Owusu Yaki Yakubu ‘James Sayles’
Comrad Yaki has made his transition to the Ancestral realm; clinched-fist salute to this New Afrikan Freedom-Fighter!
Yaki from my perspective was one the most important Black liberation ‘New Afikan’ theoreticians, from my perspective I would consider him the most important Black radical theoretician though he’s not as well-known as George Jackson who’s considered the most notable revolutionary writer and activist.
Yaki like George’s intellect was spawned and steeled in America’s racist prison cells. He turned his decades of confinement as a political prisoner into a time to theorize and a place to strategize, working to maintain connections between what was happening to Blacks inside prisons and what was happening to Black folks outside of them.
Yaki wrote to and for the oppressed Black ‘New Afrikan’ masses; he concentrated on developing revolutionary nationalist theory for cadre development so we could become better ‘more effective’ analytical and practical leaders in our struggle against neo-colonialism and settler-imperialism.
Yaki initiated publications like “Notes From A New Afrikan P.O.W.” and developed organizations like the “New Afrikan Prisoners Organization” from behind the walls of Illinois prisons where he spent almost forty years, on and off.
As a younger New Afrikan in the early 1980’s I was first introduced to Yaki’s writings by Ahmed Obafemi head of the New Afrikan Peoples Organization (NAPO) out of New York city, I was a member of NAPO’s Detroit chapter.
I had some significant one-on-one conversations with Ahmed regarding some weaknesses I had identified in the New Afrikan Independence Movement (NAIM).
One of those identified weaknesses was a mediocre level of theoretical development of New Afrikans I had encountered; he agreed in general and told me to write Atiba Shana 'Yaki' of the New Afrikan Prisoners Organization (NAPO) who was locked-down in Dixon, Illinois.
Ahmed felt Yaki was one of the best New Afrikan theoreticians to be mentored by and gave me his contact information and encouraged me to contact him. Due to Ahmed's encouragement I would contact Yaki and for many years we would have back and forth correspondence ‘insightful and rewarding’ theoretical exchanges through letters along with personal visits with him.
One of the important lessons I learned from Yaki’s mentoring was disciplined ‘study and struggle’ to gain ‘theoretical clarity’ about the ‘strengths and weaknesses’ of Black resistance movements against America’s racial oppression; that if we didn’t learn lessons from these weaknesses through 'reorientation' we are doomed to repeat them, just repeating failures.
As a political mentor Yaki emphasized not what to think but how to think 'analyze' dialectically. He highlighted that New Afrikan dialectical thinking is based on realizing that socioeconomic and natural phenomena contain inherent contradictions or tensions. Thinking dialectically is to know these opposing elements to arrive at a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of resolving a given contradiction inside ourselves, amongst New Afrikans, and the settler American empire.
Moreover, Yaki accentuated analyzing our political resistance efforts deeply with a panoramic perspective; from a wide and many-sided angle; not from a narrow-minded perspective; not blaming the oppressor for everything that goes wrong with us ‘external’ but engaging in self-criticism to look ‘inwardly’ at our own self-limiting, self-defeating, and self-destructive beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.
What I constantly remember about Yaki is his New Afrikan political reorganizing mantra “Rebuild to Win” through the discipline process of ‘Reorientation and Rectification’: of changing the focus or direction of something that’s ineffective to that which is effective; the act of offering an improvement to replace a mistake or wrongdoing; setting things right to make progress.
To decrease theoretical mediocrity and increase theoretical competency I've exposed Yaki's writings to upcoming younger New Afrikans the same way Ahmed introduced me to him so Yaki's legacy will continue. Indeed, for me every time I say “Rebuild to Win” it’s not only a ‘personal affirmation’ it’s also an affirming libation to the constant remembrance and recognition of Yaki.
Comrad Yaki, 'Thank-You' so much for your mentoring and above all thank you for your committed service to the New Afrikan Independence Movement (NAIM) – Ashe!
