Welcome to the Official Web Site of the KUUMBAReport Newsletter. In publication from 1997 to 2008, this activist-oriented, Afrikan-centered newsletter has been dedicated to tackling current issues and presenting them in a way to make the reader consider what they may think they know about key events. When events happen, we find information that we feel has been either hidden or poorly presented to the masses of the people. We then conduct background research and offer the reader a “different viewpoint” based on ancient Afrikan principles of Ma’at (truth, justice, righteousness, harmony, reciprocity, balance, compassion, order and propriety) and a primarily pan-Afrikanist viewpoint. Issues we have covered in detail include police brutality, political prisoners, economic vehicles, Afrikan-centered education, the death penalty, Indigenous peoples’ issues, and war. We strive to give a balanced picture of what is happening, recognizing the humanity of all participants, even those we criticize. We are also not averse to criticizing our own community and ourselves when it is necessary.
The original KUUMBAReport Newsletter was published by Kuumba Events and Communications from 1997 to 2011 over 43 issues. This Web Site was established to not only present the information in those Newsletters to a wider audience, but also to allow for better communication back and forth between those of us who are concerned about the course on which this world is headed, and to present opportunities for people of good will, particularly those who are concerned about the Afrikan Continent and its Diaspora, to ease the suffering of those among us who struggle against injustice. We recognize the central role the Afrikan Continent plays in this critical time. The continent on the planet with the richest store of natural resources is also the home of many of the world’s poorest people, as well as many of the worst-suffering populations on the planet. We hear about the objectives of the global community to bring “good governance” to Afrika and to “end corruption”, while at the same time those world bodies continue to support corporate control of Afrika’s natural resources and the rule of dictatorial “strongmen” at the expense of the people of Afrika, while her scattered children in the Diaspora continue to face rejection, oppression and exploitation around the globe.
The citizens of the world’s wealthier nations, often unaware of the role their governments play in the worsening state of the people of Afrika, South America, Asia and the rest of the “Global South”, are often stunned when they hear of the criticisms of their countries of citizenship, especially when that criticism is expressed through the hate-fueled actions of extremists (some of us call them “terrorists”). Why do they hate us?, they plaintively ask. Their governments never give them the true answer, preferring instead to feed them the lie that “they hate us for our freedoms”. We have always felt that people can learn to work for truth, justice and righteousness when they are given the truth to begin with and when they are empowered to seek righteousness in their everyday lives. Toward that end, we reported on a number of topics in the pages of KUUMBAReport not as some seasoned expert in the field or as a “professor preaching to the uninitiated masses” (which we certainly were not), but from the perspective of someone who had just learned something new, something we hadn’t known before, and who wanted to come to an understanding of what we were experiencing. It was all part of our own journey toward uncovering truth so that we could better understand our world and the people who live in it, and so that we could find our own path toward helping to make this often sad and broken world whole again. We hope to 
play a small part in helping our readers and visitors to find some of that truth, to work toward justice, and thus to experience true righteousness.
As part of our continuing effort to put our own words of Pan-Afrikan Unity into action, we are strong supporters of the current effort to unify the Pan-Afrikan Diaspora and to unify us with our Brothers and Sisters in Afrika. Toward that end, we are involved with several Pan-Afrikan organizations doing strong work in building, informing, organizing and unifying the Afrikan Diaspora, such as:
● The Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC), formed in 2006 to politically organize the grassroots Afrikan Diaspora to answer the African Union Initiative, an “invitation” from the African Union to the Afrikan Diaspora in 2003 to participate in “the building of the African Union.” There’s more information on the work of SRDC here, as well as on SRDC’s Web Site, www.srdcinternational.org.
● The Pan African Diaspora Union (PADU), an international “Super-Coalition” comprised of SRDC and a large and growing number of Pan-Afrikan organizations who maintain their own sovereignty and autonomy but who also choose to work together on issues of common concern, including the bringing together of the Pan-Afrikan Diaspora and Afrikan People in the Continent. More information on PADU, which is being updated regularly, can be found here and at the Web Site www.paduinternational.org.
