Once a man is born, it is yet unknown what path awaits him, but every single choice he will make in his life will most likely be based on some reasons, unknown to others, and it is impossible to determine whether he is unjust or not without knowing them.
Hue Newton, the “public enemy number one”, as he comes across in the media, was found guilty and put in prison for the crimes that he committed during his war for rights. Being in jail, he was interviewed by Joy Johnson, who launched an article about that day. And his story begins not from the beginning of the interview, but from the approaching to the building, where Newton was held (Johnson p. 4). He describes Newton as a strong man, physically and mentally, what is seen in his words, actions and even movements.
Having only an hour, they started right from the point. Hue Newton starts with the explanation of why the revolution was needed. He is strongly persuaded that the war for civil rights is a natural continuation of the famous American Revolution. For him, it is essential and unstoppable. “You can jail a Revolutionary, but you can’t jail the Revolution” are his words, as he described himself in the whole picture.
To the initial question asked by Johnson about the blacks’ direction he admits that the traditional directions are valid no longer. He puts the new approaches in the heart of the evolution, which makes sense to me. A new collective philosophy must be created for achieving freedom. In my view, the right response should be the work on the cultural elevation of black society, reunion with whites, but I admire the depth of the given answer in the article.
Newton blames the over-expanded economy for the lack of investments in the country. He also criticizes the profit draining to America from other countries by means of Black Capitalism. But here he offers a solution – a nationalization of companies end enterprises with a proportional representation for blacks.
To the nation Huey Newton was represented as a violent and aggressive man. However, Johnson does not see any of that. He finds Huey a gentle and intelligent man, who fights for a higher purpose, for his people, not for himself. Answering the tactical disruption role, he explains on the history basis that once the peaceful methods are exhausted, people find other that prove themselves effective. As for himself, Newton says that he is against violence, but he advocates self-defense.
In his cell, he spends only four hours with visitors every day. The rest of the time he is left to himself. His status in prison is dismal for him after the refusal to work for the prison shops, and even talking to him other prisoners find risky. His life is said to be the unsuccessful one, yet he does not regard it this way. He even thanks his sentence for broadening his consciousness. He believes that people need not to place reality into ideology, but to derive one from another. Newton plans to arrange a free bus for prisoners’ relatives to have a chance to visit their imprisoned family members. After an hour has passed, Johnson feels a deep regret for inability to stay for longer, but the discipline takes its toll, and he has to leave.
I find the questions asked by Johnson rather reasonable, and the answers to them are really deep. Huey Newton makes an impression of an educated man who wishes to elevate blacks up to equality.