Obi Egbuna’s analysis on the night of January 16th gave a nod to both Pan-African icons and called on leaders of African countries, as well as Black leaders here, to heed the calls of disillusioned grassroots organizers and young people who’re tired of the fruitless fanfare around identity politics.
Those who knew Mama Hasinatu considered her youthful disposition to be one of a kind. Even as old age crept up on her, she continued reasoning with the young people and imparting words of wisdom.
Brave Afrikan men and women have told us time and time again to strip Ourselves of the American identity that’s doused in individualism, ethnocentricity, misogyny, and ignorance. It’s time that we follow that advice or perish in this contemporary fight and form our own Nation, politically, socially, and economically.
“Their space is to be open and honest like a barbershop. It’s symbolic and gives us a chance to gather those who don’t have anyone to spend Father’s Day with. It’s a way to start a great community tradition. "
In essence, defining African Liberation and making an honest assessment of our situation globally should be a perpetual process, especially for a group of people living in a world that propagandizes anti-Blackness in all forms of the mainstream media.
Not even torrential downpour in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro area could snuff out the drumbeat that connects people of African descent across the globe. Nor could it deter a small, but powerful, group of artists and activists from fulfilling their vision of enlightening others about the power of said drumbeat in uniting the African Diaspora.
It’s my hope that Black liberals, and any other group of Black people that has disdain for proponents of African-centered culture, get to embrace their African heritage. Knowledge of Self is a personal process that opens the door to more spiritually fulfilling professional opportunities and connectedness to African people that every Black person should have, even if they don’t feel like attending every study circle or healing circle in the world. In many cases, it also makes one more independently minded.
This begs the question of whether, by overtly celebrating and protecting my Blackness, I’m becoming a prisoner of the very box that I’m trying to escape. By solely organizing with Black people, am I participating in the race war that the Elites are creating from afar? By echoing my warrior ancestors’ call for a united African nation, am I just as evil as the white people who want to exterminate my race? These are real questions that often come from friends, colleagues, strangers, and whoever else asks about what some would consider my obsession with living Black.
This post, while not necessarily for the naysayers, lays out a course of action that I believe must be taken at the grassroots level if Black people are to eventually build the political, economic, and social autonomy that will prevent us from getting repeatedly used by the Democratic Party like a side piece in middle of the night.
AllEyesOnDC 