On this page we share a variety of audio and video presentations, discussions, interviews and radio shows.

Audio and Radio Broadcasts

Africa 500 with Hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty
Wednesdays, 3pm Eastern Time (US)
HANDRadio, https://handradio.org

Starting in January 2023, Africa400 will be renamed Africa 500, to better reflect the more than 500 years if the Global Pan-Afrikan Struggle against the Ma’afa, the Great Disaster, the enslavement of our Ancestors in Arabia, the Americas and our own Ancestral Home.  In 2023, look for Africa500 programs here and at https://handradio.org.

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

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).

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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

Africa 500 Discusses the State of the Diaspora, Wednesday, July 12 and Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Africa 500 is presenting its two-part discussion of the State of the Diaspora on two consecutive Wednesdays, July 12 and July 19, on Hand Radio (https://handradio.org).

Wednesday, July 12, 2023: State of the Diaspora with Baba Francois Ndengwe

Show hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty welcome Baba Francios Ndengwe, publisher and editor of Hommes d’Afrique and Femmes d’Afrique magazines and founder of the African Advisory Board, on Wednesday, July 12. He also has hosted the feature “Fresh News From Africa” which has aired periodically on Africa 500.

Listen to the July 12, 2023 show here:

Wednesday, July 19: State of the Diaspora Grandmother Walks On Water

Activist, artist and Elder Grandmother Walks On Water, also known as Nata’aska Humminbird is of Choctaw, Creek, Cherokee and African Heritage.  She is also co-founder of Baltimore based Wombwork Productions which utilizes art, theatre, and cultural healing modalities to empower youth and community. She has hosted the program “Mothership” on Africa 500 over the past year, and she follows up this discussion on the State of the Diaspora on Wednesday, July 19.

Listen to the July 19, 2023 show here:

Wednesday, July 5, 2023: Child Support Enforcement and the War on Black Fatherhood

The Wednesday, July 5, 2023 edition of Africa 500 looks as the issue of Child Support Enforcement and the War on Black Fatherhood. Joining show hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty is Black Child Advocate and WPFW Jazz & Justice Radio Personality Bobby Rox.

Bobby Rox attended Howard University and his picture sits amongst the best of the best in the Bison sports hall of fame. He is known as the distressed child advocate and superhero to underserved Black boys and girls. Bobby is an on-air personality and news reporter who has broadcast award winning work for radio and television stations including WPFW 89.3 FM and WTTG FOX 5. Because of his business acumen in broadcasting and public advocacy efforts on protecting the entire Black family via better treatment by the family court system, Mr. Rox has appeared as a repeat panelist/guest speaker with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB), Multicultural Media Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and more. Bobby got his start in the broadcast industry as a DJ (of Soul, Funk, Jazz and Dilla Inspired Hip Hop) and continues to spin here and there when he is not on the air.

Listen to the Wednesday, July 5, 2023 show here:

Also, check out the following Eventbrite Virtual Call-To-Action related to this important issue:

Sunday, July 16
Black Fathers: The Child Enforcement Courts to Prison Pipeline
This virtual dialogue will discuss the Child Support Enforcement court to Prison Pipeline and the generational separation of black families.

By Strive365 and HANDRadio
Sunday, July 16 · 2 – 3pm EDT
Online

About this event
1 hour
Mobile eTicket (See Registration Link Below)

This long overdue and hidden issue will be discussed to unpack the systemic impact of child support enforcement courts on the black family. This discussion will specifically look at the various impacts that have accumulated over time on the black father like: separation from children, mass incarceration, poverty, economic loss, and trauma.

As systemic/institutional racism is a public health crisis; institutions like the criminal justice system has caused generational trauma, separation of black families, and disempowerment of black fathers. Thus this is an intergenerational safe space to begin policy/community dialogue, healing, and the reuniting of black fathers with their children.

This virtual dialogue is an initial preview and preparation for the DMV Child Support Enforcement Listening Tour to follow from August – October in Baltimore, Prince George’s County, and Washington DC. More details and dates/time to follow.

References:

Learning from the United States’ Painful History of Child Support – https://www.americanprogress.org/article/learning-from-the-united-states-painful-history-of-child-support/. June 2022.

How much child support do parents actually receive? – https://usafacts.org/articles/how-much-child-support-do-parents-actually-receive/. July 2022.

The Regulation of Black Families – https://www.theregreview.org/2022/04/20/roberts-regulation-of-black-families/. April 2022.

Child Support as an Entry Point to Incarceration – https://socialwork.uic.edu/news-stories/child-support-as-an-entry-point-to-incarceration/. October 2021.

Was Child Support Designed to Destroy Black Families – https://www.thechildsupporthustle.com/2020/07/was-the-child-support-hustle-designed-to-destroy-black-families/

Child Support Enforcement can hurt black, low-income, noncustodial fathers and their kids – https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/child-support-enforcement-can-hurt-black-low-income-noncustodial-fathers-and-their-kids. June 2016.

How the Family Court System Fails Black Fathers – and How You Can Help – https://familylawyermagazine.com/articles/family-court-fails-black-fathers-how-you-can-help/. July 2020.

Op-Ed: Why The Taboo Of Child Support And Black Families Still Sparks Heated Debates – https://www.bet.com/article/el75ph/op-ed-the-taboo-of-child-support. November 2019.

California keeps millions in child support while parents drown in debt – https://calmatters.org/projects/california-keeps-millions-in-child-support-while-parents-drown-in-debt/. May 2021.

Topic: Black Fathers: Child Support Enforcement to Prison Pipeline

Date & Time: July 16, 2023 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

To reserve your space, go to this link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-fathers-the-child-enforcement-courts-to-prison-pipeline-tickets-670642739487?keep_tld=1

Organized by
Strive365 and HANDRadio

Wednesday, June 14, 2023: After Reparations, Economic Models for Nation Building

The Wednesday, June 14, 2023 edition of Africa 500 welcomes two special guests who join hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty to discuss the topic After Reparations, Economic Models for Nation Building: Dr. Andrea Thomas and Dr. Robert E. Weems Jr.

Dr. Andrea Thomas
Consultant, Global Learning, Innovation and Virtual Exchange
https://www.drandreathomas.com/

Dr. Andrea Thomas is a Senior Intercultural Learning Specialist at Purdue University, Center for Intercultural Learning, Mentorship, Assessment and Research (CILMAR), and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering.

Dr. Thomas was the Head of International Programs and Senior International Officer (SIO) at the State University of New York (SUNY) Farmingdale State College as well as a 2019 Fellow for the Association of International Educators Administrators (AIEA). She brings more than 17 years of experience at global organizations and 15 years in operations, human resources, diversity, equity and inclusion and global engagement. She is passionate about global education and the importance of cultivating a global mindset among students and faculty to support capacity building for digital transformation in the Fourth Industrial context and to create the conditions for peace and mutual understanding.

Dr. Thomas began her career at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) where she focused on Ethics and operations within international development. In 2022, she became a United Nations Global Diplomacy Fellow through the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). She earned a Doctorate at the University of Southern California (USC), Rossier School of Education where she studied Global Education Leadership and Administration with rotations in Hong Kong, Finland and Qatar. She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer from the Kyrgyz Republic and speaks Russian, Kyrgyz, and Spanish languages.

Dr. Thomas is an accomplished educational leader and global strategist with expertise in building infrastructure for global community transformation in a digital economy. She has an extensive background in international development, multilateral diplomacy, and private, public, and academic partnerships. A researcher on Industry 4.0, virtual exchange (VE), and digital inclusion, Dr. Thomas is knowledgeable about facilitating economic empowerment through community-building, collaboration, and digital transformation. She has lived and worked across Central Asia, Southern Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central and South America.

Dr. Robert E. Weems, Jr.
Willard W. Garvey Distinguished Professor of Business History
Wichita State University
Wichita, KS 67260
https://www.wichita.edu/profiles/academics/fairmount_college_of_liberal_arts_and_sciences/History/Weems-Robert.php

Robert E. Weems, Jr. has been the Willard W. Garvey Distinguished Professor of Business History at Wichita State University since Fall 2011. Before coming to WSU, he taught at the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Iowa. A native of Chicago, he received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During his career, Professor Weems has published and spoken widely in the areas of African American business and economic history.

Besides his recently published The Merchant Prince of Black Chicago: Anthony Overton and the Building of a Financial Empire, Weems has authored three other books in the realm of African American business history (Black Business in the Black Metropolis: The Chicago Metropolitan Assurance Company 1925-1985; Desegregating the Dollar: African American Consumerism in the Twentieth Century; Business in Black and White: American Presidents and Black Entrepreneurs in the Twentieth Century), as well as nearly four dozen journal articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries. He is also the co-editor of Building the Black Metropolis: African American Entrepreneurship in Chicago and The African American Experience: A Historiographical and Bibliographical Guide. In addition, Professor Weems served as a historical advisor and appeared in the documentary Boss: The Black Experience in Business which premiered on PBS in April, 2019. More recently, in June 2021, Dr. Weems was the keynote speaker at a program sponsored by the regional banks of the U.S. Federal Reserve entitled “Racism and the Economy: Focus on Entrepreneurship.”

During his tenure in Wichita, Weems has coordinated the “Wichita African American Business History Project” where he gathered information related to the history of local African American entrepreneurship. In September 2017, Professor Weems donated the audio interviews, transcripts, and documentary materials he generated from this project to Wichita State University Libraries Special Collections.

While in Wichita, Dr. Weems has also served in a wide variety of community-based activities including: serving on The Kansas African American Museum Board of Directors (including a tenure as Board president); membership in the African American Council of Elders of Wichita and South Central Kansas (including a tenure as Presiding Elder) and serving on the Board of Directors of the Heartland Wichita Black Chamber of Commerce. In this capacity, Dr. Weems established and coordinates the organization’s “Wichita Black Business Hall of Fame” initiative.

To listen to the June 14 Africa 500 program, click here:

Wednesday, May 31 and June 7, 2023: The State of the Black Diaspora with Baba Francois Ndengwe

The June 7 show is a rebroadcast of the May 31 edition, in which show hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty were joined by the editor of Hommes Afrique and Femmes Afrique, Baba Francois Ndengwe of Cameroon, as they discussed the State of the Black Diaspora.  This is the first new show after the May 10 edition.

Listen to the Wednesday, May 31 edition of Africa 500 here:

Wednesday, May 10, 2023: An Ancestor Speaks, The Words of Randall Robinson

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, check out the April 26, 2023 description below.

This show concentrates 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.

Listen to the May 10, 2023 show here:

Wednesday, May 3, 2023: A Tribute to Attorney Alton H. Maddox, Jr. (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:

Wednesday, April 26, 2023: An Ancestor Speaks, A Tribute to New Ancestor Randall Robinson; Rest in Power (July 6, 1941-March 26, 2023)

The Wednesday, April 26 edition of Africa 500 features a tribute to New Ancestor Randall Robinson. Show hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty welcome Special Guests Mama Efia Nwangaza, Baba Francois N’Dengwe and Honorable Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis Dr. Terrance M. Drew.

Randall Robinson
Human Rights Activist, Lawyer, Author. Founder: TransAfrica

Human rights advocate, author, and law professor Randall Robinson was born on July 6, 1941 in Richmond, Virginia to Maxie Cleveland Robinson and Doris Robinson. He graduated from Armstrong High School in Richmond, Virginia in 1959; attended Norfolk State College in Norfolk, Virginia; and during his junior year, entered the U.S. Army. Robinson earned his B.A. in sociology from Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia in 1967, prior to receiving his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 1970.

In his final year of law school, Robinson co-founded the Southern Africa Relief Fund, and after graduation, worked as a Ford Foundation fellow in Tanzania, East Africa. Upon his return to the United States, he worked as a civil rights attorney at the Boston Legal Assistance Project until 1975, when he served as speech writer in the office of Missouri Congressman Bill Clay. He worked as a staff attorney for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights in 1976, prior to serving as administrative assistant, i.e. chief of staff, in the office of Michigan Congressman Charles Diggs.

In 1977, Robinson founded TransAfrica Forum to promote enlightened U.S. policies toward Africa and the Caribbean. He served as the organization’s president until 2001, when he and his wife, Hazel, moved to St. Kitts. In 2008, Robinson was named a Distinguished Scholar in Residence by The Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, where he taught human rights law until 2016.

Robinson was a best-selling author, with his works including Defending the Spirit: A Black Life in America; The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks; The Reckoning – What Blacks Owe to Each Other; Quitting America: The Departure of a Black Man from His Native Land; An Unbroken Agony: Haiti, from Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President; and two novels: The Emancipation of Wakefield Clay and MAKEDA.

Randall Robinson passed on to the Honored Ancestors on March 24, 2023 at the age of 81.

This is where Randall Robinson spent his final days upon leaving America. His book ‘Quitting America …’ is based on his self-exile…
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/28/us/randall-robinson-dead.html

Guests

Efia Nwangaza
Human Rights Activist, Attorney, Founder; Malcolm X Center for Self Determination

Mama Efia Nwangaza is a New Afrikan colonized in the USA. She is Founder/Director of the Malcolm X Center for Self Determination, WMXP Community Radio, member of the Black Belt Human Rights Coalition Criminal Punishment System Sub-Committee, Black Alliance for Peace, and a veteran of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

The SNCC Atlanta Project laid the foundation for today’s Black Lives Matter Movement in its 1966 call for “Black Power” and declaration that “Black is Beautiful”. As a member of the USA Durban 400 Delegation, she attended the 2001 Durban World Conference Against Racism, a global gathering. From Durban, the world — governments and civil society — reached a consensus and issued the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA). The world declared colonialism, slavery, apartheid, and genocide crimes against humanity, without statute of limitations and a basis for reparations due.

She has testified on the results of “Putting Imprisoned COINTELPRO/Civil Rights Era USA Political Prisoners/Prisoners of War/Exiles on the Global Human Rights Agenda: 2010-2016” Campaign. It was a campaign she conceived and conducted at the United Nations over a period of 6 years, with official Shadow Reports and in-person advocacy at the White House, USA agencies, and UN Committees. Her reports have continued relevance and are frequently referenced.

Mama Efia’s testimony, as expert and legal observer, at the 2021 Spirit of Mandela Tribunal allowed the prosecutor, Nkechi Taifa, and a panel of jurists to establish a baseline regarding Political Prisoners/Prisoners of War/Exiles resulting from her Shadow Reports. The UN Human Rights Council Treaty Review Committee made demands pursuant to the Campaign and the USA’s continued failure to come into treaty compliance and respect movements of independence and self determination.

She more recently testified at the 1st Session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent that was held from December 5-9 in Geneva, Switzerland. There she called on the Forum to respect the Durban Declaration and Program of Action and received a standing ovation. The Forum is scheduled to meet again in New York, May 29 – June 2. All are urged to attend to support and advance the self- determinative DDPA.

Francois N’Dengwe
Founder; African Advisory Board
Publisher; Hommes and Femmes d’Afrique Magazines

Baba Francois Ndengwe’s education is multidisciplinary including mathematics, mechanics, economics, and political science. He is a researcher and magazine publisher.

Francois Ndengwe is the producer and host of “Fresh News From Africa”. His show has been featured in previous editions of Africa 500.

He is editor of Hommes d’Afrique Magazine and Femmes d’Afrique Magazine. He is also Founder and President of African Advisory Board.

Honorable Dr. Terrance M. Drew
Prime Minister, St. Kitts and Nevis

Honorable Dr. Terrance M. Drew is the 4th Prime Minister of the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis following General Elections on August 5th, 2022, in which he led the St. Kitts – Nevis Labour Party to secure an outright majority in Parliament, winning 6 of the 11 seats in the National Assembly.

Prime Minister Drew also currently holds the portfolios of Minister of Finance, National Security, Immigration, Health, and Social Security.

Dr. Drew is serving his first term as the elected Member of Parliament for the constituency of St. Christopher 8.

Prime Minister Drew serves as the Lead Head of Government within CARICOM bearing responsibility for Health.

A medical doctor, Prime Minister Drew has provided health care as a General Practitioner at the Joseph Nathaniel France General Hospital as well as via private practice in St. Kitts, following his studies at Instituto Superior de Ciencias Médicas in Santa Clara, in Cuba (from 1998), and has specialized in Internal Medicine in St. Kitts, following his studies at the Paul Foster School of Medicine in Texas (2010-2013)

Prime Minister Drew is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM).

Prime Minister grew up in the community of Upper Monkey Hill located in the parish of St. Peter and is the son of Ras Gerzel Pet Mills and Michael ‘Mic Stokes’ Heyliger.

Prime Minister Drew founded the C.A.R.E. Foundation in February 2021, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that aims to provide assistance to citizens nationally, across both islands of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Listen to the April 26 show here:

Wednesday, April 12 & 19, 2023: African historian, playwright, poet Pathisa Nyathi

The Wednesday, April 12 and Wednesday, April 19 editions of Africa 500 feature the words of Pathisa Nyathi, African historian, playwright, poet, and founder of Amagugu International Heritage Center.

This discussion is presented as part pf the Master Teacher Series: Things Fall Apart, Africans and the Loss of African Spirituality.

Pathisa Nyathi is a Zimbabwean writer, author and publisher. Pathsia Nyathi is the founder of Amagugu International Heritage Centre in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. A writer, author and publisher, the former Secretary-General of the Zimbabwe Writers’ Union.

Pathisa Nyathi is also a columnist for The Sunday News (Cultural heritage), The Sunday Mirror (View from Bulawayo) and The Daily Mirror (Giya Mthwakazi). As a traditional or cultural preservationist, Nyathi, has published Traditional Ceremonies of AmaNdebele and Material Culture of AmaNdebele. Most of his publications are in Ndebele. His argument in writing in Ndebele is that it enables constant development of the language to achieve a rich cultural heritage for future generations. As both a writer and a historian his books are;

Publications

• Ngilecala (a short story published by the Literature Bureau, 1988)
• Kunzima Malokazana (a play published by Longman, 1990)
• Vulingqondo 1 (a ZJC Ndebele revision book, 1990)
• Igugu Lika Mthwakazi (a history of the Ndebele from 1820 -1893 in the SiNdebele language), 1994
• Madoda Lolani Incukuthu, 1999 (a sequel to Igugu LikaMthwakazi covering the 1896 Ndebele resistance to colonialism)
• Uchuku Olungelandiswe, 1996, (a sequel to Madoda Lolani Incukuthu, dealing with Ndebele history during the colonial period.)
• In Search of Freedom: Masotsha Ndlovu, 1998 (a biography of one of the national heroes) Longman
  Material Culture of the AmaNdebele (2000), Reach Out Publishers
• Alvord Mabena: The Man and His Roots (2000) Priority Projects Inyathelo 6 Longman 2001(Ndebele text book for Grade 6)
• Traditional Ceremonies of the AmaNdebele (2003) Mambo Press
• Cultural Heritage of Zimbabwe (2004)
• amaBooks (Ziyajuluka, 2001 translation of Czech stories) (Inkondlo 2005, translation of Czech poems) (Okwenza iqhude Likhonye, Sapes Trust, 1999, translation of Shona children’s book by Tendai Makura)
• Changing Material Culture of AmaNdebele (2009)
• Amagugu Arts Kolobeja: Folktales from a Ndebele Past 2009, Embassy of the Czech Republic, Zimbabwe
• Tumbale: A History of the Bhebhe People of Zimbabwe 2010, Amagugu Arts
• Lozikeyi Dlodlo: Queen of the Ndebele, in conjunction with Marieke Clarke, 2010, Amagugu Publishing
• ISikhekhekhe Sabokhekhe, 2010 TEPP Marketing Publishers and Distributors
• UFikile Nyathi, Ezomdabu 1996 (children’s book) Zimawele Longman 2006

The video that is featured in these programs can be accessed at the following links:

The Coming of an African Spiritual Revolution
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlgn3KSPHBA

Listen to the April 19, 2023 show here:

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 can be listened to on 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

Wednesday, April 5, 2023: Impact of Mass Incarceration on Women; Changing Herstory

The Wednesday, April 5, 2023 edition of AFRICA 500 finishes off their Pan African Herstory Month series on Women Warriors with the topic: Impact of Mass Incarceration on Women; Changing Herstory. Show hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty welcome their Special Guests: Maryam Henderson-Uloho, Founder of SisterHearts Louisiana; and Dr. Renata A. Hedrington-Jones aka Queen Afia Nzinga, National Vice President of the National Association of Black Social Workers.

Maryam Henderson-Uloho
SisterHearts
Louisiana
https://vimeo.com/246308092 – SisterHearts Short Documentary
https://squareup.com/us/en/dreams/sister-hearts
https://maryamuloho.com/

Maryam Henderson-Uloho spent thirteen years in prison in Louisiana, seven in solitary confinement. After her release she struggled to find housing or employment. She began selling secondhand goods out of a suitcase on a street corner in New Orleans. In just three years, she grew her business to a brick-and-mortar thrift store—one that also provides housing and employment for other formerly-incarcerated women. She calls those women—and her store—Sister Hearts.

“When I got out of prison, they wouldn’t allow me to open a bank account. I could not rent an apartment. I could not get a job. So I started just selling stuff out of a suitcase on the street corner. The first day I made $40. And I just kept doing that. Three years later, I have a 15,000 square foot thrift store and transition housing facility for other female ex-offenders.”

Dr. Renata A. Hedrington-Jones aka Queen Afia Nzinga
National Vice President; National Association of Black Social Workers
https://www.nabsw.org/

Dr. Renata Hedrington Jones received her doctorate from Walden University and her MSW in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Jones completed her doctoral studies in human services administration. Dr. Hedrington Jones taught at Virginia State University and Virginia Commonwealth University in the schools/department of social work. Her dissertation entitled “Human Services Professionals’ Practice with Families After Parental Incarceration” supports the need for therapeutic services for this population. Dr. Hedrington Jones has over 40 years of experience in the field of social work. She adamantly refuses to accept mediocrity as a solution to the social ills of this society. She believes in family preservation and her ultimate goal is to reconvene the village. She refuses to give up because she believes that African American people and all people deserve the best lives possible. In her own words “All Lives Matter.” She also taught at Longwood University.

