In the event that they execute me, spread this message:
These men
parade me in front of you today
because they want my murder
to terrify you
into compliance
they want
the blood vessels erupting
and the last twitching of my body
the stare of emptiness
after I have left my flesh
to shock you into submission
because they fear you
because they know
that I am just
one
of you
and they are terrified of what
millions of you might do
if you remember
that you are free
and that the spirit that lives in me
the one that refuses to be subjugated
to be obedient
to be silent
once lived in you--
and may yet still
live in you
beaten and starved
and raped
but still there
still alive
they brought me here
to show you death
to horrify you into compliance
to convince you that the fight is over
and that that voice
inside of you is but a memory
and that the burning rage against the injustice
stirring inside your belly
is the passing dust of burnt out embers
Do not believe them
Witness my death and know
this is the disregard with which they hold you
This is how much they fear and hate you
and let the brutality of my murder
and the murder of your sisters
release you from the burden of decency
for they will not afford us decency
or liberty
or life
You must seize it.
And when I am dead,
do not be afraid
do not be abased
You are not alone.
Look to your left
look to your right
feel the hand behind you
hold the shoulder in front of you
I am there with you
She is there with you
Your sisters and brothers
are here with you
And they cannot kill us all
