The Wednesday, September 16, 2020 edition of Africa400 examines the Freedom Georgia Initiative.  Hosts Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcomed guests Dr. Tabitha Ball and Mr. Greg Mullins of the Freedom Georgia Initiative.

Listen to the audio broadcast below, or visit our Media Page for this and other Africa400 shows, as well as other audio and video presentations.

Africa400 can be listened to live every Wednesday at 2:00 PM Eastern Time (United States on 1590 AM WFBR in Glen Burnie and Baltimore, Maryland (US).  It can also be listened to over the Internet on a variety of platforms, most notably https://tunein.com/radio/WFBR-1590AM-Baltimore-s29972/ and http://streema.com/radios/play/WFBR.  After the show airs, it can also be listened to on an updated version of this post as well as on our Media Page.

Listen to the September 16, 2020 broadcast here:

Editor’s Note: The Ujima Peoples Progress Party (UPP), under the leadership of Bro. Nnamdi Lumumba, has been organizing in the Baltimore, Maryland area for the past several years as they seek to establish a Black worker-led independent political party in the state of Maryland, and to inspire the building of a Black-led political party on the national level ion the United States. 

People of Afrikan descent in the US have found ourselves played off between a Democratic Party that speaks of equality, the right to protest, “Black Lives Matter” and Black political power but often ignores us and “takes us for granted” to support the corporate and political capitalist elites when concrete action is needed, and a Republican Party that makes claims to be the original anti-slavery “party of Lincoln” but, through its local and national policies of corporate welfare, defunding of social services, voter suppression and law-and-order repression, instead abuses us every day.  Both parties have historically pursued a global agenda of endless war and repression of people’s movements (including coups d’etat that often featured the murder and overthrow of elected leaders) to facilitate the stripping of the resources of other countries, again for the benefit of corporate and political capitalist elites.  The need for an independent political voice that truly represents the people is clear, and UPP has been working hard to develop and build that voice for Black people, starting in the state of Maryland.

The latest effort by UPP to connect the community with activists and thought leaders in the area of building independent political voices is their participation in and co-sponsorship of the “Break the Grip of the Two-Party System” Conference, to be held virtually on September 19-20.  This is being done as a cooperative effort with Labor and Community for an Independent Party (LCIP) and the Labor Fightback Network.

Ujima Peoples Progress Party Official Announcement of the
Break the Grip of the Two-Party System Conference
September 19-20, 2020

Sponsored by: Labor and Community for an Independent Party (LCIP), Ujima Peoples Progress Party (UPP), Labor Fightback Network

The Ujima People’s Progress Party is a co-sponsor for this important event. This online conference was initially planned to happen in Baltimore but due to the COVID-19 crisis was moved online.

This conference is a part of our overall work to win Black workers and other working class people away from the influence and support for the two imperialist-capitalist parties AND the influence of the neo-colonial stooges which serve the ruling class in liberal or conservative forms.

As independent Black political action has begun to consolidate its goals and organization in this era, the need for unions and other working class organizations to have a principled relationship to our movement has grown. This is a part of the process of us talking to other forces about how to properly work together.

Please register to attend one or more of these discussions, there are two specific panels that tie directly to the work of colonized peoples and our struggle for independence and national liberation. Comrade Nnamdi of Ujima will be a facilitator of one of these panels as well as comrade Khalid Raheem from Pittsburgh who leads the New Afrikan Independence Party work.

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEvcu2gqD0uGN0rcvUdae8EvdLYpfZUnhIx

See the call to action statement and more info below:

Call to the “Break the Grip of the Two-Party System” National Online Conference (September 19-20, 2020)

Millions of workers and youth have taken to the streets since police officers in Minneapolis assassinated George Floyd. Despite the COVID-19 restrictions, they took to the streets in ever-growing mass protests — forging an insurgent movement not seen in many decades — to demand an end to police terror and systemic racism. Enough is enough, they proclaimed.

In Oakland, Calif., on Juneteenth, a march organized by International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Locals 10 and 34 made a stop at the Oakland Police Department. Community activists, including former political prisoners, spoke about their experiences with the Oakland police. Thousands chanted, “No Justice, No Peace — No Racist Police!”

