million - Blogs - TheBlackList Pub2024-03-28T21:12:01Zhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/millionWhy the Historic Women's March Was Controversial for Some Black Women - Atlanta Black Starhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/why-the-historic-women-s-march-was-controversial-for-some-black2017-01-27T00:30:00.000Z2017-01-27T00:30:00.000ZNana Baakan Agyiriwahhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/NanaBaakanAgyiriwah<div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align:left;"><div class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b5b-q1MixoM/WHOqPbj_SII/AAAAAAACjBA/KyUGrQCyv_UM2fM0uk0fkL3xAuxpAja0QCPcB/s1600/2016-04-04b%2BNana%2BBaakan-6.PNG" style="clear:left;float:left;margin-bottom:1em;margin-right:1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b5b-q1MixoM/WHOqPbj_SII/AAAAAAACjBA/KyUGrQCyv_UM2fM0uk0fkL3xAuxpAja0QCPcB/s320/2016-04-04b%2BNana%2BBaakan-6.PNG" width="130" alt="2016-04-04b%2BNana%2BBaakan-6.PNG" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align:left;">NB Commentary: <span style="font-weight:normal;">Sharing this article from Atlanta Black Star. A must read speaks to the disparity between the needs that vary between White and Black Feminism movements. <a href="http://nanas-rants.blogspot.com/2017/01/why-historic-womens-march-was.html" target="_blank">SOURCE</a></span></h3><h2 style="text-align:left;"></h2><h2 style="text-align:left;">Why the Historic Women's March Was Controversial for Some Black Women - Atlanta Black Star</h2><span style="color:#444444;font-family:'open sans';font-size:8.25pt;">By </span><span style="font-family:'open sans';font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://atlantablackstar.com/author/tanasia/" style="font-family:'open sans';">Tanasia Kenney</a> </span><span style="color:#444444;font-family:'open sans';"> - </span><span style="color:#444444;font-family:'open sans';">January </span><span style="color:#444444;font-family:'open sans';">24, 2017</span><br /><div style="font-family:Cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;"></div><div style="color:#222222;font-family:cambria;margin:0in;"><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2AfLrMRv9JE/WIqVATRKIbI/AAAAAAACjfQ/yWvg8WmkfEYBgNHBkR6JycDB2LXPAxWrgCLcB/s1600/WOC-e1485198077408-300x220.jpg" style="clear:left;float:left;margin-bottom:1em;margin-right:1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2AfLrMRv9JE/WIqVATRKIbI/AAAAAAACjfQ/yWvg8WmkfEYBgNHBkR6JycDB2LXPAxWrgCLcB/s400/WOC-e1485198077408-300x220.jpg" width="400" alt="WOC-e1485198077408-300x220.jpg" /></a></div>Just one day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, an estimated 470,000 people (and millions more across the United States and the world) flooded the streets of Washington, D.C., for the first Women’s March on Washington.</div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">Men, women and children — but mostly women — turned out for the historic march on Saturday, Jan. 21, to stand up for women’s rights but also to protest against newly inaugurated President Donald Trump, who made a series of overtly misogynistic remarks during his campaign.</div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">Millions ultimately gathered to unify <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/584086c7be6594762f5ec56e/t/587e843f6b8f5b0c2fb20a45/1484686400188/WMW+Guiding+Vision+%26+Definition+of+Principles.pdf">under the umbrella</a> of feminism, civil rights, immigration and environmental activism, among other issues. However, many Black female organizers and intellectuals had their doubts about the march meeting the needs and concerns of Black women.</div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">Old rifts between Black women organizers and the white feminist movement began to arise soon after the idea for the Women’s March on Washington was announced. <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/culture/jia-tolentino/the-somehow-controversial-womens-march-on-washington"><span style="font-style:italic;">The New Yorker</span> reported</a> that the idea for the march was credited to Teresa Shook, a retired white lawyer who resides in Hawaii. After Trump’s surprising presidential win, Shook launched a Facebook event page suggesting a protest. Word of her anti-Trump idea quickly spread, garnering more than 10,000 supporters overnight.</div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">Shook initially called her event the Million Woman March, a moniker originally attributed to a massive protest for Black sisterhood and self-determination held in Philadelphia in 1997<span style="font-style:italic;">.</span> The retired attorney eventually changed the name of her rally, but some Black women still weren’t convinced and accused white women’s rights advocates of appropriating movements started by Black women.<br /> <br /><table cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float:left;margin-right:1em;text-align:left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align:center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-51gDRQ4w-j4/WIqUzcEBQcI/AAAAAAACjfM/1_IoXSVeSBARacOQDZvxF577J-KI85kFgCLcB/s1600/MWM%2BAP_1997-10-26%2B0309.jpg" style="clear:left;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-51gDRQ4w-j4/WIqUzcEBQcI/AAAAAAACjfM/1_IoXSVeSBARacOQDZvxF577J-KI85kFgCLcB/s320/MWM%2BAP_1997-10-26%2B0309.jpg" width="224" alt="MWM%2BAP_1997-10-26%2B0309.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align:center;">MWM 10-25-1997 Philadelphia, PA</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:14pt;text-align:left;">“The many mistakes inherent at all levels of organizing the Women’s March event from very early on demonstrate the very problematic nature of ‘white feminism,’ ” Jalessah Jackson, a Gender and Cultural Studies major working on her master’s at Simmons College in Boston told </span><span style="font-size:14pt;font-style:italic;text-align:left;">Atlanta Black Star</span><span style="font-size:14pt;text-align:left;">. “That is, white feminists’ tendency [historically] to align themselves with white supremacy to achieve their own goals.”</span></div></div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;"></div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">“What we see happening is white women tokenizing and using women of color to advance their own agenda,” Jackson continued. “I don’t think that’s genuinely intersectional. I’m not interested in faux solidarity or intersectionality being merely an afterthought.”</div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">The “intersectionality” Jackson spoke of is a term coined by African-American feminist and legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989 and is the concept of inextricably linked facets of race, sex, gender identity and economic status.</div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">The galvanizing issue behind the march was the election of President Trump, who walked to victory with <a href="http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/1/20/14061660/women-march-washington-vote-trump">53 percent of the white female vote</a>. But could white women who couldn’t convince other white women to vote against Trump now center themselves in the “resistance” against his policies?