Listen to the April 5, 2023 show here:

AFRICA 500
Wednesdays @3pm EST.
https://handradio.org/
https://kuumbareport.com/
https://webuyblack.com
https://kweli.tv

Wednesday, March 29, 2023: Stop the Violence Movement, 1988-Present, The Self-Destruction of Black/African Youth: Africa 500 Continues the Discussion with Queen Mother Victory Swift and Mama Zakiyyah Ali

The Wednesday, March 29 edition of Africa 500 continues the conversation that was started the previous week as Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty once again welcome Queen Mother Victory Swift (Our Victorious City-Baltimore, MD) and Mama Zakiyyah Ali (Philadelphia, PA). The topic is part of Africa 500’s Roundtable Series, The Stop the Violence Movement, 1988-Present, The Self-Destruction of Black/African Youth.

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 can be listenbed to on an update of this post as well as on the Audio-Visual Media Pages of KUUMBAReport (https://kuumbareport.com), KUUMBAEvents (https://kuumbaevents.com) and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (https://srdcinternational.org).

To listen after the March 29 broadcast, click below:

Wednesday, March 22, 2023: Women Warriors on the Battlefield, featuring Queen Mother Victory Swift

The Wednesday, March 22, 2023 edition of Africa 500 continues its celebration of Pan African Herstory Month as it discusses “Women Warriors on the Battlefield”. Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty welcome Special Guest Queen Mother Victory Swift, founder of Our Victorious City (OVC) in Baltimore, Maryland.

Mama Victory, as many on the Baltimore Pan-Afrikan community know her, is a longtime Pan-Afrikan community activist who has contributed numerous programs and practical strategies to help bring together, uplift and sponsor activists and members of the grassroots community in the Baltimore area. Her work has assisted and energized numerous organizations, including the Organization of All Afrikan Unity Black Panther Cadre (OAAU-BPC), Maryland Council of Elders (MCOE) and Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC), among many others.

For many years, Mama Victory sponsored the Afrikan Heritage Walk-A-Thon from the east end (Great Blacks In Wax Museum) to the west end (Coppin State University) of North Avenue in Baltimore to raise funds to benefit education efforts for Afrikan-descendant youth.

Our Victorious City (OVC) is named for her son, Victorious Khan Swift, a brilliant, charismatic and extremely popular young community activist, artist and boxer who was taken from his loving family and the Pan-Afrikan community by an act of senseless violence in 2017. A portion of a street near downtown Baltimore City has been named in his honor.

Listen to the March 22 show here:

Wednesday, March 15, 2023: Pan- Afrikan Activist Ancestor Winnie Mandela Speaks

The Wednesday, March 15 edition of Africa 500 brings us the words of Pan-Afrikan activist and onetime First Lady of South Africa, Ancestor Winnie Mandela.  She was the wife of Nelson Mandela during his time as a leader of the African National Congress, during his 27-year incarceration at Robben Island under the Apartheid regime of South Africa, and as he served as President of South Africa after his release from prison.

She carved her own niche in the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa, wielding power and influence that made her a formidable force against the Apartheid regime as well as a feared opponent of South African collaborators and rivals in the revolutionary movement.

Show hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty are bringing us strong Black Women’s voices as they observe and celebrate Pan Afrikan Herstory Month.

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

Listen to the March 15, 2023 show here:

Wednesday, March 8, 2023: An Ancestor Speaks, Educator Dr. Barbara Sizemore (1927-2004)

The Wednesday, March 8 edition of Africa 500 features a lecture from one of our prominent Afrikan American educators from the Ancestral Realm, Dr. Barbara Sizemore (1927 – 2004).

The Web page Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Sizemore) had this to say in their article about Ancestor Barbara Sizemore:

In 1973, she became the first African American woman to head the public school system in a major city, when she was elected superintendent of District of Columbia Public Schools. …

Sizemore began her career in Chicago public schools, teaching English and reading in elementary and high schools from 1950 to 1963, and serving as principal of elementary and high schools from 1963 to 1967. In 1969 she was named district superintendent of the Woodlawn Experimental Schools. She was also a member of the adjunct faculty at Northeastern Illinois University from 1965 to 1971.  Sizemore taught at the University of Pittsburgh from 1975 to 1992. It was there that she began her research on low-income African American students and standardized tests, which she continued as dean of the School of Education at DePaul University in 1992.  Sizemore’s first book, a version of her doctoral thesis titled The Ruptured Diamond: The Politics of the Decentralization of the District of Columbia Public Schools, was published in 1981. Her second book, Walking in Circles: The Black Struggle for School Reform was published posthumously in 2008.

From a bio provided by Africa 500:

Pioneering educator and school administrator Barbara Sizemore was born in Chicago, Illinois to Sylvester and Delila Lafoon. Her father died in a car accident when she was eight years old. Her mother remarried and the family moved to Evanston. Growing up in the 1930’s in the Midwest, Sizemore experienced Jim Crow whose laws were adopted and enforced. Although her elementary and middle schools were segregated, she had highly educated African-American teachers and received an excellent education.

In 1944, Sizemore enrolled in Northwestern University and graduated with a degree in classical languages in 1947. She dreamed of being a translator for the United Nations but because there were few professional opportunities for black women at that time, she began teaching in Chicago public schools that led her to her life’s calling.

In 1954, Sizemore earned an M.A. in elementary education from Northwestern. She left teaching in 1963 to become the first black female to be appointed principal of a Chicago school. In 1965, she became principal of Forrestville High School and initiated efforts to turn the school from a haven for gangs into an innovative educational experiment. By 1969, she was named director and district superintendent for the Woodlawn Experimental Schools Project and instructor at Northwestern’s Center for Inner City Studies, an innovative multi-disciplinary, multi-ethnic graduate school program in Chicago’s South Side.

In 1973, Sizemore was elected as superintendent of the District of Columbia Public School System. This was the first time an African-American woman had been chosen to head a public school system in a major U.S. city. During her tenure, Sizemore tackled highly controversial and polarizing issues such as the abolishment of standardized testing whose “Anglo-Saxon bias” she believed put African American students at a disadvantage. Sizemore’s educational views challenged the more traditional views of the school system and she was fired in 1975. Her book, The Ruptured Diamond (1981), chronicles her experiences in Washington.

After leaving Washington, Sizemore taught at the University of Pittsburgh where she conducted research on schools that served low-income African-American children. In 1992, she assumed a professorship at DePaul University in Chicago. As dean of the School of Education, she created her School Achievement Structure (SAS) program. SAS was designed to enable black students to compete successfully on any standardized exam. This was a radical departure from her earlier belief in abandoning the tests. Sizemore now argued that integrating SAS into a school’s curriculum would help low-achieving schools in Chicago become high performers. The program is used in many school districts around the country.

Sizemore served as Professor Emerita at DePaul University. She earned a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Chicago as well as four honorary doctorate degrees. She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the Urban League, NAACP and Phi Delta Kappa. In the last years of her life, she advised the Chicago public school system and continued to write and speak on educational issues.

Ms. Sizemore died from cancer in June of 2004. She was the mother of six children and had seven grandchildren.
https://www.visionaryproject.org/sizemorebarbara/

Africa 500 is broadcast every Wednesday at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) on HANDRadio (https://handradio.org).  After the broadcast, the show can be listened to by clicking below.

Wednesday, March 1: A Presentation by Former AU Ambassador Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao

Africa 500 opens up what many call Women’s History Month, but which they are referring to as Pan African Herstory Month, with a presentation that was made by former African Union Ambassador Her Excellency Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao.

Ambassador Quao served as African Union Ambassador to the United States from 2016 through 2019, and made a name for herself with her frequent appearances at events held at the African Union Mission in Washington, DC, panel discussions and other events at colleges, universities and embassies across the United States, online consultations with the African Union, and videos that she produced in which she spoke out about the history of the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 and the continuing impact of European colonialism and neocolonialism.  Some feel that her dismissal as African Union Ambassador in late 2019 was partly motivated by uneasiness about her criticisms of neocolonialism.

Ambassador Quao is currently the Director of the African Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI), largely based in Harare, Zimbabwe.  She is organizing what is being billed as “PAC-8 Part 1”, a planned Pan Afrikan Conference to mark the 30pyear anniversary of the 7th Pan African Congress of 1994.  Part 1 will be held in April, May or June of this year in Zimbabwe, while Part 2 is scheduled for the spring or summer of 2024 in Uganda.

According to a bio of Ambassador Quao:

Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of ADDI, Her Excellency Arikana Chihombori Quao MD  is a medical doctor (having practised medicine for over 25 years), founder and owner of medical  clinics, diplomat, public speaker, educator, and entrepreneur. Her recently published book Africa 101: The Wake-Up Call is a best seller on Amazon.

In her role as Permanent Representative to the African Union Mission in Washington DC (2016-2019), Her Excellency Arikana Chihombori Quao MD worked tirelessly towards fulfilling her mandate which was to undertake, develop, and maintain relationships between the African Union and the Executive and Legislative branches of the US Government, the African Diplomatic Corps, the Africans in the Diaspora and the Bretton Woods Institutions. This was specifically in relation to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and advancing the priority areas of Agenda 2063. Her efforts to mobilize the Diaspora as people of African descent and not as citizens of any single African country is unprecedented and exemplifies her ability to unify people around a common goal, speaking with one voice as one Africa and one Continent. 

Before her appointment as AU Ambassador, H. E. Arikana Chihombori Quao MD’s contributions to the cause of Africa earned her many prestigious honors and awards, including two that she cherishes the most: The  Achievement Award, which she received in 1996 from the incumbent President at the time, H.E. the late President Nelson Mandela of the Republic of South Africa in the presence of both President Mandela and President Mugabe of the Republic of Zimbabwe; and the African Woman of Excellence Award, which she received in July 2015 during the AU Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, alongside 15 other prominent African Women including the former President of The Republic of Liberia, Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the former President of The Republic of Malawi, Madam Joyce Banda, Mama Winnie Mandela (Republic of South Africa), Mama Ngina Kenyatta (Republic of Kenya), Mama Asigwe Anyiam (Federal Republic of Nigeria), and Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (Republic of South Africa). 

During her three-year tenure as AU Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao MD received more than 100 awards and attestations from many organizations, including from the  African Diaspora within the Americas. She received the 2018 Ambassador of the Year Award from Howard  University in Washington D.C., as well as numerous recognitions from Members of Congress, Governors, Mayors, and County Executives from across the United States, the Caribbean, and South America.  

Born and raised in Zimbabwe where she attained her  primary and secondary education, Her Excellency Arikana Chihombori Quao MD left Zimbabwe to study in the United States, where she obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in General Chemistry, a Master’s Degree in Organic Chemistry, and a Doctor of Medicine Degree.  She is married to a Ghanaian husband and is a proud mother of five children and a very happy grandmother of five grandchildren.

The presentation of these recorded remarks by Ambassador Quao will kick off Africa 500’s observance of Pan African Herstory Month.

Listen to the March 1, 2023 show here:

Wednesday, February 22, 2023: The Return, African American Families and Mother Africa

The February 22, 2023 edition of Africa 500 discusses The Return: African American Families and Mother Africa. Show hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty welcome special guests Imhotep Simba and Ras Tre Subira.

Imhotep Simba

Imhotep Simba is a proud father, Baltimorean, and HBCU Alumnus, graduating from Coppin State University in the spring of 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies. After graduating, Imhotep led the CBM CARES® National Mentoring Initiative for Concerned Black Men National in southwest Baltimore from 2015-2017 and eventually served as an Urban Youth Development Volunteer in Ecuador with the Peace Corps from 2017-2019.

Imhotep is fluent in Español (Spanish) también (also).

After returning from Peace Corps Service, he worked at DAI, an implementing partner to the United States Agency for International Development, supporting projects in Zambia and Uganda focused on agriculture and economic growth. Imhotep currently works as a Program Officer at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, leading the Juvenile Justice Strategy Group’s Youth Engagement portfolio.

Imhotep and his son Leevi recently returned from a trip to Conakry, Guinea, in November 2022 in hopes of learning more about one of their first ancestors brought to the US, enslaved. That ancestor being sister Sarah (Sal) Minty Barrikee. The assumption is Barrikee is the closest piece of her identity she retained from back home, so we’ll call her Barrikee.

Imhotep O. Simba
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer
Ecuador 2017-2019
Cell Phone: +1 (410) 240-5268
Email: ImhotepSimba@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imhotep-simba-9b709194?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Ras Tre Subira

Ras Tre Subira is an award-winning documentary filmmaker with over 7 years of teaching and producing social justice films in several international locations. Ras Tre is the Co-Founder of African Youth Alchemy (AYA Inc.), a community-based nonprofit organization that develops youth as cultural ambassadors who utilize expeditionary learning, media and arts to educate themselves and their community. Mr. Subira facilitates I AM (Independent Afrikan Minds), a youth leadership program that cultivates youth leadership through community service projects, including an “educultural” study-tour to Ghana, West Africa. In 2009, Ras Tre established the Griot’s Eye program which equips youth with the technical and creative skills to produce dynamic film and photography projects that address issues of immediate relevance in the lives of Baltimore city youth.

An important theme in Ras Tre’s films is the exploration of identity issues among youth of the African Diaspora with a strong emphasis on the intersection between traditional culture and urban arts. He is particularly interested in giving voice to marginalized communities through participative media projects that empower residents to tell their own stories. His work reflects a strong commitment to social justice, youth development, and international development.

With a B.A. in African Diasporan Studies, M.A. in International Development, and MFA in Documentary Film, he has a wealth of experience in using media technology to support community development projects. This includes promoting trade and investment in Liberia with the Ministry of Commerce and producing teacher-training videos in Ethiopia with the Ministry of Education. As an award-winning filmmaker and educator, his documentary films have been featured internationally and domestically on CNN, PBS and local cable channels.

For several years he has traveled back and forth to Ghana, two of those years his children lived with him in Ghana, below are some photos during their stay showcasing daily life with the Ghanaian peoples. You can contact him through Black Mission Media https://www.facebook.com/blackmissionmedia/

Listen to the February 22, 2023 show here:

Wednesday, February 15, 2023: Africa’s “Green Revolution”

The Wednesday, February 15, 2023 edition of Africa 500 features African Women Entrepreneurs who are helping to drive the Continent’s “Green Revolution”. Show hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty welcome African Women “agripreneurs” Lindiwe Ntombikazulu Somo, Kudirat “Ayo” Ayomide Tijani and Joyce Apoasaan Jambeidu.

Lindiwe Ntombikazulu Magubane Somo

Lindiwe Ntombikazulu Magubane Somo lives in South Africa. She is the founder and CEO of Ntombi and Rano Trading, which is an umbrella which holds few other companies beneath it. Three Sister’s Poultry deals in farming, poultry and vegetables. She has Diploma in Marketing Management at Stanford College, Advanced Diploma in Agriculture, Certificate in Supply Chain Management with Cape Peninsula University, Certificate with Nosa in Health and Safety Management, Advanced Diploma in Media Studies from an Institute in Ireland.

In the year 2021 she was nominated amongst 1500 applicants around Africa as a leader for the program called Ignite by Guzakuza in Ghana partnered with London Academy in the UK. Lindiwe is also a Woman in Agriculture Award Nominee for the year 2022. Lindz Nature’s Lick manufactures organic skin care products and also deals in clothing.

Kudirat Ayomide Tijani aka Ayo

Kudirat Ayomide Tijani aka Ayo lives in Kwara State in Nigeria but was born in Lagos. She graduated in Agricultural Economics from Obafemi Awolowo University Osun state.

After school, she managed an Organic farm to gain experience in the real world. During her stay, she learned the importance of Organic Agriculture and its impact on the world. Organic Agriculture in Nigeria is just gaining ground and to fast-track its growth it’s important to leverage technology in order to make it attractive to the youth. Ayo is an evangelist when it comes to organic Agriculture because of its effect on the well-being of humans. If food is going to be medicine for mankind then it must be healthy.

She is a Social Media Manager & Marketer, and Creative Director of Cityoftayhairhub a hair care brand. City Of Tayhairhub is a hair care brand totally focused on helping Men and Women of the curly & kinky hair type embrace their curl patterns through informational materials and effective organic hair care products thus making them confident through their hair and passing the baton to the incoming generation. Her products can be found at IG @cityoftayhairhub

Joyce Apoasaan Jambeidu

Joyce Apoasaan Jambeidu is Ghanaian from Garu in the Upper East Region. Her dream is to inspire women to make an impact in their chosen fields, to reduce poverty among women through creation of decent jobs.

She has a BA in Integrated Development Studies, an MBA in Project Management and awaiting her thesis Defense for Mphil in Community Health and Development. She is also pursuing a PHD in Project Management with Taxila American University. Joyce currently works as a Governance Lead with USAID RING II, before joining RING II she worked with USAID Advancing Nutrition as an Early Childhood Development Specialist, she has also worked with Lively Minds Project, ActionAid – Global Platforms, USAID SPRING – Ghana and World Vision Ghana.

Joyce is the Founder of Wellam’s Shea Investment a shea-based company based in Garu in the Upper East in Ghana. Wellam’s Shea in collaboration with women groups produces quality food grade shea butter and shea-based skin care and hair care products which are sold in Ghana and worldwide. As a Development worker, she had the privilege to work in many rural communities with women groups with the aim to reduce malnutrition among children and women in reproductive age. She is also the Executive Director of Tieltaab Ghana – an NGO operating in the area of Food and Nutrition Security, Early Childhood Development, Gender and Social Inclusion, WASH and Environmental Protection. Tieltaab Ghana operates The Empowered Woman Hub with the aim to ignite and inspire women to make an impact in society through various initiatives.

Wellam’s Shea was formed to economically empower girls, women and entire communities which will contribute to improved nutritional status of children under 5 and women of reproductive age through decent job creation in the shea value chain. Her hair and beauty products can be found at IG @wellamshea and FB Wellam’s Shea

Listen to the February 15, 2023 show here:

Wednesday, February 8, 2023: African Woman Trailblazer Florence Torson-Hart

The February 8, 2023 edition of Africa 500 spotlights two African women trailblazers in business.  Show hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty welcome African business woman Florence Torson-Hart.

Florence Torson-Hart
President, US-Ghana Chamber of Commerce
Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch

Florence Torson-Hart is the current President of the US-Ghana Chamber of Commerce headquartered in Philadelphia PA. The Chamber is dedicated to the facilitation and promotion of trade & investment, economic growth, increasing business opportunities and advocacy on behalf of its membership in both countries.

She also leads a Wealth Management Team at Merrill Lynch and is a Certified Financial Planner. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, Florence was the CEO and Founder of a successful multi-media company. She has extensive experience in Advertising, Public Relations, Marketing, Publishing and TV Content Programming. She is a graduate of Drexel University with a Dual MBA concentration in Financial Management and Accounting and holds a BA in Publishing with a Marketing and Editing specialization.

Florence is a member of several charitable organizations and has a passion for fitness. Originally from Ghana, West Africa, Florence currently lives in Philadelphia, PA with her family.

https://www.facebook.com/US.GhanaChamber
https://usghchamevents.com/

Listen to the February 28, 2023 show here:

Wednesday, February 1: DeShuna Spencer of KweliTV and Stephen Selaise Asuo of Young Africa Media Center and YALI TV

The February 1, 2023 edition of Africa 500 features guests DeShuna Spencer of KweliTV and Stephen Selaise Asuo of Young Africa Media Center and YALI TV.

DeShuna Spencer is a social impact executive who is the founder & CEO of KweliTV, a global streaming service that curates the largest library of indie Black films & docs from across the globe.

As a former journalist & radio host, DeShuna’s work focuses on the intersection of media images and implicit bias. She speaks frequently on media representation, diversity in the streaming & the OTT space, social entrepreneurship, the effects of Black trauma content, challenges & opportunities in the media landscape, starting a media tech venture, women in media & tech, and her journey as a Black founder.

For years, Spencer had dreamed of building a service that told Black stories, with a focus on independent films and documentaries. But as a former journalist and magazine editor, she had no connections in Hollywood, no tech programming knowledge, and practically no budget. Getting the service off the ground and keeping it afloat has been a constant challenge.

But after launching KweliTV in 2016, Spencer’s work is finally starting to pay off. While the service still operates on a small scale, with 47,000 registered users who have access to 600 pieces of content, she recently raised $100,000 from New Media Ventures, plus another $100,000 and counting through the crowdfunded investment site Republic. The actor and comedian Lil Rel Howery also began curating comedy programming for the service in 2020, and in January, Apple picked KweliTV as one of five apps to showcase from Black app developers.

Being a niche streaming player is never easy, and the list of failed ventures is long. But as major streaming services become more expensive, bloated, and cumbersome to navigate, it may create an opportunity for smaller companies with a more specific point of view–KweliTV among them.

“We’re really about changing the Black narrative, and that means everyone—no matter what they look like—we want them to experience the Black experience from our perspective,” Spencer says.

https://www.deshuna.com
https://www.kweli.tv

Stephen Selaise Asuo is a Mediapreneur and Communications Consultant. He has over 10+ years’ work experience in community engagements and advocacy working with NGOs and CSOs across Ghana. He has focused his work on issues of communication, education and access to information.

Currently he is the founder/CEO of Young Africa Media Center and general manager of YALI TV, a fast-growing online television channel dedicated to tell the stories and impacts of YALI Alumni and young leaders across Africa. He leads over 100 YALI TV Correspondents and associates across Africa, and the channel has covered major events on the continent in English, Portuguese and French. He is also the coordinator of the Black History Festivals which began in 2022. The 2023 Black History Festival will take place in Columbus Ohio.

As he continues to develop content best in value-based leadership, Stephen aspires to be a renowned Media Entrepreneur and Development Communication Consultant in Ghana. Steven hopes to transform the socioeconomic fortunes of the continent through a renewed media vision for Africa through leadership, storytelling and peer partnerships.

https://www.youngafricamediacenter.com
https://blackhistoryfestivals.com

Listen to the February 1, 2023 show here:

Wednesday, January 25, 2023: The State of the Black Family with Bro. Brandon Walker

Be sure to tune in to Africa 500 on HANDRadio (https://handradio.org) as show hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty follow up on the recently shared lectures from Pan-Afrikan Ancestors Dr. John Henrik Clarke and Rev. Dr. Ishakamusa Barashango.

