Opinion Editorials, July 2007
|
|
An Open Letter to America : “Now is the time for us to stand up and stand together”
By Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr.
My Fellow Americans:
The power of our voices
against the
We have seen them
target Cpl. Adam Kokesh to stop him from exercising his freedom of speech,
after risking his life in
And now I have been
targeted.
Who am I?
Many of you know me as a reverend, an activist, an architect of Hip
Hop politics and a freedom fighter, but I am also an Officer in the United
States Air Force Reserve. I have
long been in the struggle for peace and freedom and I serve proudly as a
leader of faith. I joined the
military as part of the “poor peoples draft” – to help pay for my
education. In May 2000 I was
commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and was accepted
into the Chaplain Candidates program. In
2002 I graduated from Howard University School of Divinity, Magna Cum Laude.
I was ordained a Reverend and Elder in the
On March 26th
of this year I received notification from the Air Force that they are taking
action to honorably discharge me on the basis of “behavior clearly
inconsistent with the interest of national security.”
Ironically, this letter arrived six days after I announced the
launching of a national “Make Hip Hop Not War” Tour at a press
conference on Capitol Hill.
On July 12, 2007, when I leave Robbins Air Force Base after my discharge hearing, whether I remain an Officer or not, I will be a leader always, and a patriot evermore committed to ending this immoral war.
In February 2003 I felt
the sense of urgency many felt in the lead up to the invasion of
This moment in history
is our generation’s lunch-counter moment –
We will not make the
world safer – or achieve true national security – by starting wars that
put our humanity at risk and we are certainly not making our country safer
by intimidating veterans who courageously speak out.
Policies that address the issues of poverty, racism, climate change,
the economy and jobs are at the core of national security.
I will continue to speak out against the war, seek justice for
Katrina survivors, fight against racism, struggle for equality and advocate
for a healthy planet. I hardly
think that this sort of behavior is “inconsistent with the interest of
national security.”
My brothers and sisters,
Opposition to this illegal war and occupation is not a cause - it
constitutes a response to a state of emergency.
It is our urgent responsibility to stop this war.
According to the Book of Psalms, “Weeping may endure for a night,
but joy cometh in the morning.” I
know it looks bad now and our hope seems to wane and sometimes we want to
give up. But, if we can all come
together - black and white, brown and yellow, rich and poor, male and
female, straight and gay, republican and democrat - whether you still love
this country or are withdrawn in anger, not only can we defeat this war and
restore justice and democracy, there will once again be joy in the morning.
My
mother in the movement, Cindy Sheehan, will be with me on July 12th
at Robins Air Force Base in
For
Future Generations,
Rev.
Lennox Yearwood, Jr.
Rev.
Lennox Yearwood, Jr. is President of the Hip Hop Caucus.
Much needed donations to his legal defense fund can be made at:
Online
donations:
www.hiphopcaucus.org
Checks,
money orders or cash can be sent to:
Hip
Hop Caucus
You
can contact the Hip Hop Caucus at 202.787.5256 or at info@hiphopcaucus.org.
Please
visit iraqmoratorium.org, ivaw.org,
declarationofpeace.org, unitedforpeace.org
grassrootsamerica4us.org, worldcantwait.org,
votersforpeace.org, democracyrising.us,
codepink4peace.org, and impeachcheney.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
||||||
