Articles

African Union African Diaspora Sixth Region High Council Announces Official Launch and Constitution

After successful conferences in Addis Ababa (May 2022) and Maputo, Mozambique (July 2023), The African Union African Diaspora Sixth Region High Council was officially launched and its Constitution announced.  For a little detail on the founding of the High Council, its purpose and background on its founder, Dr. Barryl Biekman, click here.

The Ancestors’ Call
COINTELPRO political prisoner Edward Poindexter dies in Nebraska prison after 53 years serving life sentence following unfair trial

Michael Richardson has written extensively about the case of the “Omaha Two”, Wopashitwe Mondo Eyen we Langa (formerly David Rice) and Ed Poindexter, the Minister of Information and Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Fascism, an affiliate organization of the Black Panther Party.  Both men were convicted in 1970 of the suitcase-bomb murder of Omaha police officer Larry Minard based entirely on the testimony of a young man named Duane Peak, testimony which supporters believe was coerced.  Evidence in the case was contradictory and that which could have acquitted both men was suppressed, to the extent that the former governor of Nebraska later apologized for failing to help both men in their fight for justice and exoneration.  Both Baba Mondo and Baba Ed were targets of J. Edgar Hoover’s infamous Counter-Intelligence Program, otherwise known as COINTELPRO.

Baba Ed Poindexter died in the Nebraska State Penitentiary on December 7 at age 79.  Baba Mondo passed on to the Ancestors before him, in March 2016.  Mr. Richardson’s full article can be found at this link: COINTELPRO political prisoner Edward Poindexter dies in Nebraska prison after 53 years serving life sentence following unfair trial – Richardson Reports (wordpress.com).

Mr. Richardson’s full history of the Omaha Two is available in book form for those who want to read it.  FRAMED: J. Edgar Hoover, COINTELPRO and the Omaha Two Story is available on Amazon and eBook.  Portions of the book may be read free online at Northomahahistory.com. Patrons of the Omaha Public Library may read the book free of cost.  Ither writings by Mr. Richardson, including articles about the Omaha Two, can be found on his Web site, https://richardsonreports.wordpress.com.

 

Aging People in Prison Human Rights Campaign Holds Hearing at the Organization of American States on “Loss of Resources and Generational Mass Incarceration’s Impact on Black Women”

The Organization of American States (OAS) Inter America Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) held a hearing on Monday, November 6 to listen to a panel of legal, economic and health experts and actual victims of the Prison-Industrial Complex.  The hearing was called by the Aging People in Prison Human Rights Campaign (APP-HRC), which has fought for the release of those who are growing old behind prison walls, many but not all of whom were political prisoners from the years of United States persecution of civil rights and Black Power freedom fighters and activists.  The panel of experts gave gripping expert analysis and personal testimonies of the disastrous impact of mass and generational incarceration on Black women in the United States.  For the full report and links to the hearing video as well as background information on IACHR, APP-HRC and their work, click here.

 

Trying to Make Sense of the Israel-Palestine Conflict

We have gathered analyses from Heather Gray of Justice Initiative, several international columnists, and information from Wikipedia in an effort to make some sense of the current conflict between Israel and Palestine, which at the moment is more accurately described as a full-scale assault on the overwhelmingly civilian population of Gaza by the Israeli military.  We also briefly discuss some of the protest actions taking place in the United States and around the world.  This is by no means a comprehensive account, as the numbers of civilians killed in Gaza is tragically increasing by the hour and efforts by at least some international actors to stop the bloodshed are continuing, but it is our hope to bring a little bit of information to those who may not know where to begin to seek an understanding of the deep-seated historical, political, ideological and spiritual issues that have kept this region in turmoil for so long.  For the full article, click here.

 

SRDC 2023 Summit, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia, October 10-13

The Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC) holds its 15th Annual International Summit at Clark Atlanta University during the week of October 10-13.  The Summit continues SRDC’s theme of “21st Century Pan Africanism: Moving Africa Forward”.

