Faith in Action

It is with profound sorrow, that I regret to inform you that Pan-Africanist educator, historian, and psychologist, Dr. Asa Hilliard made his transition on Sunday, August 12, 2007 while in Egypt.  The African family, and in fact the world, has lost a giant of a man who devoted his life to liberation of African people.  According to his obituary, “Dr. Hilliard was in Egypt to deliver a keynote lecture at the annual conference of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilization (ASCAC), an organization he helped found.  He was also lecturing for a study trip led by Dr. Jeremiah Wright of Chicago.  The cause of death is attributed to complications from malaria.” 

I first gained knowledge of Dr. Hilliard while in seminary at Virginia Union University.  His book wasn’t a requirement for the class that I was in, but it was tucked away under the “Optional Reading” list.  I decided to get it because the title caught my eye: “SBA: The Reawakening the African Mind“.  It was a fascinating read that opened my eyes to how I was conditioned in the American European Educational System.  In grade school, I was socialized to embrace everything “White” and European as superior and everything Black and/or “African” as something of little to no significance.  (In fact, while it was a requirement for me to take European History and U.S. History in high school there was not even a class on African History - this despite the fact that the student population of the school was predominantlyAfrican American!)

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Yesterday, my wife and I celebrated the blessing of another year of marriage.  We’re still fresh out of the box - 3 years - but these 3 years have been amazing.  I married an incredible woman who is my best friend, my lover, my greatest supporter, my “amen” corner, my accountability partner, etc. etc.

She’s also the master gift giver.  She spends incredible amounts of time thinking about a gift that really matches the person.  If my wife is going to give you a gift - you know you’re going to really appreciate it.

For our first year anniversary she surprised me by arranging a personal visit with Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker and his wife.  We spent a life-changing 90 minutes with them and had lunch together at his home.  For our second year anniversary, we went more traditional and spent some time in Orlando, FL.  And yesterday - Lord have mercy….she did it again.

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I received a press release this morning in my inbox that attempts to give value to another resolution concerning genocide in Darfur.  In the document, Mikulski and Cardin provide passionate quotes about how important they feel it is for the U.S. and the global community to take action on the atrocities taking place there.

So why didn’t I feel better about this situation after reading the press release?  Perhaps because it’s just more talk without action.  I called Cardin’s office to make sure I was reading it right. I wanted clarity on whether or not the resolution had teeth or if it was somehow a substantive move by Congress that would mean positive change on the ground.

The female voice on the other end of the phone affirmed my fear.  The resolution is just a document for the record - not a document of action.

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I enjoyed a C-SPAN interview tonight featuring Randall Robinson, founder of TransAfrica, celebrated advocate for Africa, and noted author. 

His latest book entitled, An Unbroken Agony: Haiti, from Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President tells the story of the U.S. sponsored overthrow of democratically-elected president of Haiti, Jean-Berstrand Aristide in February 2004.

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Greetings Family,

Solvivaz Nation would like to invite the entire Afrikan Family to attend the SAVE MAARIFA FUNDRAISER this Saturday, April 21st at Sojourner Douglass College at 200 N. Central Ave. in the cafeteria. This is a special event to support Afrikan-centered Institutions.

Maarifa Shule is the only Afrikan-centered Independent School in Tubman City (Baltimore).   For more than 30 years Maarifa has nurtured and cultivated the minds of many Afrikan children. At this time Maarifa is in need of the financial support of everyone in the Afrikan community.

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“Think Globally - Act Locally”

 That’s the motto I live by when it comes to my personal activism and advocacy involvement. 

Many of you know that I have been raising my voice for the protection of the people of Darfur since learning what was going on a couple of years back.  I’ve attended rallies with my Young Clergy for Social Change colleagues; helped organize a Baltimore for Darfur event targeting the African American Faith community, preached sermons at my church, collected petitions, had articles published in local newspapers, and have been on radio shows trying to spread the word. 

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Mainstream media reports that about 100 Haitians reached Florida’s shores riding upon a “unseaworthy” sail boat yesterday.  The exhausted and dehydrated Haitians will be processed and returned to Haiti.  This is not the case for Cubans who launch out and brave the treacherous ocean determined to make it to American soil.  Cubans who arrive are allowed to stay in the United States under a policy known as “Wetfoot/Dryfoot“.