</div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">Many African-American women questioned why they should respond to white women’s call for human rights when they felt their own calls had gone unanswered. Historically, African-American women’s rights advocates have taken issue with the feminist movement overall, highlighting its sometimes racist and exclusionary practices. Was this present-day equality march tumbling down the same rabbit hole? Was it catering to the anxiety of white women over Trump’s victory, while bypassing the real concerns Black women (and communities) have been organizing around for centuries without the resources or support from the people now jumping in front of the line?</div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">Lastly, if Hillary Clinton had won the election and broken the glass ceiling, would there still not be a need for a march to make sure Clinton was clued in that women, particularly Black women, would still be facing income and wealth gabs, police and incarceration issues, terrible public education policies, as well as reproductive rights issues?</div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">Columnist Jamilah Lemieux addressed these concerns in an <a href="https://www.colorlines.com/articles/why-im-skipping-womens-march-washington-opinion">op-ed piece for <span style="font-style:italic;">ColorLines</span> </a>on Tuesday, Jan. 17. In it, Lemieux explained that she wouldn’t be participating in the Women’s March because she didn’t see the point in “putting my body on the line to feign solidarity with women who, by and large, didn’t have my back prior to November.”</div><div style="font-family:cambria;margin:0in;"><div style="font-size:14pt;">“When I learned that some of those women had decided to channel their disappointment into a ‘Million Women March,’ my twisted moment of pleasure quickly gave way to a familiar sense of annoyance,” she wrote. “Once again, the labors of Black folks (in this case, the 1995 Million Man March and the 1997 Million Woman March organized by Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam) were being co-opted and erased by clueless White ones.</div><div style="font-size:14pt;"></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i><b>Correction</b>: <span style="font-family:cambria;">The Million Women’s March grassroots approach to organizing involved Black women sharing information through groups such as Alpha Kappa Alpha, Black media and word of mouth. <b>Organized by Phile Chionesu and Asia Coney,</b> that march focused on the idea of Black women supporting each other. Speakers had included Jada Pinkett Smith, Sistah Souljah and the daughters of Malcolm X. Assata Shakur also read a message from Cuba. People marching held signs that read “I am one in a million,” and “Black Women: No more AIDS, abuse, addiction,” according to CNN. </span><a href="http://www.phillytrib.com/news/local-women-to-rally-for-women-s-march-in-d/article_850a3906-51da-53cc-84de-93fed0a4587e.html" style="font-family:Cambria;">http://www.phillytrib.com/news/local-women-to-rally-for-women-s-march-in-d/article_850a3906-51da-53cc-84de-93fed0a4587e.html</a></i></blockquote><div style="font-size:14pt;"></div></div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">“Will the Women’s March on Washington be a space filled primarily with participants who believe that Black lives matter?” Lemieux added. “I’m not sure.”</div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">Black women’s rights advocates like Lemieux and others who spoke out against the march’s lack of intersectionality and called for more inclusivity were quickly deemed “divisive” and destructive to the vision of feminist solidarity. White feminists condemned African-American, LGBTQ, and Muslim activists who dared to speak up when their interests were forgotten or ignored, creating what critics called “conflict.”</div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">“The attempted hijacking of the march’s agenda and all the nasty tit-for-tat between white vs. black/queer/Muslim/trans and other identities tells a very disturbing story about the divided state of feminism today,” contributor Emma-Kate Symons wrote in an opinion piece for <span style="font-style:italic;">Women in the World.</span> “It saddens me to see the inclusive liberal feminism I grew up with reduced to a grab bag of competing victimhood narratives and individualist identities jostling for most oppressed status.”</div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">Jackson countered Symons’ argument, however, by pointing out how white feminists who supposedly care about the rights of ALL women failed to rally behind Black female victims of police brutality. She added that white women’s rights advocates have a tendency to pick and choose whose female rights they care about.</div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">“Most of the women who marched pat themselves on the back and go back to ignoring women who reside at the intersections of multiple identities,” Jackson told <span style="font-style:italic;">ABS</span>. “Identifying these issues is not being divisive. I believe that in order to affect social change, we must identify what hasn't been working in order to fix it.”</div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">Some of these issues were resolved or at least finagled by including experienced nonwhite women organizers and activists in the writing of the guiding vision of the march, including them in the list of speakers and having them help lead the organizing process after the rocky start.</div><div style="font-size:14pt;"></div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;">The Women’s March was a historic success in bringing out the masses, with far more people turning out for the protest than for Trump’s inauguration, according to <span style="font-style:italic;">The New York Times</span>. But as the feminist movement struggles to become more diverse and open, many concerns need to be addressed, such as leadership, resources and the next steps in creating a viable “resistance” to Trump’s agenda. Moreover, there’s a need to tackle the liberalism of the historic feminist movement, which has too often fought for a place for white women at the expense of Black ones.