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage across the United States, a resurgent, fighting spirit has flared up among frontline workers deprived of protective gear and measures essential to ensure their safety and that of their families and broader communities. Their daily struggle has amplified the resistance of workers across the country — teachers, autoworkers, and others — who over the past few years have been fighting to take back their unions and fend off the bosses’ assault on their rights, wages, benefits, and working conditions.

In oppressed communities across the United States, the same fighting spirit continues to take on police brutality, mass incarceration (targeting Black and Brown people disproportionately), gentrification and evictions, environmental injustice, and attacks on immigrants. In many cases, these movements overlap and support each other.

With inequality skyrocketing, healthcare costs and student debt mounting, climate change roiling the planet, democratic and civil rights (especially voting rights) under increased assault, wages and benefits evaporating, as well as gentrification and the lack of affordable housing on the rise, a majority in the United States (57%) have called for a new independent political party. (Gallup Headlines, July 19, 2019)

Now the crisis confronting the working class and communities of the oppressed will deepen under the impact of the economic and social shutdown that has been imposed to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus. How will working people pay the accumulated debts from unpaid rent, mortgages and other loans, as well as costly utilities? Will we be confronted with the unacceptable choice of paying astronomical increases in healthcare insurance or losing coverage?

We know full well that it is the working class and communities of the oppressed who will bear the brunt of the corporate bailout – disguised as a stimulus package – as Democratic and Republican politicians declare that there are no more public funds available and as bosses maneuver to break union contracts and coerce the rollback of wages and benefits.

Unfortunately, most of the leaders of the trade unions and of many organizations representing oppressed nationalities remain to this day tied at the hip to the Democratic Party — a party that implements the permanent war agenda of global capitalism. This relationship is the number one obstacle to building working-class power and advancing the interests of the working class and all oppressed people.
A bolder worker fightback is essential.

New Openings for Independent Working-Class Politics

More than 700 leading labor and community activists have endorsed a Statement of Purpose — at the initiative of Labor and Community for an Independent Party (LCIP) — that calls for running independent labor-community candidates at the local and state level, as a step in the effort to build a new independent mass labor-based political party.

These candidates — mandated by local labor-community coalitions — are not limited to electoral politics; they must be fighting for the issues contained in their fightback platforms. This will help to cement the alliance between labor and the oppressed communities.

An important step has been taken to promote this orientation, with the convening of the “Break the Grip of the Two-Party System” regional conference on December 7, 2019, in Cleveland, OH, sponsored by the Labor Education and Arts Project (LEAP), in cooperation with the Labor Fightback Network (LFN), and LCIP.
In keeping with these developments, the LFN, the Ujima People’s Progress Party (a Black-led party based in Baltimore), and LCIP are convening an online national conference for independent working-class politics.

Such a national conference, of course, needs to incorporate the fight for independent Black working-class political action. Nnamdi Lumumba, convener of the Ujima People’s Progress Party, expressed well the articulation of the struggle for independent Black working-class politics and for a Labor-based party at the December “Break the Grip” conference in Cleveland, stating:

“We need to organize people around their own class interests and their own interests as nationally oppressed people. Helping to break the active or even passive support to the two capitalist, imperialist and white supremacist parties has been a fundamental goal of our efforts as the Ujima People’s Progress Party, as we seek to build a Black workers-led electoral party.

“While we support a national labor party that recognizes both the shared and independent struggles of oppressed and exploited workers on the job and in their communities, we affirm that nationally oppressed people have to center the discussion and self-organization around their own specific oppression. … Having said that, we need to create a mass-based working-class party that says capitalism does not serve you, imperialism does not serve you, and racism does not serve you.”

ILWU Local 10 retiree Clarence Thomas summed it up best when he noted that now is the time to point the way forward for independent working-class political action. “We have to strike while the iron is hot,” he stated.

If you agree with this call, please join us at the “Break the Grip of the Two-Party System” online conference on September 19-20. The conference Program Agenda is included below. The list of speakers will be sent out shortly.

