n
this series, we'll take a look at some of these individuals in the New
York City Council. We begin with Paul Washington, Chief of Staff to
Council Member and mayoral candidate Charles Barron.
One of the wonderful things about Charles Barron is, he's never shy
about stating how much he respects his Chief of Staff and expressing his
gratitude to him. "Paul Washington is an intellectual giant who
hasn't really gotten his due," Barron said. "He's the intellectual
engine behind our ascension to political office. I don't know what I
would do without him at City Hall. He's responsible for a lot of
legislation that we've gotten passed and joined onto with other Council
Members. He keeps me on top of all my community work. He has a great
love for Black people, a consistent commitment to them and he's a very,
very close friend and advisor. There are very few moves I make without
his council."
Barron said, too, that from the planning of his inauguration which
brought the 'hood to the hall, to their trip to Zimbabwe and the
reception for President Mugabe in the Main Council Chamber, to the most
recent Juneteenth celebration which was Washington's concept - with all
of these things and many more it is Washington who puts them together
and makes them happen. Barron summed it all up, "He's one of the most
humble, hardworking and politically astute Chiefs of Staff one could
have."
Though
as Chief of Staff Paul Washington handles everything concerning
staffing, he is a legislator at heart. His interest is in creating
position papers on issues that affect the immediate community, the
entire city as well as the nation and the world. He agrees with Barron
that to be a true legislator you must be an elected activist, and, as
W.E.B Du Bois said, you can't call yourself an activist unless you have
an international scope and perspective.
Washington, who comes from a family of 14, began developing that
perspective early. One of his older brothers was the noted cultural
artist Kasisi Yusef Iman. A poet, writer, actor, singer and
revolutionary, throughout the 1960s he participated in the struggle for
the liberation of African people. "Yusef had a lot to do with me being
who I am," said Washington. "I give attribution to him for my being here
today."
Paul Washington became a member of the National Black United Front.
One of the organization's founders, Rev. Herbert Daughtry, recalled, "He
was my Chief of Security, though I knew that he really wanted more to be
in the political arena than to work as the security person. But that was
a part of his dedication - that is, do whatever must be done to achieve
the objective. He's one of the most committed persons in our struggle
and has been for years."
Washington is on the Board of Directors of the Brecht Forum, and a
member of the Black Radical Congress. He is a socialist who considers
himself a non-Western Marxist thinker, following in the tradition of
C.L.R. James, Frantz Fanon, Walter Rodney and Kwame Nkrumah. "To me
these are the paramount internationalists and pan Africanist thinkers;
activists who made significant contributions to the world-wide
liberation struggle of oppressed people and specifically African
people," he stated.
"I think that even though it's not popular here in America, it's
important that we try to strategize an anti-capitalist approach to the
delivery of goods and services," Washington continued. "I think
capitalism has been a failure no matter how much money is made in the
stock market and no matter what happened in Eastern Europe. There is
still a significant amount of people who are poor and oppressed. I still
believe in the adage, 'Workers of the world unite! You have nothing to
lose but your chains.' That's important to me."
Working within the City Council, Washington feels he's in a unique
position to help bring that sort of thinking and activism to our
political process, which is so filled with pragmatism. He believes in
what Frederick Douglass said, that a politician should be a philosopher
in action, and that's what he tries to do.
Clearly, the City Council has never been the same since Charles
Barron and his staff arrived. There is a new focus on obtaining the
respect that people of African ancestry deserve. A few of the
resolutions inspired by Paul Washington that have been introduced call
for a Paul Robeson Day, a Marcus Garvey Day, and a W.E.B. Du Bois Day.
Washington
also worked closely with Barron on the Queen Mother Moore Reparations
Resolution and a resolution dealing with racial discrimination in the
Department of Agriculture that caused Black farmers to lose thousands of
acres of land. He was also behind the resolution that will have a
hearing soon, dealing with African American men in the prison
population. The bill calls for funding allocated specifically for young
men of color in the 3rd to 6th grades, a period so
critical in terms of future growth and development. "If we don't catch
them then at that age, when they get into their teens it will be
difficult to put them on a positive path," Washington explained.
They have also introduced resolutions that caused quite an uproar -
such as the one calling for the freeing of political prisoners, and the
only truly even-handed resolution introduced on the subject of the
Palestinians and Israelis. Stated Washington, "You cannot say you're
grappling with world affairs unless you talk about what's going on in
the Middle East and how the United States has an unbalanced position and
policy in dealing with the Palestinian people."
Among the many sheroes who have inspired Paul Washington because they
have tread the path for Black liberation and the liberation of all
oppressed people are Phillis Wheatley, Sojourner Truth, Dr. Anna Julia
Cooper and Angela Davis. He said, too, "One of my sheroes is my wife,
the lovely Peggy Iman Washington, who is a financial analyst. She keeps
me inspired and informed about a number of issues."
Washington is also the father of six children. One of his daughters
is the popular spoken word artist, Tylibah.
Right now he is completing his Masters thesis at Empire State College
on African American philosophy where Prof. Rudy Cain is mentoring him.
He is also grateful to the distinguished Prof. John McClendon from Bates
College who is his role model for what a scholar/activist should be.
Washington is also doing genealogical research on his family roots in
Georgia and South Carolina.
As to his future, Paul Washington hopes one day to become an elected
activist because "I think I have something to offer, a unique approach
to empowering our community and bringing the correct delivery of goods
and services to it. One way to do that is through the electoral
process."