This week, they look at the state of the African American Family with guest Bro. Brandon Walker of the Ujima Peoples Progress Party (UPP).

Listen to the show by clicking below:

Wednesday, January 11, 2023: The Words of Rev. Dr. Ishakamusa Barashango

The January 11, 2023 edition of Africa 500 will feature the words of the Rev. Dr. Ishakamusa Barsashango.

Rev. Dr. Ishakamusa Barashango

Rev. Dr. Ishakamusa Barashango, affectionately known as “Baba”, began his journey to Nsamando, the land of the Ancestors on January 14, 2004. He apparently succumbed to a heart attack during his morning walk. The dynamic minister, author, historian, educator and motivational speaker was born April 27, 1938 in Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Barashango received his Bachelor of Arts degree in religion from Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. He studied for his Master’s degree at Northeastern Seminary in Takoma Park, Maryland. The New Afrikan University Network System of Washington, D.C. saluted him with an honorary Doctor of Philosophy Degree in 1979. Rev. Barashango founded the Temple of the Black Messiah, School of History and Religion and co-founded Fourth Dynasty Publishing Company of Silver Spring. He also taught history and religion at several colleges and universities.

As well as releasing a series of audio lecture compact disks, Dr Barashango was the author of several books including: Afrikan People And European Holidays: A Mental Genocide Book One; Afrikan People And European Holidays: A Mental Genocide Book Two; God, the Bible and the Black Man’s Destiny; Afrikan Woman: The Original Guardian Angel; and Afrikan Genesis: Amazing Stories of Man’s Beginnings. Dr Barashango was completely dedicated to the physical, mental, and spiritual liberation of New Afrikan people – he dedicated his life to this cause!

Dr. Barashango also was the brother-in-law of longtime Political Prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal, being wedded to Jamal’s sister Lydia since 1996: (https://web.archive.org/web/20181012052003/http://archive.prisonradio.org/10-9-11LydiaBarashangoPresente.html).

Oath To The Ancestors by Ishakamusa Barashango
Oaths in the Bible

The Reverend Dr. Ishakamusa Barashango gave us the Oath To The Ancestors. One thing about the oath most people may not recognize is it is bible based. There are many instances of this.

the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham.
— Luke 1:73

Thus I will fulfill the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, the one you have today. “Amen, LORD,” I answered.
— Jeremiah 11:5

You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago.
— Micah 7:20

Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.
— Deuteronomy 8:18 NLT

Based on those and other instances, African Christians need to know this oath is completely in line with their beliefs. As Dr. Barashango himself said,

“now you know I use the Bible as a revolutionary textbook because I am a African nationalist freedom fighter and I come in the tradition of the theology of black liberation founded by such great masters of that genre as the Right Reverend Nat Turner, the Right Reverend Gabriel Prosser, Henry Highland Garnett and a host of many others only one possible way I can approach this book or any other book and that has a freedom fighter for the liberation of our people and because it was originally our book before was tampered with we can define it in any manner and interpret it in any manner that we desire to and we always define it in the context of African historical reality.”
— Dr. Ishakamusa Barashango: Solving the Mystery of 666 (https://youtu.be/jT4VK4f4uwU)

The Oath To The Ancestors by Dr. Ishakamusa Barashango

Oh Ancestors!!!

Blacker than a thousand midnights.
African ancestors!!!
It is to you, we your children, give respect and honor.
O Ancestors!
We call upon You and welcome you in this place.
Afrikan Ancestors!
Let your presence fill this place.
O Ancestors!
Who have been purposely excluded from the history books, so that the world would not know of your greatness.
Our Afrikan Ancestors! Who gave civilization to the world…
Our Afrikan Ancestors! Who gave the arts to the world…
Our Afrikan Ancestors! Who gave music to the world…
Our Afrikan Ancestors! Who gave the sciences to the world…
Our Afrikan Ancestors! Who gave mathematics to the world…
Our Afrikan Ancestors! Who gave medicine to the world…
Our Afrikan Ancestors! Who gave literature to the world…
Our Afrikan Ancestors! Who gave philosophy to the world…
Our Afrikan Ancestors! Who gave God consciousness to the world…
O Ancestors!
We thank you for devoting your life to make a future for us, your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.
Now stand with us, strengthen us, guide us, teach us, and protect us from the snare of our enemies!
Rise up, O Afrikan Ancestors, and let our enemies be scattered
And give us the wisdom and the boldness to deal with our oppressors and those who would hinder the liberation and empowerment of our people.
Rise up, O Afrikan Ancestors, and live in us.
We will not fail to honor you!
We will not fail to respect you!
We will not fail to hear you!
And we will Not betray you!
Àṣẹ
Àṣẹ
—
Africa 500 airs every Wednesday at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) on HANDRadio (https://handradio.org).  Listen to the Wednesday, January 11 show here:

Wednesday, January 4, 2023: The Words of Dr. John Henrik Clarke

The Wednesday, January 4 edition of Africa 500 features a speech by Pan-Afrikan Ancestor Dr, John Henrik Clarke, one of the giants of Pan-Afrikanism, Black Nationalism and Afrikan and Afrikan-American history.

The Web site of the Board for the Education of People of African Ancestry (https://bepaa.wordpress.com/about-2/), “an institution housed at the John Henrik Clarke House dedicated to advancing the culture, principles and education of people of African Ancestry”, founded in 1992 by a group of educators, clergy, historians and activists “to define, monitor, formulate and implement policies and practices affecting the education of students of African Ancestry in both public and private educational systems.”  BEPAA is located at the Dr. John Henrik Clarke House at 286 Convent Avenue in New York.  The Web site includes a biography of Dr. Clarke, as well as an interview, Dr. Clarke in his Own Words: Education at the Crossroads, as well as a video, “Education”, the Highest Form of Struggle, at https://bepaa.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/dr-clarke-in-his-own-words-african-education-at-the-crossroads-by-john-henrik-clarke/.

This is what the Web site Black Past (https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/clarke-john-henrik-1915-1998/) wrote in its article about Dr. John Henrik Clarke:

John Henrik Clarke, historian, black nationalist, and Pan-Africanist, was a pioneer in the formation of Africana studies in the United States.  Principally a self-trained historian, Clarke dedicated his life to correcting what he argued was the prevailing view that people of Africa and of African descent had no history worthy of study.  Over the span of his career Clarke became one of the most respected historians of African and African American history.

Clarke was born on New Year’s Day, 1915, in Union Springs, Alabama.  He described his father as a “brooding, landless sharecropper,” who struggled to earn enough money to purchase his own farm, and his mother as a domestic.  Clarke’s mother Willie Ella (Mays) Clarke died in 1922, when he was about seven years old.

In 1932 Clarke left the South at age eighteen and he traveled by boxcar to Chicago, Illinois.  He then migrated to New York City, New York where he came under the tutelage of noted scholar Arthur A. Schomburg.  While in New York City’s Harlem, Clarke undertook the study of Africa, studying its history while working full time.

In 1949 the New School for Social Research asked Clarke to teach courses in a newly created African Studies Center.  Nineteen years later Clarke founded the African Heritage Studies Association in 1968, and was principally responsible for the creation of the Black and Puerto Rican Studies Department at Hunter College in New York City.  He later lectured at Cornell University as a distinguished visiting Professor of African history.

Clarke’s numerous works include A New Approach to African History (1967), African People in World History (1993), and The Boy Who Painted Jesus Black (1975).  He died in New York City in 1998.

These are just two sources for published books by Dr. John Henrik Clarke:

https://www.afriwarebooks.com/blog/books-by-john-henrik-clarke
https://ourtimepress.com/otp-interview-with-professor-john-henrik-clarke/?amp=1

The entire January 4 show is devoted to one of his speeches, often referred to as “The Illusion of Inclusion”.  Listen to it here:

The video of his speech can be seen on YouTube at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ivlXwXGCoDc

Wednesday, December 28, 2022: A Call to Action for Political Prisoner Imam Jamil Al-Amin

The Wednesday, December 28, 2022 edition of Africa400 discusses the case of Political Prisoner Imam Jamil Al-Amin and the actions that must be taken to secure his exoneration and freedom. Show Hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty welcome the following powerful guests:

Bomani Shakur

Bomani Uhuru Jihad Shakur is the National Minister of Information of The Provisional Government of The Republic of New Afrika (PG-RNA). He has been a Conscious New Afrikan Citizen since 2002. Serving in various capacities within the PG including Deputy Minister of Youth, Minister of Information, New Afrikan Nation Day Planning Committee and Co-Host of the Provisional Government of The Republic of New Afrika Radio Show. Locally he is the Minister of Information of the People’s Party for Independence (PPI) in the New Afrikan Population District of Baba Dr. John Henrik Clarke Town aka Columbus, Georgia. Brother Bomani is a local representative of IJAN (Imam Jamil Action Network). Minister Bomani is Vice Chancellor of George Jackson University (GJU), Host of George Jackson University Radio and Acting Spokesperson for George Jackson University. Bomani Uhuru Jihad Shakur is an active member of BAOC (Black August Organizing Committee). Bomani is a member of the Re-Build Newspaper Distribution Collective. Aside from his local activities and national kazi, he is a New Afrikan Propagandist, New Afrikan Ourstorian [“It’s Our Story not his story (history)”], Educator, Activist, Advocate of Captured New Afrikan Citizens (i.e. New Afrikan Political Prisoners), New Afrikan Prisoners of War as well as political prisoners of other movements such as the Black Liberation Movement. Comrade Bomani is committed to presenting ourstorical narrative via radio, literature, written correspondence and conversation.

Thomas Ruffin

Thomas Ruffin is a founding member of the International Association of Black Lawyers, a group of highly competent, radical Black lawyers who came together in 2017 for the liberation and uplift of Black people and the poor throughout the world. As a lawyer, Thomas Ruffin practices in the United States, principally in the District of Columbia and Maryland. As an activist, Thomas Ruffin fights against injustice anywhere. Indeed, Mr. Ruffin served as the public information lawyer in the campaign to free Troy Anthony Davis, a Black man wrongfully executed by the racist state of Georgia in September 2011. Thomas Ruffin also served as a member of the Jericho National Movement, a nonprofit organization that aimed to liberate political prisoners held captive in the United States.

Ajamu Baraka

A human rights defender whose experience spans four decades of domestic and international education and activism, Ajamu Baraka is a veteran grassroots organizer whose roots are in the Black Liberation Movement and anti-apartheid and Central American solidarity struggles.

Baraka is an internationally recognized leader of the emerging human rights movement in the U.S. and has been at the forefront of efforts to apply the international human rights framework to social justice advocacy in the U.S. for more than 25 years. As such, he has provided human rights trainings for grassroots activists across the country, briefings on human rights to the U.S. Congress, and appeared before and provided statements to various United Nations agencies, including the UN Human Rights Commission (precursor to the current UN Human Rights Council).

As a co-convener with Jaribu Hill of the Mississippi Worker Center for Human Rights, Baraka played an instrumental role in developing the series of bi-annual Southern Human Rights Organizers’ Conferences (SHROC) that began in 1996. These gatherings represented some of the first post-Cold War human rights training opportunities for grassroots activists in the country.

Baraka played an important role in bringing a human rights perspective to the preparatory meetings for the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) that took place in Geneva and in Santiago, Chile as part of the Latin American Preparatory process, as well as the actual conference that he attended as a delegate in Durban, South Africa in 2001.

Ajamu Baraka was the Founding Executive Director of the US Human Rights Network (USHRN) from July 2004 until June 2011. He is the Founder of Black Alliance for Peace (BAP). He is currently an editor and contributing columnist for the Black Agenda Report and a writer for Counterpunch.

Update on Imam Jamil Al Amin: The Atlanta Conviction Integrity Unit headed by Fani Willis has interviewed Otis Jackson, the man who admitted to the crime for which Imam Jamil has been unjustly  imprisoned for 20+ years.

Also, check out the webpage https://uscmo.org/2021/08/05/imam-jamil-al-amin-is-serving-a-life-sentence-for-a-crime-he-did-not-commit/ for more information on his case.

For the December 28 edition of Africa400, listen here:

Africa400 broadcasts every Wednesday at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) on HANDRadio (https://handradio.org). After the show airs, it can later be listened to on the Audio-Visual Media pages of the Web sites https://kuumbareport.com, https://kuumbaevents.com and https://srdcinternational.org.

Wednesday, December 21, 2022: Africa400 Profiles Islah Academy of Los Angeles, California

Listen to the Wednesday, December 21 show here:

Wednesday, December 14, 2022: “No Love For Black Boys” Part 3 Profiles the Silverback Society

[Editor’s Note: The November 30 show was repeated on Wednesday, December 7 due to a scheduling issue with this show’s interview.  Thus, the Silverback Society show will air on Wednesday, December 14 at 3:00 PM as usual.]

On the Wednesday, December 14, 2022 edition of Africa400, show hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty welcome Gregory Rattler Jr., Executive Director of the Silverback Society, a New Orleans, Louisiana-based organization that brings men together to act as mentors, or “jenoch” (plural of jegna”), providing critical rites of passage learning to young Black boys.  This will be the third of Africa400’s series of programs profiling efforts to bring healing and education to young Black males.  The series is titled “No Love For Black Boys”, though during these important shows Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty are introducing us all to organizers and activists who truly do possess and demonstrate their love for Black Boys.

Africa400 can be heard every Wednesday at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) on HANDRadio (https://handradio.org).  After the show airs, listeners can check out archived shows on the Web sites for KUUMBAReport Online (https://kuumbareport.com), KUUMBAEvents (https://kuumbaevents.com) and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (https://srdcinternational.org).

Below is some more information on the Silverback Society, including their history, mission, vision, how interested readers can help and contact information:

There are hundreds of efforts being made by communities of color to support the next generation through churches, schools, afterschool programs and nonprofits.

One such group is the Silverback Society, which was founded in the fall of 2007 by Arthur Wardsworth and Lloyd Dennis. These two gentlemen decided to stop talking about problems they were seeing and offered themselves as part of the solution.

Today, the nonprofit organization supports, trains and coordinates more than 110 men who volunteer and are committed to making a positive impact on more than 600 boys and young men in 20 schools in the New Orleans and Gulf Coast area.

Earlier this month, Dennis relinquished the organization’s reins to longtime volunteer Gregory Rattler Jr.

“Three years ago, I coaxed him into leaving City Hall where he directed the Cease Fire initiative,” says Dennis.

Rattler also served as the program officer for Black Male Engagement at the Foundation for the MidSouth, where he managed a funding portfolio of organizations supporting an increase in the Black male high school graduation rate in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. Additionally, Rattler served as the director of the New Orleans Fatherhood Consortium, where he was instrumental in the passing of the Louisiana Fatherhood First legislation in 2013 — a program designed to promote the positive involvement and interaction of fathers with their children.

“I’m not going anywhere,” says Dennis. “Greg’s asked me to stay onboard part time to manage our finances and serve as his ‘legacy’ consultant.”

As the new executive director, Rattler is solidly committed to the Silverback Pledge: “I will live my life as though generations depend on me, and I will teach and encourage all of mine to do the same.”

“We do this by teaching respect, integrity, leadership and love, which results in reduction of disciplinary actions, higher academic achievement, and more productive young men,” says Rattler.  “Our volunteers graciously share their time, treasures and talents.”

The organization uses two to four Silverback Mentors, who are men who have achieved responsible respected manhood. These mentors engage with a troupe of 15 to 30 boys. All participants are in the eighth grade.

“This is a time when the boys are in a critical transition,” says Rattler.

Mentors belong to teams that serve at a specific school for 16 to 18 sessions per school year. The team approach means that if a man can’t make one or two sessions, the other men on the team will ensure the consistency that mentoring success requires.

“Our young men know that every week there will be a mentor breathing life and positivity into their lives,” Rattler explains.

Silverback also relies on Role Model Speakers, mentors who rotate through the troupes to share their stories and detail a variety of pathways used by men who have often had to climb from difficult situations to achieve their success.

“We offer support, love and affection every step of the way,” says Rattler.

“If a young man is going to Warren Easton, he will know others who are also going to be starting high school there,” he says. “They are also given book bags with the Silverback logo on them so that from the first day they will be able to recognize upperclassmen who are also Silverbacks. They’ll not be walking into high school alone because other Silverbacks will see them and support them.”

Dennis believes because their engagement is for a good part of the school year, toward the end of the engagement, its volunteers are rewarded by their mentees’ obvious changes in behavior, academic achievement and hope for a brighter future for themselves.

“This is addictive work,” he says.

By bringing resources to these young men, Silverback Society helps enhance these young men’s school experience.

Silverback Society’s Mission: Bringing together men to effect generational change by preparing boys to be respectful and responsible men.

Vision: A better community by increasing the number of productive men.

How Readers Can Help: Become a volunteer, mentor or speaker. And, if you can, donate here.

How Businesses Can Help: Consider encouraging and allowing staff to mentor at a school for one hour a week. “This would be an example of how important it is to give back to the community,” says Rattler.

A business could also help sponsor the organization’s end of the year event and/or help provide book bags for the young men.

Phone: (504) 208-1034

Email: ld@silverbacksociety.com

Website: silverbacksociety.com/index.php
https://thesilverbackway.com/home

Listen to the Wednesday, December 14 edition of Africa400 here:

Wednesday, November 30 and Wednesday, December 7, 2022: “No Love For Black Boys” Part 2

On the Wednesday, November 30 edition of Africa400, show hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty welcome Instructor Antonio Stovall and Manager Lateefah Trent of Total Action for Progress (TAP), based in Roanoake, Virginia.  The show was repeated on Wednesday, December 7.

The show can be listened to at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) Wednesdays on HANDRadio, https://handradio.org.

About Total Action for Progress (TAP), from the Web site https://tapintohope.org/about

Total Action for Progress (TAP) is a community action agency that serves eleven localities in the Roanoke Valley and adjacent communities: the counties of Alleghany, Bath, Botetourt, Craig, Roanoke, and Rockbridge, and the cities of Buena Vista, Covington, Lexington, Roanoke, and Salem.

A community action agency is an anti-poverty organization that was originally enabled by the Equal Opportunity Act of 1964. Most community action agencies, including TAP, are private, non-profit corporations run by a community-based Board of Directors. TAP is not a federal agency.

All of the normal stresses that threaten the stability and security of every family are greatly magnified for low-income families who may find it difficult to get by, especially in emergencies like loss of a job, eviction, illness, or a family member is incarcerated.

Community action is about getting people involved in their own lives and enabling them to help themselves – not about fixing things for now or providing hand-outs.

Because people can’t begin to solve their long-range problems of poverty until their immediate physical needs have been met, all of TAP’s programs give priority to helping either directly or by referral to other local agencies and resources.

TAP offers direct services, working with individuals and families, to help them overcome their problems and improve their lives. Our goal is to help them assert themselves as advocates for their own needs.

Bio of Antonio Stovall

Antonio Stovall is an inspiring indigenous shaman, 10-year martial artist (Kung Fu/Boxing), writer/poet, researcher, Kemetic Yoga instructor, and holistic wellness practitioner born and raised in Roanoke, VA. He is the founder of Ancestral Perspective, a grassroots movement that educates people on the importance of relearning their ancestral identity by providing educational books and DVDs (children’s literature, Ancient History, Health, Spirituality, Economics, etc). Antonio holds lectures on the importance of cultural awareness and wellness. He also does blog talk radio and organizes self-empowering study groups. Antonio has traveled across the United States and around the world (including Egypt). He has had the opportunity to learn at multiple indigenous alternative healing schools that teach the importance of balancing the mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, social, and aspects of the self to achieve optimal health. Antonio’s goal is to continue learning and growing as a human being and share his ten years of holistic wellness experience/lifestyle with others.

Teachers and Alternative Healing education

• James Cabbler R.I.P (Boxing Coach/Champ Gym)
• Herbie Hollands (Wing Chun Kung Fu)
• Master Naba Kemetic Dogon High Priest
• Chief Amachi (Priest of Tim and Bokata)
• Queen Afua (Man heal thy self)
• Dr. Jewel Pookrum (Jewel Pookrum University)
• Yiser Ra Hotep (Kemetic Yoga)
• Kwesi (Ausarian Tantra Yoga)
• Yeye GoGo (Sangoma Training)

“Holistic wellness is a lifestyle that has to be cultivated each moment of each day. The present moment is where the origins of all healing begin.”
– Antonio Stovall

Other Upcoming Activities by TAP

TAP also is hosting Community Healing Workshop Series (Quarterly)
December 3rd@10am – January 21st @3pm

Join TAP for these FREE workshops to learn how to help keep our community safe and free of gun violence.

Upcoming Workshops

How to be a H.O.O.D. (Health, Optimism, Ownership, Discipline) Healer with Antonio Stovall
December 3, 2022 • Begins at 10 a.m.
Roanoke Higher Education Center
108 N. Jefferson Street, Room 618
Roanoke, VA 24016

Contact TAP

For more information, email antoniostovall90@gmail.com or lateefah.trent@tapintohope.org, or call 540.819.8828.

Related Articles

A few articles about TAP which hosts African American classes by Instructor Antonio Stovall under management of Lateefah Trent.

TAP Websites:

https://tapintohope.org/event/african-american-studies-class/ and coming in 2023, https://tapintohope.org/event/community-healing-workshops/

Articles about TAP:

https://thegrio.com/2022/10/19/culture-class-to-help-black-boys-stay-in-school/
https://www.essence.com/news/tap-youth-va-education/
https://www.wdbj7.com/2022/10/12/early-years-william-fleming-teacher-bringing-mindfulness-training-more-area-youth/
https://news.yahoo.com/african-american-culture-class-virginia-174144355.html

How to Listen

Africa400 airs on Wednesdays at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) on HANDRadio, https://handradio.org.  