Following is the registration link to the conference:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEvcu2gqD0uGN0rcvUdae8EvdLYpfZUnhIx

* * * * * * * * * * *

Break the Grip of the Two-Party System Program Agenda

Saturday, September 19, 2020 2 PM EST/11 AM PST

Introduction/Q&A: 2:00 -2:25 EST

LCIP Opening Panel Discussion/Q&A: 2:25-2:51 EST

BREAK: 2:51-3:10 EST

Intro to breakout rooms: 3:10-3:20 EST

First Breakout Sessions: 3:20-5:20 EST

a. Breakout room #1: Title: LCIP’s Relationship to Organizing with Working-Class Communities to Combat White Supremacy and End Systemic Racism

b. Breakout room #2: Title: LCIP’s Relationship to Migrant Workers and Immigrant Workers, Families, and Students

c. Breakout room #3: Title: LCIP’s Relationship to the Anti-war and Anti-imperialist movement(s)

Panel/Q&A Why We Endorse/Support LCIP: 5:20–5:50 EST

Overview of Sunday’s Program & Breakout Groups: 5:50-6:00 EST

Sunday, September 20, 2020 2 PM EST/11 AM PST

Introduction: 2:00 -2:15 EST

Second Breakout Sessions: 2:15-3:15 EST

a. Breakout room #4: LCIP’s Relationship to Independent Political Action and Defending the Right to Self-Determination for Oppressed Communities of Color

b. Breakout room #5: LCIP’s Relationship to the Women’s Right’s Movement

c. Breakout room #6: LCIP’s Relationship to the Labor Movement

Report back from Saturday Breakout Session 1 & recommendations to LCIP on how to proceed: 3:15-4:00 EST

BREAK: 4:00-4:15 EST

Report back from Sunday morning Breakout Sessions: 4:15-5:00 EST

Plenary session, Organizing LCIP Going Forward: 5:00-5:40 EST

Closing remarks: 5:40-6:00 EST

The Wednesday, September 9, 2020 edition of Africa400 discusses the upcoming Pan African Heritage World Museum (PAHWM) in Ghana and the topic of Unlearning and Relearning History. Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty’s guest is the Honorable Kojo Yankah, scholar, journalist, author, former member of Parliament in Ghana, and the Founder of the African University College of Communications and the Pan African Heritage World Museum (PAHWM) which will open in 2022.

The Web site for the future Pan-African Heritage World Museum is http://pahw.org. A promotional video for the Museum can be watched at https://youtu.be/t4Vgg8PZGcI.  An article about the Pan African Heritage World Museum can be read at https://www.chronicle.gm/a-past-reborn-the-pan-african-heritage-world-museum-and-our-renaissance/.

Mr. Yankah’s Web site is https://kojoyankah.net.

For the September 9, 2020 Africa400 Show, listen below or on our Media Page, where other Africa400 shows and other media presentations can be watched or listened to:

Once again, our community must deal with shocking and heartbreaking news. Of course, we find ourselves dealing with this sort of thing practically all the time, especially now in the Age of CoVID-19, but it still often comes as a shock when it happens to those we consider to be just now reaching what should be the prime of their lives. And we need to remember that, somewhere in the world, and in our community, we are forced to say goodbye to friends, comrades and loved ones every day. This is not to diminish the importance of any of those dear souls, only to make note of some who are known to the larger community, or at least should be, because of their community work or their contributions to humanity in one way or another that managed to touch so many of us.

We mention the unfortunate passing of former NBA star Clifford “Uncle Cliffy” Robinson, and many of us will give respectful remembrances for Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, the two White victims of 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse who were supporting the anti-police brutality protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake by police, and who apparently saw Rittenhouse as a threat to marchers and had attempted to restrain him.

This Ancestors’ Call goes, however, to two bright lights in the local Baltimore-Washington area, and a national, no, international beacon of Afrikan dignity, strength, genius and morality. Indeed, all three of these Brothers shined their respective lights on their local, national and global communities. One of them,  legendary college basketball Coach John Thompson, reached the age of Elderhood before departing us; the others, Baltimore area activist Bro. Charles Jackson and actor Chadwick Boseman, were taken from us in the prime of their lives, but have earned their places of honor.

Bro. Charles Jackson addresses the audience at a 2018 SRDC Pan-Afrikan Town Hall Meeting at the Arch Social Club in Baltimore.

