Category Archives: The Ancestors’ Call

The Ancestors’ Call: Musician, Producer, Composer and Cultural Impresario Quincy Jones

Long before I embarked on a long and often frustrating part-time career as a mobile and club DJ, the music of Quincy Jones was a large part of my life, even if I didn’t realize it at first. Many of us were unaware of his influence on the sounds we heard as young people, from the soundtracks to Sanford & Son and Ironside to the Roots miniseries. We all knew about his genius in helming our introduction to The Brothers Johnson (Look Out for #1, Right On Time), the breakout albums Off The Wall (1979), Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987) for Michael Jackson and the We Are The World collaboration that spawned a number of similar collaborative efforts from R&B, Hip Hop, Pop and even Country artists, but fewer of us knew about his work with artists like Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington. More of us got to know his music from his own releases such as Sounds and Stuff Like That, The Dude and Back On The Block, but he already had a massive discography by then, even of his “solo” albums.

Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) joined the Honored Ancestors at the age of 91. Those of us who grew up on his music will remember him as “The Dude”, from his 1981 album of the same name.

No tribute I could write would do justice to the mountain of work he produced, and it would probably take far too long to compose such a tribute. I will settle, at this time, for a list of some of his accomplishments, along with the links to more information. The collaborative open-source online encyclopedia Wikipedia has a decent summary of his life, music, activism and accomplishments at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_Jones.

Quincy Jones’s Discography
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_Jones_production_discography)

Albums (Partial List)
Sounds and Stuff Like That
Mellow Madness
Roots Soundtrack
I Heard That!!
Back On The Block
The Dude
Q’s Jook Joint

Work as a Producer (A Very Much Partial List)
Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall and Thriller albums
The Brothers Johnson
Frank Sinatra
We Are The World

Collaborations
Cannonball Adderly
Herb Alpert
Ray Anthony
Herb Alpert
Harry Arnold
Patti Austin
Count Basie
Tony Bennett
Louis Armstrong
Brook Benton
Diahn Carroll
Betty Carter
Ray Charles
Art Farmer
Sammy Davis Jr.
Billy Eckstine
Ella Fitzgerald
Aretha Franklin
Lena Horne
Donny Hathaway
James Ingram
Bob James
Little Richard
Peggy Lee
Rufus & Chaka Khan
Sarah Vaughan
Dinah Washington

Television Soundtracks
(https://www.billboard.com/lists/quincy-jones-film-tv-scores-best)
In The Heat Of The Night (1967)
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)
The Italian Job (1967)
The Getaway (1972)
Ironside (1967)
The Pawnbroker (1964)
Sanford & Son (1973)
The Color Purple (1985)
In Cold Blood (1967)
The Roots Soundtrack (1977)

Rest in Power, New Ancestor Quincy Jones. Your immense contributions to Afrikan American culture, Pan Afrikan culture and the musical soundtrack of our lives will resonate long after your time here on earth. Your musical notes will continue to ring in our ears and in our collective consciousness, and we will be all the better for it.

“The Revolution Is Black Love” Pays Tribute to Frankie Beverly

“We broke into our regular programming” for a special tribute to Maze founder and leader Frankie Beverly, said Sis. Tomiko (Baltimore, Maryland), host of The R-evolution Is Black Love (Wednesdays at 3:00 PM Eastern Time, HandRadio, https://handradio.org).

New Ancestor Frankie Beverly transitioned to the Honored Ancestors on September 10 at the age of 77.

Sis. Tomiko included several special guests on her show:

Queen Coco from Kasual Konvo, heard on HandRadio
DJ Boscoe (North Carolina and New York City), also from Kasual Konvo
DJ Reezey (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) aka Rashaun Williams of the Philadelphia Reparations Task Force
Bro. Richard Good (Baltimore, Maryland), founder and CEO of HandRadio

Friday, September 20 is White Out Day for Frankie Beverly. Pop-up block parties for Frankie Beverly are happening on September 20 and later in cities such as Philadelphia, Alabama, New Orleans, etc.