Presenters will include Professor David L. Horne, SRDC’s International Facilitator and Director, and Honorable Madam Louise M. Siaway, founder, Executive Director and CEO of Sehwah Liberia, a civil-society organization and SRDC affiliate in Liberia.

Among the questions to be discussed at the Summit are:

  • What is the African Diaspora and where do we fit in?
  • Can we make a real difference in Africa?
  • What’s already happening and how can we get involved?

The 2023 SRDC International Summit is being run in cooperation with the 2023 HBCU Pan African Global Trade and Investment Conference (PAGTIC) which is being held concurrently with this Summit.  To learn more about PAGTIC, click here or visit their Web site, https://www.panafricanglobaltradeconference.com/.

To inquire about attending the 2023 SRDC International Summit, contact us at info@srdcinternational.org or cliff@kuumbareport.com.

The Ancestors’ Call: Dr. Susan Hycenth Efe ALFRED, May 1, 1969 – September 19, 2023

On September 19, 2023, the Pan-Afrikan World lost a stalwart organizer who worked tirelessly to forge connections between Mother Afrika and her Scattered Black Children, especially those in the Caribbean region.  Trinidadian-born Dr. Susan Hycenth Efe Alfred was the president of the Ghana-Caribbean Chamber of Commerce (GCCC) and built bridges between Ghana, the African Union and the people of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.  A tribute to her by Professor David L. Horne, founder and Director of SRDC, and Dr. Line Hilgros, SRDC-Guadeloupe, can be read here.

 

African Diaspora High Council Meets in Maputo, Mozambique

The African Union African Diaspora Sixth Region High Council (AUADS High Council), formed last May in the aftermath of the Roots-Synergy Roundtable that had been competed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia over the weekend of Africa Day/African Liberation Day, recently competed its second international meeting, the Roots-Synergy Roundtable in Maputo, Mozambique, from July 10-13, 2023.  For more on this development, click here.

 

Return to Panama City: Setting Up for Pan-Afrikan Organizing in Panama and Central America

Bro. Cliff, Editor of KUUMBAReport and Maryland State Facilitator of the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC), visited Panama City, Panama (for the second time) to help local activists conduct their first Pan Afrikan Urban Town Hall Meeting and establish an SRDC organization there.  Read about Bro. Cliff’s trip and the committed activists on the ground in Panama here.

 

The Permanent Forum of People of African Descent Meets for its Second Session in New York City

During the week of Tuesday, May 30 – Friday, June 2, the United Nations Building in New York City was the scene of the Second Session of the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent (PFPAD). The Permanent Forum was created after several international activists, including civil society advocates, had called for a standing committee to take actions in support of Afrikan People and People of Afrikan Descent that had heretofore not been within the authority of other United Nations bodies such as the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (WGEPAD).  For more on the PFPAD Session, including their Conclusions and Recommendations, as well as a few notes from the Editor, click here.

African Liberation Day 2023 in Baltimore: A Picture Essay


The Ancestors’ Call: Baba Oscar Brathwaite, SRDC-Toronto, Canada

On Monday, May 8, 2023, we learned of the passing to the Honored Ancestors of our dear Elder and comrade, Baba Oscar Brathwaite of Toronto, Canada.  A facilitator in the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC) since its founding in 2006, Baba Oscar had been fighting a number of health issues that had limited his activities over the last few years, but we were nonetheless shocked to learn of his passing.

Baba Oscar was known as a consummate educator, dedicated to the restoration and promotion of Afrikan-centered educational institutions, principles and practices.  We will share more information on Baba Oscar in the near future.  To read a couple of tributes to Baba Oscar, click here.

 

Tyre Nichols, Police Brutality and the Black Cop

Many of us were heavily traumatized by the graphic video of five Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols to death as he cried out for his mother. After years of recent high profile police killings of Afrikan Americans that started to gain worldwide attention with the killings of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Trayvon Martin and the resultant Movement for Black Lives, perhaps some of us had become numb to these atrocities. For those of you who became so inured to this that you fell asleep, here is your wake up call. Again. Continue reading …

 

SRDC and Sehwah-Liberia Inc. Announce the Maisha Washington Education Foundation Scholarship Fund

Sehwah-Liberia, Inc. and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC) are announcing the Maisha Washington Education Foundation Scholarship for high school students in Liberia.