Listen to the November 30 show below:

Wednesday, October 23, 2022: “No Love For Black Boys”

Africa400 returns to the airwaves on HANDRadio (https://handradio.org) with the first installment of a hard-hitting and critical series of programs on the efforts to counteract the School-To-Prison Pipeline and the current social work system’s attack on young Black males.  “No Love for Black Boys” will air on Wednesday, October 26 at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) and will feature the following special guests:

Bro. Mike Guynn
National Board Member, National Association of Black Social Workers
https://www.nabsw.org/default.aspx
https://www.nabsw.org/page/History
Los Angeles CA, member of the Reparations Committee

Bro. Cincere Allah
Washington DC chapter, National Association of Black Social Workers
Certified Restorative Justice Facilitator, implementing restorative justice programs in schools and the community including anti-violence and community healing

Baba Olufemi Shepsu
Richmond chapter, National Association of Black Social Workers
Head of the National Committee, Pan-African Affairs and Activities

Baba Terry Williams
Re-entry Counselor, C.A.R.E. Youth Program for Boys
Stockton, California
Spent 40 years in California prisons, 35 years in Solitary Housing Unit (SHU)
Head of the California APP-HRC Chapter

Mama Cortaiga Collins
Founder, Good Shepherd Pre-School Academy for Boys
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/all-boys-preschool-planned-for-north-st-louis/article_858ff42e-a744-5fcd-bb3a-f043ec363359.html
https://www.stltoday.com/all-boys-preschool-to-open-in-north-st-louis/article_7e18bf3b-ca35-57bd-965a-59e151f3eacc.html
https://foundationforstrengtheningfamilies.org/team/cortaiga-s-collins/

About Mama Cortaiga Collins

Cortaiga S. Collins serves as founding Executive Director of the Foundation for Strengthening Families (FSF). In addition to her work as executive director of FSF, Mrs. Collins serves as Head of School for Good Shepherd Early Learning Center, a nationally accredited early childhood education center she founded in 2009.  She’s the visionary behind the Show Me Family Zone, an ambitious, Herculean effort to end generational poverty and close the wealth and achievement gap in the West End neighborhood in St. Louis.  The Show Me Family Zone will house the first all-male preschool designed to disrupt the preschool to prison pipeline by ensuring all students are academically, socially and developmentally prepared for kindergarten.

Cortaiga holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Missouri St. Louis, a second bachelor’s in child development from Central Methodist University and a master’s degree in business administration from Webster University. 

Hosts Sis. Tomiko and Bro. Ty will also talk with the mother of an 8-year-old son who has been fighting to prevent his being labeled as a “violent” child since he was 4 years old.

This program is the first of a series inspired by iconic Pan African educator Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu’s seminal work, Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys and film/documentary ‘Black Boys’.  This book and documentary/film will be referenced in every show.

Check out the October 26, 2022 show here:

---

2019-2021

Wednesday, October 6: Mothership Hosted by Grandmother Walks On Water

Grandmother Walks On Water was originally scheduled to host the Wednesday, October 6 edition of Africa400 with her show “Mothership”, discussing “Becoming Shepherds of the New Earth, Part 2” as a continuation of the topic she explored on the Wednesday, September 1 show.  However, she has suffered an emergency that required her to postpone that show.  As a result, Africa400 is rebroadcasting Part 1 of “Becoming Shepherds, of the New Earth” which had aired on September 1.  To listen to the show, scroll down to the September 1 Africa400 show featuring Grandmother Walks On Water.

Grandmother Walks on Water, also known as Nata’aska Humminbird is of Choctaw, Creek, Cherokee and African Heritage.  She is also co-founder of Baltimore based Wombwork Productions which utilizes art, theatre, and cultural healing modalities to empower youth and community.

Raise Your Vibration….

AFRICA400 presents MOTHERSHIP with Grandmother Walks on Water aka Nata’aska Humminbird as she dispenses her wisdom and ancestral knowledge to women becoming Shepherds of the New Earth by preparing their bodies, diet, relationships, womb, and children for a way of living that is in submission to Mother Earth.

MOTHERSHIP is a call in show so please join the conversation with questions, comments.

Wednesday, September 29: “Fresh News From Africa” Welcomes Noted Historian and Author Dr. Gerald Horne

Dr. Gerald Horne, noted historian and author of several groundbreaking books on African and African-American history, will be the special guest of host Baba Francois Ndengwe on the “Fresh News From Africa” program, presented courtesy of Africa400 on HANDRadio.  The show airs on Wednesday, September 29.  He will discuss The Urgent Need for an International Global Analysis, particularly among African People and People of African Descent.

To listen to the September 29 show, click below:

Wednesday, September 22: A Rebroadcast of the May 26 Edition, “A New Program and Pipeline to Save Black Boys”

The Wednesday, September 22 edition of Africa400 is a rebroadcast of the May 26 edition, “A New Movement and Pipeline to Save Black Boys”.

Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcome Special Guests Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu, Dr. Jamie Jenkins, Mr. Bruce Jackson and Dr. Ricki Gibbs.  They are building a comprehensive program to help educate young Black boys and save them from the “School-to-Prison Pipeline” that victimizes so many young people, from primary miseducation to criminalization and incarceration.

For the full writeup and to listen to the show, go to this page under Wednesday, May 26: A New Movement and Pipeline to Save Black Boys”.

Wednesday, September 15: A Panel Discussion with Human Rights Defenders and Organizers

The Wednesday, September 15 edition of Africa400 features a panel of guests representing several organizations working in defense of human rights and the empowerment of People of African Descent.  Show hosts Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcome members of the following organizations to discuss their roles in the pursuit of human rights, restorative justice and raising the voice of the grassroots Pan-Afrikan Diaspora and marginalized communities.  Featured organizations include the US Human Rights Network, the Jericho Movement, the George Jackson University, the Kent State Truth Tribunal, the Spirit of Mandela Coalition, the Black Alliance for Peace and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus.

To listen to the September 15 show, click below:

Below are descriptions of each of the organizations that appeared on the show:

US Human Rights Network (USHRN)

The US Human Rights Network (US Human Rights Network (ushrnetwork.org)) is a national network of organizations and individuals working to strengthen a human rights movement and culture within the United States led by the people most directly impacted by human rights violations. We work to secure dignity and justice for all.

We work to realize human rights by:

• Engaging, connecting and mobilizing communities, Peoples, workers, and diverse sectors across issue areas, constituencies, and regions to uphold and defend human rights and hold government accountable;
• Building the capacity and leadership of grassroots groups and individuals to effectively apply the human rights framework in developing strategy and making long-term structural shifts to achieve justice;
• Raising the visibility of local human rights concerns and activism to shape the public discourse locally, nationally, and internationally; and
• Facilitating effective collective action to secure the structural change needed to fully realize human rights.

 The US Human Rights Network is guided by these core principles:

• Human rights are universal, interdependent, indivisible, and inalienable.
• Human rights movements must be led by those most directly affected by human rights violations.
• Human rights advocacy and organizing should prioritize the struggles of the poor and most marginalized groups in society.
• Human rights movements must be inclusive and respect and reflect the diversity within communities.
• Human rights encompass civil, political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, sexual, and development rights for individuals, Peoples, and groups.

Jericho Movement

Jericho is a movement with the defined goal of gaining recognition of the fact that political prisoners and prisoners of war exist inside of the United States, despite the United States’ government’s continued denial … and winning amnesty and freedom for these political prisoners.

The Jericho Movement (https://thejerichomovement.com/) addresses four principal issues:

1. Building the Amnesty Campaign

A big part of this work is locating political prisoners, compiling dossiers on them, and building the case for amnesty.

2. Continuing the Educational Campaign

About the Existence of Political Prisoners inside the U.S.

3. The Jericho Legal Defense Fund

Providing supportive expenses for lawyers and law students etc. to provide legal defense for political prisoners.

4. The Jericho Medical Project

Fighting for adequate and quality medical care for political prisoners.

George Jackson University (GJU)

AN OVERVIEW

In 2003, Abdul Olugbala Shakur, Sitawa Nantambu Jamaa, Hodari Kambon, Abasi Ganda, Yafeu I-yapo, Dr. Donald R. Evans, and Dr. Rashad Ali developed the concept of transforming the entire U.S. Prison Industrial Slave-Complex (P.I.S.C.) into the largest university in the country. The initial name for the project was University of the Mind, but under this title we received very minimum feedback, so by Summer of 2003 we decided to name our university The George Jackson University (GJU), https://www.georgejacksonuniversity.com/, within six (6) months we received over 20,000 applications for enrollment into our GJU from New Afrikan (Afrikan Amerikan) prisoners across the country, we even received applications from as far as Brazil, London, and Canada, brothas and sistas trying to connect

HISTORY OF GJU

In the past five (5) years a growing number of people have inquired about the GJU, make no mistake about it, we were not discouraged from pursuing our objective, many of us have been extremely busy working on a number of other issues, and not to mention all documents related to the GJU were fraudulently confiscated, therefore we have to start all over again. Our first step towards revising the GJU is developing a strong and dedicated outside support network and faculty . We are re-instituting the concept of transforming the entire U.S. prison industrial slave complex into the largest progressive educational institution in the country with emphasis on Afro-centric and Pan-Afrikan studies and New Afrikan political education.

The Kent State Truth Tribunal

On May 4, 1970 a troop of Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on unarmed Kent State students protesting America’s invasion of Cambodia. Four students were shot dead and nine others wounded. Ten days later, also in a student protest against the Vietnam War, two Jackson State College students were killed and more than 11 wounded by the Mississippi police. 

The Kent State and Jackson State student killings seized headlines at a watershed moment in American history, bringing the war home and distressing a country already divided over the Vietnam War. In the days that followed the campus massacres, more than four million students rose up in dissent across 900 university campuses, generating the largest nationwide student protest in U.S. history. 

The Kent State massacre has never been thoroughly, impartially investigated and no person or group has been held accountable for wrongdoing. Through the courts, families of those who were killed or injured received paltry sums of compensation and a statement of regret.

Forty years after Kent State in 2010, new digital forensic evidence emerged in a tape recording of the Kent State commands-to-fire and gunfire. Still, the U.S. Dept. of Justice refused a credible inquiry into the new audio that contained the sounds of shooting and killing of students exercising their fundamental right to political expression. There has been no admission of responsibility on the part of the state.

The Truth Tribunal (https://www.truthtribunal.org/) is a direct response to this history of impunity for Kent State. On the 40th anniversary of the Kent State massacre, Allison’s sister Laurel decided to learn and record the truth at Kent State from the people who were there. For decades she had watched Kent State University and the U.S. government act with institutional power and unlimited funds as they repressed the truth at Kent State and buried all evidence of government complicity in committing the Kent State massacre. The Truth Tribunal archive will stand as an enduring record of the truth, as told by those who witnessed and survived that day. 

Just before his death, Boston University history professor and renowned advocate Dr. Howard Zinn sent Laurel this note:

Laurie,

You are right that trying to get “redress” via the judicial system is a dead end, or a maze, and that learning and spreading the truth is the most important thing you can do. That was the idea of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. 

Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC)

The Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (https://srdcinternational.org) was founded in 2006 in response to the African Union’s (AU) decision in 2003 to invite the African Diaspora “to participate fully as an important component in the building of the African Union.”  The AU initially coined the term “Sixth Region” to describe the Diaspora, which consisted of “people of African descent and heritage, living outside the Continent, irrespective of their country of citizenship, who are willing to contribute to the development of the African Continent and the building of the African Union.”  While the AU established the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), an AU organ that was established to allow for the participation of Africa’s “non-state actors” or grassroots civil society in advising the General Assembly, as the means by which the Diaspora would begin our journey to full AU membership, as well as a set of criteria and procedures to establish that representation, the actual organization of the people of the Diaspora to accept this invitation was left up to us in the Diaspora ourselves.  Toward that end, SRDC has developed a plan to empower the people to choose our Diaspora representatives in ECOSOCC through a series of local, national and international elections (one cannot appoint themselves or others to be a representative), and to bring our many Pan-African organizations together in a cooperative effort to accomplish this task, so we can truthfully say that the result of our efforts is a delegation that truly speaks for the people of the Pan-African Diaspora.  Our work will  not stop there, however; our hope is to help establish representation for the Diaspora in the AU’s Pan African Parliament (which can actually create legislation), as well as fight for the recognition of the Diaspora by the United Nations and its numerous international human rights and geopolitical bodies.

This, of course, has turned out to be no easy task.  To maintain the trust of our grassroots communities, we need to consistently demonstrate that we are indeed dedicated to addressing the issues that afflict us as a people, which we continue to do by holding Community Town Hall Meetings where information and ideas are shared with and by the community, by planning or assisting with on-the-ground projects such as cultural events, educational events and capital projects, by inviting different organizations to participate with us, and by forming coalitions to help bring those organizations, as well as our communities, together on a more regular basis.  Still, rivalry and distrust continue to threaten the unity we are working toward, disinformation is spread by those who wish to prevent us from coming together in the first place, and even the African Union itself often allows its own bureaucracy to complicate our work and make our job that much harder.  These obstacles cause some activists to lose hope and abandon the struggle, but SRDC has continued to push forward despite all this.  Thus, while we continue to work to establish our voice in the African Union, we also participate in discussions and forums of the United Nations, coalitions of grassroots civil-society groups and of other international Pan-African organizations in hopes of building a standing global coalition that can more effectively pursue truth, justice, self-determination and prosperity for African people and the world as a whole.

SRDC is organizing in several areas of the US and Canada, and our organizational allies in Central America (Central American Black Organization, or CABO), Europe (African Union African Diaspora Sixth Region, AUADS), the Caribbean (Mouvement International pour Reparation in Guadeloupe), the Middle East (Middle East African Diaspora Unity Council in Dimona, Israel) and recently, the African Continent (Sehwah-Liberia and organizations in Tanzania) are doing similar work where they are.  Our plan for organizing the Diaspora includes sponsoring regular local community Town Hall Meetings, establishing Councils of Elders, holding an annual International Summit (This year’s Summit will be in Monrovia, Liberia) and building alliances and coalitions with other organizations.

To find our more, visit https://srdcinternational.org, or email info@srdcinternational.org or cliff@kuumbareport.com.

Spirit of Mandela Coalition

Created in 2018, In the Spirit of Mandela Coalition (https://spiritofmandela.org/) is a growing grouping of organizers, academics, clergy, attorneys, and organizations committed to working together against the systemic, historic, and ongoing human rights violations and abuses committed by the USA against Black, Brown, and Indigenous People. The Coalition recognizes and affirms the rich history of diverse and militant freedom fighters Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela, Graca Machel Mandela, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, and many more. It is in their Spirit and affirming their legacy that we work. This October 22-25 2021,  In the Spirit of Mandela Coalition  will be organizing and hosting an International Tribunal which will be charging the United States government, its states, and specific agencies with human and civil rights violations against Black, Brown, and Indigenous people. The Tribunal will be charging human and civil rights violations for:

1. Racist police killings of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people.
2. Hyper incarcerations of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people.
3. Political incarceration of Civil Rights/National Liberation era revolutionaries and activists, as well as present day activists.
4. Environmental racism and its impact on Black, Brown, and Indigenous people.
5. Public Health racism and disparities and its impact on Black, Brown, and Indigenous people.
6. Genocide of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people as a result of the historic and systemic charges of all the above.

Black Alliance for Peace (BAP)

The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP), https://blackallianceforpeace.com/, seeks to recapture and redevelop the historic anti-war, anti-imperialist, and pro-peace positions of the radical black movement. Through educational activities, organizing and movement support, organizations and individuals in the Alliance will work to oppose both militarized domestic state repression, and the policies of de-stabilization, subversion and the permanent war agenda of the U.S. state globally.  

PRINCIPLES OF UNITY

RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE

BAP is not a pacifist movement. While committed to peace, we understand there can be no peace without justice, and we will stand in solidarity with all peoples (and nations) who strive to liberate themselves from oppression.

SELF-DETERMINATION

BAP supports people’s struggles for national liberation and self-determination, with a special focus on the struggles of Black peoples and nation-states in the “Americas.”

ANTI-IMPERIALISM

BAP takes a resolute anti-colonial, anti-imperialist position that links the international role of the U.S. empire to the domestic war against poor people and working-class Black people in the United States.

WORKING-CLASS FOUNDATION

BAP identifies the Black working class as the main social force of any reconstituted Black Liberation project.

INTERSECTIONALITY

“People(s)-centered human rights” as defined as emanating from bottom-up mass struggle and informed by a Black, revolutionary, feminist intersectional framework will be the basis for analysis and actions.

ANTI-PATRIARCHY

All members, on an organizational and individual level, must be committed to ending patriarchy and all forms of male domination in either internal organizational practice or external/public political positions.

DECOLONIZATION

Members of this Alliance see the U.S. state as the ongoing institutional expression of settler-colonialism and are committed to an authentic process of decolonization in every sense of that term.

PRISONER SUPPORT

BAP is committed to working against all forms of state and domestic repression, including the issues of political prisoners and prisoners of war in the United States.

BLACK UNITY

BAP sees itself as one aspect of the effort to revitalize the broader Black Liberation Movement.

SOUTHERN ROOTS

The South is the base of U.S. military infrastructure. It’s also where 55 percent of Black people happen to live. BAP identifies this region as a priority for collective learning, organizing, and mobilizing the power and influence of Black workers and the poor to oppose militarism, war and imperialism. 

Wednesday, September 8: Baba Ty Hosts “Precise Time”

Baba Ty hosts “Precise Time” on the Wednesday, September 8 edition of Africa400.  Baba Ty examines the key issues of the day from his perspective as a developmental psychologist, cultural historian and Pan-Afrikan activist.

To listen to the September 8 show, click below:

Wednesday, September 1: “Mothership” with Grandmother Walks On Water

Grandmother Walks On Water hosts the Wednesday, September 1 edition of Africa400 with her show “Mothership”, as she discusses “Becoming Shepherds of the New Earth”.

Raise Your Vibration….

AFRICA400 presents MOTHERSHIP with Grandmother Walks on Water aka Nata’aska Humminbird as she dispenses her wisdom and ancestral knowledge to women becoming Shepherds of the New Earth by preparing their bodies, diet, relationships, womb, and children for a way of living that is in submission to Mother Earth.

MOTHERSHIP is a call in show so please join the conversation with questions, comments.

Becoming Shepherds of the New Earth-Part 1
From the discussion with Grandmother Walks on Water, these are her recommendations for people to become ready as Shepherds of the New Earth:

Preparing for a plant based diet

1. Start cleaning our colon with enemas, colonic

2. Smooth move tea, detox tea, detox foot bath

3. Dry brushing body before showers

4. Weekend juice fasting

5. Read William Dufty’s Sugar Blues

6. Read Elijah Muhammad’s How to Eat to Live

7. Only use Clean Oils: Grapeseed, Olive Oil, Coconut, and Sunflower

8. Give up Pigs and Cows, transition to poultry and clean fish (No Scavengers)

Clean eating is eating food that has the least amount of processing and contamination.
Things that are not clean
⦁ Meats: Lunch meat, Pigs, Cows, Hot dogs, Chicken, Bacon, Ham, Sausage, Pork Chops, Steak
⦁ Un Organic Milk, Eggs, and Cheese
⦁ Crabs, Shrimp, Lobster, Catfish
⦁ Doritos and Potato Chips
⦁ Bread, Hamburgers, French fries, Pizza, and Soda
⦁ Hydrogenated oils: Corn, Vegetable, Canola, and Soy oil all are mass produced.
⦁ Canned Soup and Alcohol

Clean eating is putting the least amount of strain and damage on our heart, liver, kidneys, colon, gall bladder, spleen, joints, and blood pressure.  It is eating for Life instead of Death.

Leaving a Light Ecological Footprint

All of the above items take massive industrial production, the waste from food production, and packaging ends up in the dump, and ocean.  Cow farts are helping to destroy the ozone layer of our planet.

1. Reduce Waste

2. Recycle

3. Reuse, and Give away, instead of Throw Away

4. Plant Community Gardens to Feed the Neighborhood

5. Cook at Home from scratch -Make Quilts from Old Clothes

6. Need Less

7. Have Less

8. Drive Less

9. Walk More

10. Spend as much time as possible walking barefoot on our Beautiful Earth.  Rubber soles disconnect us from the electromagnetic current coming from the Earth. We are Organic Electromagnetic Beings.

These Are Some Of The Ways To Walk Softly On The Earth, And Leave Less Of A Footprint

We Need Our Mother’s Touch

To listen to the September 1 show, click below:

Wednesday, August 25: “Fresh News From Africa” with Bro. François Ndengwe

Bro. François Ndengwe hosts a new episode of “Fresh News From Africa” on the Wednesday, August 25 edition of Africa400.

His special guest for this show was retired longshore worker and workers’ rights activist Clarence Thomas (no, not the Supreme Court Justice), as he spoke about his career, his activism and his book, Mobilizing In Our Own Name: Million Worker March, An Anthology.

An article and interview with Baba Thomas appeared on The Oaklandside Web site, June 9, 2021.  The full interview is copied below, but you can read the article itself at Clarence Thomas documents the history of Bay Area port worker activism (oaklandside.org)

ARTS & COMMUNITY
‘Retired from the waterfront, but not from the struggle’: Clarence Thomas’ new book on port labor activism
“Mobilizing in Our Own Name: Million Worker March” sums up decades of longshore worker organizing in Oakland and beyond.
by Ricky Rodas
July 9, 2021

Clarence Thomas, 74, spent the majority of his life working as longshoreman, loading and unloading ships docked at the Port of San Francisco. He comes from a long line of longshore workers who were members of Local IWLU local 10, an influential union based in San Francisco. Retired since 2015, Thomas recently edited and published his first book, “Mobilizing in our own name: Million Worker March,” which documents decades of ILWU-backed protests, written by the activists and workers behind the actions.

The Oaklandside spoke with Thomas recently about his family’s history in Oakland and the legacy of Black labor organizing in the Bay Area. Thomas will also be speaking on Saturday, July 10 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Laborfest, ILWU Hall on 400 N. Point Street in San Francisco.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Tell us about your family’s history.

I come from an African American working class family. My paternal grandparents and father came to California in 1936. They resided in West Oakland, which was predominantly Italian and Portuguese at the time. My mom and my maternal grandmother migrated to Oakland in 1943. My grandfather came to work in the shipyard because victory ships (military cargo ships) were being built for World War II and people from all over the country were coming to work in the shipyards.