<br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ktn92RM_wVk/VwqSetoDunI/AAAAAAACZCc/C_ag_xSVGCgMAWOIOKbY1njCBDmt4h4LgCPcB/s1600/divider-2.png" style="margin-left:1em;margin-right:1em;"><img border="0" height="14" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ktn92RM_wVk/VwqSetoDunI/AAAAAAACZCc/C_ag_xSVGCgMAWOIOKbY1njCBDmt4h4LgCPcB/s320/divider-2.png" width="320" alt="divider-2.png" /></a></div></div><div style="font-family:cambria;font-size:14pt;margin:0in;"></div></div><div style="color:#666666;font-family:tahoma;margin:0in;"><a href="http://atlantablackstar.com/2017/01/24/historic-womens-march-controversial-black-women/?utm_content=bufferdfee8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer">http://atlantablackstar.com/2017/01/24/historic-womens-march-controversial-black-women/</a></div><br /><div style="font-family:Cambria;font-weight:bold;margin:0in;">The original women’s march took place in Philly 20 years ago</div><div style="font-family:Cambria;font-style:italic;margin:0in;">Hundreds of thousands took to the Parkway</div><div style="font-family:Cambria;margin:0in;">BY <a href="http://philly.curbed.com/authors/melissa-romero">MELISSA ROMERO</a> JAN 19, 2017, 10:30AM EST</div><br /><div style="font-family:Cambria;margin:0in;"><a href="http://philly.curbed.com/2017/1/19/14312658/original-philadelphia-million-woman-march-1997">http://philly.curbed.com/2017/1/19/14312658/original-philadelphia-million-woman-march-1997</a></div><div style="font-family:Cambria;margin:0in;"></div><div style="font-family:Cambria;margin:0in;">Two years after the Million Man March, two grassroots activists organized the Million Woman March in Philadelphia for black women to come together and address the ills in their communities. They walked for two miles past symbolic settings, including the Liberty Bell and City Hall, spilling onto the sidewalks of Benjamin Franklin Parkway and up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum.</div><div style="font-family:Cambria;margin:0in;"></div><div style="color:#666666;font-family:Cambria;margin:0in;"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-womens-march-live-before-the-women-s-march-on-washington-1484942715-htmlstory.html">http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-womens-march-live-before-the-women-s-march-on-washington-1484942715-htmlstory.html</a></div><div style="color:#666666;font-family:Cambria;margin:0in;"></div><div style="font-family:Cambria;margin:0in;">Some also took issue with the name Shook had proposed, the Million Woman March, which was the name of a 1997 black women's march in Philadelphia. The racial concerns set off a heated conversation on the group's main Facebook page, with some African-American women especially taking umbrage.</div><div style="color:#666666;font-family:Cambria;margin:0in;"></div><div style="color:#666666;font-family:Cambria;margin:0in;"><a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/presidential/It-started-with-a-retiree-Now-the-Womens-March-could-be-the-biggest-inauguration-demonstration.html">http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/presidential/It-started-with-a-retiree-Now-the-Womens-March-could-be-the-biggest-inauguration-demonstration.html</a></div><div style="font-family:cambria;margin:0in;"></div></div></div>“Organizing Is A Process, Not An Event", One Million Conscious Black Voters & Contributorshttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/organizing-is-a-process-not-an-event-omcbv-2015-10-03T23:00:00.000Z2015-10-03T23:00:00.000ZSamuel Burnhamhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/SamuelBurnham<div><p></p><p>“ORGANIZING IS A PROCESS, NOT AN EVENT"</p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="5">“ORGANIZING IS A PROCESS, NOT AN EVENT”</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="5">Baba Amefika D. Geuka</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="5">A <b>Black</b> Paper</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="5">September 20, 2015</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><b><u>"EVENT"</u></b> <u>Defined<b>:</b></u></font></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><font face="Times New Roman"><b><i>An important occasion; an incident; an activity or one of a series of activities.</i></b> NIWPD*</font></p><p align="left"><font face="Times New Roman"> </font></p><p align="left"><font face="Times New Roman"> </font></p><p align="left"><font face="Times New Roman"><b><u>"PROCESS"</u></b> <u>Defined<b>:</b></u></font></p><p align="left"><b><u><font face="Times New Roman"> </font></u></b></p><p align="left"><font face="Times New Roman"><b><i>A set of actions; a system marked by gradual changes that lead toward a particular result. </i></b> Websters</font></p><p align="left"><font face="Times New Roman"> </font><font face="Times New Roman"><b><u>"SYSTEM"</u></b> <u>Defined:</u></font></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><font face="Times New Roman"><b><i>A group or arrangement of parts, facts, etc. that relate to or interact with each other; a group of logically related facts, beliefs, etc.; a method of classification, arrangement, etc. </i></b> NIWPD</font></p><p align="left"><font face="Times New Roman"> </font><font face="Times New Roman">*New International Webster's Pocket Dictionary</font></p><p align="left"><b><i><font face="Times New Roman"> </font></i></b><font face="Times New Roman">Perhaps my favorite quote from the teachings of the <b>Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey</b> is: <b><i>"The greatest weapon used against the Negro is disorganization." </i></b> I used to wonder why Mr. Garvey drew this conclusion from all other possibilities. I have come to agree fully with my Hero, and am convinced that this too is a result of the <b><i>conditioning</i></b> black people were subjected to as part of the diabolical <b><i>process</i></b> used to <b><i>convert</i></b> us from the African <b><i>human beings</i></b> we were prior to the advent of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, to the <b><i>slaves</i></b> we became. The operative word here is <b><i>process.</i></b> <i>NO</i> 'slaves' were ever brought to North America! Human beings were captured and brought here in chains, and through a process of <b><i>de-humanization</i></b> spanning nearly a century and several generations, were reduced below the level of beasts. <b><i>No animals owned by our enslavers were treated so horrifically as the sons and daughters of Africa who were so unfortunate as to have been</i></b> <b><i>among those captured and transported here</i></b>!! As a collective group, we still suffer the psychological trauma <b><i>infused</i></b> <b><i>into</i></b> us as part of that process. Whereas our condition of servility and inferiority is the result of a <b><i><u>process</u>,</i></b> most of our efforts to extricate ourselves from that mental and emotional bondage have consisted of <b><i><u>events</u>.</i></b> If we are to regain our humanity, we must <b><i>organize ourselves</i></b> into a force capable of throwing off the shackles placed on our minds, and embark on a <b><i>process of restoration.