Bro. Charles “Heru” Jackson

The Baltimore Pan-Afrikan Community was dealt another blow as August began to draw to a close. We had already lost West Baltimore community activist George Mitchell. This one, however, struck closer to home for two organizations with which I am affiliated. Our good friend and comrade Bro. Charles “Heru” Jackson transitioned to the Honored Ancestors after suffering a stroke and several complications that developed during his hospital stay.

Bro. Charles was a regular supporter of several Pan-Afrikan organizations in the Baltimore, Maryland area. He attended and supported several Pan-Afrikan Town Hall Meetings sponsored by the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC). He was a regular contributor to the Maryland Council of Elders (MCOE), attending regular meetings of the organization since its official founding in 2017. He was a regular presence at Afrikan Liberation Day, Garvey Day and community meetings sponsored by MCOE. He also participated in meetings to plan critical aspects of these events, from social media outreach to event program development. And his calming words and gentle smile could light up a room or calm a simmering argument with surprising ease.

His activism, and support of campaigns for truth and justice, applied to national efforts as well. When Bishop William Barber’s Poor People’s Campaign visited a West Baltimore church a couple of years ago, Bro. Charles invited me to come and hear the message. Even though Bishop Barber was not able to attend this meeting due to some unforeseen circumstances that prevented him from traveling to Maryland, the rest of his organization was there, and so was Bro. Charles. The church organization he worked with had arranged the visit by the Poor People’s Campaign. Bro. Charles demonstrated, as many others have before, that one could work for Pan-Afrikan liberation without falling into the rhetoric of anger and without neglecting the struggles of the downtrodden everywhere.

Bro. Charles Jackson, far left, with SRDC and MCOE members and other attendees at the 2018 SRDC International Summit at the Great Blacks In Wax Museum in Baltimore.

Bro. Charles finally departed from this earthly plane on the morning of August 27. He was 49 years old. I will miss our occasional phone conversations, discussions at organizational meetings and rides in my car. I will miss his insights, always delivered with a cheerful, encouraging attitude. Most of all, I will miss his friendship, and I have some regrets at not having taken the opportunity to deepen that friendship. Yet another builder, teacher and warrior gone too soon when we all thought we would have more time. Rest in Power, my friend.

Coach John Thompson

Word came down this past weekend of the passing of Coach John Thompson. He had learned and honed the philosophy of sound defensive basketball as a player, winning two NBA world championships with the Boston Celtics as the backup to Hall of Fame center Bill Russell. He became a legendary college basketball coach who made a reputation and transformed a college team as well as the entire Baltimore-Washington sports community based on his tough defensive philosophy. But he would be most appreciated for the impact he had on the young men he mentored on the Georgetown University basketball team. John Thompson took over a team that only won a handful of games each year and before long had turned it into a college basketball powerhouse.

He and star center Patrick Ewing would go to three NCAA Final Fours, two college championship games and win the NCAA National Championship in 1984. The players he would coach to college superstardom and Hall of Fame professional careers included Ewing, center Dikembe Mutombo, forward Alonzo Mourning and point guard Allen Iverson. Mourning would win an NBA championship with Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat. Ewing would become the mainstay of the New York Knicks, who he would take to the NBA Finals, and is the current coach at his college alma mater, Georgetown, a job he accepted after a recommendation and urging from former coach Thompson. Mutombo would establish himself as one of the greatest defensive players ever as well as a humanitarian and activist. Iverson would dominate in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers, transforming the point guard position into a scoring machine long before Golden State’s Stephen Curry would do it. At his Hall of Fame induction ceremony, he credited Thompson, who had stood by him when practically no one else would, with saving his life. And Thompson, the first Afrikan-American head coach to win a college national title, would transform the game of basketball with his emphasis on tough, physical defensive play and an insistence on education and character development as well as basketball skill. According to a report, even as he was leading his Georgetown teams to 24 consecutive post-season appearances, the graduation rate of Thompson’s four-year players was a whopping 97%.

He also demonstrated his commitment to principles when he walked off the court at the start of a game to protest Propositions 42 and 48, which restricted college basketball scholarships in a way that disadvantaged Black players especially (the dependence on SAT scores to determine scholarship eligibility was particularly problematic because of the test’s cultural biases). He also put his money (or, rather, his well-being) on the line when he met with then-notorious local drug kingpin Rayful Edmond III in 1989 to tell him to stay away from his players. Edmond reportedly never associated with Georgetown players again after that meeting.