In the case of African Americans, it was to get away from the Jim Crow south. In the case of others, it was an opportunity for women to go to work as what they call “Rosie the Riveter,” being welders and reviters working at the shipyard.

My parents were very civically engaged. They went to see Senator John F. Kennedy speak at DeFremery Park when he was running for president in 1960. During the late sixties, my parents allowed Black Panther party community meetings to be held in their homes. Growing up around longshore workers, I was introduced to Black men who were part of one of the strongest unions in the country that allowed them to have decent wages, democracy on the job, but more importantly, the ability to buy homes and cars and have disposable income.

The longshore workers in the Bay Area represented the foundation of the black middle-class from the working class perspective. What I mean by that is these were people who worked with their hands and were able to make a living and provide an education for their children without having a college education.

Why did you decide to become a longshore worker?

Well when you grow up as a kid, there’s things you notice. I noticed the people around me were able to take vacations, they had disposable income. It was not at all unusual for longshore workers, even going back to the 1950’s, to be major contributors to their church.

My father didn’t become a longshore worker until 1963, before that he worked at the post office. One of the things that he realized is that longshore jobs provided not only better wages but also provided workers a degree of freedom.

This is because longshore work depends on whether or not there are ships that are in the port, which determines whether or not you get paid when you work. However, you’re not under any obligation to work every day. If in fact, you want to take off, there’s a possibility that you could work another shift. I recognized that as a child and knew that this was a very coveted job.

You have probably read about actions that have been taken by longshore workers such as what happened in 1984 when longshore workers refused to unload cargo from a vessel by the name of the Nedlloyd Kimberly that was carrying South African cargo. We did not unload that cargo for 11 days. This is an example of how much power longshore workers have on the job because they can determine whether a work situation is safe or unsafe on the job. We don’t have to wait for supervision to be able to make that determination. We can make that determination ourselves.

In your book, you describe a number of actions such as the Block the Boat campaign, the Juneteenth 2020 waterfront rally, and the movement against South African apartheid. What do you think makes Oakland workers, particularly Black workers, such a strong political and organizing force?

In 1934, there was a major west coast waterfront strike that took place and it shut down the entire west coast. During that 1934 strike, Black people were excluded from unions. There were probably less than 100 members of the ILA— the union that ILWU Local 10 transitioned from—and one of the problems is that the shipping companies would hire African Americans to break those strikes. They knew Black people did not have an opportunity to work on the waterfront unless there was a strike.
Longshore worker union leaders like Harry Bridges and other radicals who led the 1934 San Francisco strike understood the intersectionality between race and class. They made an appeal to the Black community through the Black church and C.L Dellums, who believed all men had a right to join the union, including African Americans. This was a bold move but it demonstrated that Black lives mattered and made others realize they could not have won that strike without the support of the Black community.

In my book, I quote C.L Dellums—who was Ron Dellums’ uncle and vice president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters— who had initially come to the Bay Area in order to go to law school. He said there were three opportunities for Black men to make money when he arrived in Oakland during the 1920’s. He said they could work on trains, on ships, or do something illegal. I thought that was an interesting observation based on the opportunities there were for African-Americans in the Bay Area during that time.

So, the ILA union leaders made a proposal to the Black community, and that proposal was that if they stood by the longshore workers who were on strike, they would work to make sure that African Americans would be hired on the waterfront. This led to the proliferation of African Americans being hired on the waterfront during WWII, and when that happened, the waterfront changed forever. Black people who migrated from Texas and other parts of the south came to the Bay Area, and some of them had experience as longshore workers in the south but were part of segregated unions back home.

And where did those long show workers live? They worked in San Francisco but they lived in Richmond, Berkeley, and Oakland and brought those union traditions and activism to their communities.

Before my father was hired on the waterfront, he worked for the post office in Oakland. He filed a discrimination suit against his supervisor, And I have to say that with a degree of sadness, my father had to do the same thing once he became a longshore worker. There was some discrimination going on against Black longshore workers in ILWU Local 10 as it pertained to them being able to transfer, which was really a promotion to Local 34, which is the clerks union. There was a time when African Americans were a very small part of Local 34, so my father was part of a class of longshore workers who stood up and challenged that.

Now, interestingly enough, my father lost the lawsuit, but you know what happened? All members came together to decide on another way in which these promotions would be handled. As a result of that challenge, they made it possible for Black workers who wanted to become clerks to get those jobs. That’s the kind of fellow he was.

You have these deep Oakland roots but you worked as a longshore worker in San Francisco and for a San Francisco based union, so how did you balance working as a longshore worker across the Bay while continuing to support worker movements in your hometown?

We all live someplace as workers. There was a time when many of us lived in Oakland. Now we’re in Brentwood, Antioch, and various other places, But the majority of us lived close to where we work and we’re engaged in local political and civic activity. The point is that there are specific doctrines within ILWU Local 10 that encourage civic engagement, to establish contact and relations with other workers around the world.

Another thing that our union believes in is that workers should be able to establish contact and relations with other workers around the world. That is the reason why I have been part of international worker delegations to go to Baghdad in 2003 to meet firsthand with the Iraqi trade unionists to find out how their lives were being impacted during the U.S. occupation. I’ve met with dock workers from Latin America and longshore workers in Cuba and Japan.

In most instances, I paid for the majority of these visits out of pocket because it’s important for workers to be able to have contacts with one another and especially in our industry because we have the same employers around the world. Whether you’re in Durban, South Africa or in Oakland, California, we have some of the same employers.

Part of your book focuses on the Million Worker March, a national movement that culminated in a rally in Washington D.C. How was Black organizing power from Oakland particularly instrumental in making this protest a reality?

The idea of the Million Worker March started in my living room. That was in January of 2004. I got a phone call from Trent Willis, who is now the president of ILWU Local 10. He called me and wanted to get my thoughts about starting a Million Worker March. I had been to the Million Man March in 2004 and I witnessed the grandeur and the massive organizational process that went into making that a reality. People like Trent Willis, Leo Robinson, Henry Graham, and myself laid out the plan.

The appeal of the Million Worker March reminded me of James Brown’s song, “Say it loud! I’m Black and I’m Proud.” When that record came out in 1967, it had an appeal to the Black community all over the country. The Million Worker March had the same kind of appeal to working people because all workers would support those demands. Even if you are a Republican, you believe in pensions. You believe in affordable housing, you believe in being able to send your children to college, you believe in a right to a living wage. The reason why I know that is because when we put these demands together, we did so hoping to appeal to workers no matter what their political ideology was.

When we look at these demands that we put out in 2004, they are just as relevant now as they were back then. In fact, even more so.

The Oscar Grant action where we shut down all the ports in the Bay Area, that was organized by the folks who organized the Million Worker March. There are so many struggles documented in this book that were initiated by the same people who organized that march.

You’re retired, but you’re still heavily involved in ILWU Local 10 and advocating for workers in Oakland and beyond. What keeps you going?

I’m retired from the waterfront, but not from the struggle. I can remember being taken to the auditorium at what they call the Kaiser center now, in December of 1962 on the hundredth anniversary [the anniversary fell on 1963] of the signing of the emancipation proclamation. I can remember very vividly, my maternal and paternal grandfathers, my father and I all went to go hear Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech.

I can remember the impact of what the Black Panther party meant to the Black community, which provided the opportunity for Lionel Wilson to be elected the first Black mayor of this city. I remember the impact of the breakfast for children program in the city of Oakland.

I remember what it meant to my mother and father who moved from West Oakland and bought a home in north Oakland in 1956 during white flight, when whites were moving to Concord, Castro valley, San Leandro, and leaving the flatlands. Now when I look at North Oakland, it is returning to what it was before my parents bought a home there in 1956.

I care about the city of Oakland and my children who grew up here. ILWU Local 10 and I are opposed to the building of a baseball park, 3,000 condominiums, a 400 room hotel, and 1.9 million square feet of commercial and retail space at Howard Terminal, one of the busiest ports on the west coast. We believe that the port is the economic engine for all of Northern California; a baseball park and hotels do not belong there.

Whichever way this ballpark project goes, when my grandchildren or my grand nieces and nephews asked me, “Pop-pop, or uncle, what did you do,” I want to be able to look them in the eye and tell them. I think it’s important for members of my family and others to understand the importance of being civically engaged.

That’s one of the reasons why I wrote this book. I want them to learn from the struggles that I’ve been engaged in.

RICKY RODAS
ricky@oaklandside.org

Ricky Rodas is a member of the 2020 graduating class of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Before joining The Oaklandside, he spent two years reporting on immigrant communities in the Bay Area as a reporter for the local news sites Oakland North, Mission Local, and Richmond Confidential. Rodas, who is Salvadoran American and bilingual, is on The Oaklandside team through a partnership with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities.

Bro. François Ndengwe is editor of Hommes d’Afrique Magazine and Femmes d’Afrique Magazine. He is also Founder and President of African Advisory Board.

To listen to the August 25 show, click below:

Wednesday, August 18: “Free the Rap” Focuses on the Case of Imam Jamil Al-Amin/H. Rap Brown

“I can find only three places for a righteous man in an evil society: on the battlefield fighting his enemy; in a cell imprisoned by the enemy; or in his grave free from his enemy. Outside this, I find only hypocrisy.”
— H. Rap Brown aka Imam Jamil Al Amin

The Wednesday, August 18, 2021 edition of Africa400 discusses the continuing struggle to obtain justice and freedom for Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rap Brown.  Show host Mama Tomiko leads an informative discussion of his case, the Press Conference and Protest held on Sunday, August 15 and the continuing effort to win his exoneration and freedom.

Africa400 will continue to dedicate shows to Imam Jamil Al Amin, aka H. Rap Brown, until he is released from prison.  Below is a reprint of an article written by last year’s Africa400 guest Dr. Maulana Karenga as he spoke to the need to ‘Free the Rap’.  The article can also be read at Achieving Justice for Imam Jamil: A Battleline For All of Us – Los Angeles Sentinel | Los Angeles Sentinel | Black News (lasentinel.net).

Achieving Justice for Imam Jamil: A Battleline For All of Us
By Dr. Maulana Karenga
Published April 25, 2019

He came into the consciousness of his people and in the cross-hairs of the oppressor on the blood-stained battlefields and battlelines of the Black Freedom Movement of the 1960s. The media called Imam Jamil Al-Amin, H. Rap Brown then, but we just called him Rap because of the hard hitting, defiant, rhythmic and righteous way he described and condemned our oppressor and oppression and praised our people and challenged them to stand up, step forward and continue the liberation struggle.

We had met briefly at the SNCC headquarters in Atlanta when Us and SNCC were exploring incorporating Watts as a freedom city separate from Los Angeles. But we had ample time to talk when he came to speak at a Free Huey Rally at the Los Angeles Sports Arena that Us had played a key role in organizing within the context of the Black Congress, a Black united front, including the major groups in the L.A. area. He and I spoke at the rally, along with a long list of Black leaders and activists, as well as Mexican leaders, Reies Tijerina and David Sanchez. Also we had stood together against taking Custer stands with the police at the event, and I had sent Tommy Jacquette-Halifu to provide security for him to the airport. Halifu was a man of the people and I had also sent him to the Bay area with Kwame Toure to speak at Hunter’s Point and elsewhere. He had built a strong relationship with both. May the work Halifu and Kwame did and the good they brought last forever and always be a lesson and inspiration to us all.

Rap was his battle name, and his words were, as we say of Kawaida philosophy, a shield and sword, a pillow of peace and a constant call to righteous and relentless struggle. Long before the art of rappin’ was redefined as only a young people’s music, it was a whole people’s way of talking, telling truth, making sense, doing word magic with sayings and songs or running down a love proposal or program in smooth, cool and powerfully persuasive ways, i.e., making a case for togetherness in both personal and collective ways. And Rap was a master rapper, skilled in the spoken word, speaking rhythmically without rhyme, but with compelling reason; speaking truth to the people and to power, calling for an increase and expansion of the righteous and relentless struggle we as a people were waging for our liberation and a higher level of human life.

Historian Vincent Harding, speaking at a support rally for Imam Jamil in March 2012, said that Imam Jamil had, even at an earlier age, recognized and accepted the responsibility of youth to make a better world. Moreover, he said, Imam Jamil knew that youth “must develop themselves and become leaders in the building of a just and fair society.” And that he has spent “his life working on the creation of something better, something just for all of us in this country and in the world.” Indeed, he did this during the Black Liberation Movement and continued with his work after the Movement as a respected and loved Imam waging jihad, righteous struggle, on the spiritual and social levels and contributing greatly to the advancement of Black and human freedom.

In the 60s when they tried to muzzle and mute his voice of struggle, and of teaching the unvarnished and victorious truth, he would not be cowered, cut off or calmed down. “Let Rap, rap” we shouted. “Teach, Rap. Go on and rap Rap” we called out as he lit fire to falsehood, exposed the hidden horrors of the oppressor and raised high the praise for the people and the urgent need to continue and intensify the struggle. And now they seek to muzzle and mute his voice again. In 2002, he was falsely convicted of murder of a police officer and wounding another and sentenced to life in prison. Imam Jamil has always asserted and maintained his innocence. And there were holes and inconsistencies in the prosecutor’s narrative of conviction: the eyes and height description of the shooter; the wounded officers’ statement of having wounded the assailant, but no wounds were on Imam Jamil; a blood trail, but no blood on or from Imam Jamil; what was seen as a planted gun at the scene of Imam’s arrest; reports of police pressuring of the witnesses; and a confession later of someone who said that he was the shooter.

Having locked Imam Jamil down in a Georgia State prison, the state and federal government secretly transferred him out of state to a supermax underground federal person in Florence, Colorado without the knowledge of his family or lawyer on August 1, 2007. This was strange and suspicious because Imam Jamil was not convicted of a federal crime, but a state crime and thus unless there was some problem of space or of special circumstances, he should have remained in the state of the conviction. But it was not for reasons of space and there was no justification of special circumstances, but rather an expression of the governmental desire to capture, isolate and break him as was their long-term intention and as further demonstrated, by their transferring him to another federal prison in Arizona. Therefore, the current righteous struggle to return Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin back to Georgia and bring him out of the brutalizing isolation in the federal prison in Arizona, to get for him the medical treatment he urgently needs, and to free him from wrongful imprisonment is a struggle for justice in a most compelling and comprehensive sense.

Clearly, his trial was grossly flawed and his conviction was deeply wrongful. His targeting and imprisonment was political. His transfer from a prison in Georgia for a state conviction to federal prisons in Colorado and Arizona and being placed in solidarity confinement for 8 years is vindictive, vicious and designed to isolate him from family, community and legal counsel, and punish and break him. The refusal to allow journalists and academics to see and interview him is to muzzle him and eliminate the regular monitoring and checking on their savage treatment of him. And the denial of adequate and appropriate treatment for him is inhumane, a violation of his human rights and creating conditions for his death. Thus, we must see and engage this as a moral obligation to resist and reverse these unjust and evil actions.

Imam Jamil tells us from the beginning that we must not expect justice to be given to us without struggle in the midst of an unjust and evil society. Therefore, he urges us to constantly struggle to bring into being the good world we all want and deserve. He says “I can find only three places for a righteous man in an evil society: on the battlefield fighting his enemy; in a cell imprisoned by the enemy; or in his grave free from his enemy. Outside this, I find only hypocrisy.” Immediately, this calls to mind Min. Malcolm’s teaching that “Wherever a Black man (woman) is, there is a battleline.” Indeed, Haji Malik continues saying, “We are living in a country that is a battleline for all of us.” So, as we said in the Sixties, even if you, yourself, are not at war, you are in a war, a war being waged against you, your people and against people and things righteous, revolutionary and resistant. And thus, it behooves us to come to the battlefront conscious, capable and committed. Also, as we said then and must know as true now, there can be no half-stepping and no compromised commitment, for the brutal nature of our oppression and the evil character of our oppressor will not permit it. Finally, Imam Jamil tells us that we must continue the struggle, not only to free him, but also ourselves and the world. He says, “We have to see ourselves as the authors of a new justice. And wherever we see injustice and tyranny, we must (stop) it.” Our task, he states, is “to make the world more humane.” Indeed, he concludes, “That has to be the role of any revolutionary or any person that considers himself (herself) revolutionary.” And we of Us say again and again of our righteous and relentless struggle to bring good in the world, “If not this, then what? And if we don’t do it, who will?”

********

Dr. Maulana Karenga, Professor and Chair of Africana Studies, California State University-Long Beach; Executive Director, African American Cultural Center(Us); Creator of Kwanzaa; and author of Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community andCulture and Introduction to Black Studies, 4th Edition, www.OfficialKwanzaaWebsite.org;  www.MaulanaKarenga.org.

To listen to the show, click here:

Africa400 Presents “The Keys of Justice” Jazz Diaspora Show with the Children of Pioneering Jazz Bagpiper Rufus Harley

Wednesday, August 11: Baba Ty with “Precise Time”

Africa400 features host Baba Ty on Wednesday, August 11, as he discusses the topic “Precise Time”.  Call-ins are welcome at (410) 598-4242.  Baba Ty consistently sounds the alarm for us to become educated about the roots of racism and oppression in this society, and to understand the need for struggle and resistance against injustice.

Listen to the August 11 show below:

Wednesday, August 4: “Mothership” with Grandmother Walks on Water

Africa400 features frequent guest and now alternating guest host Grandmother Walks On Water, as she presents Mothership for the Wednesday, August 4 show.

Grandmother Walks on Water, also known as Nata’aska Humminbird is of Choctaw, Creek, Cherokee and African Heritage.  She is also co-founder of Baltimore based Wombwork Productions which utilizes art, theatre, and cultural healing modalities to empower youth and community.

For the August 4 show, click below:

Wednesday, July 28: “Fresh News From Africa” with Bro. Francois Ndengwe

The Wednesday, July 28 edition of Africa400 features Special Guest Host Bro. Francois Ndengwe as he hosts his recurring report “Fresh News From Africa”.

François Ndengwe is editor of Hommes d’Afrique Magazine and Femmes d’Afrique Magazine. He is also Founder and President of African Advisory Board.

AFRICA400
Wednesdays 2-3pm EST.
https://handradio.org/
https://kuumbareport.com/
https://srdcinternational.org/
webuyblack.com

For the July 28 show, click below:

Wednesday, July 21: Panel Discussion on The Joseph Project

Africa400 returns to live broadcasts on Wednesday, July 21 with a Call-to-Action Panel Discussion on The Joseph Project: Finishing the Pan African Work of W.E.B. DuBois and Kwame Nkrumah, hosted by Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty.

Also on the Wednesday, July 21 edition of Africa400, show hosts Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty are calling for support for young girls at Okere Village in Uganda.

Okere City was profiled in the June 9 Africa400 show, as was described in this post as well as on our Audio-Visual Media Page.

Despite the tremendous efforts of strong activists and leaders like Ojok Okello, founder and developer of the Okere Community Development Project in Okere City, Otuke District, Northern Uganda, who was profiled in the June 9 Africa400 show, it is still difficult for school children and the general population in Uganda to enjoy the things many of us take for granted.  Some specific points that are being stressed by the campaign:

• 1 out of 10 African schoolgirls drop out due to a lack of menstrual products.
• 30% of Ugandan girls drop out of school because of a lack of sanitary pads.
• 80% of girls entering primary school will never complete their primary education for a variety of reasons.
• 41% of Ugandans in general live on less than $1.90 a day.

Anyone who is interested in donating or purchasing sanitary pads, underwear or soap, or who want to assist in other ways, please CashApp $AFRICA400 or email africa400radio@gmail.com.

To listen to the July 21 show, click below:

AFRICA400
Wednesdays 2-3pm EST.
https://handradio.org/
https://kuumbareport.com/
https://srdcinternational.org/
webuyblack.com

Wednesday, June 30: Tribute to Paul Mooney

Africa400 pays tribute to Paul Mooney, legendary comic, educator and social commentator, on the Wednesday, June 30 show. 

Paul Mooney (1941–2021) was a comedic legend commentator, and educator who died on Malcolm X’s birthday. As one writer says, “There are plenty of parallels between Paul the Comic and Malcolm the so-called Communist. Both were fiery and unapologetic in their rebuttals of racism and American hypocrisy.”

He is best known for his fearless stand-up comedy which was actually an analysis of historical and institutional racism. This razor sharp and honest commentary can be seen in his stand up comedy specials such as;

• • Race
  • Master Piece
  • Analyzing White America
  • Know Your History: Jesus Is Black; So Was Cleopatra
  • It’s the End of the World
  • Shaquille O’ Neal’s All Star Comedy Jam and
  • The Godfather of Comedy.

As the writer concludes, “Paul Mooney was funny, but he told the truth so blatantly that even diehard revolutionaries shuddered.”

In another article Mooney’s life is eloquently summarized in these words:

“What matters is your legacy; what you leave behind. Mooney left behind not only a string of poignant Black culture references and rhetoric, but the template of being successful without aligning yourself with white institutions. Mooney won because he stood out. He won because the work was what mattered, and what the audience took with them was his reward.”

Listen to the June 30 broadcast here:

Wednesday, June 23: “Diaspora Museums; The Return of Memory, Heritage, & Culture”

Africa400 explores the topic “Diaspora Museums; The Return of Memory, Heritage, & Culture” on Wednesday, June 23.  Hosts Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty speak with several important directors and curators of African Diaspora Museums in the United States and the African Motherland.

JILCHRISTINA VEST, The Mini Museum of the Black Panther Party @ The Mural

Jilchristina Vest bought her home over 20 years ago in the heart of West Oakland to be surrounded by the revolutionary legacy of the Black Panther Party. Beginning in June 2020, Vest assembled a team to install a 2,000-square-foot mural on the exterior walls of her house to honor these Oakland humanitarians. Located on the corner of Center Street and Dr. Huey P. Newton Way, the mural is the first and only public monument recognizing the Women of the Black Panther Party.

Through the museum and mural, viewers are introduced to the fierce women of the Black Panther Party, the real story of who the Black Panthers were, and details on the over 60 Community Survival Programs they created – like free schools, free clinics, free food and free breakfast for children. This project celebrates Oakland’s history, the proud birthplace of these humanitarians. This project does not depict Black grief; it evokes Black Joy. It does not depict the oppressed; it celebrates our freedom fighters. It does not memorialize what has been done to us; it celebrates what we can do for ourselves.