</i></b></font></p><p align="left"><font face="Times New Roman">By definition an 'event' is <u>an</u> <i>occasion</i>, <u>an</u> <i>incident</i>, <u>an</u> <i>activity</i>, or '<u>one</u>;' by contrast, a '<b>process</b>' is a <b><i>set</i></b>, a <b><i>system</i></b>, that brings about <b><i>gradual changes</i></b> that lead to a <b><i>particular</i></b> result. <b><i>Events</i></b> cannot reverse or undo effects brought about by a <b><i>process</i></b>! Only through a <b><i>counter-process</i></b> can there be any <b><i>possibility</i></b> of doing so, and that counter-process must be <b><i>designed and carried out</i></b> in such a way as to lead to a <b><i>particular</i></b> result!! To do this requires minimally -- <b><i>vision,</i></b> <b><i>organization, structure, resolve, and discipline,</i></b> and if the truth be told, blacks in America have shown little if any of these invaluable traits and attributes of late! Not since the days of Marcus Garvey's <b><i>Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL)</i></b> has there been an <b><u>organized effort</u></b> with structure <b><i>designed and intended for the express purpose of restoring people of African descent in America to our African humanity! </i></b> The challenge for our <b>One Million Conscious Black Voters & Contributors (OMCBV&C) </b> initiative is to pick up where Mr. Garvey left off when he was deported from America, take the 'baton' firmly in hand, and 'run' the next 'leg' of Black Americans' "relay-race" toward the goal of ascending back to our '...<b><i>rightful place among the constellation of nations and peoples of the Earth!' </i></b></font></p><p align="left"><font face="Times New Roman">Jim Clingman and I both were fortunate to have attended the <b>Million Man March</b> (MMM) on October 16, 1995 in Washington, DC, though we did not meet each other until ten years later in 2005 when we both presented a 'plank' in Dr. Claud Anderson's "Powernomics" platform in Detroit, Michigan. As wonderful and inspiring as the MMM was, it was only an <b><i>event;</i></b> however, it had the <b><i>potential</i></b> to <b><i>inspire</i></b> attendees to engage in a <b>process</b> to realize the noble goals and objectives mentioned by the series of speakers that day. Unfortunately, the MMM's convener did not have a <b><i>plan of action</i></b> to present to his receptive audience, and the only challenge we were presented with was to <i>"...return to our respective homes and places, and join some organization that is working for the uplift and advancement of black people; and if no such organization worthy of our support existed in our communities, we were obliged to create one." </i> Just how many of the 2.5 million black men in attendance that day heeded Minister Farrakhan's urging and did as he suggested is a story yet to be told, but we do know two <b>"true believers"</b> who took the Minister's words to heart, and went back home to Cincinnati, Ohio and West Palm Beach, Florida respectively, and started planting seeds for improvement in the condition of black people. Here we are another ten years later (2015), and those two (now) "old-geezers" are still in-the-hunt for solutions to the puzzle of how to get black people back to where our Creator and Ancestors intended us to be!</font></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><font face="Times New Roman"><b><i>"Tomorrow is not promised to us;"</i></b> and if there is to be a future for people of African descent, some element among us will have to step-up-to-the-plate and prove themselves capable of conceptualizing (envisioning), planning, organizing, implementing, conducting, evaluating, modifying, and bringing to fruition -- the <b><i>particular</i></b> results sought after! That is referred to as <b><i>"organizing"</i></b> brothers and sisters! Jim and I are trying to provide the caliber and quality of <b><i>experienced leadership</i></b> needed for this awesome undertaking, but leaders are only as good and effective as their followership, and it is from among those followers that the next cadre of leaders must evolve if there is to be <b><u>continuity</u></b> of effort and resolve. Jim is getting old, and I am even older (LOL), and we both face health challenges daily. You all will have to pardon us if we appear sometimes to be impatient with the lack or slowness of our folks to respond to what appears to us to be "<i>as plain as the nose on your face." </i> We KNOW this stuff ain't "rocket-science," and it does not take a genius to recognize what we are up against and what would be required to overcome obstructions to our success. WE ARE and of necessity MUST BE the SOLUTION to our own problems; that is the way of life. The only question worth asking and answering is: <b>Are we possessed of the qualities and attributes required to get the job</b> <b>done?</b> If not, we will be forced to admit that as a Race we are in fact inferior, and should throw ourselves on the mercies of our superiors as some notable blacks advise us to do!</font></p><p align="left">Jim and I have started this process, and are committed to staying the course as long as we are able, and have sufficient encouragement from the ranks of our people, but as the <b>"Last Poets"</b> warned us: "<b><i>Time is running out on B-S niggers,"</i></b> so the <u>true</u> Black MEN and WOMEN must rise to the occasion, step to the fore, and Captain our ship to safe harbor. This is not the time for "faint-hearted" or halt-stepping negroes. Who among you is ready to take on this task? <b><i>Events-oriented persons need not apply</i></b>, because it is Nature's law that <b><i>only</i></b> the <b><i>strong</i></b> have a <b><i>right</i></b> to survive, and that is because the strong are willing to <b><i>assert</i></b> their right to survival -- and beyond that -- to PROSPER!!! Start flexing your muscles people, and determine the place and role you will play in this PROCESS.</p><p align="left"><a href="http://www.iamoneofthemillion.com">www.iamoneofthemillion.com</a></p></div>From “us” to “WE”https://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/from-us-to-we2015-09-06T00:43:58.000Z2015-09-06T00:43:58.000ZSamuel Burnhamhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/SamuelBurnham<div><h2 class="entry-meta">by <a href="http://www.amefika.com/author/amefikageuka/" title="Posts by Amefika D. Geuka">Amefika D. Geuka</a> • June 11, 2015</h2><p><a href="http://www.iamoneofthemillion.com">www.iamoneofthemillion.com</a></p><p>Listening to conscious black talk radio programs as I often do, I am struck by the frequency with which callers, and occasionally even the guests, make statements about what “we” need to do about some issue of concern to black people. Invariably, actions they call for would require that “we” be organized as a prerequisite to any potential success; thus my question: How do “we” expect to accomplish anything that requires “us” to become “WE,” without ORGANIZING ourselves into the “WE” that would be required to pull it off? I urge the reader to start by asking that question of him/herself by personalizing it as follows: How can I expect “us” to accomplish anything that would require “us” to become “WE,” unless I am willing to JOIN an organized effort designed to pull it off?</p><p>Most callers to conscious black talk radio shows are “regulars,” and many appear to use “code” names to remain anonymous. Almost none of them ever make reference to any organization they may belong to, yet all call for black folks to take actions that can only be accomplished by organized, disciplined, trained forces, with a definitive “battle plan.” In other words, such individuals, in the immortal words of Frederick Douglas: “…are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.” The Right Most Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey put it this way: “The greatest weapon used against the Negro is disorganization;” and Minister Louis Farrakhan called upon the 2.5 million of us who attended the original Million Man March on October 16, 1995 to: “Go back to your respective homes and places and join some organization that is working for the uplift and advancement of black people, and if no such organization exists where you live, it is your duty to start one!” It is clear then that all three of these brilliant and supremely dedicated giants recognized the necessity for black people to organize ourselves if we are serious about lifting ourselves out of the condition into which our oppressor has placed us.