● As a result of the organizing activity of SRDC, PADU, the African Union, UNIA-ACL, and a variety of other Pan-Afrikan organizations, a formalized voice has been established to bring the message of the combined Pan-Afrikan Diaspora in North America to the African Union. That organization, founded on Saturday, January 28, 2012, is the North American African Diaspora Unity Council (NAADUC). We will share announcements from that organization as they are made and as the organization grows and develops, including links to their Web Site when it is completed.
● The Harambee Radio Network, founded in 2004 by Baba Dalani Aamon, gave us an opportunity to reach the Cyberspace Family for the first time. The KUUMBARadio Report was broadcast every Sunday from mid-2005 to early 2011. During our six years of broadcasting, we discussed news from the Continent of Afrika as well as events affecting the Afrikan Community in the United States and elsewhere around the world. We also covered issues of activism, oppression, war and resistance. The Harambee Radio Web Site is www.harambeeradio.com.
KUUMBAReport was made available at several stores, offices and institutions in Tubman City (Baltimore, Maryland); Banneker City (Washington, DC); Richard Allen City (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); Wilmington, Delaware; Columbus, Ohio; Harlem, New York; New Orleans, Louisiana; Richmond, Virginia; Chicago, Illinois; and by mail subscription from 1997 to 2009. Articles that appeared in KUUMBAReport Newsletter are also available here at this site, as well as entire back-issues of the Newsletter as we are able to convert and upload them. We’re still putting some of the content of this site together but we will have the site fully up and running very shortly, so please bear with us.
If you’re looking for information on a specific subject that we may have covered in the pages of KUUMBAReport or on the KUUMBARadio Report, check out our Topics & Back Issues link.
There are lots of interesting Web Sites out there with tons of important information pertaining to Afrikan-Centered and Pan-Afrikanist news, events, organizing and commentary. We may not agree with e
verything they say, but we feel their points are important nonetheless. Often it is through opposing perspectives that we learn about each other and develop tolerance for those who are not the same as us. Toward that end, we’re putting together a Links Page to find more Web Sites you can visit and explore. But be warned: the Rabbit Hole goes deep, and with so much happening in the world and to Afrikan people, the fall can be pretty steep!
Finally, if you just want to tell us about ourselves, feel free to comment on any of our articles, blogs or anywhere on the site. We’re also including a Connect to Us page where you can tell us what you like (and don’t like) about our Web Site, and offer suggestions to us. Everything we offer here is out of love and respect to our readers, and we welcome all feedback as long as we can deal with each other in respect as human beings. It is this way that we grow.
On Page Two of every printed issue of KUUMBAReport Newsletter, we included the following Statement of Values:
“OUR PURPOSE is to educate the public and share ideas about community news, events, health and history. OUR VISION is an educated, organized and mobilized
populace committed to the principles of Ma’at (truth, justice, righteousness, harmony, reciprocity, balance, compassion, order and propriety) and the preservation of Afrikan, Indigenous and other world cultures promoting peace, unity, respect, and true freedom.”
We take that Statement of Values seriously. We are committed first and foremost to a principled, moralistic vision of Pan-Afrikan unity, self-determination and cooperation that is grounded in the Ancient Afrikan principles of Ma’at. This means that our activism is guided by a moral orientation that recognizes the right of all people to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. We are Afrikan first, but we embrace the worth of all people. We do not embrace racism, sexism, intolerance or xenophobia, but we also recognize that we are all imperfect and will sometimes say and do things that are incorrect or downright wrong. It is through sincerity, the casting off of ego and the willingness to atone and forgive that we progress as human beings. We are committed to truth and justice through which come true tolerance, harmony, peace and power for all that inhabit God’s Creation.
We invite you to dialog with us. Read and comment on our blogs. Or simply contact us at the following email.