Justice For Our Lost Children
Donate a nickel, donate a dime
Whatever you can just take the time
Make it a quarter, a dollar or two
Whatever you can is what you can do
Yalani "Mighty Born" Chinyamurindi was victim of the epidemic of homicides of young African American males. A foundation is being set up with big goals and the need to address this genocide. To advance our cause we are sharing the words of Yalani, and the comforting words of his City College Instructor, with a copy of a letter sent to Yalani's mother,
Sala-Haquekyah Chandler
In memory of my beloved son, Yalani Chinyamurindi. His life will not be forgotten and his legacy will be told. His name will be left with the blessed. Yalani Chinyamurindi Mighty Born, In Yalani We Trust Foundation. These are his words:
My name is Yalani Chinyamurindi from San Francisco, California. I am an 18-year-old male and a freshman in the San Francisco City College Gateway Program. For the last couple of years I have been focused on laying down a foundation for my future. I practice my talents as much as possible. I write music, dance, act and entertain. My goals and/or career aspirations are being a music artist, an actor, a proud father, a CEO of my own business and a well renowned mind. I don’t mind writing even though my writing skills are a bit immature, but my ability to express myself makes up for the skills that I lack. I feel that the beauty in writing is the self-expression. In some areas people can’t express themselves, so having the ability to express myself in different ways is a big experience in my life that stands out to me personally.
As a reader, I feel that understanding the mindset of a person comes with hearing their thoughts word by word. The ability to understand a mind is a key life skill and is very useful in your day-to-day experiences. One of the main issues in life that I think we should be paying attention to is the mental destruction of Black (so-called African American) culture. Life itself is a whole different experience in the eyes of the inner city Black youth. The problem is not money, nor is the problem ‘education.’ The problem is the lack of culture.
Now in these times the majority of Black people adapt to life, making their own culture. These cultures detract from the mental progression of Black youth, leaving them in a state of immaturity. This immature state leaves a mental blockage in Black men and females alike. These youth grow up in hostile areas with no fathers. These actions produce a product of the environment. Some ask how these events unfolded. Many people have different theories for how such a detrimental act could happen. The answer is that the ‘founding fathers’ of this country put such a harsh footprint into the African American race as a whole. For hundreds of years these acts have continued. Hundreds of years ago the founding fathers of this country took it upon themselves to be the oppressors of African culture – abducting Africans and taking them onto ships, collecting tribes and bringing them overseas. These humans were chained to the ship’s walls and left to sit in fear, hunger and feces. They then were taken to lands they had no idea about and of all things they had their language and culture stripped from them. In time they would be sold to white families around the United States of America. They removed mothers from daughters and fathers from sons. They brutally whooped men into a bloody pulp for using their language. This not only is the main part of the mental depression of Black culture as it is, but is a main part of white culture. Children would be hung, shot, stabbed and raped. If your child was beaten then raped then hung, you as a person would be mentally ‘fucked’ for being the parent of a child that was put into a position in such a manner.
This is just one major act of several major acts that left Black people as a culture in the state of mind that they are at today. This act is one of the most – if not the most – devastating acts of mankind."
Mr. Langmo's response to the letter of Yalani Chinyamurindi:
I am pretty quick to open up to my students from day one, but I usually do not get that kind of passion from students the first week of class. I told him I loved discussing social justice issues and that we were going to get along great. Usually I keep these letters for a year or so, for it makes things easier when they come back to me for a letter of recommendation. Yalani’s letter is now taped to my wall, and I will be thinking about you and him.
And finally, for one of our essays, the students had to write on heroes and whether the role of police officers and firefighters has been inflated. In the conclusion, they needed to write a paragraph about their unsung heroes.
Yalani wrote about you. He talked about all the great things you have done in your community, such as your one woman performance. I said, “She sounds like an amazing woman!” many times, and he always said, “I know!”
I had asked him if you had ever been to The Marsh on Valencia Street, since they specialize in one person theater productions. On numerous times we talked about how great it would be if the three of us could go to lunch.
I returned that essay to him, so I cannot pass along that last paragraph. If at some point you find his folder and that essay, please hold on to it and read that last page sometime. It was clear Yalani looked up to you and loved you very much.
In sympathy,
Tore Langmo, English Department, City College of San Francisco
Tore Langmo can be reached at the English Department, City College of San Francisco, Ocean Campus, 50 Phelan Ave., Box R226, San Francisco, CA 94112, [phone redacted] or [email redacted].
These homicides of a targeted group of young people must stop...We need your help building this foundation, in the memory of one of its victims, Yalani Chinyamurindi.
Have we ever stopped to think and ask this very question?
Who, by name, as a civil rights leader has been focused only to bring national and international awareness only on the indigenous boys and young men massacred on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. I ask you to stop for two moments at this time when reading these words.
Over 275,000 African American bits and girls although predominantly young boys have been executed with a bullet in the United States of America. I repeat, 275, 000 African American young men and women have been killed by a bullet since 1979.
To America this is common, meaning you have heard this over and over and over again, time after time after time. "Did you hear about Joe? He was killed the other day...Did you hear about Frank and John? They were shot on the corner yesterday...or how about the all the others, the honor student, the outstanding athlete, the baby killed in his crib in the crossfire. Or did you hear about the three youngsters killed in that car outside the corner store?
We have all heard this and as I said, it has become common and we have accepted it as a common everyday occurrences. It is not common! It is not acceptable and it must stop. We must not accept the deaths of young African Americans. We must not allow these losses to be tolerated.
Our purpose includes helping the mothers who are suffering the losses of their children. We will assist in any way possible with their needs. This assistance will expand to fathers and families, but the focus will be the mothers.
Thank you for your support and donations.