</p><p>I would love to see every host of a conscious black talk program set aside one of their editions for the express purpose of having folks call in and tell which organization they belong to, and the caller’s role with and contribution to, that organization. Then the hosts could follow up by inviting leaders or other representatives of each organization to be his or her guest on the program to tell the audience what the organization is doing to uplift our people, and how serious persons could get involved. This approach could go a long way towards separating the “do’ers” from the talkers, and facilitate bringing together action-oriented individuals into formations that can bring about solutions, rather than continue to regurgitate “litanies of lost battles” as Maulana Karenga states it in “Kawaida Theory.”</p><p>The above-referenced speech by Frederick Douglas began with the words: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress;” by inference he had to relate “struggle” to action; to effort; to work. He challenged us to do something to help alleviate our undesirable state, and not be satisfied to merely pay lip-service to the need for something to be done. We should be the message, not simply the messenger. The speech in question, his “West India Emancipation” oration given at Canandaigua, New York on August 3, 1857, went on to include these powerful words: “This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you will have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”</p><p>I challenge the reader to ask himself or herself the question: How much more are you willing to quietly or noisily submit to; and how much more injustice and wrong are you willing to have imposed upon you and your people before you decide to resist? How much endurance do you have left for the abuses the tyrants continue to impose upon us? If not you, who? If not now, when?</p><p>Become an active contributor to the SOLUTION! Visit our website and JOIN the <a href="http://www.iamoneofthemillion.com/" target="_blank">One Million Conscious Black Voters and Contributors (OMCBV&C)</a>.</p></div>Who Should Join The One Million Conscious Black Voters & Contributors?https://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/who-should-join-the-one-million-conscious-black-voters2015-06-26T00:30:00.000Z2015-06-26T00:30:00.000ZSamuel Burnhamhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/SamuelBurnham<div><p></p><p><span><a href="http://www.iamoneofthemillion.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/front-300x277.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.iamoneofthemillion.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/front-300x277.png?width=450" width="450" class="align-center" alt="front-300x277.png?width=450" /></a><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}3828573566,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><br /></a>WHO SHOULD JOIN THE OMCBV&C?</span></p><p><span> </span></p><p><span><u>YOU should join if…:</u></span></p><ul><li><em><span>You are still ‘Black-and-Proud,’ and still ‘Say it Loud!’</span></em><span><em>You still love Black people, and love yourself being Black;</em></span></li></ul><ul><li><span><i>You are a black male who understands the gender role of <span><em>a responsible Black Man;</em></span></i></span></li></ul><ul><li>You are a black female who understands the gender role of <span><em>a responsible Black Woman;</em></span></li></ul><ul><li>You are a black senior citizen who is <span><em>“sick-and-tired-of-being-sick-and-tired!”</em></span></li></ul><ul><li>You are a black senior citizen who is fed-up with having…<span><em>“been down so long, that gettin’ up just don’t cross (your) mind no more!”</em></span></li></ul><ul><li>You are a black youth who does not want to have to bleach your skin or wear foreigners’ hair in order to feel proud of how you look!</li></ul><ul><li>You realize that racism and white supremacy are not only <u>capable</u> of committing <u>genocide</u> against black people, but <span><em>is actively engaged in doing so — right now!</em></span></li></ul><ul><li>You realize that increasing numbers of police murdering blacks is <span><em>proof </em></span>that <span><em>genocide is underway;</em></span></li></ul><ul><li>You realize that <span><em>“…nobody is going to save us (black people), but US,” </em></span>if we are to be saved;</li></ul><ul><li>You have the presence-of-mind to know that <span><em>‘collectivism’ </em></span>will trump selfishness and <span><em>‘individualism’ </em></span>every time!</li></ul><ul><li>You know that protecting black children is the responsibility of black <span><em><u>adults;</u></em></span></li></ul><ul><li>You know that in the greater scheme of things, black males have failed to develop the <span><em>capacity and will</em></span> to protect black women and children;</li></ul><ul><li>You know that the <span><em>“best and brightest,” </em></span>most gifted and talented persons our Race produces — MUST commit their talents, skills, and gifts — <span><em>to the uplift and advancement of our own people collectively;</em></span></li></ul><ul><li>You understand that the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allows slavery to continue unabated in the guise of a person…<span><em>“having been duly convicted of a crime;” </em></span>and…</li></ul><ul><li>You are fully aware that the current rate of criminalization and mass-incarceration of blacks in America’s prison/jail system is the beginning of our re-enslavement;</li></ul><ul><li>You understand that NO existing political party prioritizes the best interests of African-Americans <span><em>as a collective (whole);</em></span></li></ul><ul><li>You understand that <span><em>“leadership-is-as-leadership-does,”</em></span> and this means that the best leaders for the black collective must come from the ranks of those who place and hold the best interests of black people <span><em>foremost and uppermost</em></span>;</li></ul><ul><li>You understand that Black people MUST develop the <span><em>mind-set, capacity,</em></span> and <span><em>WILL,</em></span> to <span><em><u>finance</u></em></span> our own racial-uplift organizational efforts; that we MUST <span><em>replace dependency</em></span> on others — with <span><em><u>self-reliance and self-determination!</u></em></span></li></ul><p>IF the foregoing points fit you, then you may well be <span><em>“ready for prime-time,” </em></span>and we invite you to visit our One Million Conscious Black Voters and Contributors (OMCBV&C) web site, read, watch, and <span><em><u>study</u></em></span> what you find there, and if it meets with your approval, register to become “One of the Million,” and order your T-shirt! </p><p>Your fellow-travelers will then….