This 2000 Washington Times article points out the discrimination behind this Cold War policy well.  Referencing the then 6 year old Cuban boy, Elian Gonzales, who washed ashore with many other Cubans after their boat capsized, the author says:

“…if Elian Gonzalez were Haitian instead of Cuban, he would have been returned to Haiti immediately.”

What’s particularly interesting as well is that President Bill Clinton and Congress adopted legislation in 1998 that put Nicaraguan, Cuban, Guatemalann, and Salvadoran immigrants who had reached the United States before 1996 eligible for permanent residency or green cards.  Congress and Clinton excluded Haitians from these protective laws.  (and to think - some Black folks still want to call Clinton the first “Black” president - the man ignored genocide in Rwanda and kicked Haitians back out to sea, but some still love him because he played the saxophone on Arsenio Hall.)

Bottom line:  we need fair and just international policy that doesn’t reinforce racist immigration laws. 

The brothers and I had a spirited discussion about the immigration issue on a recent BrothaSpeak show.  Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0AfH8CfRo8]

Joe Madison is testifying for the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.  He drops stats, facts, and figures left and right.  While half of my brain is listening to him - the other half is trying to organize my thoughts and sound half way intelligent while testifying. 

Madison is done and Walter Fauntroy goes next.  Like a good preacher he makes a little joke before starting to warm up the crowd.  They chuckle and he proceeds. 

While he’s talking I get my stuff together.  I think I can pull this off impromptu style now.  It hits me in that moment that growing up in the Black Church prepared me for this.  All those times that I had to stand and welcome visitors, respond to the welcome, sing a lead on a song, or pray over the offering prepared me for speaking confidently in front of people.  Thank you Church! (I gotta give a nod to the Future Business Leaders of America Club in high school too.  Did I mention that I placed 2nd in the county in the Impromptu Speaking competition?)

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Now if that was the headline to the articles that detail yesterday’s airstrike by the United States in eastern African nation of Somalia; it just might get your attention.  But because mainstream “journalists” [can we still call them that?] are influenced by the will of the Administration; they put the label “terrorists” in the headline and that has come to have a numbing effect on the American public. 

It’s almost as if the general public has been conditioned to give the Administration a pass on whatever activity is set in motion toward “terrorist”.  In fact, even if the persons attacked or violated are just “suspected terrorists” - meaning there is no clear evidence that they really are involved in criminal behavior - they can still get it. 

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A couple of nights ago I watched Liberia: An Uncivil War; a documentary about the violence, unrest, and eventual and voluntary departure of President Charles Taylor from power in 2003. It really was an eye opening documentary. I realized while watching it that I missed this sad episode in human history because at the time “unamerican” media was inundating the public with corporate sponsored propaganda about the american invasion of Iraq.

Liberia, a country on the coast of Africa, is unique in all the world because it was manufactured by Quakers and others who thought that Africans enslaved in America would have a better shot at liberty if they were returned to Africa. Thus Liberia was born.

I’m going to buy the documentary and add it to my rapidly growing collection of thought-provoking DVD’s that I’m planning to use for a Film Series that I’m going to do this summer. So far, I ‘ve amassed such notable titles such as, The Untold Story of Emmett Till, Citizen King, Born into Brothels, and some lesser known titles such as Invisible Children and Schooling Baltimore Street. With the Liberia DVD, I’ll also probably purchase the Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price DVD.

I’ll try the Film Series at either a church or a small theater to test out the concept and see if there is an audience for these types of films and if things work out maybe I’ll expand it to a larger venue. We’ll see.

If anyone knows of any really good films (like Malcolm X, Rosewood, etc.) or documentaries please let me know. Also, if any of you have ever organized a film series please give me some tips and advice. If you want to help me with this contact me through the form at the top and tell me how you can assist. (Don’t make me beg

Corporate media has its sights and has pointed its resources toward the “dummification” of the American public. Hopefully, this film series will help wake some people up.