Excerpts of songs by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly were played during the show.

The panel discussed Frankie Beverly’s importance to the Black Community, vibrations from his music that inspired feelings of togetherness and community, and the resultant role of Frankie Beverly as an institution, bringing the “Village Vibe” and “cookout music” that brought the people out to be with each other in a sense of community, demonstrating the power of music to heal and build a people.

The guests spoke of several Philadelphia music artists who embodied the spirit of “raw love” as Philly’s native son Frankie Beverly did, as well as his connection to Philadelphia predecessors, contemporaries and successors such as McFadden & Whitehead, Kindred the Family Soul, Kenny Gamble, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and other artists with Philly roots.

DJ Boscoe said: “Music can build and music can also destroy.” Gil Scott-Heron, Public Enemy, Def Jeff and others who brought positive messages in music were often silenced by our enemies.

Queen Coco stated that much of the “old school” music from artists such as Marvin Gaye and Frankie Beverly that embodied love has been largely silenced today; today’s messages, through the lyrics, speak of doing anything for money and self-promotion; there is a harmful effect of those messages on people internally. Bro. Richard noted that the record executives and labels are funding the promotion of these negative messages, using our young struggling artists who are trying to make a living to spread them.

The guests spoke of the infiltration of our community with negative music that is devoid of love and filled with imagery of killing and the effect it has on our children; some of us refuse to let them take the love out of the music, including DJs who refuse to play negative music in their sets. Frankie Beverly accepted the assignment from the Most High to spread the message of love to the people.

DJ Reezey pointed out that radio stations are paid by sponsors to play specific songs on the radio and thus control what DJs play on their stations; similarly, artists are required to write and perform certain songs for their albums and the artists allow this because they need the money to provide for themselves and their families. Many of the popular artists do not even control their own names. Frankie Beverly did not succumb to this control. He did not cede control of his name or his creativity, and sacrificed material gains and mainstream accolades for this. Sis. Tomiko noted that we must decide who we want to be, how we want to do what we do and who we want to speak to in these things, unapologetically.

DJ Reezey stated that we need more institutions that favor the Most High and understand who we are as God’s true children. Our enemies took our birthright, know who we are better than we do and swapped their legacy for ours. “We need to starve the beast.”

DJ Boscoe referenced fasting and purging the disease to help him deal with and ultimately overcome his own health challenges, and how it relates to our need to fast and purge our community of the diseased mindset that has too often infiltrated our institutions, such as our culture as expressed in music.

Sis. Tomiko noted that artists create and bring the message, and DJs are the “curators of our musical lives.”

Friday, September 20, White Our Day for Frankie Beverly, is the day to wear white in his honor and pump Frankie Beverly’s music all day and, as DJ Boscoe said, “move the planet out of its orbit.”

Sis. Tomiko closed out the program by noting that Frankie Beverly’s ultimate message may have been to love yourself, start the internal revolution and the larger revolution will occur, and that will be the Golden Time Of Day.

The R-evolution Is Black Love is heard every Wednesday at 3:00 PM Eastern Time (United States) on HandRadio (https://handradio.org). After broadcast, the show can be listened to below or on our Media Page.

The Ancestors’ Call: Three Mighty Cultural Icons, James Earl Jones, Frankie Beverly, Sergio Mendes

It is not often that the Cultural Community must endure the loss of three icons in the span of six days. That happened this week, when first Brazilian bossa nova and jazz-funk legend Sergio Mendes passed on to the Ancestors at 83 years of age on September 5 after a bout with long COVID, then it was announced on September 9 that James Earl Jones had transitioned at the age of 93, and finally, R&B legend Frankie Beverly, the founder and leader of Maze, left this mortal plane on September 10 at the age of just 77, shortly after announcing his retirement from performing and embarking on a farewell/thank-you tour.

