A dead man’s dream
by Carl Wendell Hines Jr.
Now that he is safely dead,
Let us praise him.
Build monuments to his glory.
Sing Hosannas to his name.
Dead men make such convenient heroes.
For they cannot rise to challenge the images
That we might fashion from their lives.
It is easier to build monuments
Than to build a better world.
So now that he is safely dead,
We, with eased consciences will
Teach our children that he was a great man,
Knowing that the cause for which he
Lived is still a cause
And the dream for which he died is still a dream.
A dead man’s dream.
The following report is by my young and brilliant niece, Brooklyn!
Brooklyn
Book Report
5th Grade
“The Assassination of Fred Hampton
My book report is about the Assassination of Fred Hampton by Jeffrey Haas. Fred Hampton was born and raised in a suburb in Summit Illinois, U.S., on August 30th 1948. He was an African American and a citizen of the U.S. He attended high school at Proviso East High School (1966). His occupation was an activist. He was also a member and revolutionary, chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, and deputy chairman of the national BPP.
According to Mr. Haas and People’s Law Office partners, including Flint Taylor, The Black Panther Party was targeted and members killed by police from Oakland, California to New Haven, Connecticut. The most extreme police action, supported by the FBI, was a carefully planned attack on a Black Panther apartment in Chicago with murder aforethought.
Fred Hampton, the Panthers 21-year-old Illinois Chairman, sedated in advance, asleep in bed with his 8-month pregnant love was shot in the head twice at point blank range. Another Panther, 18, from Peoria was killed and others seriously wounded including the young woman by Hampton’s side. The walls of the apartment looked like a sieve from bullet holes resulting from police gunfire. A civil lawsuit filed in 1970 resulted in a settlement of $1.85 million in 1982.
The Assassination of Fred Hampton is Haas’s personal account of how he and People’s Law Office partners, pursued Hampton’s assassins. They ultimately exposed the conspiracy between FBI agents carrying out FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s secret and deadly Counterintelligence Program and the Chicago Police that led to Hampton’s assassination.
I thought it was interesting that Mr. Hampton was campaigning for social change in hopes to change the world, yet he was beaten, tortured and killed by the police for his willingness to fight for justice. These incidents continue to happen. Not long ago, Rodney King, a black cab driver, was hit repeatedly by three officers after a high-speed chase. He could be seen being beaten by several officers. He was screaming due to the beatings that he was enduring. The beatings resulted in several broken bones.
The information in this book proves that there are some cops that have been abusing black people for a long time but very little is being done about it. Fred Hampton died December 4, 1965 at the age of (21). This was a very tragic event. Similar incidents are still happening today and activist are still campaigning for our rights. This book was written in honor of Fred Hampton. Fred Hampton Jr. is still leading on today.
In conclusion, I believe this is mandatory reading for those who love and believe.”
AND I SAY, LET’S NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DREAMERS ARE DEAD, WE MUST STRIKE WHILE THE IRON IS HOT!
The Time Tunnel 
Straight up truth and fire. Thank you for sharing.
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Fa Real Tareau! Thanks for dropping in.
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Oh anytime. She is an excellent writer and it’s great that she knows so much.
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Thanks she’s a very smart little girl. I hope we can encourage her to write more, she’s a natural, but like any other 6th grader, has other things on her mind than writing for some OLd blog. LOL!
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Hahahahahahahahaha. Man I wish I was that age again.
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Me too!😂😂😂😂
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What an amazing and factual poem. Your niece is amazing as well, I know you’re very proud of her.
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Right you are and yes, we’re all proud of her, from “Ron’s Mom” (Grandma ), on down.
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Thanks to all that are giving such complimentary comments to my granddaughter. As Ron says, at this age she thinks she has better things to do with her time. Lol! However, we won’t stop! We’ll continue to encourage.
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Thanks for sharing my 5th grade book report. My grandma and uncle Ron thought it to be a great time to share it with you. The written part was not the complete report. In an effort to make it more interesting, I created a bust of Mr.Hampton from clay dough. I felt my classmates would enjoy my report more if they had a visualization of him. I love Art.
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I wish I could have seen THAT!
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It seems you have more than a few talents! How clever of you to include a visual – and I’m in awe of your ability to create one yourself.
I’m sure it will take no urging for you to keep making art. I do hope you will keep writing as well, despite the many other things competing for focus and time.
If you write like this NOW, you will no doubt be able to change many hearts and minds with what you will write in the future. Our world needs voices like yours.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMore dot com)
– ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder –
“It takes a village to educate a world!”
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Thanks for the comments.
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Brooklyn, please follow your ‘dream’. I would love for you to realise that dream and I look forward to seeing ‘a bust’ of you sometime soon! Now that, I would enjoy!! :))
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Thank you Ms. Marie! I have all intentions of following and realizing my dreams. As for the “bust”, I am only 11years old. My project was made from clay dough and not exotic at all. You would probably feel as if it had no resemblance of a person. However, the effort that I made on my project was appreciated by my teacher! Thanks again for sharing my book report!
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Shocking, this corruption of power. I didn’t know this. N azis, by any other name are still N azis, just in hiding; sadly, still alive and kicking today… I hope things will change, this is not a right way to live.
Brooklyn, you’re very talented. Thank you for sharing your writing 🙂
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Thanks Oscar! Tell your six dogs hello for me.
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A great man, Martin Luther King, Jr. What he would have wanted, I think, above all else was a fair chance, a level playing field for children like your remarkable niece. Despite the presidency of Barack Obama, we are still a long way from that.
Until the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012, no list was maintained — state or federal — of the nationwide deathtoll of unarmed black men by police.
Don’t get me wrong. Society needs a functioning police force. The job of police officers is both dangerous and underappreciated. That, unfortunately, can lead to a bunker mentality. Chicago and Baltimore are the result.
Christ’s dream of brotherly love was, also, just a dream. It is for those of us here to continue the struggle, to carry that baton a little farther, to make that dream a reality. So that children like your niece can become more than a statistic.
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Absolutely! Well said and thanks Anna! The ball is in our court now!
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Just added you to my list of inspirational blogs. Keep ’em coming!
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Thanks Denzil, with God’s help and blessings, Im gonna keep pushing ahead. And with encouraging words like yours, of course!
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So sad and so very true. Great job.
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Miss Brooklyn, thank you for your reply. I know you are only 11 and when I say I hope to see a bust of you soon, I don’t mean like tomorrow lol. I know you are young, but I can wait ’til the day after that. Brooklyn, please excuse my joking around, but I hope to see a bust of you in time to come. You are an inspiration young lady and a credit to your lovely family. Wishing you all the best, Marie
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“It is easier to build monuments
Than to build a better world.”
Wow. Very true.
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Yes indeed.
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