John Thompson was a man who said what he meant, meant what he said, and backed it up with action. John Thompson joined the Honored Ancestors at 78 years of age.

The “Black Panther”, Chadwick Boseman

Some of us noticed him when he portrayed baseball legend Jackie Robinson in 42. Others recognized him when he was cast as NAACP lawyer and later Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. Most of us knew who he was after his star turn as the legendary James Brown in Get On Up. But all of us found ourselves overcome with pride and shouts of “Wakanda Forever!” after he brought to life the first Afrikan superhero, King T’Challa, in Black Panther.

Not having viewed that movie at least once became, for some, justification for the forfeiture of one’s “Black Card”. Personal and political arguments could be doused with reminiscences about how we felt at key moments of the film, or what the deeper points of the movie had inspired us to consider regarding our Afrikan pride and the responsibility to share our gifts with others. The crossed-arm salute would become our substitute for the handshakes and hugs that we have been required to forsake during the CoVID-19 crisis.

News of his passing on Friday, August 28 came as a shock to all of us. All, that is, except his family, his doctors, and those he had let into his close confidence. His heroic stature assumed greater significance when it was revealed that he had been fighting a personal war against Stage III, then Stage IV colon cancer over the last four years, filming most of the above iconic roles between surgeries and chemotherapy sessions. And, despite the physical toll these sessions must have taken (I have lost a brother-in-law and two close friends to cancer and knew what chemotherapy did to them physically), no one knew, not even director Spike Lee, who worked with Boseman on his final project, the recently-released Da 5 Bloods, mere months before the cancer would finally overtake him.

He was quoted as having said that he hoped when he stood before God he would have no more talent left, that he would have spent it all in the time he had. His torrid schedule, even in the face of such a deadly foe as cancer, is a testament to his commitment that he would not die with his music still inside him. He sang his song long, loud and proud up to the very end.

Needless to say, the expressions of shock and sympathy from the general public as well as the stars of Hollywood came in a flood. Family members of the historic figures he portrayed in film expressed their condolences and their appreciation of his career, most notably the family of Jackie Robinson. Most of us will be most impacted by his performance as T’Challa, the king of the fictional Afrikan nation of Wakanda, for the strong vision of Afrikan unity, Afrikan genius, and Afrikan leadership and morality he and the other actors portrayed. Many of us would become emotional when watching his seminal superhero movie. I imagine it will be much more the case now. A heartfelt Wakanda Salute to New Ancestor Chadwick Boseman, who left us at the shockingly young age of 43.

As the CoVID-19 coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the United States, infecting as of this writing over 5 million US citizens and killing over 160,000, communities across the country continue to struggle as businesses that were unable to weather the economic slowdown have closed, workers have lost their jobs and people have fallen behind with rent and mortgages, increasing the risk of evictions across the country.  The ineffectual efforts of national legislators in drafting new relief measures, with the expiration of the meager $600 payouts and a failure or refusal to renew the measures, have left many Americans in the lurch.  Unemployment has surged, and hunger threatens communities that once thought they were safe from the worst ravages of poverty.

In several cities across the United States, local governments have identified organizations, businesses and foundations that have donated to food drives, and community organizations have answered with independent charitable efforts, often teaming up to provide relief, however modest, for struggling communities.  Below are some of the announcements of efforts that have been launched in the Baltimore, Maryland area, from Baltimore City agencies, church foundations and community organizations.

Most of these food distribution events have specific dates and times.  Some are undated.  As we learn more about these events, we will do what we can to let our readers know about them.

The City of Baltimore announced several locations where free food distribution events are occurring, from churches, City schools, recreation centers and community organizations.

The Arch Social Club, located at 2426 Pennsylvania Avenue in the Penn-North Community, holds a food giveaway event on Thursday afternoons starting at 12 noon.  The club, like other establishments that held regular social events, was forced to close down during the height of the pandemic, but the dedication of the Brothers and several Sisters who provided invaluable assistance made sure the club was able to continue to serve as a beacon to the surrounding neighborhood.  Until the pandemic has been brought under control, the club has been forced to do what it can to provide assistance to the community as it prepares to resume operations once the pandemic has been defeated. 