No amount of praise can adequately convey the impact these giants had on the cultural landscape, particularly in the Afrikan American community. So we will simply give a brief summary of each, in the hope that this brief tribute will be found to be acceptable by our New Ancestors.

Sergio Mendes, February 11, 1941 – September 5, 2024

I remember listening to classic tracks from Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 on my father’s old stereo in the 1960s. Songs like “Fool On The Hill” and perhaps his most famous release, Jorge Ben’s “Mas Que Nada”, lit up the air in our house with their Afro-Brazilian rhythms and melodic vocals. “Mas Que Nada” would be covered and remixed by numerous Brazilian, Afrikan and World Beat artists, and Mendes himself issued a remix of the track in 2009 in collaboration with the Black Eyed Peas that reimagined the song in both Hip-House and Brazilian-House versions.

Wikipedia may occasionally be criticized because of the collaborative way in which it gathers and presents information, but in certain areas it is useful for providing summaries of important issues, and especially brief biographies of historical, political and cultural icons. Here is what Wikipedia had to say about Sergio Mendes:

Sérgio Santos Mendes (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈsɛʁʒju ˈsɐ̃tuz ˈmẽdʒis]; 11 February 1941 – 5 September 2024) was a Brazilian musician. His career took off with worldwide hits by his band Brasil ’66. He released 35 albums and was known for playing bossa nova, often mixed with funk. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2012 as a co-writer of “Real in Rio” from the animated film Rio.

Mendes was primarily known in the United States, where his albums were recorded and where most of his touring took place. He was married to Gracinha Leporace, who performed with him from the early 1970s. Mendes collaborated with many artists, including the Black Eyed Peas, with whom he re-recorded in 2006 a version of his 1966 breakthrough hit “Mas que Nada”.

James Earl Jones, January 27, 1931 – September 9, 2024

What Brother didn’t wish he could conjure a voice with the resonant baritone and gravitas of James Earl Jones? What Sister didn’t feel just a little flutter when he delivered his lines on stage and film? My first memory of seeing him in person (I only saw him twice as I can recall) was when I was in high school (I think) at a theater production of Othello in Washington, DC. The second time, my wife and I traveled to New York City in 2008 to catch the Broadway stage production of Tennessee Williams’s “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” which featured an all-Black cast of Mr. Jones, Phylicia Rashad, Giancarlo Esposito, Terence Howard (making his Broadway debut) and Anika Noni Rose.

Here is a brief summary of Mr. Jones’s bio from Wikipedia:

James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor known for his film roles and his work in theater. He was one of the few performers to achieve the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1985, and was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1992, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2002, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2009, and the Academy Honorary Award in 2011.

Born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, in 1931, he had a stutter since childhood. Jones said that poetry and acting helped him overcome the challenges of his disability. A pre-med major in college, he served in the United States Army during the Korean War before pursuing a career in acting. His deep voice was praised as a “stirring basso profondo that has lent gravel and gravitas” to his projects. Jones made his Broadway debut in the play Sunrise at Campobello (1957). He then gained prominence for acting in numerous productions with Shakespeare in the Park including Othello, Hamlet, Coriolanus, and King Lear. Jones worked steadily in theater, winning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as a boxer in The Great White Hope (1968), which he reprised in the 1970 film adaptation, earning him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.

Jones won his second Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as a working class father in August Wilson’s Fences (1987). He was a Tony award nominee for his roles as the husband in Ernest Thompson’s On Golden Pond (2005) about an aging couple, and as a former president in the Gore Vidal play The Best Man (2012). His other Broadway performances included Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2008), Driving Miss Daisy (2010–2011), You Can’t Take It with You (2014), and The Gin Game (2015–2016). He received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2017.