<span>Welcome you Aboard</span> our ‘Train.” </p><p><a href="http://www.iamoneofthemillion.com">www.iamoneofthemillion.com</a></p><p></p><p></p></div>Million Woman March Reunion 2013 "CALL FOR PAPERS" for the AMANDLA Conventionhttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/million-woman-march-reunion-2013-call-for-papers-for-the-amandla2012-11-23T04:00:00.000Z2012-11-23T04:00:00.000ZOriginal MWM Sistahshttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/OriginalMWMSistahs<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}3828542775,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}3828542775,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="194" alt="3828542775?profile=original" /></a></p><p>The historic <strong>Million Woman March (MWM)</strong> is the largest gathering in the world of women <em>anywhere</em> ever; thus making it not only Black/African history and Women's history, but also <strong>World History</strong>. While many historians and so called scholars have failed in recognizing this incredible accomplishment, its possible and actual potentials, the continued work and ongoing mission to uplift and empower women and girls of African descent throughout the Diaspora,and the quest for true freedom, justice, and self-determination for our families and communities that MWM has embarked upon, both nationally and internationally, the masses will, nonetheless, bear witness in October 2013 to some of the fruits of its labor when the long awaited "next steps" follow up program (that includes strategic operations and initiatives from the 1997 MWM gathering) will be disclosed and widely presented. </p><p>The <strong>Million Woman March "SWEET 16" Reunion</strong> will take place on (or around) <strong>October 25, 2013</strong> (Location to be announced on February 28, 2013); preceded by the <strong>National MWM "AMANDLA" (Power) Convention</strong> that will consist of a week long event filled with powerful presentations, reports, workshops, Strategy and Training Sessions, Think Tanks, a Film Fest, and more. The MWM <strong>REUNION 2013</strong> program will, amongst other things, rekindle the true spirit of MWM (and its now Universal Movements) and represent a unified stand that will give much needed recognition to the greatness of African traditions, cultures, and accomplishments, demonstration of appreciation of the strength, tenacity, and sacrifices our ancestors and the ongoing commitment to obtain true Freedom/Independence and Justice; and in that the expedition of appropriate remedies and holistic repair (healing and restoration).</p><p style="text-align:center;"><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><span class="font-size-4"><strong>CALL FOR PAPERS:</strong></span></span><br /> <strong><span class="font-size-3">Official "SWEET 16" REUNION &</span></strong><br /> <strong><span class="font-size-3">National/International - Caribe' "AMANDLA" (Power) Conventions</span></strong> <strong><span class="font-size-3">2013</span></strong> <br /><strong><span class="font-size-3">(USA-October & Caribbean-November 2013)</span></strong></p><p> <br /> <span class="font-size-3">The "<strong>AMANDLA"</strong> (Power) Conventions will</span> <span class="font-size-3">Feature local, national, and international Women of African Descent, (mover and shakers), from all walks of life "From the Grassroots through the Glass Ceiling", in addition to ally organizations and groups, institutions, associates, and concerned persons who want to be a part of this solution oriented interaction and many who will play actives roles in creating a dynamic and unique synergy; t</span><span class="font-size-3">alking the talk and waking the walk in business, social justice, education, politics, arts and culture, health & healing, and a variety of professional and relative social arenas.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>CALL FOR PAPERS, PRESENTERS, & ARTICLES</strong></span><br /> <span class="font-size-3">Submission Date Deadline: <strong>December 31, 2012</strong></span><br /> Acceptance Response Received by: March 31, 2013</p><p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Topics:</strong></span> Specifically, issues and concerns relevant to females of African descent and, in general, topics/matters of concern and interest to Black/African People as a whole. (Including but not limited to subjects such as: Justice/Injustice, Culture, Social/Civil Interactions, Politics, the Arts, Health & Healing, Education, Economic/Finance/Wealth Development, Religion/Spiritual, Community & Nation Building, Politics, Institution Building, Self-Determination, Relationships, African Reparations, Prison Reform, Environment, Consumer Protection, Business & Entrepreneur Development, Communications, Technology, Human Rights, Employment, Leadership, Gender Violations (violence and abuse of women & girls) Recidivism, Gentrification, 21st Century Pan Africanism and Black Nationalism, Liberation Theology, etc. (Submit as many papers as desired)</p><p><strong><span class="font-size-3">Submission Format</span></strong>: 250 words or less Abstract in Word, PDF, or another compatible program. Also acceptable: DVD, MP3, and Slide Show presentations (5 min. max)</p><p>Papers selected will be made available for review at the National MWM "AMANDLA" Conventions (October 2013 in the USA and/or November 2013 in Trinidad). Papers that relate to specific issues relevant to the "African Diaspora Human Rights Convention" (in December 2013 in Benin, West Africa). Various papers will also be published in the International "AMANDLA" Journal 2013</p><p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Event/ Project Overview:</strong></span><br /> The historic Million Woman March, the largest gathering in the world of women anywhere, ever, and now the first global Movement for women and girls of African descent throughout the Diaspora will hold its16 year anniversary celebration and "SWEET 16" Reunion Mass Assembly in October 2013. This gathering will honor and pay tribute to the beauty and greatness of the "Mother of Civilization" and activate the Resurrection of the Wondrous Original Woman (WOW). The 2013 REUNION celebration will also enable females of African descent to reconnect, recommit, and resurrect in the tradition, legacy, and spirit of the original Million Woman March in addition to introducing its long awaited "DIRECT ACTION" Plan and Black Print for Power, Prosperity, and Peace.</p><p>Leading up to the "SWEET 16" REUNION MASS ASSEMBLY will be a week long event, the MWM National "AMANDLA" (Power) Convention, that will offer a variety of workshops, open forums, strategy and training sessions, think tanks, etc. The AMANDLA Convention will play a key role in establishing the Universal Movements of MWM, the National/International Sistahoods and the MWM International Pan African Women's Federation.