Samaki: Unsung Heroes of Black August (Part 1/3)
Channel: Cell Block 2 City Block
Date: 13/07/2020

It is undisputed by all accounts that CDC(r) is the bedrock from which Black August stems from. However, it will be remiss of us to not acknowledge all the other countless acts that were committed by the people that were just as courageous, of the Afrikan diaspora, that were sentenced during this same time period.

Today, we are blessed to have with us, the oldest surviving member of that prison resistance movement, Terry “Samaki” Williams. Glad to see you, and he's gonna give us some insight into the prison resistance movement and Black August itself amongst other things.

But before we get into the crux of our interview, could you give us a little background on yourself? Where did you grow up and what sort of childhood did you have?

Samaki:
I grew up right here in Stockton, California. For the most part, my education was cut off at age 14. I was kicked out of school permanently. At age 14 in the eighth grade I was not allowed to go back to school in the state of California and my mother and father had differences of opinion as to how my education should go. So my mother was opposed to me going back south to go to school because, well, you know, we're talking about the 60s like ‘62, ‘63. My mother was opposed to me going back south and going to school. So for the most part I'm a product of this environment, out on the south side of Stockton, California. The streets, around the drugs, the
gambling shacks and that kind of thing. 

I went to the military when I got drafted at nineteen. The same year I went to the military, I also ended up in prison. I got in a shootout with the police in 1970 and I ended up going to prison. While in prison, I was blessed to meet the revolutionaries and it's been there for me ever since because my soul just resonates with that, you know, coming out of our motherland. And I stayed with that because that's where my education began. I don't have a formal education. Like I said, I never got past the eighth grade out here. So when I got in there, my education was through these brothers; taught me how to go back and read and write, get my GED, and of course, my learning my own history. By my own history, I mean my Afrikan history.

Shane Lester:
With all the horror stories associated with prison, what was it like when you were first there, were you afraid?

Samaki:
Nah, I was never afraid because I came directly from the Army, from basic training and in the Army into prison. I came physically, I was always pretty good with my hands so that part, I was never afraid. But I did come to prison at a time, there was only when I came to DVI (Tracy) in 1970, two Black correctional officers in the whole prison. And so we had that good ole boys network that was going on there and we were being oppressed. I mean, in a real way. I'm just talking about we faced real racism. Not like the subtle stuff that you see today. We've seen where brothers were beat down and gassed. I've been maced on more than one occasion myself. I've been in those strip cells. 

Back then they had what they call “strip cells”, they mean literally stripped down butt naked, no socks, no shorts, no nothing, and threw you in a cell with a cement slab, no mattress, no blanket, nothing. They, of course, as time went on, the law forbade them to continue that practice. But that was one they did have particularly for us who they considered to be a revolutionary element.

Shane Lester:
How are you able to make the transition from that “Old Man” mentality? I know we all come into prison, we all have a criminal mentality to an extent. How were you able to make that transition from that criminal man mentality to that of a New Man conscious mentality, basically came from
reactionary to revolutionary in a sense.

Samaki:
I think it came with consistency in my practice and practicing because we had back then in prison, we had these black culture classes where every Friday, we didn't have that what you see today, the Crip, Blood, those didn't even exist at the time. 

We had  revolutionary black culture classes and we would meet in the middle of the yard and it didn't matter what set you was from or what color you’re from or whatever. We would meet and have P.E. (political education) classes in the middle of the yard. See, I went to prison, knowing nothing about my history, and I came out of there being able to speak a different language. I came out of there, being able to talk about black history, religion, philosophy, and it all started on a prison yard. 

I didn't get it from the University of Pacific or Yale or Harvard, I got it from Afrikans who would meet me on the weight pile, and pull me away from the weight pile. “Let's finish. Let's go over here and have dialogue about your history, about getting these lessons done.” Before I could return back to the weight pile, I had to go over here with these elders and sit down and listen. And respectfully I had to sit down and listen because they had something to say@CellBlock2CityBlock