Jones made his film debut in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove (1964). He received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Claudine (1974). Jones gained international fame for his voice role as Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise, beginning with the original 1977 film. Jones’s other notable films include The Man (1972), Conan the Barbarian (1982), Matewan (1987), Coming to America (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Sneakers (1992), The Sandlot (1993), The Lion King (1994), and Cry, the Beloved Country (1995). On television, Jones received eight Primetime Emmy Awards nominations winning twice for his roles in thriller film Heat Wave (1990) and the crime series Gabriel’s Fire (1991). He also acted in Roots (1977), Jesus of Nazareth (1977), Picket Fences (1994), Homicide: Life on the Street (1997), and Everwood (2004).

Frankie Beverly, December 6, 1946 – September 10, 2024

How many of us didn’t wish we could sing like Frankie Beverly? How many times have we practically begged the DJ (I should know, I’ve been a DJ for over 40 years) to play “Before I Let Go” by Maze, even after Beyonce had released her cover of the iconic song? Maze and Frankie Beverly were a fixture from my college years in the late 1970s and early 1980s to the present day.

Wikipedia said about him in a brief update to their page upon his passing:

Frankie Beverly (born Howard Beverly, December 6, 1946 – September 10, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and producer, known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk band Maze.[1] Beverly formed Maze, originally called Raw Soul, in his hometown of Philadelphia in 1970. After a relocation to San Francisco and an introduction to Marvin Gaye, Maze went on to release nine Gold albums and create a large and devoted following. Beverly was the band’s writer, producer and lead singer. He was known for his distinctive smooth baritone voice and charismatic stage presence.

The song “Silky Soul”, from the 1989 album of the same name, was dedicated to the great Marvin Gaye, but the lyrics could just as easily apply to the great Frankie Beverly.

There was a man I knew
Who was smooth as smooth can be
His music his smile
And his sweet sweet melody
Do you recall that mentor
And the voice with the velvet touch
I’ll never forget how he moved us all so much

Do you remember
That special one that very special one
I do remember
How much he’s done
I can still here his sweet song

Silky silky soul singer (repeats)

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

Friday, September 22, 2023
Tribute to A Great Pan-Africanist: Her Excellency Ambassador Dr. Susan H.E. Alfred, President of the Ghana-Caribbean Chamber of Commerce (GCCC), May 1, 1969 – September 19, 2023
Prof. David L. Horne and Dr. Line Hilgros

“Through death, the family is not destroyed, it is transformed, it is just a part of it that goes into the invisible. Death is not an absence, because it remains a discreet presence.”
– Dr. Line Hilgros, SRDC-Guadeloupe

Prof. David L. Horne, founder of the organization SIXTH REGION DIASPORA CAUCUS (SRDC) of the USA, Central America, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana and all our members, learned with amazement and sorrow the passage towards the luminous summits of our dear friend Her Excellency Doctor Susan Hycenth Efe Alfred.

Guadeloupe-Martinique: ONE PEOPLE ONE NATION ONE GOAL

A great Trinidadian and Ghanaian by adoption has just added her name to the African pantheon of Pan-Africanist pioneers.

The SRDC would like to acclaim you for the legacy you have left us, and above all to thank you, because in all humility you have left the mark of your intelligence on the African world and its descendants.

As Ghana’s excellent ambassador for the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the African Union, you have helped to forge unfailing links between the two sides of the Atlantic, the world of Mother Africa and that of her deported children.

The SRDC would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to you as a woman of passion, conviction and determination, whose unshakeable will could not be swayed by any pressure, and whose beautiful creative soul, independent of all powers, had a clear vision for the development of our regions. The SRDC also remembers your courtesy, humility and savoir-être, filled with gratitude and love for our Mother Continent, all qualities that have made your aura reach far beyond the borders of your beloved country Trinidad and Tobago.

Your struggles and work to advance the Pan-African cause, and to build a bridge between Ghana, the Caribbean and, by extension, the Diaspora as a whole, made you an exceptional individual.