The Scholarship Program represents part of SRDC’s continuing efforts to build bridges between the Pan-African Diaspora and the African Community on the Continent, and Sehwah-Liberia’s continuing commitment to lift up the people of Liberia as the country continues to rise up from decades of civil war.

The Scholarship Program is named after Mama Maisha Washington, who as a member of the Maryland SRDC Organization and the Maryland Council of Elders (MCOE) had led efforts to launch a successful 2020 Pan African Summer Camp in Liberia, administered and taught by teachers in Liberia and the United States.  Mama Maisha was also one of the leaders of the Pan-African Library Project, which will build the first-ever public library in Monrovia, Liberia, and which will primarily serve the countries of Liberia, Guinea-Conakry, Siera Leone and Cote D’Ivoire.

Mama Maisha transitioned to the Honored Ancestors in October 2020.  For more about the Scholarship Program and how you can support it with a tax-deductible donation via check or PayPal, check out our article, visit the SRDC post at https://srdcinternational.org/maisha-washington-education-foundation-scholarship-fund/ or the go to the Maisha Washington Education Foundation Web page at https://srdcinternational.org/scholarship/.

 

Bridging the Gap Between Ourselves (Our African Connection)

EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2021 International Summit of the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC) was held November 8-13 in Monrovia, Liberia.  SRDC is advancing its outreach to the Mother Continent through concrete projects and programs with grassroots organizations on the ground there, starting with the effort to build Liberia’s first public library and sponsoring the 2021 Summit in cooperation with the Liberian grassroots organization Sehwah-Liberia.  We invite our readers to enjoy this brief history of some of the connections between Africa and the Diaspora, specifically as they relate to the Republic of Liberia, from Baba Kumasi Palmer, SRDC-South Carolina Facilitator.

 

SRDC’s Pan African Library Book Donation Project

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post originally appeared on August 7, 2018 as “Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus Liberia Library Book Donation Project”.  This is an update of that article and a continuation of the Library Project.

Among the projects being developed by the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC), an Pan-Afrikan Diaspora organization dedicated to organizing the voice of the grassroots Pan-Afrikan Diaspora at the local level and merging them to take that voice to the World Stage through the African Union, United Nations and independent Afrikan Diaspora organizations, are a number of initiatives working toward the development of concrete institutions and services on the Afrikan Continent.  One of these is the Liberian Library Book Donation Project, being led by the South Carolina SRDC Organization and its State Facilitator, Mr. Joseph “Kumasi” Palmer.

As of this writing, there are no Public Libraries in Liberia, according to Mr. Palmer.  This comes as a surprise to many of us, partly because of our assumptions in the United States that a Library is so routine that we often ignore them, as well as the documented progress that Liberia has made since the removal of Charles Taylor as President in 2003 and the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as Afrika’s first woman head of state in 2006.  Mr. Palmer and several associates from South Carolina have met with Liberian officials to advance work on the development and supply of the first Public Library in Liberia.

This post includes the public letter that was released in August 2018 by the South Carolina SRDC Organization concerning the project and the criteria for donating books.  Contact information for the South Carolina SRDC Organization is also included in this post.  If you have gently used books that you would like to donate, please feel free to contact them to arrange your donation.  Contact information and more details are included in this post.

 

Help Us Develop an Independent, Black Political Party

“Chairman Fred Hampton was assassinated in his bed by the Chicago PD at 21 years old. At that time in 1969, Chicago’s City Council and Mayoralty were controlled by the local, post-Civil Rights, Democratic Party as it is today. In my opinion, Hampton was right and still is today: Integrating into a sick society and its sick political values hasn’t paid off in fifty one years. Fifty one years later, we still don’t even have enough equality to be killed by police and hospitals at the same rate as white people. Fifty one years later, the median net wealth of black households is trending toward $0 dollars. Fifty one years later, the Democratic National Convention rejected the Movement for Black Lives’ proposal of the Breathe Act while the largest civil rights demonstrations in US history were in full swing. (Joe Biden and Kamala Harris don’t support the Breathe Act either.) I think that continuing to subordinate the political demands of black people, indigenous people and working class people to the priorities of capitalist, primarily white political parties is likely going to make 2021 as catastrophic for black people as was 2020.”

