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SAN QUENTIN: A Message to the Young & Old “Gs'”

Published

8 years ago

February 4, 2017

By Richard Wembe Johnson, San Quentin State Prison

It’s quite apparent that most of you have come to the conclusion that you have all the answers and have chosen a course that will either end with you in prison or in a cemetery.

Neither should ever be primary options, given that life can hold more for you than those two choices. The fact that I have spent the majority of life inside one institution or another, from Youth Authority to state and federal prison, I have a very clear perspective about what is truly important, rather than what was presumed to be meaningful at one time.

Now that I am older and called an O.G. (which has different meanings such as Old Gangster or Old Guard, Old Game, and, in some instances Old Geezer, and so forth), I know that no G tag will make me be.

The point is at one time I was considered to be a Young G, but the passage of time has transformed that reality. These labels tend to define us, both in and out of custody. We usually try to live up to these stereotypes or depictions, be what they are, with all their unproductive negativities.

For me it took life imprisonment to truly grasp how these acronyms curtail and hold back one’s full development. The essence of being that G is very costly, and more often than not it involves a very expensive price that most can’t comprehend until it is too late.

In prison, as in society, labels carry a stigma that places a spotlight on you that demands a role for you as an individual. Regardless of how connected you are to greater commitments, this labeling stigma doesn’t allow much flexibility for free thinking.

But rather one is reduced to a state of perfunctory acting and reacting like puppets, controlled by the dictates of labels.

You may think this is a new day. It is not – because there’s nothing new about violence, ignorance and irresponsibility. The only thing that has changed is the intense magnitude of it all.

At some point it is of vital importance for us all to outgrow the depiction and fiction of the G’s labeling and replace it with the personification of a wholesome manhood with no restriction: a manhood that defines you as a person with conviction, a human being, a man of substance, purpose and direction, not saddled with distractions.

My experiences have taught me that change is a product that can be freely obtained when it is desired. The hard part is seeing the need for it and then working to achieve it.

You’ve got to want it.

As for me, I remain a work in progress, in perpetual motion. And, as I write these thoughts on a daily basis, I am absorbed in constant introspection and reflections about what is right and pure.

For those who have read my columns, since I have been writing for the Post, you can observe how this experience has made me more aware and in touch with myself.

You also know that I am not a perfect person by any means. However, I’ve come to the distinct realization that it only takes an honest desire in order to make a change for the better.

So, whether you are an Old G or a Young G, the ultimate choice to be what you should be is yours, not someone else’s. No label should make you try to be what you shouldn’t be It will be you who will be paying the cost for that G tag now, or in the future, if there is to be one.

Take it from someone who knows. May you have a happy new year as we prepare to celebrate Black History Month.

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

5 days ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

Published

1 week ago

May 30, 2025

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Black Feminist Movement Mobilizes in Response to National Threats

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States.

Published

1 week ago

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Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
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More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States. The event, led by the organization Black Feminist Future, is headlined by activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis. Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, joined Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known to outline the mission and urgency behind the gathering, titled “Get Free.” “This is not just a conference to dress up and have a good time,” Hatcher said. “We’re building power to address the conditions that are putting our lives at risk—whether that’s policing, reproductive injustice, or economic inequality.” Hatcher pointed to issues such as rising evictions among Black families, the rollback of bodily autonomy laws, and the high cost of living as key drivers of the event’s agenda. “Our communities are facing premature death,” she said.

Workshops and plenaries will focus on direct action, policy advocacy, and practical organizing skills. Attendees will participate in training sessions that include how to resist evictions, organize around immigration enforcement, and disrupt systemic policies contributing to poverty and incarceration. “This is about fighting back,” Hatcher said. “We’re not conceding anything.” Hatcher addressed the persistent misconceptions about Black feminism, including the idea that it is a movement against men or families. “Black feminism is not a rejection of men,” she said. “It’s a rejection of patriarchy. Black men must be part of this struggle because patriarchy harms them too.” She also responded to claims that organizing around Black women’s issues weakens broader coalitions. “We don’t live single-issue lives,” Hatcher said. “Our blueprint is one that lifts all Black people.”

The conference will not be streamed virtually, but recaps and updates will be posted daily on Black Feminist Future’s YouTube channel and Instagram account. The event includes performances by Tank and the Bangas and honors longtime activists including Billy Avery, Erica Huggins, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. When asked how Black feminism helps families, Hatcher said the real threat to family stability is systemic oppression. “If we want to talk about strong Black families, we have to talk about mass incarceration, the income gap, and the systems that tear our families apart,” Hatcher said. “Black feminism gives us the tools to build and sustain healthy families—not just survive but thrive.”