To be or not to be? said Shakespeare,

You chose to Be, by quietly building lasting relations between Ghana and its uprooted children, thus implementing the directives of the International Decade of People of African Descent, with the creation of the Chamber of Commerce whose objective is to link the Caribbean with Ghana. Together with your family and colleagues, we will strive to ensure that your legacy continues to flourish.

The SRDC would like to thank you once again for refocusing on the real issues at stake in the future of Ghana-Diaspora relations, with courage and determination.

The time has come for us to say goodbye and not farewell to our fabulous and charismatic comrade, following that fateful Tuesday 19 September 2023, when her luminous smile, a source of inspiration, was brutally snatched from our affection.

The SRDC salutes with love, strength, gratitude and sorrow the memory of our sister Her Excellency Dr. Susan H. E. Alfred who has just joined the circle of Great Ancestors.

And as you advance along the path of Light, we ask Mama Africa (Miriam Makeba) to sing the hymn of welcome to the Righteous of this world, of which you are now a part.

Ase! Ase! Ase! Asante sana

Condolences to the Alfred family and to the Honorable Members of the Ghana-Caribbean Chamber of Commerce (GCCC)!

Prof. David L. Horne, PhD
Founder of SRDC
Founder and Executive Director of Pan African Public Policy and Ethical Institute (PAPPEI)

“Black August: The Shakur Nation” on Africa 500, Wednesday, August 9, 2023

The Wednesday, August 9 edition of Africa 500 begins its celebration of Black August by taking a look at the legacy of the Shakur Family in “Black August: The Shakur Nation”. Show hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty welcome special guests Mama Efia Nwangaza and Dr. Kokayi Patterson.

Mama Efia Nwangaza

Bio: South Carolina based Human Rights Attorney. Founder and Director of Malcolm X Center for Self Determination – WMXP Community Radio, a Co-founder of National N’COBRA and Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, past co-chair of the National Jericho Movement to Free All Political Prisoners, member of the Black Belt Human Rights Coalition, member of Black Alliance for Peace, veteran of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and a proud daughter of Garveyites.

from the Web site https://www.wmxp955.org/staff-and-friends:

Efia Nwangaza, Founder

Efia Nwangaza is a lifelong civil/human rights activist and freedom fighter who first worked for the liberation of African/Black people as a child in her Garveyite parents’ apostolic faith church, in her birthplace of Norfolk, Virginia.

At age 13 years, she served as secretary of the Norfolk Branch of the NAACP Youth and College Chapter and, later in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania she fought police violence, worked in the successful NAACP led campaign to desegregate Girard College, “a school for poor white, male, orphans” which then sat in the heart of Black North Philadelphia.

Efia and her family helped raise money and collect clothes and food to send South for those evicted and persecuted for attempting and registering to vote.

She joined forces with returning SNCC volunteers to found the Northern Student Movement (NSM) Freedom Library Day School; featured in the Xerox sponsored Black History: Lost, Stolen or Strayed series.

Anxious to go into the heat of battle, Efia Nwangaza accepted a scholarship and attended Spelman College. She worked at the national SNCC office and took on campus organizing for the successful Julian Bond Special Election Campaign Committee/SNCC-Atlanta Project. The Atlanta Project, SNCC’s first attempt at urban organizing, began raising concerns of a maturing movement and demands of the day, self-determination and SNCC’s position on the US War in Vietnam (which it did before King and SCLC), Palestine, and the role of whites in the community and organization. Atlanta Project position papers became the theoretical underpinnings for SNCC programming, and advancement of the modern “black power” call popularized by Kwame Ture (FKA Stokely Carmichael).

Armed with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Visual Arts from Spelman College, Temple University’s first Master of Arts degree in Women’s History (African-African American), and Golden Gate University School of Law Juris Doctorate, she went to Greenville, South Carolina where she is known as a freedom fighter, legal precedent setter and the recipient of many awards.