The Mural, Mini Museum, and Community Center are unapologetically in honor of and for Black women. Because, like all things, anything that benefits and uplifts Black women automatically uplifts the entire community.

ERICKA HUGGINS, The Mini Museum of the Black Panther Party @ The Mural

Ericka Huggins, former Black Panther party member, served as a mentor on the mural dedicated to the women of the Black Panther party.

The mural memorializes the party’s creed, “Serve the People, Body and Soul”, as well as a quote from Huggins: “Love is an expression of power. We can use it to transform our world.”

The Mini Museum of the Black Panther Party @ The Mural opened on Juneteenth, June 19, 2021, at 831 Center St., Oakland, CA. It’s open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. https://westoaklandmuralproject.org.

DAVID I. MUIR, Island SPACE Caribbean Museum

David I. Muir is a photo artist, author, entrepreneur and community leader living in South Florida.

He is also co-founder and President of the Board of Directors at Island SPACE, a nonprofit organization that promotes excellence in arts and culture projects representing the Caribbean in South Florida and the extended diaspora.

The first Caribbean museum in the U.S., the Island Caribbean Museum SPACE is an acronym for the Society for the Promotion of Artistic and Cultural Education.

The museum takes visitors through the history of the region beginning with the indigenous Taino people. It explores the impacts of colonization and slavery on the Caribbean before diving into the region’s contributions to sports, music and even South Florida politics.

“We’ve come through the decimation of our indigenous people, we’ve come through colonialism, we’ve come through slavery to emancipation to all the different parts of what has developed our culture,” Muir said. “ It’s a fighting spirit. It’s a spirit of excellence.”

Island SPACE Caribbean Museum, 8000 Broward Blvd Plantation; 417-812 5663, https://islandspacefl.org.

ESTHER ARMSTRONG, Sankofa Children’s Museum of African Cultures

Sankofa Children’s Museum of African Cultures is a privately owned children’s museum in Baltimore. It was founded in 2016 in an effort to enrich and inspire Baltimore’s urban community’s cultural desert. Our permanent collection of African art complements changing exhibits on a variety of African countries, ethnic groups, and traditions.

Esther Armstrong has lived and worked in the Maryland area for over 30 years. Esther has always believed deeply in Marcus Garvey’s quote, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” She is respectfully known as “Mama Kiki,” in the cultural community.

The museum is the lauded as the first of its kind in the United States dedicated to educating and inspiring African American children—and their families—to reconnect with their past, as well as teach the public about an often forgotten and misunderstood history.

“The idea is to give people some fundamental information about Africa,” Armstrong says. “We want to let these children know about ancient civilizations, but also take them into modern Africa.”

The Sankofa Children’s Museum of African Cultures is located at 4330 Pimlico Road, Baltimore, MD 21215. For information about museum hours and visits, call 443-708-7046, or visit https://sankofakids.org.

KOJO YANKAH, Pan-African Heritage World Museum

Kojo Yankah having grown up in Ghana during the Kwame Nkrumah era, and having been involved in Pan Africanist activities including chairing the PANAFEST in Ghana for 10 years, and having had the privilege of being Board Chairman of the Ghana Heritage Conservation Trust for another 10 years, Yankah considers it a sacred obligation at this time in world history to create and lead a team to spearhead the establishment of a Pan African Heritage World.

This Heritage World will include a Museum, a Herbal Plant Farm, an African Cultural Village depicting all great African Kingdoms, a Conference Center, and Grounds for African Festivals – indeed a rare space for historical enlightenment, a spiritual upliftment, and irrepressible inspiration, located appropriately in Ghana, the beacon of African liberation.

In establishing the African University College of Communications in Ghana in 2002, Yankah was reminded by some of the nuggets in our ancestral wisdom: ‘A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture are like a tree without roots’, and more pointedly ‘Until the lions have their historians, tales of hunting will always glorify the hunter’.

The Pan-African Heritage World Museum will be opening in 2022. https://pahw.org/

Listen to the June 23 broadcast here:

Africa400 broadcasts live every Wednesday at 2:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) on HANDRadio (https://handradio.org).  After the show airs, the audio is made available on the HANDRadio Podcasts Page, as well as the Media Pages of KUUMBAReport (https://kuumbareport.com), KUUMBAEvents (https://kuumbaevents.com) and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (https://srdcinternational.org).

Wednesday, June 16: “Black Love us a Revolutionary Act”

For the Wednesday, June 16 edition of Africa400, show hosts Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty discuss the topic “Black Love is a Revolutionary Act” with Special Guests Professors Armon R. Perry and Dianne M. Stewart.

Armon R. Perry holds a Ph.D., a master’s degree in social work, and serves as a professor at the University of Louisville’s Kent School of Social Work. He is a devoted father, a loving husband and a supportive friend. He’s also a Black man, who knows that despite all of his accomplishments, much of society still sees him as a lazy, deadbeat dad, he says.

Drawing not only from his personal experience, but from that of nearly 200 Black men in the United States, Dr. Perry wrote a book that takes a look at Black men, their relationships, and the external factors that influence men’s involvement in the lives of their children and families. Black Love Matters, published in October of 2020, follows a group of men for four years and chronicles the experiences and circumstances that shape their relationships.

Dianne M. Stewart is an associate professor of Religion and African American Studies at Emory University specializing in African heritage religious cultures in the Caribbean and the Americas and womanist religious thought and praxis. 

She is the author of Three Eyes for the Journey: African Dimensions of the Jamaican Religious Experience (Oxford University Press, 2005), Black Women, Black Love: America’s War on African American Marriage (Seal Press, 2020) and Obeah, Orisa and Religious Identity in Trinidad: Africana Nations and The Power of Black Sacred Imagination – Orisa, Volume II (Duke University Press, forthcoming 2022).

Stewart’s Black Women, Black Love is her first public-facing book.  Expanding her contributions to the field of African American Studies, and inspired by her pedagogical investment in Black love studies and her courses, “Black Love,” “The Power of Black Self-Love,” (co-taught with Professor Dona Troka) and “Black Women, Black Love and the Pursuit of Happiness,” Stewart spent a number of years researching and writing Black Women, Black Love.  Intended to reach wide academic and public audiences, the book examines the structural forces that, across four centuries, have made coupling and marriage difficult, delayed or impossible for millions of Black women in the United States and reveals how White supremacy has systematically broken the heart of Black America.

Listen to the June 16 broadcast here:

Wednesday, June 9: “Okere City; Building Community Owned Developments to Sustainable Cities”

The Wednesday, June 9 edition of Africa400 covers the topic “Okere City; Building Community Owned Developments to Sustainable Cities”. Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcome Special Guest Ojok Okello, founder and developer of the Okere Community Development Project in Okere City, Otuke District, Northern Uganda.Ojok Okello earned a master’s degree in rural development and worked for international NGOs like War Child UK and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in England, He earned a second master’s at the London School of Economics.

He is co-founder of Refugee Innovation and Sustainable Enterprise – Urban Project (RISE-UP) and Team Leader at its adjunct initiative, RiseUp Hub, a social enterprise with the mission to expand economic opportunities for urban refugees in Uganda. Okello founded Okere City in 2019.

Okere Community Development Project (Okere City) is a community development and social enterprise providing a collaborative and holistic ecosystem to promote integrated rural development in Okere parish, Adwari sub-county, Otuke District, Northern Uganda. Okere City project seeks to be an enabler for the rural community in the parish to be more imaginative, cooperative, creative, innovative and enterprising as pre-requisites to make them more successful and be champions of rural poverty reduction.

Okere City has an ambitious plan to position Okere Shea Cooperative Society as one of the leading Shea producers in the world.

Okere City started an early childhood development center in 2019 with 50 children all taught in 1 classroom. The center has now grown into a fledged 3 tier center with 80 children in baby, middle and top classes.

The end of May 2020 brought the Okere City Project a new gift — the Okere City Community Health Centre. The facility will provide essential health services.

Listen to the June 9 show here:

Wednesday, June 2: “Black Media: The Revolution Is Now Televised on kweliTV”

The Wednesday, June 2 edition of Africa400 welcomes Special Guest DeShuna Spencer, Founder and CEO of kweliTV.  Join Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty for this engaging discussion.

DeShuna Elisa Spencer is the Founder & CEO of kweliTV. She’s a former radio host and producer of mpower Hour, a show that examined social justice issues affecting people of color, on Washington, DC’s 89.3 FM WPFW. She is a Halcyon Incubator Fellow, a Voqal Fellow and a Google NexGen Policy Leader. Spencer was first place winner of the 2017 Harvard Business School African Business Conference Pitch Competition. In 2019, the Digital Diversity Network named Spencer the Innovation & Inclusion Social Entrepreneur of the Year. She’s an advisory board member of Full Color Future and the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association.

kweliTV allows you to discover and celebrate black stories through curated indie films, documentaries, web series, kids’ shows, news and live experiences from around the world-North America, Africa, Latin America, Europe and the Caribbean. “Kweli” means “truth” in Swahili. Our mission is to curate content that is a true reflection of the global black experience. Ninety-eight percent of kweliTV’s films have been official selections at film festivals and more than 65% are award-winning. kweliTV providing more than 500 indie filmmakers of color across the globe a space to showcase and make money off of their content once they have finished their film festival run. For more information, visit: www.kweli.tv.

Listen to the June 2 broadcast audio here:

Wednesday, May 26: “A New Movement and Pipeline to Save Black Boys”

The Wednesday, May 26 edition of Africa400 examines “A New Movement and Pipeline to Save Black Boys”.  Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcome Special Guests Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu, Dr. Jamie Jenkins, Mr. Bruce Jackson and Dr. Ricki Gibbs.  They are building a comprehensive program to help educate young Black boys and save them from the “School-to-Prison Pipeline” that victimizes so many young people, from primary miseducation to criminalization and incarceration.

Kunjufu was early on fascinated—and appalled—by the educational system for black students in America, and from 1974 onward he began delivering lectures and workshops treating the problems facing black educators. The birth of Kunjufu’s two sons, Shikamana and Walker, further focused his energies on the contradictions inherent in black education and especially in the education of young black males. The fruit of these observations was the 1982 publication of Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys—probably Kunjufu’s best-known book—in which he analyzes and offers alternatives to the frequent failure of black males in school and in the marketplace.

Books

• Children Are the Reward of Life, African American Images, 1978.
• Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys, African American Images, volume one, 1982, volume two, 1986, volume three, 1990.
• Developing Positive Self-Images and Discipline for Black Children, African American Images, 1984.
• Motivating Black Youth to Work, African American Images, 1986.
• Lessons From History: A Celebration in Blackness, African American Images, 1987.
• Critical Issues in Educating African American Youth, African American Images, 1989.
• To Be Popular or Smart: The Black Peer Group, African American Images, 1989.
• Black Economics: Solutions for Economic and Community Empowerment, African American Images, 1991.
• Black Students’ Survival Guide, African American Images, 1998.
• State of Emergency: We Must Save African American Males, African American Images, 2001.
• (With Carter G. Woodson) The Mis-Education of the Negro, African American Images, 2002.

For the May 26 show audio, click here:

Wednesday, May 19: “The Endgame, Incarcerating Black Power”

Africa400 marks the 96th birthday of Malcolm X (May 19, 1925-February 21, 1965) with a discussion of the topic “The End Game: Incarcerating Black Power”. 

Baba Ty held down the show for Mama Tomiko, who was out of town, and led an engaging, informative and provocative discussion.  For the May 19 show, click below:

Wednesday, May 12: “Dimensions of Totality: Unified Field Theory”

Africa400 looks at Black Mental Health Awareness on Wednesday, May 12 as Baba Ty fills in ably for Mama Tomiko to discuss systemic factors that contribute to a genocidal imperative in Afrikan-American society as a result of White Supremacy and racism under the topic “Dimensions of Totality; Unified Field Theory” with Dr. Iris Fortune.  The show is inspired by the legacy of Dr. Frances Cress Welsing (1935-2016).

Want to donate to Africa400?  Go to CashApp at $Africa400.

For the audio of the May 12 show, click below:

Wednesday, May 5: “Beyond Neo-Liberal Capitalism” with Baba Ajamu Baraka

Africa400 discusses the topic Beyond Neo-Liberal Capitalism: Building Independent Power Bases on Wednesday, May 5 as they open Pan-African History Month.  Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcome Special Guest Baba Ajamu Baraka. 

A human rights defender whose experience spans four decades of domestic and international education and activism, Ajamu Baraka is a veteran grassroots organizer whose roots are in the Black Liberation Movement and anti-apartheid and Central American solidarity struggles.

Baraka is an internationally recognized leader of the emerging human rights movement in the U.S. and has been at the forefront of efforts to apply the international human rights framework to social justice advocacy in the U.S. for more than 25 years.

Baraka played an important role in bringing a human rights perspective to the preparatory meetings for the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) that took place in Geneva and in Santiago, Chile as part of the Latin American Preparatory process, as well as the actual conference that he attended as a delegate in Durban, South Africa in 2001.

Ajamu Baraka was the Founding Executive Director of the US Human Rights Network (USHRN) from July 2004 until June 2011. The USHRN was the first domestic human rights formation in the United States explicitly committed to the application of international human rights standards to the U.S. Under Baraka, the Network grew from a core membership of 60 organizations to more than 300 U.S.-based member organizations and 1,500 individual members.

Prior to leading the USHRN, Baraka served in various leadership capacities with Amnesty International USA (AIUSA).  As AIUSA’s Southern Regional Director, he played a key role in developing the organization’s 1998 campaign to expose human rights violations in the U.S. Baraka also directed Amnesty’s National Program to Abolish the Death Penalty, during which time he was involved in most of the major death penalty cases in the U.S.

He is currently an editor and contributing columnist for the Black Agenda Report and a writer for Counterpunch. He was the 2016 Green Party nominee for Vice President of the United States. Baraka currently is the national organizer and spokesperson for the Black Alliance for Peace.

https://blackallianceforpeace.com/
https://www.ushrnetwork.org/

Listen to the May 5 broadcast here:

Wednesday, April 28: “God’s Poet: Message to the Black Man” Tribute to DMX

The Wednesday, April 28, 2021 edition of Africa400 features a Special Tribute to the late rapper DMX.  Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty discuss the topic “God’s Poet: Message to the Black Man”.

Listen to the April 28 show here:

Africa400 can be heard live every Wednesday at 2:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) on HANDRadio (https://handradio.org).  After the broadcast, the show can be listened to on HANDRadio’s Podcasts Page, as well as the updated version of this post and the Media Pages of KUUMBAReport (https://kuumbareport.com), KUUMBAEvents (https://kuumbaevents.com) and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (https://srdcinternational.org).

Wednesday, April 21: “Legacy & Heritage: Re-Creation of the Gods” with the Children of Legendary Jazz Bagpiper Rufus Harley

The April 21 edition of Africa400 explores the topic “Legacy & Heritage: Re-Creation of the Gods” as the Jazz & Justice Series continues.  Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcome their Special Guests, Sis. Noah Harmony Shoats Harley, Bro. America Beautiful Patton Harley and Bro. Gods Messiah Patton Harley, the children of legendary jazz bagpipe master Rufus Harley (1936-2006).

The Jazz and Justice series this week highlights International Philadelphia Jazz Legend, Ambassador and Messenger of Freedom Rufus Harley. Adopting Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell Harley was known internationally as The Pied Piper of Jazz spreading the message of peace and love. He played various wind instruments but as son and protégé Gods Messiah would say, ‘ he found his voice and destiny on the bagpipes.’ This destiny would lead Rufus Harley to produce several albums such as pictured above.

Rufus Harley’s musical work is now embodied in the Philadelphia-based Rufus Harley Foundation led by youngest daughter and Executive Director Sister Noah Harmony Shoatz Harley and brothers and trumpeters America Beautiful and Gods Messiah Patton Harley.  Above: Sister Noah, Messiah in pink shirt, America in gray jacket; Sis, Noah Harmony with her Father.

Those are just three of Rufus Harley’s 12 children.  Above: group photo of little Harley children at Christmas; group wedding photo of older Harley children.Brothers and Trumpeters Philadelphia’s Gods Messiah and Kansas’s America Beautiful continue their musical journey as well as their father’s rich jazz legacy.  Above: younger brothers with father Rufus Harley; older brothers recently playing together in Philadelphia Club (Messiah in white shorts and America in gray suit).

One can continue to see the Rufus Harley jazz legacy in the next generation of his grandchildren like Kansas jazz pianist Miles and saxophonist Elliott Patton Clemons, sons of Rufus Harley’s daughter Egypt Patton. Left: Miles at piano with uncle America; Right: brothers Miles on piano and Elliott on saxophone.

To follow the Rufus Harley legacy, events, and musical releases go to rufusharley.com. 

For the April 21 show, listen below:

Below are some more Harley Family Photos.  The Legacy Continues!

Wednesday, April 14, 2021: Detroit Rising with King Yadee, Raphael Wright and Tone Tone

The Wednesday, April 14, 2021 edition of Africa400 looks at Detroit Rising, a series of innovative projects being launched in the Motor City by several committed visionary Detroiters.  Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcome Special Guests King Yadee, Raphael Wright and Tone Tone.

KING YADEE: Th3 Block Development and Th3 Stash House Culture Shop

King Yadee is the creator of Th3 Block Development, a construction company that purchases abandoned houses in Detroit and renovates them with the goal of “buy back the hood”. Crew members train young people on how to fix homes and about homeownership.

Yadee also has a production, clothing, superfood company called The3 Stash House Culture Shop, which encourages youth to not sell drugs, join gangs or do negative things in the community.

RAPHAEL WRIGHT: Urban Plug L3C, Neighborhood Grocery, Taste of the Diaspora

Raphael Wright is an entrepreneur, author, and investor from Detroit. He is the founder of Urban Plug L3C, a social conglomerate that starts and owns businesses dedicated to improving Detroit’s urban neighborhoods. Detroit, a city whose population is 80% Black, has not had a Black-owned grocery store since 2014. Urban Plug’s first project is Neighborhood Grocery, which is an equity crowdfunded grocery store and market garden coming to the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood in the summer of 2021.

Hundreds of investors who put at least $50 toward opening Neighborhood Grocery will have an equity stake in the business that will occupy a defunct convenience store on the corner of Essex and Manistique in the Jefferson-Chalmers area. He has crowdfunded more than $60,000 and has also put $50,000 of his own money into the project. It is estimated the endeavor will cost about $300,000.

Wright also is part of the team along with Ederique Goudia and Jermond Booze who created the initiative “Taste the Diaspora” which celebrates and supports Black chefs and food makers in Detroit.

TONE TONE: Toney Island

Tone Tone, a Detroit Rapper, has opened Toney Island, a combination of his name and Coney Island, at the corner of E. Warren Avenue and Dickerson Street on the city’s east side. Tone Tone was inspired by rappers like Nipsey Hussle, Master P, Kanye West, Diddy, 50 Cent, Jay-Z and others to become an entrepreneur.

The rapper is known for his hit singles like “Waddupdoe”, “Love The Way She Doin It”, “I Ain’t Playin’ Witcha” and “Unky”.

Tone juggles being a father, rapper and entrepreneur, and despite this it is his blood relatives’ support for him that has been vital to the restaurant’s launch because they are all on staff. It was important to him “to break the generational curse in our family. Now I’m not the only one that’s got something going on,” Tone said. “They don’t have to say, ‘This (is) Tone’s spot.’ No. They can say, ’Come to our restaurant,’ but they’re their own bosses, in their own lane.” Tone Tone plans to build at least five franchises in the city and also “hot spots” around the country like Las Vegas, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Thanks to Africa400 and Bro. Richard of HANDRadio for recovering the full show after our recording process failed last week.  The full show can now be listened to below:

Wednesday, April 7, 2021: Wayne B. Chandler Discusses “The End Game; Navigating the Matrix” to Kick Off the Jazz & Justice Series

Africa400 kicks off their Jazz & Justice Series beginning with the Wednesday, April 7, 2021 show.  Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcome Special Guest Wayne B. Chandler, author of Ancient Future and narrator of The African Nubian Suite, as they discuss the topic “The End Game; Navigating the Matrix” and they recognize the legendary jazz Pianist Randy Weston (1926-2018).

Check out Wayne B. Chandler’s Facebook page for more information: (6) Wayne B Chandler | Facebook.  He also collaborated with Randy Weston, who often fused African and jazz, on the powerful African Nubian Suite (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0k2eDLdhGAg).

The first few minutes of the broadcast were distorted, so we pick up the audio when the signal became clear.  If the full show becomes available, we will include it here.  In the meantime, please enjoy the majority of the April 7 broadcast below:

Africa400 airs every Wednesday at 2:00 PM Eastern Time (United States) on HANDRadio (https://handradio.org).  After the live broadcast, the show can be listened to on HANDRadio’s Web site as well as the updated version of this post and on the Media Pages of KUUMBAReport (https://kuumbareport.com/about-kuumbareport-newsletter/multimedia/), KUUMBAEvents (https://kuumbaevents.com/communications/media-page/) and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (https://srdcinternational.org/?page_id=1558).

Wednesday. March 31: Colorism; The Bluest Eye with Dr. Anita Oghenokome Benson and Amira Adawa

The Wednesday, March 31 edition of Africa400 examines the issue of Colorism; The Bluest Eye, as Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcome Special Guests Dr. Anita Oghenekome Benson and Amira Adawa.

DR. ANITA OGHENEKOME BENSON

Dr. Anita Oghenekome Benson is a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow and a Fellow of the Center for Global Business Studies, Howard University. She is a Medical Doctor with over a decade of clinical and research experience, a Consultant Physician, Dermatologist & Venereologist with experience in HIV and infectious diseases. She is also a public health expert with a Master’s in public health from the University of Sheffield and a fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health. She is a youth mentor, gender expert, award winning blogger and a story teller. She is the Founder of the Embrace Melanin Initiative.

Embrace Melanin’s Vision

To eradicate colorism and skin lightening practices from Africa and raise a generation of young Africans who embrace their melanin and are empowered, educated and self-aware.