Above, the Brothers of the Arch Social Club, the oldest current Black private social club in the United States, stand ready to reach out to the community, as many of them did during community walks every Monday evening before the pandemic struck.  Below, they are set up to distribute food to those who drive through for the Thursday afternoon food drive, and they are prepared with masks, gloves and guides to direct community members to ensure a smooth and safe event.

The food giveaway events below, from AgriHood Baltimore and Be More Green & the ICARRe Foundation, were not dated, so it might be prudent to contact them and ensure that these food giveaway events are still current.

There are other events happening across the City of Baltimore and elsewhere in the state of Maryland about which we are unaware.  But rest assured there are community organizations, local churches and even government officials who are making the effort to actually serve the struggling communities of this and other cities.  As we learn of them, we will post announcements about their programs so the people will know where to find assistance.  Contact us at cliff@kuumbareport.com if you know of food-distribution events that need to be brought to the people’s attention.

A sizeable contribution from the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC) National Secretariat has allowed the Summer Cultural Exchange Program to reduce the Tuition for the Virtual Summer Camp to $250.00 per student for the entire six-week Program.

This subsidy from SRDC has been provided to help ensure the availability of the Virtual Summer Camp Program for students in Afrika and the Diaspora who have been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic this summer.

The Registration Form for the Summer Camp may still be used to officially register students.

Questions about the Program may be directed to Mama Maisha Washington, Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC) and Maryland Council of Elders (MCOE) at maishawashington_865@hotmail.com.

The Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC) and Sehwah Liberia encourage concerned activists and members of the Global African Family to Contribute to our Inaugural Summer Cultural Exchange Program.

Registrations for the Program are currently being accepted. The Program is designed for high school students from Africa and the Diaspora who wish to learn about various aspects of the Global African Family and make connections with each other.

Donations are also graciously accepted. Online, the PayPal link https://paypal.me/srdcinternational?locale.x=en_US can be used for donations as well as for registrations and tuition payments.

Below is a brief description of the Program, which can be read in full on the websites https://kuumbareport.com and http://www.srdcinternational.org:

SRDC Announces the Summer Cultural Exchange Program Virtual Camp to benefit the Liberia Library Project
SRDC Summer Cultural Exchange Program
A Summer Camp in Support of the Liberia Library Project
Produced and Sponsored by Sehwah-Liberia and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC)

Overview

The Liberian Summer Cultural Exchange Program will recruit 84 high school students. This includes students born of families from different countries in Africa, and the descendants of kidnapped Africans in the Diaspora.

The students will learn the necessary skills to become specialists doing effective research in the area of their choice. The finished product will be utilized as exhibits in the 21st Century Liberian Library Project Facility.

This cultural interaction will broaden the students’ view and vision of Africa, leading to more effective communication, along with developing skills in project management, compromise/consensus, negotiation, decision making and problem solving.

The success and completion of the Pilot Summer Cultural Exchange Program will lead to a trip to Liberia for the students who complete this summer program successfully. They would then become a part of the first phase of building the Library in Monrovia, Liberia (scheduled for completion by the year 2027). The Library will be the cornerstone of information accessible to Africans around the world in search of our common history and culture.

For full details, visit the following posts, which include fillable Registration Forms and a PayPal link for registration and tuition fees:

https://kuumbareport.com/2020/06/16/srdc-announces-the-summer-cultural-exchange-program-virtual-camp-to-benefit-the-liberia-library-project/

http://srdcinternational.org/?p=3315

Detailed questions about the Program can be directed to Mama Maisha Washington at maishawashington_865@hotmail.com.

