I greet you here tonight in the name of Truth and in the cause of Justice. As human beings, our God-given purpose here on this planet is to seek and speak the truth and to stand for justice. Derwin Brown knew this, and lived this, and that is why we honor him here tonight.

From his early days as a student here at Malverne High School, Derwin Brown sought after the truth of black history and worked to have the truth incorporated into the school curriculum so that the students could be saved from the lies of white supremacy and develop a proper sense of self respect and pride in their own true identity. As an adult, he sought after the truth about America and he found brutal injustice, massive corruption and modern day racism. And as a police officer, he came upon his greatest revelation

-- he discovered and revealed the truth about incarceration. He understood and articulated how incarceration in America is designed to destroy black youth -- not to help them. He understood and articulated how incarceration in America is a modern day form of slavery. He understood and articulated how incarceration in America is a big business drawing profits on the backs of black men. Yes, he saw it clearly, and that is why we honor him -- for he had great understanding and knowledge and he freely shared his knowledge and understanding with others. He stood on the platform of truth and justice.

I come before you tonight with a message -- a message that it is not only incarceration that is destroying the youth. Incarceration is the end product. The destruction of the youth starts with the television and it starts with the schools and it starts with the unjust American economy -- for these are the things that lead so many to incarceration.

Anyone with a little sense ought to be able to figure out that we were not created by almighty God to sit in front of a television set watching other people living life. We are supposed to live life ourselves, not watch it pass us by. We are supposed to be active in our communities, we are supposed to be alive and involved in life. We are supposed to be creative, loving and active human beings. The tv is meant for one thing - to indoctrinate and make us zombies. TV is nothing but a drug - a brain-washing drug and it works hand in hand with the schools and with the unjust economy to mislead the people and steer the youth into behavior that leads to incarceration.

As far as tv is concerned, it is easy to see how this artificial medium corrupts the youth, but with the schools it is a little more difficult. But it becomes easy to see, when you consider that, after all the years of people agitating to have black history incorporated into the school curriculum, it still has not been done. Of course some will say that it has been done. And yes, some of the schools in the nation may now teach a smattering of black history here and there. They may teach about Martin Luther King, you know, casting him as a dreamer. They may teach about some of the black inventors, the black explorers, and about some of the ways of various African groups. They may include Malcolm X, Frederick Douglass, Marcus Garvey, and a few others. And they may dutifully have their black history month programs. But I guarantee to you that, when all is said and done, the students still believe in white supremacy when they graduate.

I ask you, How many black students graduate with a true sense of black pride? How many know that humans are by nature black, not white? How many know that the melanin in your skin plays an important role

in the functioning of the human brain and is present in everyone's DNA molecule? The Melanin in your skin is practically a divine substance. How many students know this?

And how many white students graduate with a respect for the intelligence of black people and appreciate the fact that America's wealth, and Europe's wealth, is from Africa and African labor both past and present, both here and abroad? How many whites know that they are living on your inheritance?

How many understand that the names of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and the other slave owning, Indian killing presidents should bring disgust to their hearts. I ask you, Do the names of these vicious murders bring disgust into your heart, revulsion into your soul? If not, why not? These slave masters and Indian killers should be despised by black and white alike -- yet our schools continue to teach us and our children to honor the slave masters and Indian killers and to look down on and despise their victims -- the black man and his family -- the Indian man and his family. Even to this day the black Mayor of Hempstead has a picture of George Washington on his official Village stationery.

How can black people have a proper sense of values, a proper sense of self respect when they honor those who bought and sold them, those who whipped and demoralized them? - How dare these schools continue to teach such false values. How dare they declare a holiday in honor of George Washington's birthday or Christopher Columbus' birthday. This is perverted nonsense, George Washington was a slave master, Christopher Columbus a cold blooded robber and mass murderer. The reason this nation celebrates the birthdays of mass murderers and slave masters is that such celebrations assist them in teaching the doctrine of white supremacy and in subtly endorsing the right of white folks to trample on blacks. It is nothing but white supremacy and it destroys the minds and hearts of many black youth who then try to be like these so-called heroes by trampling on other blacks themselves.

So don't be alarmed when black youth prey on you. That is what they are being taught to do -- because according to the school curriculum you just don't count. Your history doesn't matter and you have been placed on the planet to be exploited. That is the subliminal message that is being fed the children.

In addition, the schools have everyone thinking that America was founded as a democracy when, in fact, it was founded as a slave nation - a racist Indian killing, land thieving slave nation. Let's get it straight. It was not a democracy -- It was a demon -ocracy. We must be clear on these things because we need to tell the children the truth. To call it a democracy is an affront to black people, rendering them unequal and insignificant.

Now let's for a moment look at the economy. Some things are so obvious that they hardly need an explanation. But as Rev. Kirkpatrick often stated, "When one man's got a million and another ain't got a dime, that's when law and order is just another name for crime." This is a criminal economy and there are no two ways about it. Some people earn $5.15 an hour and some are running off with millions. The discrepancy in wages has totally gotten out of hand, it is at a criminal level and renders the promise of equal opportunity null and void. Everyone knows that poverty leads to crime and crime leads to incarceration. And the inequality falls most heavily in the black community -- it is being done purposely, it is deliberate and it is designed to re-enslave your youth.

I want to close by challenging you to open your eyes and understand what is really happening in America. And I want to reflect on and emphasize that one of Derwin's most important messages is that "It's okay to be good". This is such a wonderful statement, but it is truly a shame that it even has to be said. But the subliminal messages of the tv and the schools and the economy teach the children that it is smart to be bad, it's smart to cheat, it is clever to trick and deceive, and it is ok to trample on people and exploit them. It's time to throw out the tv, transform the schools and challenge this unjust economy. Our children must also be taught that being good does not mean being silent or polite or fading into the background; being good means being active, it means being assertive, it means actively standing up and speaking out for truth and justice. It means organizing. It means educating and activating others. It means admitting the truth. It means reaching out to the oppressed. It means being willing to stand even in the face of adversity and despair. If you are not active in the cause of justice, you are helping the enemy.

So let us act as Derwin did and push ourselves away from the table of the oppressor. Let us stop offering allegiance to a demon-ocracy, let us take control of the institutions that govern us; for as Derwin said, "If we don't have righteousness in government, we don't have good government." But let me add to that, if we don't have truth in the schools, we don't have good schools. If we don't have justice in the economy, we don't have a good economy.

In the name of Derwin Brown and all the great leaders who have gone before him, let us vow here tonight to become active in our communities, and to motivate others to do so also. Let us vow to demand justice in this godforsaken land and let us stand by the youth whether they be in Hempstead, Malverne, Lakeview or Freeport. Let us end the vicious cycle that is so cleverly designed to incarcerate and re-enslave them.

I thank you for your time and pray God that we will be guided to do his will and that he will allow us to be his instruments in renewing the face of the earth.

THE FREEDOM PRESS / Katherine M. Garry, Editor / Spring 2001