Efia Nwangaza is the founder and Executive Director of the Afrikan-American Institute for Policy Studies and Planning and founding member and SC Coordinator for the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement for Self-Determination. She is the founder/coordinator of the WMXP-LP community-based radio, and a board member of Pacifica National Foundation, the nation’s oldest progressive radio network.

Efia is the former co-chair of the Jericho Movement for US Political Prisoners, represented the U.S. Human Rights Network’s Political Prisoner Working Group in observing the U.S. first appearance for UN Universal Periodic Review, in Geneva. She represented the National Conference of Black Lawyers in Aristide era Haiti, lectured at the UN Fourth World Conference on Women, NGO Forum, Beijing, China, and helped draft action plan for UN World Conference Against Racism.

She is an Amnesty International USA Human Rights Defender, and past member of the national Board of Directors for National Organization of Women (1990-1994) which launched the Every Woman NOW Campaign for President to force NOW to address internal white supremacy and elitism, African-American Institute for Research and Empowerment (1994-1996), South Carolina ACLU (1994-2000), and she was a 2004 Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in memoriam and education of voting rights/citizenship work and ethics of Fannie Lou Hammer, Mojeska Simpkins, and Septima Clark.

Taken from Invisible Giants: Coming Into View Volume II

Dr. Kokayi Patterson

from the LinkedIn page of Dr. Winston Kokayi Patterson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-winston-kokayi-patterson):

Dr. Winston Kokayi Patterson

Wholistic Health Practitioner, Co-Founder of The African Wholistic Health Association, Exec. Dir. of The Acudetox Specialist Collective

About

Prior to becoming an Acupuncture Detox Specialist in 1979, Kokayi Patterson was a Drug Counselor and Program Manager/Director specializing in Residential Treatment, Community Outreach, and Youth Counseling. For over 35 years, he witnessed acupuncture used since 1970 at a local Drug Center. He lectures in D.C., MD, VA, and nationally. At the Drug Center, he headed both staff & client orientation and training for 20 years.

The Legacy of the Shakur Family

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS: ‘An Amerikan Family’ traces the legacy of Tupac Shakur’s influential family, article by Tonya Mosley, Fresh Air, June 14, 2023:
https://www.npr.org/2023/06/14/1182123264/an-amerikan-family-traces-the-legacy-of-tupac-shakurs-influential-family

Article on the Web site of The New Republic by Keisha N. Blain, August 3, 2023: How the Shakurs Became One of America’s Most Influential Families; In a white supremacist society; the Black family offers a buffer and, at times, a space for resistance:
https://newrepublic.com/article/173319/shakurs-became-one-americas-influential-families

“Now all ancestors …. Looking at the lives of Dr. Mutulu Shakur, Afeni Shakur, and Tupac Shakur will be an entryway into their life’s work of resistance, commitment, and sacrifice and how to collectively reproduce this in families and children of the African collective in America” – Sis. Tomiko

If you weren’t able to hear the show in its usual Wednesday 3 PM slot, Hand Radio will rebroadcast the show on Thursday, August 10 at 3 PM (Eastern Time, United States). Or, listen to the recorded show below:

Africa 500 is broadcast every Wednesday at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) on Hand Radio (https://handradio.org). After the broadcast, the show is available in an update of this post and on the Audio-Visual Media Pages of KUUMBAReport (https://kuumbareport.com), KUUMBAEvents (https://kuumbaevents.com) and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (https://srdcinternational.org).

—
AFRICA500
Wednesdays @3pm EST.
https://handradio.org/
https://kuumbareport.com/
https://webuyblack.com
https://kweli.tv

Celebrating Black August

“The seed you plant in love, no matter how small, will grow into a mighty tree of refuge” – Afeni Shakur
“I believe in the sweat of love and in the fire of truth” – Assata Shakur

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.

