Letter to Terry Collins from Hugo "Yogi Bear" Pinell
11-2-2011
My Brother
Terry,
Best of
love and health to you and family. It's good to hear from you, always, even
thru the hard times because we can share & be solid company. Thank you, for
the kind words and for recognizing the great work of a few brothers in here,
from so long ago, who were really serious about liberation and the
transformation of self.
For me, it begins with the new W.L. in San Quentin in
March in 1967, because I remember the old W.L. in Soledad, in 1963-64, when he
was consistently messing up, as were most of us youngsters. Therefore, when the
new W.L. greeted me in San Quentin, and he was handing me some literature and
telling me about the Black Consciousness studies, The Self Reliant Principles
of living, the Black Liberation Movement and the building of the New Man, he
became my principal example because I noticed the positive and significant
changes in him. He used Malcolm as our primary example of self-transformation
and he felt that all of us brothers could make that same transformation, and
not talking about religion because that should be a conscientious personal
choice.
Yes, there
was the objective of converting the criminal mentality into a revolutionary
mentality, but that was only one phase of the self-transformation process, and
that's why brother Malcolm played a big role in our mode of transformation. San
Quentin was the best station in the CDC for black prisoners to get socially and
politically educated because we had some righteous brothers in the liberation
movement paving the way for us to learn, grow and really transform. We had
Muslim brothers receiving all kind of black literature and consciousness
material along with their religious material and they would share it with all
brothers interested in learning and changing. Also, by 1967, there were several
black organizations in the U.S. including the Panther Party in Oakland (1966)
and some brothers were receiving revolutionary and world history material from
some of these organizations and would share it.
All of that
literature was part of consciousness studies, our self-reliant principles of
living and self-transformation process. Most of us were very young, doing short
sentences (supposedly), had been thru the gladiator stations, Tracy and
Soledad, and the time and place was right for self change. We had the teachers,
examples, the literature, the means and the opportunities, so it was up to us,
how seriously devoted we would be toward real self-change. This was a
"Wake up"- "Grow up"-"Self transform "
-"Liberate" call and it was a voluntary thing, but to join the
liberation movement we had to understand the meaning of liberate and, to embark
on a commitment to freedom, we had to do away with old ways, old habits, f---d
up mentality, the club, homeboy set mentality and attitude.
It was in
the self-transformation process, according to our teachers. The New Man (a
lifetime building) represents constant growth. History teaches us how terribly
we were damaged and left to try and figure out, fit in a social structure in
which we would remain confined, controlled, limited and surviving in the
revolving doors. Therefore, our best way to become free again but for good this
time was and is the Malcolm self-evolvement way. Take as much control as
possible of our minds, our senses, our energies, our emotional and spiritual
powers and gradually create new selves. If we would have been self-transforming
for the last 60, 50 years, there would not be millions of new slaves today and
we would have the power to be making an impact and difference toward the
building of the New World. Millions of us would be feeling so personally free,
soo new and strong and proud and rewarding of the constant evolvement work we
put in over the years.
This is
what W.L. [Nolen] was emphasizing the most; self-transformation. We study, observe,
we learn and use everything that's positive, constructive, truly revolutionary
and compassionate to begin transforming, building anew while constantly doing
away with the old, like Malcolm kept growing. The wonderful thing is that we
were in control of these constant self changes and there is no time limit, but
we have to keep at it even if, sometimes we stagnate. Our new ways of living
become our freedom road and goal. If we grow tired, upset, afraid, stagnant, we
stay on that road and, then, keep on pushing and growing.
I'm telling
you how W.L. and the other great brothers were seeing things and realizing what
we had to do to get out of prisons and become human builders and difference
makers in the world. In the 50s, there weren't many brothers in the CDC and
they were getting victimized. Then, in the 60s, too many brothers were being
sent to the CDC and the teachers felt we had to change, get out, become
constructive and productive in society, while constantly transforming, and we
would not have to occupy the cells in the CDC.
Unfortunately,
my brother, more prisons were built, more brothers sent to these prisons and
hardly any new selves built? Something happened along the way. All I know is
that our teachers kept saying "no matter what, wherever we are, if we're
alive and able, we gotta keep pushing and growing. It's the only personal way
to continue our growth and become free." Malcolm and Martin kept on
pushing and evolving, in spite of the dangers and everything. You and Yuri and
Kiilu, on the streets, have continued to push and grow. Even if you have
stagnated, or get to feeling old (smile), you keep on pushing and are serving
the public, and being my good brother and friend. Thank you.
There is so
much I can share with you, but I wanted to give you a little passage of what
was going on in San Quentin, when I was transferred there from Soledad, in
March of 1967, and the great impact all that activity and new changes had on
me, specially meeting some dynamic brothers and teachers, and my best example
in W.L. I went thru some bumps and stagnation before I started putting it all
together and pushing on, but my foundation for change and struggle for freedom
began in S.Q. 1967. You can share this with Kiilu and whomever else. I hope your
family and you are doing well and in good health. Take care and stay in touch.
Let me know you received this.
Your
brother,
Hugo ____