The first edition of The AllEyesOnDC Think Tank Series for 2020 featured the D.C. Pan-African Council of Elders, a collective of elder Pan-Africanists from some of the prominent organizations in the D.C. metropolitan area who help set the tone for how the community conducts itself in matters of affirming our cultural identity and furthering the cause of self-determination.

This program proved very essential in our ongoing discussions around Pan-African Federalism, and the need for a global Pan-African government that reflects our desire to return to the ancient customs and traditions that guaranteed our collective longevity. As we enter the next decade of the 21st century, we keep in mind many of the elders who have transitioned to the ancestral realm, as well as those who continue to impart knowledge and wisdom about the direction of our liberation struggle.

We do so knowing that those elders had set the foundation for much of what we enjoy, and often take for granted, including but not limited to: our annual Kwanzaa celebrations and the bevy of African-centered institutions that have allowed us to divest from the dominant power structure. At this juncture in our fight for total liberation, not only are we out organized by the powers that be, but our communities are fractured. The author of this write up sees this as a sign that we haven’t learned from our elders, nor have we taken into account the pitfalls that previous generations encountered in their attempts to practice self-determination.

In this video, we attempt to understand where we dropped the ball as a global community, not to lay blame, but to plan for a future in which we are no longer beholden to our colonizers, but to each other and our African nationhood. This program also retierated the need for the Pan-African community to make more of its presence known in Black communities across the world, especially since our people are in despair for lack of knowledge.

I’m of the mindset that we need intergenerational healing where both all parties involved, the elders in particular, embrace some of the changes in the world and make an attempt to connect with the young ones who’ve grown disillusioned.  For the youth, I wholly recommend that we continue to study the work of our elders, and apply it in our fight for self-determination.  Total control of our resources and way of life has, and should always be the goal.  This is the time to be radical in our approach, and we can do it.

As always, questions and comments about this content is totally welcomed. Until next time.