Objectives

1. Educate- Raise awareness on the harmful effects of skin lightening practices and change the perception of dark skin through outreaches, the media and specialised programs.
2. Empower- empower the youth to be ‘proudly African’ through personal development, capacity building, skill acquisition and community development.
3. Influence- influence policies that restrict the sale of harmful skin lightening agents in Africa and address colorism especially in the workplace.
4. Rehabilitate- Provide dermatological and psychosocial services for people who suffer from adverse effects of skin lightening practices and set up a skin rehabilitation clinic, the first of its kind in Africa.
5. Innovate- start a skin care line exclusively for African skin suitable for healthy, glowing skin without altering the skin tone.

AMIRA ADAWA

Amira Adawa is an advocate with more than 14 years working in Public Health. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of The Beautywell Project, a nonprofit dedicated to educational outreach, research and policy advocacy. 

BeautyWell Project designed a program called the Young Women’s Wellness and Leadership Initiative. BeautyWell recruits young girls between the ages of 14 and 18, from public schools and charter schools. And they go through 18-week, designed sessions. BeautyWell matches them with women of color who look like them, who are in a leadership position to mentor them. 

Ms. Adawa successfully petitioned Amazon last summer to take down more than a dozen skin-lightening creams in egregious violation of the country’s parts-per-million mercury limit. (Some contained almost 100,000 parts of the harmful chemical; the legal allowance is 1.

Ms. Adawa hosts a weekly call-in show called Beauty-Wellness Talk.

Listen to the March 31 edition of Africa400 here:

Africa400 is heard every Wednesday at 2:00 PM Eastern Time (United States) on HANDRadio (https://www.handradio.org).  After the broadcast, the show can also be listened to on HANDRadio’s archive, an updated version of this post and the Media Pages of KUUMBAReport (https://kuumbareport.com/about-kuumbareport-newsletter/multimedia/), KUUMBAEvents (https://kuumbaevents.com/communications/media-page/) and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (https://srdcinternational.org/?page_id=1558).

Wednesday, March 24: Cindy Williams Cribb of Loving Arms Youth Shelter

Africa400 continued its celebration of Black Women’s History in March as Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcomed Cindy Williams Cribb and her husband Darryl Cribb of Loving Arms Youth Shelter on Wednesday, March 24. 

Loving Arms empowers, awakens and restores hope to children, young adults and their families. With an emphasis on minors, who are runaway, homeless and/or unstably housed, and children that are victims of human trafficking. Loving Arms honors dignity in every person who seeks comfort, support or assistance through our programs. In addition, Loving Arms provide short-term emergency shelter, mentoring, case management and other supportive services that help individuals return to a productive and meaningful life.

Loving Arms lives out our mission through our direct service programs, volunteer efforts and community education. When possible, Loving Arms participates in advocacy efforts for resources for our members and residents, legislate for laws to protect marginalized people and inform policies that affect funding and regulations for programs serving very poor and traumatized people.

Listen to the March 24 broadcast here:

Wednesday, March 17: Singer-Songwriter-Activist Maimouna “MuMu Fresh” Youssef

The Wednesday, March 17 edition of Africa400 features Baltimore-based singer, songwriter, musician and activist Maimouna “MuMu Fresh” Youssef.  Join Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty for an exciting and enlightening discussion.

Maimouna Youssef aka Mumu Fresh is a Grammy®-nominated singer, songwriter, emcee, activist, educator, and workshop facilitator. She’s rocked renowned stages worldwide with music giants such as Oscar® and Grammy® Award winner Common, Late Night Jimmy Fallon’s Band, The Roots, Bobby McFerrin, Sting, Erykah Badu, Zap Mama, Femi Kuti, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Ed Sheeran, Aloe Blacc, Nas, the National Symphony Orchestra, Dave Chappelle, and many others.

The Duke Ellington School of The Arts graduate has been performing since she was able to walk. Her discography spans from 2006 to present day with seven solo and group projects, including her most recent album Vintage Babies. In 2017, Youssef became a Musical Ambassador for the United States, traveling abroad to perform her music and facilitate workshops for youth addressing gender-based violence. A fierce advocate for art activism and social justice, she has worked with the Congressional Black Caucus and was invited by J Period and The W. K. Kellogg foundation to participate in The National Day of Racial Healing, among other progressive panels and initiatives.

Behind the scenes, Youssef serves as a governor for the D.C. chapter of the Recording Academy Grammy® Board, as well as a mentor for several Grammy U affiliated young artists. In 2016, she launched her own artist development company, MKY Entertainment Group. For her outstanding service and commitment to youth worldwide, she’s received recognition from non-profit organizations such as One Common Unity, Bmore News, Womb Work Productions, and Mayor Luis Fernando Castellanos Cal of Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico.

Maimouna Youssef is a global citizen, musical healer, cultural philanthropist, and a community pillar.

Maimouna Youssef is the daughter of Nataska Hummingbird famously known as Grandmother Walks on Water, who has also been a Special Guest on Africa400.

For the March 17 show, click below:

Africa400 is heard every Wednesday at 2:00 PM Eastern Time (United States) on HANDRadio (https://handradio.org).  After the live broadcast, the show will be made available on HANDRadio’s site as well as an update of this post, this site’s Audio-Visual Media Page and on the Web pages of KUUMBAReport (https://kuumbareport.com) and KUUMBAEvents (https://kuumbaevents.com).

Wednesday, March 10: Sustainable Real Estate Development with Jessica Lewis of Mobu Enterprises on Africa400, March 10, 2021

The March 10, 2021 edition of Africa400 continues to profile strong Black Women as part of its “Black Woman Is God” Series for Black Women’s History Month.  Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty discuss sustainable real estate development and “green” building practices as they welcome visionary developer Jessica Lewis.

Jessica Lewis, founder of Mobu Enterprises, a Black woman-owned real estate development firm in the “green” building industry, is redefining residential and commercial spaces around the world with over 40 years of experience in operations, construction, and development.

Mobu Enterprises is restoring community education, advocating, and improving the environment with sustainable products and self-sustaining shipping container spaces and designs.

Wednesday, March 3: Akoma Day Part 2 with Nwasha Edu

Africa400 kicks off the Black Woman Is God Series for Women’s History Month as Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcome back Special Guest Nwasha Edu,  Co-Founder of Akoma Day with her husband Montsho Edu.

“Akoma Day is a 7-day Black Love holiday celebrated from February 14th to February 20th and offered as an alternative to Valentine’s Day for black people who want to celebrate their love with cultural integrity.  Considering black people were the first to develop love words, terms, songs, poems, talismans and monuments of love, we should also return to our autochthonous holiday expressions. The focus of Akoma Day is to restore Black Love as the primordial example of love personified for all humanity to model.  The holiday was first conceived in 1997, celebrated locally in 1999 and then formally introduced internationally in 2001.

“Although officially celebrated for one week, the holiday is to be embodied throughout the year as a tool to attain the pinnacle level of Love in our intimate, personal and professional relationships. Part of celebrating the holiday involves organizing a sacred space to invite the 7 virtues, 7 principles and 7 symbols into your life and love.”

Listen to the March 3 show here:

Wednesday, February 24: Akoma Day with Montsho and Nwasha Edu

The Wednesday, February 24 edition of Africa400 looks at Akoma Day, a weeklong celebration of Black Love that runs from February 14 – 20.  Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty interview Montsho and Nwasha Edu, creators of Akoma Day and the Black Love School.

“We are Montsho & Nwasha Edu MHS’, DSKM, SW-WMW.  Together we are a happily married SoulMate team and co-founders of the Akoma House Initiative.  Our symbol of introduction is the ‘Akoma’ (commonly called the ‘heart’ today)… It is an ancient Afrakan symbol of Love, Patience, and Purpose.

“We are the co creators of AKOMA DAY the 7 day Cultural Alternative to Valentine’s Day celebrated in 11 countries worldwide. We are the co-authors of two best selling books- Akoma Day: A Guidebook into the Sacred Science of SoulMating & Cultural Alternative to Valentine’s Day (2007) and You Are What You Cheat: A Guidebook into Understanding & Overcoming Infidelity (April 2014).

What is Akoma Day

“Akoma Day is a 7-day Black Love holiday celebrated from February 14th to February 20th and offered as an alternative to Valentine’s Day for black people who want to celebrate their love with cultural integrity.  Considering black people were the first to develop love words, terms, songs, poems, talismans and monuments of love, we should also return to our autochthonous holiday expressions. The focus of Akoma Day is to restore Black Love as the primordial example of love personified for all humanity to model.  The holiday was first conceived in 1997, celebrated locally in 1999 and then formally introduced internationally in 2001.

“Although officially celebrated for one week, the holiday is to be embodied throughout the year as a tool to attain the pinnacle level of Love in our intimate, personal and professional relationships. Part of celebrating the holiday involves organizing a sacred space to invite the 7 virtues, 7 principles and 7 symbols into your life and love.”

Wednesday, February 17: Black Women, Black Love with Dianne Marie Stewart

The Wednesday, February 17 edition of Africa400 explored the topic Black Women, Black Love as Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty continued their observance of Black Love Month.  Mama Tomiko interviewed Special Guest Dianne Marie Stewart, author of Black Women, Black Love: America’s War on African American Marriage.

Listen to the show here:

The show airs at 2:00 PM on HandRadio, https://www.handradio.org or on the HANDRadio app. The audio from the show is made available on this post and on our Audio-Visual Media Page after the show airs.

Dianne Marie Stewart is an associate professor of Religion and African American Studies at Emory University specializing in African-heritage religious cultures in the Caribbean and the Americas. She was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and grew up in Hartford, CT, USA. She obtained her B.A. degree from Colgate University in English and African American Studies, her M.Div. degree from Harvard Divinity School and her Ph.D. degree in systematic theology from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where she studied with well-known scholars such as Delores Williams, James Washington and her advisor James Cone. Dr. Stewart joined Emory’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 2001 and teaches courses in the graduate and undergraduate programs. Inspired by her pedagogical investment in Black love studies and her widely celebrated courses, The Power of Black Self-Love, (co-taught with Dr. Donna Troka), Black Love and Black Women, Black Love and the Pursuit of Happiness, Dr. Stewart spent four years research and writing Black Women, Black Love: America’s War on African American Marriage, which was published by Seal Press in 2020. Her public scholarship and interviews on the subject of Black love, partnership and marriage have also been published in The Washington Post and other outlets.

According to the 2010 US census, more than seventy percent of Black women in America are unmarried. Black Women, Black Love reveals how four centuries of laws, policies, and customs have created that crisis.

Dianne Stewart begins in the colonial era, when slave owners denied Blacks the right to marry, divided families, and, in many cases, raped enslaved women and girls. Later, during Reconstruction and the ensuing decades, violence split up couples again as millions embarked on the Great Migration north, where the welfare system mandated that women remain single in order to receive government support. And no institution has forbidden Black love as effectively as the prison-industrial complex, which removes Black men en masse from the pool of marriageable partners.

Prodigiously researched and deeply felt, Black Women, Black Love reveals how white supremacy has systematically broken the heart of Black America, and it proposes strategies for dismantling the structural forces that have plagued Black love and marriage for centuries.
—
AFRICA400 https://www.handradio.org
Wednesdays 2-3pm EST.
https://webuyblack.com

Wednesday, February 10: Black Love Day with Mama Ayo Handy-Kendi

Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty discussed Black Love Day on the Wednesday, February 10 edition of Africa400 with Mama Ayo Handy-Kendi, founder of PositivEnergyWorks (https://www.positivenergyworks.com), as part of Africa400’s Black Love Series for February.

Check out the audio of the program, which was broadcast on HANDRadio (https://www.handradio.org) below:

Below, Mama Ayo briefly explains Black Love Day and some activities that are fitting for the occasion.

We also include below a link to purchase Mama Ayo’s book, The Black Love Book, as an e-book.

What Is Black Love Day (BLD)?

Black Love Day (BLD) is the 3rd nationally commemorative Holiday (wholyday) observance of atonement, reconciliation, and 24 hour demonstration of Black Love through 5 tenets (loving acts):
for The Creator,
for Self,
for the Black Family,
the Black Community,
and the Black Race

Some Traditional Things to Do on Black Love Day:

• It’s NOT WHERE YOU GO for Black Love Day (BLD)- it is WHAT YOU DO to demonstrate (show) love on this day. Demonstrate the 5 Tenets (acts of love) on BLD to transform on this wholyday, then practice these tenets everyday to maintain the higher vibration of love. Events and activities are held in honor of, to celebrate or to commemorate Black Love Day, so make the distinction. For example: Black Love Day is not the Black Luv Festival or the Relationship Ceremony, both held in D.C.. Instead Black Love Day, Feb. 13th is commemorated for 24 hours, both locally, nationally and internationally.
• The greeting is Nya Akoma (N yah Ah comah) means get a heart, be patient
• Display the Akoma, an ancient African Adinkra symbol of love, patience, goodwill, faithfulness and endurance. This heart-shaped symbol was re-named and co-opted as a “Valentine”;
• Wear the colors Purple and Black-purple of spiritual growth and royalty; black for the color of the people and freedom from evil (Psalms 7 or 12);
• Buy BLD conscious-raising gifts from Black merchants, practicing the tenet of Black Race love. Avoid the usual Valentine’s candy, trinkets, stuffed animals, jewelry. Consider buying healing products or food, inspirational, spiritual gift or hand-crafted gifts, made from the heart;
• In-gather the people at a Black Love Relationship Ceremony including in the Ritual of Reconciliation.

The Black Love Book 3rd Ed (E-Book) by Ayo Handy-Kendi

Get the Black Love Book to Learn More About Black Love Day and the healing power of Love:

https://www.positivenergyworks.com/store/p45/The_Black_Love_Book_3rd_Ed__%28E-Book%29_by_Ayo_Handy-Kendi.html

The Black Love Book, 3rd Edition (E-Book) by Ayo Handy-Kendi
$12.00

This is the 3rd edition of this book, an anthology about love and a how-to guide on observing the “wholyday” Black Love Day (BLD) observed annually on February 13th. This revised book includes some new material from the first edition, some corrections and enhanced artwork.

Written as the “definitive guide” on observing BLD, by the founder of the wholyday, Ayo Handy-Kendi, The Breath Sekou, the book explains BLD‟s origin, its symbols, and its rituals. The book further provides concrete suggestions of “love in action” activities that can be initiated on BLD, in Black and White communities to help these communities heal through love in ways that are meaningful, far beyond the 13th.

The history and background of Valentine’s Day, the up-til-now, holiday of love, is also included with an explanation as to why, BLD, is a more spiritual, cultural and wholistic alternative that is needed now by African Americans to rejuvenate and re-bond their relationships through love. As an anthology, the book further offers inspirational, poems, essays and articles that describe love’s many forms and expressions while providing helpful techniques of love’s healing transformational power.

Available through Facebook, Twitter and Google+

Wednesday, February 3: Africa400 Kicks Off the Black Love Series with “Sexual Alchemy”

Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty explored the topic “Sexual Alchemy” on Africa400, airing on Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 2 PM Eastern Time (United States).  This show kicked off Africa400’s Black Love Series to celebrate Black Love Month.

Their Special Guest was Wayne B. Chandler, healer, instructor and author of Ancient Future.

Baba Wayne Chandler studied with researchers like Dr. Runoko Rashidi, T. Owens Moore and others who learned from scholars such as Wade Nobles, Richard King, Dr. Ivan Van Sertima and Dr. Frances Cress Welsing.  The Wednesday, February 3 show was a special extended broadcast, running just over an hour and a half.  Check it out here:

Africa400 is heard every Wednesday at 2:00 PM Eastern Time (United States) on HANDRadio (https://handradio.org).

Wednesday, January 27, 2021: Resurrecting the Black Divinity through Diaspora Organization and Solidarity

Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty explore the topic “Resurrecting the Black Divinity through Diaspora Organization and Solidarity” on Africa400, airing Wednesday, January 27, 2021.  

Their Special Guest is Francois Ndengwe, Editor of Femmes and Hommes d’Afrique Magazine.  For the program audio, listen below:

Wednesday, January 20, 2021: Decoding the Capitol Insurrection

After a short hiatus, Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty are back with Africa400, now on HANDRadio.

Their return to the airwaves was brought to us by https://handradio.org on Wednesday, January 20 at 2:00 PM (Eastern Time in theUnited States) as they launched Africa400 from their new broadcast home.  Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty announced their triumphant return thus:

Please join us on our new Radio Home:
HANDRadio @Wednesdays 2-3 pm
Tune In …
Raise Your Vibration …

Their topic was Decoding the Capitol Insurrection; Opportunity for Diaspora Solidarity with guest Francois Ndengwe, Editor of Femmes and Hommes d’Afrique Magazine.  Listen to the show below:

Africa400 can be heard every Wednesday at 2:00 PM Eastern Time (United States) on https://handradio.org.  After the show has aired, we will include the audio of the show in that week’s post as well as here.

Africa400 with Hosts Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty
Wednesdays, 2pm – 3pm Eastern Time (US)
WFBR 1590 AM Glen Burnie/Baltimore, Maryland (US)

December 30, 2020: Full Speed Ahead: 2021; Movements and Migrations”

For many of us, 2020 was an undeniably terrible year, and we look forward to 2021 with hope for a better year for ourselves, for our families, for humanity and for the planet.  Join Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty as we look ahead to the year 2021 on the December 30 edition of Africa400.

Also, Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcome author Shonta Watson to open up the show, discussing her new book, part of the Shea Buttah & The Herbal Kids series™️ that is available now, ready for Kwanzaa.  Her Web site is www.sheabuttahandtheherbalkids.com, her Instagram page is https://www.instagram.com/aspire_by_tay/, and her book can be purchased there and through Cash App: $AspirebyTay or PayPal: paypal.me/ShontaW.

Several of you called in to the show to share your thoughts as you reflected on 2020 and prepared to bring in 2021.  Listen to the audio of the show here:

December 23, 2020: “20 Years in Prison: H. Rap Brown aka Imam Jamil Al-Amin”

The December 23, 2020 edition of Africa400 marks the approach of 20 years of imprisonment for Political Prisoner Imam Jamil Al-Amin, who was once known as H. Rap Brown.

Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcomed their Special Guests Bro. Kairi Al-Amin, the son of the Imam, and Dr. Maulana Karenga, Creator of Kwanzaa and Professor & Chair, Department of Africana Studies, Cal State University-Long Beach.  His Web sites are https://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org and https://www.maulanakarenga.org.

Listen to the audio of the show by clicking here:

Dr. Karenga wrote an April 25, 2019 commentary on Imam Jamil Al-Amin’s continuing fight for freedom, which can be read in its entirety at Achieving Justice for Imam Jamil: A Battleline For All of Us – Los Angeles Sentinel | Los Angeles Sentinel | Black News (lasentinel.net).

“Clearly, his trial was grossly flawed and his conviction was deeply wrongful. His targeting and imprisonment was political. His transfer from a prison in Georgia for a state conviction to federal prisons in Colorado and Arizona and being placed in solidarity confinement for 8 years is vindictive, vicious and designed to isolate him from family, community and legal counsel, and punish and break him. The refusal to allow journalists and academics to see and interview him is to muzzle him and eliminate the regular monitoring and checking on their savage treatment of him. And the denial of adequate and appropriate treatment for him is inhumane, a violation of his human rights and creating conditions for his death. Thus, we must see and engage this as a moral obligation to resist and reverse these unjust and evil actions.”
– Dr. Maulana Karenga, Achieving Justice for Imam Jamil: A Battleline For All of Us

The Web site Prisoner Solidarity (Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, Imam | prisonersolidarity.com) describes the events leading up to the Imam’s incarceration thus:

“On March 16th, 2000, Fulton County Deputy Sheriff Ricky Kinchen is shot and later dies, while another deputy Aldranon English is wounded after being shot by a man outside Imam Jamil’s store. English identified the shooter in the March 16 incident as Imam Jamil, yet testified that he shot the assailant—who “had grey eyes”—in the exchange of gunfire. Imam Al-Amin’s eyes are brown, and he had no gunshot injury when he was captured just four days later.”

An important support Web site that has been established by Imam Jamil Al-Amin’s son, Bro. Kairi Al-Amin, is https://whathappened2rap.com.

A Change.org petition (Sponsor Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard : New Trial For Imam Jamil Al-Amin FKA H. Rap Brown (change.org)) currently seeks signatures and support for a new trial in the effort to exonerate and free Imam Jamil Al-Amin.

Africa400 can be listened to on the radio in the Glen Burnie and Baltimore, Maryland areas on 1590-AM WFBR.  The show is also streamed over the Internet on a variety of platforms, most notably on WFBR 1590AM Baltimore, 1590 AM, Glen Burnie, MD | Free Internet Radio | TuneIn and Famous 1590 – WFBR – AM 1590 – Glen Burnie, MD – Streema Player.  After the show airs, it will be recorded and featured in an update of this post as well as on our Audio-Visual Media Page.

December 9 and 17, 2020: “Restitution Movement: Returning Stolen African Art and Heritage”

Africa400 discusses the topic “Restitution Movement: Returning Stolen African Art and Heritage” on Wednesday, December 9 and Wednesday, December 16.  Join hosts Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty for this important conversation with their Special Guest, Mwazulu Diyabanza Siwa Lemba, international spokesperson of the pan-African movement YANKANKU (Unity Dignity Courage).  He will be assisted by his translator, Baba Francis Ndengwe, editor of Femmes and Hommes d’Afrique magazine.

This interview is being done in two parts, on December 9 and December 16.  Listen to Part One of the interview, broadcast on December 9, here:

A combination of bad weather and technical problems forced the postponement of the second part of the interview from December 16 to December 17, when the show was broadcast by the good people at HAND Radio (Home – HAND RADIO) who made a recording of the full show.  Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty then made the show available to us, and we include it below:

Here is a little background information on Mwazulu Diyabanza Siwa Lemba:

ENGLISH/ENGLAIS

MAN AND HIS CONVICTIONS: Unfailingly attached to Bumuntu: African humanism Mwazulu Diyabanza remains convinced that the human person coming out of Africa has in him the key to the solution to all his great evils and that he must also look at him. profound as it may be to operate its upliftment and the transformation of its society. He also remains convinced that the unity of Africa is the sinequanone condition for its full economic and political realization.