For a little background information on the work of Sehwah Liberia, check out this story about their recent Food Distribution Project for families in Liberia who are suffering from food insecurity as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The project was carried out by Sehwah Liberia with support from the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC):

https://kuumbareport.com/2020/06/18/sehwah-liberia-inc-and-srdc-report-on-covid-19-emergency-food-distribution-in-liberia/

http://srdcinternational.org/?p=3396

If you are not registering for the Summer Cultural Exchange Program (the Virtual Summer Camp) but would like to make a donation to SRDC’s effort, the same PayPal link can be used:

https://paypal.me/srdcinternational?locale.x=en_US

We are looking forward to a rewarding and successful Virtual Summer Camp. Proceeds will support SRDC and Sehwah Liberia’s program to build the first-ever Public Library serving the African nations of Liberia, Cote D’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Conakry.

SEHWAH LIBERIA Inc. &
Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus
REPORT
ON THE EMERGENCY RELIEF PROGRAM:
“COVID-19 FOOD DISTRIBUTION IN LIBERIA”
Prepared by: Louise W.M. Siaway
SEHWAH-Liberia
Tel #: +231 880445456/778541208
Email: louisesiaway@gmail.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: For the PDF version of this Report, with additional photographs depicting the Sehwah Food Distribution Effort, please click the link below:

Introduction

On 31 December 2019, a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown aetiology was reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. On 9 January 2020, China CDC reported a novel coronavirus as the causative agent of this outbreak, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Coronaviruses (COV) have been identified as human pathogens since the 1960’s. Coronaviruses infect humans and many other vertebrates. Illness in humans is mostly respiratory or gastrointestinal infections, however symptoms can range from the common cold to more severe lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia. A broad range of coronaviruses are found in bats, which might play a crucial role in the virus evolution of alpha- and beta-coronavirus lineages in particular. However, other animal species can also act as an intermediate host and reservoir. Zoonotic coronaviruses have emerged in recent years to cause human outbreaks, such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) since 2012.

Madam Louise Siaway of Sehwah speaks to community Elders in Liberia during the food distribution effort.

On the 10th of April 2020, the Government of Liberia declared a State of Emergency, coupled with a Nationwide Lockdown. In the wake of this State of Emergency, SEHWAH and its collaborating US based partner organization SRDC (Sixth Regions Diaspora Caucus) launched a food distribution drive to supplement the government’s efforts in providing food assistance to the needy people. This was necessary in order to alleviate the hardship and suffering which came as the result of the government’s stay at home order. While the government’s stay at home order is necessary to prevent the spread of the deadly pandemic, enforcing it was very problematic because the common complaint of many people was, “how can we survive if we cannot go out to look for our daily bread?”

In wealthy nations, governments provide stimulus relief packages to their citizens while they are told to stay home and practice social distancing. In Liberia, such a gesture from the government was not put in place and the economic hardship was creating problems among the citizens. As such, SEHWAH Liberia Inc. and its collaborating partner, SRDC joined together to launch the fund raising campaign in support of their food donation campaign. This campaign consisted of food and material distributions in various communities in Monrovia. This campaign mainly targeted the most vulnerable such as children, elderly men and women as well as the people living with disabilities.

Residents and activists meet during the food distribution effort.

According to Madam Louise Siaway, former Assistant Minister for Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Information and founder of SEHWAH, the recipients of the food donation have been very grateful and thankful to the SEHWAH-SRDC partnership for thinking about them in this time of serious health crisis and its adverse consequences. Along with the food, we also donated face masks as well as bottles of hand sanitizer

One Month and 6 Days of Food Distribution

The SEHWAH-SRDC food distribution initiative started on Saturday, April 17 and continued until May 23, 2020. We operated on the daily schedule from 9 a.m. to 2:00 pm, including weekends. We began with 100 50lbs bags of rice. The response to that initial distribution was so overwhelming and we saw the needs to continue. Along with rice, we also distributed hand sanitizers and face masks as well as carried out preventive health education along the way. Over this period of time, we served women with children, and people living with disabilities and elderly who are disproportionately affected by the state of emergency lockdown.