Bro. Taji Amani makes an impassioned case for People of Afrikan Descent to break away from the traditional, binary politics that keep us caught between the broken promises of the Democratic Party and the outright hostility of the Republicans.  The Ujima Peoples Progress Party (UPP) offers us a choice: a Black Worker-Led Independent Political Party.  For his full essay, click here.

 

News from Afrika, the African Union and the United Nations on our NewsFeed

We now receive regular news and updates from a variety of sources related to African issues.  RSS Feeds from the African Union, United Nations and news service AllAfrica.com bring you the most recent news stories from Afrika and the World Stage.  Check out our Newsfeed Page for updates from these sources as well as links to AfricaFocus, Pambazuka News and other sources to stay updated on news of importance to Afrika and the Afrikan Diaspora.

 

US Militarization of Police Departments: Some History, by Justice Initiative

Justice Initiative, an Atlanta-based human rights and analysis group founded by Heather Gray, offers some historical context to the trend of militarization of police, including looking at the repressive roots of police paramilitary operations at home and abroad. For their full analysis, click here.

 

On Natural Disasters and Other Crises: It’s Time for a Real Response from the Pan-Afrikan Community

With an increasing number of hurricanes packing record-breaking intensity and wreaking catastrophic damage across the Caribbean and in the United States, particularly the devastation suffered by the people of The Bahamas over the Labor Day weekend, isn’t it time for Pan-Afrikan communities to move past the helplessness of “thoughts and prayers” and on to more concrete, cooperative, coordinated and unified strategies to put an end to the conditions that leave us vulnerable to disasters, massacres and official misdeeds? For some historical context and more commentary on this issue, click here.

 

Our Frustrating, Maddening Obsession

“The thing to do is to get organized. Stay separated and you will be exploited, you will be robbed, you will be killed. Get organized and you compel the world to respect you.”
–The Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey

The above statement is, in my opinion, perhaps the most profound comment I’ve ever heard or read from The Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL). More profound than “Africa for the Africans, those at home and those abroad.” More relevant than “Up you mighty race; you can accomplish what you will.” This is because while those other two statements are iconic in their own way, they are pronouncements that were designed to inspire, whereas that first quote is an analysis and a prescription for people of Afrikan Descent to free ourselves from bondage and oppression, and, unfortunately, one which too many of us continue to ignore. Too often, we rail against the discriminations and deprivations to which Afrikan people are subjected, but we also repeat, ad nauseam, the very behaviors of disunity that ensure that those discriminations and deprivations will continue without any comprehensive and effective challenge from us. Why are we so often obsessed with the empty behavior of complaint coupled with rejection of any organized and cooperative plan to put our collective misery to an end? For the entire commentary (or is it a rant? You be the judge), click here.

 

NYC Jericho and Universal Zulu Nation on Surviving Encounters with the Police

This article was both an announcement for a public event that was held Wednesday, July 5, 2017 in New York City and also a public service from the New York Jericho Movement and the Universal Zulu Nation. For this reason, this post will remain after the event because of the advice given on surviving encounters with police. The suggestions are designed to ensure that your rights in such an encounter are legally asserted while also minimizing the likelihood of being harmed by police officers. It is unfortunate, given the recent incidents of police brutality and the subsequent refusal, even by “juries of our peers”, to convict officers who were clearly incriminated by visual evidence, that this kind of advice is necessary, but it is an important service to help ensure that all of us, in the event of such an encounter, will at least survive long enough to answer charges of criminality as well as post claims of police misconduct or abuse in court. For the article with suggestions on surviving an encounter with police, click here.

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