His family writes on Facebook:

We are very sad to share that our father E. Oscar Brathwaite has passed on. Though we, and so many others, will miss him dearly, we are thankful for his life, love and all of his contributions both here and abroad. We celebrate him through good memories and recognition of his vision and his legacy. He is now with our ancestors and the Creator, and for that we are grateful.

Dr. Barryl Biekman of the African Union African Diaspora Sixth Region Facilitators’ Working Group and Tiye International in The Netherlands, writes in tribute:

May his soul rest in Peace & Power.

For those who do not know. Oscar is well known as one of our pioneers of PASEN on the development of African Centered Education methodology; active family member of the AUADS 6th Region developments; A Canadian authentic Pan Africanist; Human Rights Activist. Leader of the Canadian HR clinic and deeply involved in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) mission on the aspect of Reparatory Justice.

My heart cries Oscar but I’m happy too knowing too that you are now in good everlasting company with the Ancestors on whose shoulders you lived.

I’m thankful that I have learned much from you as my Grand Master Teacher, Elder on how to become a real dedicated passionate Pan Africanist.

I remember the lessons from you and Dr Khazriel about the difference between education and dedication. Like Dr. Tumenta and Professor Horne about the difference between PHD & PH-Do.

A big Applause for you Oscar

You won’t be dead until we’ve forgotten you. (And we shall not forget.)

Sister Barryl Biekman

Africa 500, Wednesday, May 10, 2023: Randall Robinson, An Ancestor Speaks

The Wednesday, May 10, 2023 edition of Africa 500 once again features a speech by recent Ancestor Randall Robinson. The April 26 edition featured a tribute to this Pan-Afrikan giant as show hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty welcomed Special Guests Mama Efia Nwangaza, Baba Francois N’Dengwe and Honorable Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis Dr. Terrance M. Drew. For that show, click here or visit our Media Page by clicking here.

This show will concentrate on one of Ancestor Robinson’s speeches, dealing with the issue of Reparations and related matters. Randall Robinson, in his own words. Rest In Power.

Africa 500 broadcasts every Wednesday at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) on Hand Radio (https://handradio.org). After the broadcast, the show can be listened to on an update of this post or on the Audio-Visual Media Pages of KUUMBAReport (https://kuumbareport.com), KUUMBAEvents (https://kuumbaevents.com) and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (https://srdcinternational.org).

Listen to the May 10, 2023 show here:

Africa 500, Wednesday, May 3, 2023: A Tribute to Attorney Alton H. Maddox (1945-2023)

The Wednesday, May 3 edition of Africa 500 pays tribute to the “Attorney At War”, Alton H. Maddox, Jr. (July 21, 1945 – April 23, 2023).

The following comes from the Ancestors’ Call post on Attorney Maddox, available here.

He was involved in several high-profile civil rights cases in the 1980’s. He was most often noted for his defense of Tawana Brawley during her rape allegations against New York police, but he also represented victims of police brutality and right-wing terrorism such as Michael Stewart, Michael Griffith, Cedric Sandiford and Yusuf Hawkins, and Michael Briscoe, who was wrongly accused in the Central Park Jogger case. He also represented activist and future media personality the Rev. Al Sharpton.

We have assembled a few articles that go into more detail on the life and significance of the “Attorney At War” and we’ve linked them below.

Alton H. Maddox, Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alton_H._Maddox_Jr.

Celebrating The Life Of Noted Civil Rights Attorney Alton H. Maddox, Jr.
by AJ Woodson, April 25, 2023
https://blackwestchester.com/celebrating-the-life-of-civil-rights-attorney-alton-h-maddox-jr/

Alton Maddox, Jr., the ‘People’s Lawyer’ and Attorney-at-War, dead at 77
New York Amsterdam News, “The Black View”
by AmNews Staff Reports, April 26, 2023
https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2023/04/26/alton-maddox-jr-the-peoples-lawyer-and-attorney-at-war-dead-at-77/

Africa 500 broadcasts every Wednesday at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) on Hand Radio (https://handradio.org). After the broadcast, the show can be listened to on an updated version of this post as well as the Media Pages of KUUMBAReport (https://kuumbareport.com), KUUMBAEvents (https://kuumbaevents.com) and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (https://srdcinternational.org).