</p><p>Selected papers/presentations will be shared (seen and heard) with thousands of participants, attending the above mentioned events (and others), who will also take part in reviewing and evaluating an array of selected reports and research data that will assist in a process designed to help identify and further development of possible solutions, remedies, and other related plans of Action.</p><p>Inquiries and papers can be submitted via e-mail to: nationalmwm@aol.com or by postal mail at: <strong>National MWM P.O. Box 53668 Philadelphia, PA 19105</strong> Attention: Papers Review Committee <br /> All interested parties are encouraged to participate.</p></div>OUR IDENTITY - WHY IT'S IMPORTANThttps://www.theblacklist.net/profiles/blogs/our-identity-why-its2009-06-29T03:30:00.000Z2009-06-29T03:30:00.000ZNgone Awhttps://www.theblacklist.net/members/NgoneAw<div><p style="text-align:left;"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}3828510635,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" width="640" height="480" /></p><br /> THE HONORABLE SILLAS MUHAMMAD<br />Thank you for sharing this powerful message, when I signed my immigrations papers in Ghana to get residency I signed AFRODESCENDENT, even though I did not really like it,I understand the need for us to embrace a collective identity..I wish to thank the Lost Found Nation of Islam, Sillas Muhammad, & Chief Elder Osirus, and others for their years of work and leadership on our behalf....So we have 250 Million AFRODESCENDENTS in our Diasporan Nation!Much Repsect,AfroDescendent, Ngone-Ada: Aw<br />OUR IDENTITY - WHY IT IS IMPORTANTTHE HONORABLE SILIS MUHAMMADWE, THE LOST-FOUND NATION OF ISLAM, HAVE SPENT CLOSE TO SEVENTEEN YEARS AT THE UNITED NATIONS. During these years, our fight has been to establish an identity. The identity we have chosen for ourselves is not just for us here in America, but also for Blacks from many nations. Following the prophecies of the Holy Quran and Bible, God said He would gather His people out of every nation where they are scattered. We, the Lost-Found Nation of Islam, were instrumental in accomplishing that. We have gathered together the scattered children of former slaves in the entire Slavery Diaspora: North America, Central America, South America and the Islands. We had progressed to the point that we had the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights supporting us.For an entire week in Chincha, Peru, during aNovember 2005 UN regional seminar, ALL YOU COULD HEAR FROM EVERY UN OFFICIAL SPEAKING, AND EVERY NATION, WAS THE TERM FRODESCENDANTS.That was just one seminar - the culmination, or some say the birth, of Afrodescendants. There were several seminars, and each time we had a seminar there were some countries that did not show up. But we, the Lost-Found Nation of Islam, have always been there at every seminar. We saw all of those who came and went. We made a substantial donation towards the expenses of the seminar in Chincha, Peru, and we were sponsors for smaller countries who attented that seminar, all for the purpose of establishing a global identity - not reparations, but an identity. While reparation is one our plights, we were not in Peru to gain reparations. We were in Peru to gain an identity. What identity? Afrodescendants. The UN has the name, Afrodescendants, on their records.Chief Osiris Akkebala, in his intervention at the United Nations, said we want reparations, we demand reparations; we demand that you pay us reparations. After he spoke, we waited for a little while and said "We understand that you, the UN, cannot pay reparations." Our point to the officers of the UN and to Chief Osiris was that the UN does not pay reparations. People do not come to the UN to get reparations. The UN does not pay reparations. We went tothe UN to be reinstated into the human families of the earth because the UN, prior to then, did not recognize us. We did not have human rights. the UN had grouped us with the English, Spanish and Portuguese speaking Caucasians in the countries in which we live. We were subsumed in the Americas, and we sought to bring a wedge between us and Caucasians: to let the world know we are not Caucasian and that we have a different identity from them. But, what is that identity?We are no longer Africans only. Because of the Mediterranean and trasns-Atlantic slave trades, we are, today, scattered into many lands and cultures. Our ancestors, stolen from their homeland, Africa,were forcibly bred and raped and severed from original identity until we, the descendants, no longer viewed ourselves as Africans only. Neither are we viewed as Africans by continental Africans, who themselves suffered colonization. So, we were a lost people, a question mark - until we self-identified as Afrodescendants. WE DID THAT. THE LOST-FOUND NATION OF ISLAM, HAITI, CUBA,COSTA RICA, PANAMA, NICARAGUA, JAMAICA, URUGUAY, BRAZIL, COLOMBIA, PERU, MEXICO, CANADA and all. All nations where we have been scattered should have been there; they were welcomed there. The major nations in which we were scattered were present. We verbally gave name to ourselves under the umbrella and protection of the United Nations, which is what we first went to the UN to do. We asked for a forum.In the first oral statement to the UN, in 1998, we asked the UN to do that: to recognize us as a people separate from the countries in which we live, and the UN has done this. From 2001 to 2006, the UN allowed and helped us to self-identify and then began calling us by our new, self-chosen name. There were seminars in Honduras, Canada, Switzerland, South Africa, Peru, and Chile. While we were in Durban, South Africa, to take part in the World Conference Against Racism(WCAR) (and we did take part in the WCAR), we had a separate seminar with Professors Jose Bengoa and Asbjorn Eide.It was in Santiago, Chile where the term, Afrodescendants, was first heard and Ajani Mukarram, President of the Lost-Found Nation of Islam, was present-before 2001 and before Durban.With that said, we offer to the various groups, or organizations, among us the following: for accounting and global census purposes, will you, brethen (Pan-Africanists, Nationalists, Bi-racials, Blacks, Americans, Africans, African-Americans, Bilians, New Africans and other self-declared nations among our people), step forward to the global identity, "Afrodescendants", as did the Lost-Found Nation of Islam and our brothers and sisters in Brazil. Most Latin-American countries had already accepted the global identity, Afrodescendants, when the Lost-Found Nation of Islam was objecting to it.During the UN sponsored regional seminar in La Ceiba, Honduras, the Lost-Found Nation of Islam, for a second time, objected to this new global identity, Afrodescendants. During the seminar, a representative from Brazil, who has the largest Afrodescendant population in the slavery Diaspora, stated that they, too, did not agree with the name, Afrodescendants, that was already in use by Latin- Americans but acquiesced to establish unity with the manyBlacks already using the term. We were proposing Lost-Found People. Professor Jose Bengoa arranged for a special meeeting between Cuba and the Lost-Found Nation of Islam. After hearing the Brazilian delegate's comments, and being asked to meet with