Mwazulu is today, general secretary of the OTID union, independent researcher in African politics and culture and the international spokesperson of the pan-African movement YANKANKU (Unity Dignity Courage) and summarizes his pan-African commitment in 14 points included in the manifesto of Yankanku / MANINKANKU .

FRENCH/FRANCAIS

L’HOMME ET SES CONVICTIONS: Indéfectiblement attaché au Bumuntu: L’humanisme Africain Mwazulu Diyabanza demeure convaincu que la personne humaine sortie d’Afrique à en elle la clef de la solution à tous ses grands maux et qu’elle doit regardée en lui aussi profond que cela puisse être pour opérer son élévation et la transformation de sa société. Il demeure également convaincu que l’unité de l’Afrique est la condition sinequanone pour sa réalisation économique et politique complète.

Mwazulu est en ce jour , secrétaire général du syndicat OTID, chercheur indépendant en politique et culture Africaine et le porte-parole international du mouvement panafricain YANKANKU( Unité Dignité Courage) et résume son engagement panafricain en 14 points inscrits dans le manifeste de Yankanku/MANINKANKU.

December 2, 2020: “Decolonizing Relationships to Holidays, Food and Security”

The Wednesday, December 2 edition of Africa400 discussed the topic “Decolonizing Relationships to Holidays, Food and Security” with returning Special Guest Grandmother Walks On Water, who joined hosts Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty for this inspiring discussion.

Unfortunately, due to, quite frankly, a screw-up on our part (No, we cannot blame this on “technical difficulties” unless the “difficulties” occurred between our own ears), we were unable to obtain the audio for this show.  We will do our best to ensure that this does not happen again!

November 25, 2020: “The Awakening: Children of the Light”

The November 25, 2020 edition of Africa400 explored the topic of “The Awakening: Children of the Light”.

Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty’s Special Guest was Kwame Sunhorse.  He is a researcher of African History, Indigenous American Culture and Spirituality.  He is founder of A.T.U.M. (Awakening True Universal Minds).

To listen to the show, click below:

November 18, 2020: Umoja Karamu/Unity Feast and Creator Dr. Edward Sims Jr.

The November 18, 2020 edition of Africa400 discussed the Umoja Karamu/Unity Feast and its creator, Honored Ancestor Dr. Edward Sims Jr.

Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty’s Special Guests were Dr. and Mrs. Sims’ sons, Dr. Guy Sims and Dawaud Anyabwile, co-creator/writer and illustrator of Brotherman Comics; and nine-year-old Folasade Shabazz, author of the book Umoja Karamu, A Fun Feast for Family and Friends.

The biography of this brilliant young Sista is related as follows in her new book:

Folasade Ramia Aza Shabazz is a homeschooled student who enjoys singing, dancing, cooking and having family and friends over for big parties.  She possesses a female warrior spirit, yet is as sweet as pie.  Umoja Karamu (The Black Family Ritual) is one of the little known holidays that brings Afrikan and Afrikan-American families throughout the diaspora together to remember our story and celebrate our victories.

Folasade writes books so that Afrikan girls and boys can see themselves and celebrate Afrikan/Afrikan-American culture.

This is her first book.  She lives with her parents and siblings in Richmond, Virginia.

For the audio of the show, click below:

Africa400 can be heard on the radio every Wednesday afternoon from 2:00-3:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) on WFBR 1590 AM in Glen Burnie and Baltimore, Maryland.  It can also be heard over the Internet on a variety of platforms, including https://mytuner-radio.com/radio/wfbr-famous-1590-am-426025/, as well as http://streema.com/radios/play/WFBR and https://tunein.com/radio/WFBR-1590AM-Baltimore-s29972/.

November 11, 2020: The Culture Market 614 Story

Africa400’s Special Guests for Wednesday, November 11 were Shaundretta Boykins, Juana Williams and Michael Young, owners of Culture Market 614, a Black-owned grocery in Columbus, Ohio.  Operating under the slogan “One World, Many Cultures”, their culture-centered, community-oriented store was the first Black-owned grocery in Columbus in 25 years.  They discussed their experience as Black entrepreneurs building a business in today’s economy and their vision for their business with hosts Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty.

Listen to the show by clicking below:

Videos introducing them to the public can be found on their Facebook page, https://m.facebook.com/theculturemarket614/.

Africa400 can be heard on the radio every Wednesday afternoon from 2:00-3:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) on WFBR 1590 AM in Glen Burnie and Baltimore, Maryland.  It can also be heard over the Internet on a variety of platforms, including https://mytuner-radio.com/radio/wfbr-famous-1590-am-426025/, as well as http://streema.com/radios/play/WFBR and https://tunein.com/radio/WFBR-1590AM-Baltimore-s29972/.  After the broadcast, we will post the show in an update of this post as well as on our Media Page.

November 4, 2020: Bitcoin and Black America

The November 4, 2020 edition of Africa400 featured special guest Bro. Isaiah Jackson, author of the book Bitcoin and Black America.  He discussed the ongoing “Bitcoin Revolution” with hosts Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty.

Check out the show below:

What is the essential point of bitcoin and Black economics?  Bro. Jackson and bitcoin enthusiasts make the following argument:

Ready for a change in black economics? Join the Bitcoin revolution.

Bitcoin and Black America is a dynamic new book that explores the synergy between black economics, Bitcoin and blockchain technology. The global financial system is changing and the digital revolution will not be televised.

We explore how to incorporate cryptocurrency in your business, job and educational institution. This book also outlines the need for separation from the racist banking system and a comprehensive list of black professionals actively working in the Blockchain industry.

October 21, 2020: Tribute to Dr. Patricia Newton

The Wednesday, October 21 edition of Africa400 featured a special tribute to New Ancestor Dr. Patricia Newton (1945-2020).  Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcomed special guests Sis. Imani, a close friend of Dr. Newton; Bro. Jabari Natur, founder of Reality Speaks and Conscious Heads Barbershop as well as a Baltimore-area community activist who sponsored several events featuring Dr. Newton; Baba Nati, founder and proprietor of Everyone’s Place Book and Cultural Center in Baltimore, and Mama Vivian of Philadelphia Black Social Workers.

An online tribute to Dr. Newton (“Dr. Patricia Newton, Rest In Power Tribute”, October 1, 2020) has been published and shared by the Web sites of the Institute of the Black World (https://ibw21.org/initiative-posts/bfs-posts/dr-patricia-newton-rest-in-power-tribute/), Black Therapy Central (https://blacktherapycentral.com/dr-patricia-newton-rest-in-power-tribute/), Global Diaspora News (https://www.globaldiasporanews.com/dr-patricia-newton-rest-in-power-tribute/) and other sources.  Videos of Dr. Newton’s lectures and presentations can also be found through a basic Google search.

Africa400 can be heard live every Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 PM (Eastern Time in the United States) on WFBR 1590 AM in Baltimore and Glen Burnie, Maryland.  It can also be streamed live on the Internet on https://tunein.com/radio/WFBR-1590AM-Baltimore-s29972/, as well as http://streema.com/radios/play/WFBR and other sites. 

Listen to this show by clicking below:

October 14, 2020: Black Wom(b)Man Justice

The Wednesday, October 14 edition of Africa400 discussed Black Wom(b)Man Justice and the Friday, October 16 Protect Black Women Rally in Washington, DC at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House.

Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty’s special guests were:

• Sis. Shenika Carter, founder of the Caravan 4 Racial Justice (https://www.c4racialjustice.org and https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=140774397735405&id=110270554119123), and
• Sis. Shawnee Renee Benton Gibson, founder of Spirit of a Woman Leadership Development Institute (https://www.sowleadershipdevelopment.org), which is sponsoring the 6th Annual VIRTUAL Mother Wit Conference on Saturday, October 24 (on the Web at https://www.themotherwitconference.com).

This show is dedicated to Shamony Makeba Gibson (1989-2019), daughter of Shawnee Renee Benton Gibson.  Her story can be read on the Web site https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thecity.nyc/platform/amp/health/2020/9/13/21435518/grandparents-day-women-black-maternal-mortality-crisis-brooklyn-new-york-city.

For the audio broadcast, check out our Media Page or click below:

Africa400 can be heard live at 2:00 PM (Eastern Time in the United States) on WFBR 1590 AM in Baltimore and Glen Burnie, Maryland.  It can also be streamed live on the Internet on https://tunein.com/radio/WFBR-1590AM-Baltimore-s29972/, as well as http://streema.com/radios/play/WFBR and other sites.  After the show has aired, it will be made available on this post and on our Media Page.

October 7, 2020: The Black Woman as the God Principle” with Grandmother Walks On Water

The October 7, 2020 edition of Africa400 explores the topic “The Black Woman as the God Principle”.  Hosts Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcomed back their special guest Grandmother Walks On Water.  She is an Indigenous Healer and the founder and director of Wombworks Productions.  Listen to the audio of the broadcast below:

September 30, 2020: The “Lens of Blackness through Education, Art and Technology” with M.K. Asante

The Wednesday, September 30 edition of Africa400 discusses the topic “Lens of Blackness through Education, Art and Technology”, and features as Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty’s special guest filmmaker, recording artist, author and professor M.K. Asante.

M.K. Asante is a best-selling author, award-winning filmmaker, recording artist, and distinguished professor who the Los Angeles Times calls “One of America’s best storytellers.”

He is the author of Buck: A Memoir, praised by Maya Angelou as “A story of surviving and thriving with passion, compassion, wit, and style.” Buck is a multi-year Washington Post Bestseller and the recipient of numerous literary awards. Buck is currently being adapted into a major motion picture.

Asante studied at the University of London, earned a B.A. from Lafayette College, and an M.F.A. from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television.

He is the Host and Executive Producer of While Black with MK Asante and Free Tuition with MK Asante. Both shows are Snap Originals and reach millions of viewers weekly on Snapchat.

Asante has been featured on NBC’s Today Show and The Breakfast Club. His essays have been published in the New York Times and USA Today. His inspirational story “The Blank Page” is featured in the #1 New York Times best-seller, Chicken Soup for the Soul: 20th Anniversary Edition.

Asante has lectured at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, as well as hundreds of other universities. He has toured in over 50 countries and was awarded the Key to the City of Dallas, Texas. He is featured in A Changing America, a permanent video exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

He is the founder of Wonderful Sound Studios and a recording artist, most recently featured on the album Indie 500 by Grammy-winning producer 9th Wonder & Talib Kweli.

Asante is a Distinguished Professor at the MICA Business School in India and a tenured professor of English and Film at Morgan State University.

His Web site is https://mkasante.com.

Check out the September 30, 2020 show with M.K. Asante below:

September 23, 2020: The State of Black America, 2020-2024 with Dr. Gerald Horne

Dr. Gerald Horne, noted historian and author of several important books on Afrikan history, returned as Mama Tomiko’s special guest.  Check out the audio of the program below:

Dr. Horne also is noted for his book Paul Robeson: The Artist As Revolutionary, and several points he makes in the show reflect back to this book.  An interview Dr. Horne gave to V Books can be read on their Web site https://www.vibe.com/2017/04/v-books-gerald-horne-paul-robeson or at the link https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vibe.com/amp/2017/04/v-books-gerald-horne-paul-robeson.

September 16, 2020: The Freedom Georgia Initiative with Dr. Tabitha Ball and Mr. Greg Mullins

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

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

September 9, 2020: Unlearning and Relearning History, the Pan African Heritage World Museum with Baba Kojo Yankah

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

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

Mr. Yankah’s Web site is https://kojoyankah.net.  Listen to the September 9, 2020 Africa400 Show here:

September 2, 2020: Protecting Black Love; Re-Birthing A Nation with Grandmother Walks-On-Water (Part 2 of a Series)

The Wednesday, September 2 edition of Africa400 continued from the previous week’s show with the topic of Protecting Black Love; Re-Birthing A Nation, hosted by cultural anthropologist Mama Tomiko and developmental psychologist Baba Ty.

Their special guest for the continuation of this topic was once again Grandmother Walks-On-Water, also known as Nataska Humminbird (https://www.facebook.com/nataska.humminbird) of Wombwork Productions (https://www.wombwork.com/).  This was her third appearance with Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty, having previously appeared on the previous week’s show (August 26) as well as the April 30 edition of Little Africa.  This week’s show closed with “We Are Already Royal” by the daughter of Grandmother Walks-On-Water, Baltimore-area Grammy-nominated international recording artist Maimouna “MuMu Fresh” Youssef.

Listen to the show below:

August 26, 2020: Protecting the Womb; Melanin Babies with Grandmother Walks On Water

The Wednesday, August 26 edition of Africa400 discussed the topic of Protecting The Womb; Melanin Babies, hosted by cultural anthropologist Mama Tomiko and developmental psychologist Baba Ty.

Their special guest was Grandmother Walks-On-Water, also known as Nataska Humminbird (https://www.facebook.com/nataska.humminbird) of Wombwork Productions (https://www.wombwork.com/).  She is also the mother of Baltimore-based Grammy-nominated musical artist Maimouna “MuMu Fresh” Youssef.  This was her second appearance with Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty, having previously been featured when they hosted the Little Africa show on April 30, “Raising the African Centered Child”.  Her appearance on the April 30 Little Africa Show can be listened to further below.  Just scroll down to the “Little Africa” shows on this Page.

This show begins a series on Black Womb Maternal Health and the need for a Nationwide Campaign for Black Doulas and Midwives.

Africa400 can be listened to every Wednesday at 2:00 PM (Eastern Time in the United States) on WFBR 1590 AM (Glen Burnie and Baltimore), or on the Web at a variety of sites, most notably http://streema.com/radios/play/WFBR and https://tunein.com/radio/WFBR-1590AM-Baltimore-s29972/.  After the show has aired, it is made available later that day on this Page.

You can visit this Page to listen to this week’s show and previous editions of Africa400, as well as other recent radio broadcasts and occasional audio-video productions.  This week’s show can be listened to below:

August 19, 2020: African Heritage as Black Power and Nation Building with Dr. Gina Paige and Adote Gandhi Akwei

The Wednesday, August 19 edition of Africa400 featured a discussion of “African Heritage as Black Power and Nation-Building” with Dr. Gina Paige, co-founder of African Ancestry and Adote Ghandi Akwei, children’s author and activist from Togo.  The show is hosted by Cultural Anthropologist Mama Tomiko and Developmental Psychologist Baba Ty.  Listen to the audio of the program below:

August 12, 2020: Re-Defining and Re-Building Black Organizations with Dr. Theopia Jackson and Baba Olufemi Shepsu

The August 12, 2020 edition of Africa400 explored the topic “Re-Defining & Re-Building Black Organizations” with special guests Dr. Theopia Jackson, President of the Association of Black Psychologists; and Olufemi Shepsu, MSW of the Abusua Pa Black Family Institute and the National Association of Black Social Workers.  They joined show hosts Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty for an informative discussion.

August 5, 2020: Melanin Rising with Dr. T. Owens Moore

The Wednesday, August 5, 2020 edition of Africa400 explored the topic “Melanin Rising” with special guest physiological psychologist, biomedical researcher and author Dr. T. Owens Moore.  He joined Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty as they engaged in a lively and enlightening discussion.  Listen to the broadcast below:

July 29, 2020: Healing through Ancestors with Dr. Maria Eliza Hamilton Bispo de Jesus Abegunde

The Wednesday, July 29 edition of Africa400 welcomed Special Guest Dr. Maria Eliza Hamilton Bispo de Jesus Abegunde, Memory Keeper, Poet, Ancestral Priest, Doula and Reiki Master, Founding Director of the Graduate Mentoring Center, Visiting Lecturer and Post-Doctoral Fellow of the University Graduate School at the Indiana University Bloomington, College of Arts & Sciences, Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies. She discussed the topic of Healing through Ancestors with show hosts Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty.  Listen to the show below, and check out more information in the blog post.

July 22, 2020: Healing Sexual Trauma with Mama Ayo Handy-Kendi

The July 22, 2020 Africa400 show featured Part 2 of Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty’s interview with breathologist and founder of PositivEnergyWorks (https://positivenergyworks.com) Mama Ayo Handy-Kendi as they discussed healing sexual trauma.  More information is available in the blog post.

July 15, 2020: Mama Ayo Handy-Kendi, founder of PositivEnergyWorks

Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty discussed the practice of breathing and its effect on healing with Mama Ayo Handy-Kendi, founder of PositivEnergyWorks (https://www.positivenergyworks.com) as well as Black Love Day (February 13).  Mama Ayo’s latest book, Applied Breathology, to Master the Power of the Breath, can be found on the Website.

July 8, 2020: Special Guest Historian Dr. Gerald Horne

On the Wednesday, July 8 edition of Africa400, hosts Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty welcomed historian Dr. Gerald Horne to discuss the African Diaspora as well as his latest book, The Dawning of the Apocalypse: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, Settler Colonialism, and Capitalism in the Long Sixteenth Century (https://monthlyreview.org/product/the-dawning-of-the-apocalypse/). 

Listen to the latest show below:

Dr. Horne is an internationally renowned historian who has written a number of books on Afrikan and Afrikan-American history.

July 1, 2020: Tribute to Dr. Kirk P. Gaddy, Maryland Educator

June 24, 2020: The Maafa and the Black Family

June 17, 2020: Reparations, Redistribution and Reconstruction

On June 17, their special guest was Dr. Umar Johnson, who discussed “Reparations, Redistribution and Reconstitution”. In the context of the ongoing massive protests that have mobilized activists around the world, Dr. Johnson cautioned against allowing the Black Agenda to be co-opted by opportunists and misdirected by provocateurs, stressing the need to maintain Black Community control over the narratives of truth and justice for Black People.
The audio of the Wednesday, June 17 show can be listened to below.

June 10, 2010: Protecting Self, Family and Community

Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty’s special guests were Mama Victory Swift of Our Victorious City (Baltimore, Maryland) and Pastor Paul Robeson Ford of First Baptist Church (Winston-Salem, North Carolina).

June 3, 2020, Special Guest: Preacher Moss

Blogtalk Radio, George Jackson University

September 9, 2020: Elder Paul Redd and Mama Tomiko

Guests were Elder Paul Redd, former Political Prisoner, and Mama Tomiko, prisoner advocate and founder of Aging People in Prison Human Rights Campaign.  Check out the George Jackson University Web page and listen to the show at https://www.blogtalkradio.com/georgejacksonradio/2020/09/10/elder-paul-redd-former-political-prisonertomiko-shine-of-app-hrc, or just click below for the audio.  For Hour One, click here:

For Hour Two, click here:

May 20, 2020: Focus on Political Prisoner Jamil Al-Amin

Guests were Mama Tomiko, Bro. Kairi Al-Amin (son of the Imam) and Bro. Najee Mujahid of the Imam Jamil Action Network.  For the full blog post, click here; for the two-hour radio show, listen below.

For Hour One, listen here:

For Hour Two, listen here:

Little Africa, WFBR-1590 AM, Baltimore

May 14, 2020: African Liberation Day

This week’s hosts, Bro. Africa and Ms. Delores, interviewed Mama Victory Swift of the Maryland Council of Elders (https://www.facebook.com/mcoe1958/), Our Victorious City (https://www.ourvictoriouscity.org/home) and My Victorious Place about the upcoming African Liberation Day Virtual Events to be held May 23-25, 2020.  For the full show, click below:

May 7, 2020: De-Carcerating History

Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty discuss De-Carcerating History: Healing Across the Diaspora.  Attorney, hip-hop artist and writer Bro. Kairi Al-Amin, son of Imam Jamil Al-Amin (formerly known as SNCC Black Power activist H. Rap Brown) speaks about his father’s case and his effort to secure a new trial.

Check out the following links to learn more about the case of Imam Jamil Al-Amin:
https://www.whathappened2rap.com
https://www.change.org/p/fulton-county-district-attorney-paul-howard-new-trial-for-imam-jamil-al-amin-fka-h-rap-brown
https://thejerichomovement.com/home

Bro. John Manurekiza, a Burundian-American agriculturalist living in the Washington, DC area, discusses community development in the DC area and in his home country of Burundi as well as the recent attack and murder of Ahmaud Arbery.  A companion commentary by Charles M. Blow, The Killing of Ahmaud Arbery, can be read at https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/05/06/opinion/ahmaud-arbery-killing.amp.html.

The WFBR show from Thursday, May 7 can be listened to by clicking below:

April 30, 2020: Raising the Afrikan-Centered Child on Little Africa Radio with Grandmother Walks-On-Water and Sis. Noah-Harmony

The Thursday, April 30 edition of Little Africa on Radio Station WFBR-1590 (Glen Burnie, Maryland) featured two important guests discussing Building an Afrikan-Centered Child through Culture, Story and Memory: Grandmother Walks-On-Water (mother of Baltimore, Maryland-area Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter-spoken word artist Maimouna “MuMu Fresh” Youssef) and Sister Noah-Harmony (daughter of pioneering jazz bagpiper and recent Ancestor Rufus Harley).

Sister Noah-Harmony spoke about the 12 steps to raising an Afrikan-centered child, which are listed below:

1. Create Food Co-Ops
    ⦁ Outside Kitchen
    ⦁ Cooking Classes
    ⦁ grow fruits, vegetables, herbs
2. Get Healthy- Eat natural/heritage foods, Grocery Shop Healthy
3. Courtship Pre-Marriage
4. Create/Utilize Womb Lodges for teen girls to adult women
5. Mid-Wifery to deliver baby and to keep placenta
6. Give Child an African/Indigenous Inspired Name
7. African-Centered Curriculum, Saturday School/Homeschool
6. Teach Child 1-2 languages in addition to English
9. Teach child to meditate/pray/nap daily
10. Teach Merchandising/Entrepreneurship to children
11. Celebrate Kwanzaa. Practice Principles All Year
12. African-inspired Burial Rituals

For a fuller description, check out the post for the show.  For the audio of the program, listen below.

April 23, 2020

Mama Tomiko and Baba Ty discuss Food Insecurity with the operator of a Baltimore-area urban farm and a Pan-Afrikan media specialist.  For the audio, listen below.