Ori in and H tory of
MricaD Uberatio Day In the U.S.
The month of May is very important in
the world ide African liberation movement.
Durin, this month, celebrate African
Liberation Day.
The . of African Libention Day h
its 0 .. in the 1001 history of African
Ie 10 free ourselYes from the yoke of
Euro domination and white IUpre y.
This' • cia, e emp ize our ODen u a
people with a common pat; common set of
problems, and a common future.
The capturin of millions of African
pcop, 0 ere pl�ed in I very and
iDuoduced into the wcstern hemisphere
property d commodities,' the backdrop
upoo hie e celebrate African Libera­
tion.
It the slaYC trlde of th 15th. 16th and
17th centuries inyolyina France, .Po al,
S . Eq d Germany that K"ed
fo bon hich thete western po en
rc built, iDcludina the URi States.
TH' . at in trade by
tern powen provided them with the
in of profit in acnina patat return
off their in estment. The CttUD orld still
to keep Africa and African people,
odd ide. in bon e, 10 the, can continue
.. the lreltest return off their
lDY1abDCDt.
After ch uel s very as
Ene d the United S t the slave
trade beaan 10 ind do n. The former ve
tract' nation found tbemsel e no Ion er
needinl slaves, but the natunl raourcea
they were stwnblina into in Africa. They
� bepa to fa ht each·other oyer the ,old.
daamoncb and other minerairaourcea they
ere find' .
This resulted in the callinl of the Berlin
conference in 1884, here the Europan
po en united to iyide up Africa amODl
them I es.1t h been discUiIed. hi orical­
ly. by the former e tI'IdiDa nations, that
those who control Africa wiD control the
oriel. Therefore, the Bertin CoofUCDCe
a ero nina blo in African history. The
results of this conference led to the canina
up of Africa 10 th Frace, Bri . Portupl,
Spain, and Germany could control separate
territories throUlhout the contiDcnt. This
became kno u. the colo' peirod in
AfricaD h' lOry.
The colonial period in Africa, .iu the
enslavement of AfricaD people captured and
brouaht to North America, Iud a clcYa .
• P8Ct Africa African people.
African people did not sit idly by. Ju at
we resisted our Ilave circumltancel in
America, African people relilted � their
coloDiai condition. Pan-AfricaD �tinal
re called to p ot Itratqy to cad .
rule. The G�ey movement and Uni-
ve� q� Improyement AuociabOO pl­
\-anized Afncan people orlelwide 10 em­
brace the idea of African independence - r
OM Gotl, 0111 a;"., .". au tU.ti",. The
Garvey period in our history, more . any
other en, laid the foundation for t e
now ca1I African Liberation D y. �
African peop e beaan ina a battle to
reclaim their lands. Thi has been alo d
bitter stru le. R . 'tc suprem-
acy and colonial do . t meAY
pes and may forms.
The Pan African mectinal (1900-1945)'
provided a mechanism for I all I roup of
African leaden to plan d plot tratCIY for
African freedom. The Garvey mo ement of
the 1920·1 broulht the idea of African
freedom and iadepcpdence to the manes of
our people arc; __ nd the wodd. • Africa for
Africans - At Home and Abl'OlMi" ... a
an that captured the .pirit of African
people. This ,a e I dear under-
tandinl of who e are al a peop
ould be .trunlq for.
it not until the early 19S0's that the
fant African country lamed political inde-
'pcndcnce in the mo ment to reclaim Africa.
That country was Ghana under the leader­
ship of K wame Nkrumah ho led the
Ghanian people' their r.,ht .. alnst British
CoIooialism.
I Shortly after thi successful defeat of the
British. Sekou Toure led the people of
Guinea to ants their independence from
. French Colonialism, Richt on the heels of
this victory wa, the victory of Patrice
Lumumba and the people of the Congo who
their battle, for I brief moment a ainst
Bclaium. '
This independence movement sparked an
oosIla.' �,ht of African people reclaiminl their
temtoncs and led to the formation of the
Ol'Jani_tion of African Unity (OA U) in
May of 1963. (This i by celebrate
ALDin May) .
Ir i interestina to note that the Civil
ltilhtl Moyement· in thil country WIS
sparked in Monllomery at approximately
the e time the independence movement
in Africa wu lami momentum,�
AI our mo�ement turned from Civil
9
Riahts in the mid 196O·s to Black Power the
reidentification with Africa and African
people, world ide, became a predomin te
disc 'on in the Black liberation move­
ment,
The call for support of our brother and
. ten raahtinl ainst the Portuguese in
Anao • Mozambique and Guinea- Bi sau led
to the formation of the African Liberation
Suppon Committee (ALSC) and the first
African Liberation D y held in this country
on May n. 1972 attracted over 60 000
African people. . •
African Liberation Day has become an
ins�itutio� in America since that time.
Afrlca� Liberston DIY is a day when all
B people should come t<>lether. Whether
you ere born' in Ghana ( e t Africa) or
the elttide .of Chicqo. as lon, as you are
Black, you arc an African ith a common
beri e and a common let of conditions.
We ... ust continue to fi ht .. ainst racism
and white supremacy wherever African
peop . live in th orld. African people in
A erlca mUlt continue to ,upport the
ltnIues of our brothers and . ters tha:ouah­
out the orld. particularty our brothers and
, ten in Azania (South Africa) ho are
f htinl to win their land and country b ck.
"ONLY REVOWTION
WILLFRB
SOUTH 'AFRICA"
I .
Sponsored by:
This Year
o
Will be. the best yetI
Join the parade and rally.
In case of inclement weather rally will be
held at Smith Ryerson Building, downtow
I I
Promi'nent Speaker
and Ent rtainm
For further infOrmation c I·
726-5311 r 773-6611
I
a.m. at Butzel
Family Center Playground
(Kercheval at Van Dyke
Parade to Belle I Ie, Shelter la)
Contests • Food •. Ent rta' ment • Spea er
• 61 ",_"" • ", "
m.