Cuba, we began to think about the term Afrodescendants.The feel and weight of the term Afrodescendants, in the atmosphere among the Latin delegates was so great, that we, the Lost-Found Nation of Islam, decided to concur and use the term like the Brazilians had done. We quickly sketched out a rough definitions of Afrodescendants within the fifteen minute time frame we had before the meeting with Cuba was to get started. A representative from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights translated the meeting between us. The representative of Cuba asked us, in Spanish, if we had anything to say to her. After her statement was translated, we replied with a definition for Afrodescendants, showing our agreement, to which the reprensative showed surprise, or so it seemed from her countenance. So, we offer to you, African-Americans, a just people, the global identity, Afrodescendant. The term, African-American, is not favored by Latin countries. The measurements of us all is some 250 million Afrodescendants in the slavery Diaspora. In no way does your national identity change, unless you change it. We are speaking of global identity.In Durban, South Africa in 2001, we were still working on our identity; we were not working to define it yet. We did not have a clear-cut identity although the term, Afrodescendants, was in the air. We had not decided, collectively, on an identity. In Durban, the December 12th Movement, headed by Roger Wareham, was attending meetings in one room while we, the Lost-Found Nation of Islam, were in another room. The December 12th Movement, Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover and many others were campaigning for reparations. It is reported that some 400 Black attendees were present along with the December 12th Movement, including Jessie Jackson. The transatlantic slave trade and reparations was the language spoken in that room in Durban at WCAR, which caused, we believe, the US Government to boycott this conference. The World Conference Against Racism was about racism. I cannot knock what Roger Wareham is doing, because the Lost-Found Nation of Islam will benefit from the results of the reparationsadvocates' language, too. and, while they were in that room and we were in another room, we did come contact with one another. But, we all know that the UN cannot pay us reparations.We well know that we were not recognized in 2001 by the UN as a people - we were just hollering, making noise. The UN did not recognize us. We had no voice, no human rights. Our fight in the UN has been to re-established (reconnected) to the human families of the earth and be recognized by the UN.Once the UN recognizes us, then we can call upon the UN for assistance, as like any other nation can call upon the UN for assistance, as like any other nation can call upon the UN when human rights of their citizens are trepassed upon. But, first, we needed recognition. In order to gain recognition, we needed an identity. In order to gain an identity, we gathered the scattered children from every nation and self-identified ourselves. We asked for recognition of our human rights - which is our own culture, language, religion and so on. While we asked for that, simuntaneously, members of the Lost-Found Nation of Islam were functioning as a just government (in its early stages) for Black people, a government that we invite and encourage all Afrodescendants to become part of or an ally with.Governments of nations that are members of the UN have to sign on to, and ratify, the covenant or law for which they wish to be held liable. If they do not wish to be liable for it, they do not sign it and they do not ratify it.Thus, if a violation comes up, they are not held responsible. In Durban, at the WCAR, the committee that made up the final draft of the Declaration and Program of Action of the 2001 WCAR did say that the transatlantic slave trade should be considered a crime against humanity. There is a law in the UN about crimes against humanity. It is referred to as the Convention on the Non- Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity. That is already a law in the UN. But the US has refused to sign and ratify it. So, even if this committe that wrote the final document said transatlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity and should have been so, it is just language in the conference documents. It is not law. It is not mandated by any offical body of the UN. It has not been haggled over for 12 months, or 4 years, or 10 years.In one week, they make a decision that this, the transatlantic slave trade, was a crime against humanity - in their hearts. But the UN law on the non-appicability of statutory limitations to crimes against humanity is not binding on the US because the US did not sign and ratify it. Thus, they cannot be held liable for it.We understand and know that the UN does not pay reparations out of its treasury, but we also know that the UN, in all of its glory, can be asked to be an abjudicator. The only way to bring the US to justice is to turn the world pressure against it. Going to an impartial abjudicator, the UN, for justice - to be awarded compensation - instead of going to the one who injured us, is accomplishing that. This is the reason why we went to the UN. However, we foundthat we did not exist as a people in the UN, and an identity had to be established before we could ask for justice.My point is that our fight is for reparations. But part of this fight is our fight for an identity - to be recognizied by the UN as belonging to the human families of the earth again (ethnogenesis). We did speak on identity in Durban at the WCAR before the plenary, which was the entire body of government representatives. Our message was about identity. Reparation is on the back of our minds, but we know (because we have a legal background, too), that the USdid not sign that document and cannot be held liable for that document. UN officials were under the illusion, when they hear Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. saying that white children and Black children will walk hand in hand, that we were all the same. They apparently concluded that we were happy with our plight and satisfied that we were being identified as Caucasian, since no BlackPERSONS HAD PENTRATED THE WALL PUT UP BY THE US IN THE UN UNTIL THE LOST-NATION OF ISLAM CAME AND TOLD THE UN OTHERWISE. OTHER BLACKS HAD GONE TO THE UN, BUT NONE HAD PENETRATED THIS VENEER. THEY THOUGHT WE WERE HAPPY AND SATISFIED HERE IN AMERICA, BASED UPON MARTIN LUTHER KING'S DREAM.The Afrodescendants government should approach the UN on reparations. For when a government speaks, it has more power. It would have more weight than an individual speaking. It could galvanize world pressure. The government ofAfrodescendants could declare a national emergency. The efforts of an individual are just futile. The UN hears you, but they cannot do anything about it because you are not a government entity. About eleven years ago, we established a government. so, we would say that when our government stops dragging its feet and takes care of the people's needs and business, then it would be heard.<br /><br /></div>