Comrad Yaki has made his transition to the Ancestral realm; clinched-fist salute to this New Afrikan Freedom-Fighter!
Yaki from my perspective was one the most important Black liberation ‘New Afikan’ theoreticians, from my perspective I would consider him the most important Black radical theoretician though he’s not as well-known as George Jackson who’s considered the most notable revolutionary writer and activist.
Yaki like George’s intellect was spawned and steeled in America’s racist prison cells. He turned his decades of confinement as a political prisoner into a time to theorize and a place to strategize, working to maintain connections between what was happening to Blacks inside prisons and what was happening to Black folks outside of them.
Yaki wrote to and for the oppressed Black ‘New Afrikan’ masses; he concentrated on developing revolutionary nationalist theory for cadre development so we could become better ‘more effective’ analytical and practical leaders in our struggle against neo-colonialism and settler-imperialism.
Yaki initiated publications like “Notes From A New Afrikan P.O.W.” and developed organizations like the “New Afrikan Prisoners Organization” from behind the walls of Illinois prisons where he spent almost forty years, on and off.
As a younger New Afrikan in the early 1980’s I was first introduced to Yaki’s writings by Ahmed Obafemi head of the New Afrikan Peoples Organization (NAPO) out of New York city, I was a member of NAPO’s Detroit chapter.
I had some significant one-on-one conversations with Ahmed regarding some weaknesses I had identified in the New Afrikan Independence Movement (NAIM).
One of those identified weaknesses was a mediocre level of theoretical development of New Afrikans I had encountered; he agreed in general and told me to write Atiba Shana 'Yaki' of the New Afrikan Prisoners Organization (NAPO) who was locked-down in Dixon, Illinois.
Ahmed felt Yaki was one of the best New Afrikan theoreticians to be mentored by and gave me his contact information and encouraged me to contact him. Due to Ahmed's encouragement I would contact Yaki and for many years we would have back and forth correspondence ‘insightful and rewarding’ theoretical exchanges through letters along with personal visits with him.
One of the important lessons I learned from Yaki’s mentoring was disciplined ‘study and struggle’ to gain ‘theoretical clarity’ about the ‘strengths and weaknesses’ of Black resistance movements against America’s racial oppression; that if we didn’t learn lessons from these weaknesses through 'reorientation' we are doomed to repeat them, just repeating failures.
As a political mentor Yaki emphasized not what to think but how to think 'analyze' dialectically. He highlighted that New Afrikan dialectical thinking is based on realizing that socioeconomic and natural phenomena contain inherent contradictions or tensions. Thinking dialectically is to know these opposing elements to arrive at a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of resolving a given contradiction inside ourselves, amongst New Afrikans, and the settler American empire.
Moreover, Yaki accentuated analyzing our political resistance efforts deeply with a panoramic perspective; from a wide and many-sided angle; not from a narrow-minded perspective; not blaming the oppressor for everything that goes wrong with us ‘external’ but engaging in self-criticism to look ‘inwardly’ at our own self-limiting, self-defeating, and self-destructive beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.
What I constantly remember about Yaki is his New Afrikan political reorganizing mantra “Rebuild to Win” through the discipline process of ‘Reorientation and Rectification’: of changing the focus or direction of something that’s ineffective to that which is effective; the act of offering an improvement to replace a mistake or wrongdoing; setting things right to make progress.
To decrease theoretical mediocrity and increase theoretical competency I've exposed Yaki's writings to upcoming younger New Afrikans the same way Ahmed introduced me to him so Yaki's legacy will continue. Indeed, for me every time I say “Rebuild to Win” it’s not only a ‘personal affirmation’ it’s also an affirming libation to the constant remembrance and recognition of Yaki.
Comrad Yaki, 'Thank-You' so much for your mentoring and above all thank you for your committed service to the New Afrikan Independence Movement (NAIM) – Ashe!