Listen to the Wednesday, May 3 program here:

THE ANCESTORS’ CALL: Alton H. Maddox, Jr., “Attorney-At-War”

I was in attendance at the fifth State of the Black World Conference in Baltimore, Maryland when we learned of the passing to the Ancestors of the “Attorney At War”, Alton H. Maddox, Jr. (July 21, 1945 – April 23, 2023).

We have assembled a few articles that go into more detail on the life and significance of the “Attorney At War” and we’ve linked them below.

Alton H. Maddox, Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alton_H._Maddox_Jr.

THE ANCESTORS’ CALL: Harry Belafonte, The Epitome of Culture As Activism

The silky, melodic voice had given way to a gravelly baritone and the smooth danced steps had yielded to a walking cane many years ago, but Harry Belafonte was by then firmly established as not only an iconic musician, singer and performer, not only as a courageous champion of human rights, political prisoners and the Black Liberation Struggle, but also as a soothing voice of wisdom and reason in troubled times, who was unflinching in standing up for the downtrodden masses all over the world. Any tribute that we could offer will not do him justice, so here we will feature a brief excerpt from a biography of this great man and links to several articles and tributes that describe his global impact better than we ever could.

Harry Belafonte
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Belafonte

Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor and activist, who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s. Belafonte is one of the few performers to have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT), although he won the Oscar in a non-competitive category. He earned his career breakthrough with the album Calypso (1956), which was the first million-selling LP by a single artist.

Belafonte was best known for his recordings of “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)”, “Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)”, “Jamaica Farewell”, and “Mary’s Boy Child”. He recorded and performed in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards. He also starred in films such as Carmen Jones (1954), Island in the Sun (1957), Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), Buck and the Preacher (1972), and Uptown Saturday Night (1974). He made his final screen appearance in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman (2018).

Belafonte considered the actor, singer, and activist Paul Robeson a mentor, and he was a close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He was a vocal critic of the policies of the George W. Bush and Donald Trump administrations. Belafonte acted as the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for juvenile justice issues.

Belafonte won three Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy’s 6th Annual Governors Awards and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category. …

NBC News
Harry Belafonte put it all on the line for Black people: his career, his heart, his soul
Story by Curtis Bunn • April 26, 2023
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/harry-belafonte-put-it-all-on-the-line-for-black-people-his-career-his-heart-his-soul/ar-AA1aoa6Z

At the height of his illustrious entertainment career that spanned more than 70 years, Harry Belafonte risked it all for the good of Black people. On the stage or in the background, Belafonte supported the Civil Rights Movement in multiple ways, understanding that his involvement would impact his professional endeavors.

He didn’t care.

One of the many elements of Belafonte’s legacy, following his death Tuesday at 96, is that he always seemed to put his people first. …

Vulture.com
Harry Belafonte Dragged Us Into the Future
Story by Craig Jenkins
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/harry-belafonte-dragged-us-into-the-future/ar-AA1aoi1P

Recently, whenever some public figure steps in it, planting foot in mouth via untoward remark or questionable endorsement, a chorus of cynics appears suggesting that our frustration with this is our own fault, as if we’re trolling for trouble having standards for celebrities beyond their core fields of expertise. “Why should we look to [insert pop star] for nuanced commentary?” “Why do you want [insert comic or actor or athlete] to inform and not just entertain?” It’s easy. It happens! Dick Gregory existed. Nina Simone existed. Harry Belafonte existed. …

HuffPost
The Glaring Hole In Joe Biden’s Praise Of Harry Belafonte’s Life Of Activism
Story by Jennifer Bendery
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-glaring-hole-in-joe-bidens-praise-of-harry-belafontes-life-of-activism/ar-AA1anZzw