Daniels was fired for a letter he wrote to Creative Loafing, a local alternative newspaper. In the letter, published in the October 10–16 edition of the paper, Daniels said, "I bristle when John Q. Public proclaims that as a result of September 11, we are, at the drop of a hat, 'all Americans.' For other African Americans and myself, these words ring hollow. Such words are indicative of a collective that for centuries has either been unable or unwilling to see the political oppression, economic exploitation, and social degradation endured by Blacks."

"It is an unmitigated affront for anyone to assume," Daniels wrote, "that the horrific events of one day will magically erase the personal and institutional racism that pervades the very fiber of the United States and thus make my new moniker American." He added, "The events of September 11 must serve as a clarion call that this nation's words and actions continue to touch people around the globe in ways that are humiliating, harmful, and deadly."

Harry Jones, Mecklenburg county manager and Daniels's boss, was prompted by an e-mail from County Commissioner Bill James to read the letter by Daniels. Jones responded to the commissioners with an e-mail saying that he planned "to have a serious discussion with Daniels later that day." In that meeting, Daniels told the Militant, Jones gave an ultimatum: "Resign by noon or you're fired by 3:00." Under this pressure, Daniels submitted his resignation by noon and was told to have all of his things out of his office by 5:00.

At the November 20 protest organized by the Coalition for Peace and Justice, 16 defenders of freedom of speech attended the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners meeting, many with their mouths taped shut in a symbolic gesture. Everyone held signs with slogans such as, "Rehire Ahmad Daniels" or "No freedom without freedom to write."

The reinstatement of Daniels was not a scheduled point on the agenda of the meeting, so several protesters spoke from the floor under the "public appearance" point. Coalition for Peace and Justice representative Steve Abraham called the actions against Daniels tantamount to censorship, and a violation of his First Amendment rights.

Adrian DeVore spoke in defense of Daniels's right to express his opinions as an African American. The final speaker, Naomi Craine, speaking on behalf of the Socialist Workers Party, voiced her support for the reinstatement of Ahmad Daniels. She also explained how the forced resignation of Daniels is part of the continuing war on workers' rights in the wake of the imperialist-led war in Afghanistan. She also pointed to other political firings, such as that of Michael Italie, recent Socialist Workers candidate for mayor of Miami.

Three local television stations as well as several newspapers covered the protest. Prior to the meeting the media lined up to film and ask questions of the protesters, who were delayed from joining the meeting so that they could answer all the questions from the press.

This is not the first time Daniels has come up against Jones or the commissioners. Last year Daniels attempted to change the name and objective of the minority affairs office to Human and Cultural Diversity, and expand its objective to include sexual orientation.

Later, Daniels had made plans to attend a United Nations–sponsored conference on racism held in South Africa as a representative of the Mecklenburg County Office of Minority Affairs. County manager Jones said the trip was not in the budget and made it clear that Daniels was not to attend under any circumstance.

Undeterred, Daniels financed the trip on his own. At the conference, Israel was heavily criticized for its treatment of the Palestinians as was the U.S. government for its unconditional support of Israel. Commissioner James may have summed up Ahmad Daniels's stint as minority affairs director best when he said, "I think Ahmad's inability to take no for an answer contributed to his lack of a harmonious working relationship" with county officials.

Recently Daniels attended a peace rally against the U.S. war in Afghanistan. A picture in the October 3 edition of Creative Loafing showed Daniels holding a sign that read: "International answer: act now to stop the war and end racism."

Daniels is not a newcomer to the defense of Black rights during wartime. His record dates back more than 30 years. A national campaign was waged in 1967 to overturn the military court-martial of Daniels and William Harvey on trumped up charges of mutiny. Daniels and Harvey, both Black marines, along with several others, decided they had a reasonable cause not to go fight in Vietnam and presented it to their commanding officer. The campaign was successful and the two were honorably discharged and compensated.

In the context of the current war, Daniels urged people to see "the importance of the First Amendment. This is not against Ahmad Daniels. It is bigger than me. It is bigger than Harry [Jones]. It is about keeping a system from encroaching on opinions that are not a part of it."  
 
 
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