Impact on Food system

Local food systems are fragile in a country like Liberia. About 85 percent of the total workforce is from the informal sector, they include agricultural and other workers who entirely depend on daily wages as a mode of living. These vulnerable groups and their families are the hardest hit during these unprecedented times. Even though the sudden imposition of the countrywide lockdown was a wise move to contain the spread of the coronavirus, local food systems were disrupted. The fear of the virus spread faster than the virus itself, leading to the following consequences below. The worst part of the countrywide lockdown was that it coincided with the country’s rainy season and partial harvesting time of a variety of crops of the season. Vegetables and fruits were ripened and ready to pick. Following the lockdown declaration, temporary workers in cities had to leave to get back to their villages as surviving in the city without regular salaries was implausible. As transportation froze and sky rocketed, many people were left with no choice but to defy the curfew schedules. The most noteworthy thing was the exodus of local migrant from Montserrado to other rural areas of the country such as Nimba, Grand Bassa, River Cess, Lofa, Bong, Grand Gedeh, etc.

SEHWAH /SIXTH REGION DIASPORA CAUCUS INVOLVEMENT

SEHWAH/SRDC emergency food distribution imitative was principally intended as an emergency food assistance under an emergency condition. It was intended to complement the efforts of the government. In order to facilitate the food distribution, SEHWAH/SRDC engaged the services of many volunteers. These volunteers were very instrumental in the overall success of our mission. These mobilizations were made through community leaders who played the major role in our efforts.

Madam Louise Siaway and members of Sehwah and the COVID-19 Response Team talk with residents during the food distribution effort.

ACCOUNTABILITY

As the curfew hours are extended from 6:00Am-3:00PM to 6:00Am – 6:00PM, economic activities are gradually picking up. As such, our food distribution campaign came to an end on May 23, 2020. Our efforts were aided greatly by the fund raising campaign. We received donations from individual Liberians as well as the SRDC. Below is the breakdown of the total amount raised and how it was expended.

REACTION

The family head that received our relief items passed very positive comments. During distribution our team members interviewed a lot of affected people. The affected families appreciated our efforts as they received relief food items in timely manner. They said that SEHWAH Liberia/SRDC has selected genuinely affected and the poorest families who have no other alternative to provide food. Local people assisted our team members during distribution as they were satisfied with our beneficiary selection and quantity of food. Special emphasis was placed on the most affected families. We also involved volunteers from the local community to ensure that we identified real affected and poverty-stricken families. Local people gave us adequate cooperation in this regard.

Some of the bags of rice that were distributed along with other food items.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all those who contributed to the success of this project. We are thankful to the youths and leaders of the communities we served. We acknowledge with special gratitude the very important roles of SRDC in this effort to prevent the spread of the deadly pandemic as well as helping people with food donation. This symbolizes a genuine collaborative partnership between the Continental Africans and the African American communities. This truly indicates that we are working in the spirit of Pan Africanism as envisioned by our great leaders from Africa and the African diaspora. This project was a great opportunity and learning experience for us all, coupled with experience on the current situation and condition of Corona Virus and the adverse impact on the economy and the lives of the people of Liberia.

The elation and gratification of this project will be incomplete without mentioning and thanking all the people who helped to make it possible. Their supports and encouragements were very crucial in this endeavor. They are the two SEHWAH representatives in the US, Mr. Kalifala Donzo -SEHWAH’s Outreach Coordinator and Mr. Nvasekie Konneh -SEHWAH’s Public Affairs Coordinator. It was Mr. Donzo who suggested the idea. Having said that, I will like to reiterate that our success with this campaign would not have been possible without our collaborating partnership with Sixth Regions Diaspora Caucus (SRDC). This project should only motivate us to continue our discussion on the Library and other important projects we are hoping to carry on. We also like to extend gratitude to the Liberian media, both print and electronic.

It’s always an amazing experience to work with people from diverse backgrounds. At last but not the least I am thankful to all SEHWAH team and friends who helped and encouraged us to move forward with the project.

We are thankful to my family for giving encouragement, enthusiasm and invaluable assistance of $1500.00 to complete this food distribution projects.

Hon. Senator Prince Y. Johnson, for the use of his pickup two times to get to the rice store.
Mr. Amos Togba for use of his Jeep to delivered on Saturday April 18 and 19.
Mr. Abraham Donzo for the use of pickup for delivers from April 19 to May 23rd, 2020.
Thomas Togba who input our daily beneficiaries’ data
Sermah Salassane head of youth that mapped the areas before delivery.
Mrs. Victoria Kuma Richards who helped hand out the food
Mrs. Pauline M. Korkor who helped hand out other items
Ms. Mulbah who helped hand out food