. i call it “The Sequestration of Humanity’s Accumulative Knowledge and Experience” like air, water, land,and technology; education (not mere selective training) belongs to us all, equally. It’s not the property of Yale, Oxford, or N.Y.U. This society, rules by corporations and tyrannical government, has been, and is depriving the people of our ability and duty to contribute our utmost to humanity and fully realize our talents and potential. High School diplomas, community college and undergraduate “training” only condition us to gain employment (more slavery). We’re not taught how to think, but what to think. We’re not taught skills to be independent and free thinkers, to create for ourselves and communities, to serve our own interest that are counter to the “Established Order”


    We’re not taught in ways that we can add value to a revolutionary culture. The elite few raise their children in isolated/secure environments where their basic nutrition, shelter, safety, and psychological needs are met; allowing them to be able to focus on “elevated” concerns. They go to prep schools where they’re trained to be leaders, thinkers, and problem-solvers. The exact opposite of what we “slaves” learn in public, charter and low income private schools. They’re guaranteed slots at Ivy League schools and fraternities and sororities. Advanced degrees cost hundreds and thousands of dollars.  They don’t own the knowledge! We have to be “debriefed”. Where’s our training? How can we “occupy” the education and teach ourselves what’s necessary for getting free and building our independent democracy? We have to think outside of the box and find ways to re-capture the knowledge. Steal it back! Expropriate it?


The majority of our oppressed youth in prison and i the communities, who would naturally and logically take the mantle of freedom fighting are preoccupied with consumerism, entertainment, “feeling good” and status. Ignorance is something to take pride in. Moral and civic cowardice are rewarded. The criminalization process is funnelling them into prison by the thousands. If oppressed community members (youth especially) remain undeveloped and psychologically colonized they will continue to populate prisons- if already incarcerated oppressed community members remain undeveloped, imperialist institutions, like prisons, will remain, presenting unnecessary resistance to our abolition movement; defeating our purpose. Again, this is why W.O.M.B.B. Institute is relevant and necessary- a key component- to prison abolition and our struggles. If our communities can expropriate the knowledge and get it to us; we’ll teach and learn. We’ll train and blossom.


Tomorrow, one of the W.O.M.M.B. Institute’s apprentices is being released to a halfway house. I only had 4 months to mentor him. He’s come a long way from not caring about life and being irresponsible. And his “mind” is set on change. But, I’m only cautiously optimistic because it takes a lot longer than 4 months to completely recondition thought and behavior patterns. It takes more leadership skills and knowledge than I currently possess to fully initiate someone into adulthood and sovereignty; more than one individual's coaching, without community support. It will take an additional higher quality of mentoring, teaching, incentivized economic security and course materials, connected to rich community support networks and consultancy- a whole training apparatus behind W.O.M.M.B institute - meeting our discarded, damaged, and imprisoned community members needs, so they can be fine tuned to add value to our special movements. These will be men and women in prison fighting their oppressors instead of each other. Instead of terrorizing our communities again; when they get out, they’ll physically join the collectives and co-ops they were in part of in prison. This is also one of our strategies for prison abolition. It’s called “de-population”.  W.O.M.M.B Institute Participants and graduates/initiates won’t be drug users and since they’ll have the advanced educations to be able to create income streams and economics they won’t have a need to sell drugs- Thus a reduction in drug related crimes, sending them to prison.


We sincerely need our communities’ support in getting the materials needed for our re-development and advanced training - the beginning of a genuine prison education movement. We need course books not currently in use by colleges and universities- maybe they’ve been thrown away, given away, or “in storage” somewhere. We can receive internet downloads and printouts through regular mail. Maybe there are online college courses that can be “tapped into” and printed out. We can receive newspapers and journals. All publications (books, magazines, tapes/cds) that are new have to come from publisher, bookstore, or distributor directly. Amazon.com is fine, but not e-bay or Amazon Marketplace, etc. No used books. But, again, we encourage internet printouts and even xeroxed books because they come to us straight through the mail and we can have unlimited amounts. Books from AK Press, PM Press, and other anarchist, leftist, and liberal/progressive publishers have half price discounts for prisoners. Any other ideas you all may have for “Education Expropriation” are needed and welcomed. Maybe we can get educational materials from other countries like China. It’s all about creating options and thinking outside the limitations given to us to stifle growth.  


We need educational materials, curricula, and mentoring in the following: 1) Rites of passage, ethics, philosophy, character development, 2) Political Science, Military Science, Psychology, Behavioral Sciences 3) Cooperative economics, Urban Farming/gardening, Co-operative business and collectives, urban planning, community organizing, personnel management 4) World history, anthropology, sociology, metaphysics 5) Foreign affairs, revolutions/rebellions, law (international, Civil Rights), Diplomacy, negotiation, conflict resolution, treaty negotiation 6) Foreign Languages, teaching, journalism, writing communications, public speaking, speech writing, any others our communities recommend.


Thanks for your support.


In struggle and solidarity.