5
Opinion/Commentary,'Editorials/Letters
o
wE rop Cor the
Europe n , Asia for the
A i and A frica for the
Afric s, t bo e and
abroad". ;rhe e were the
ords of 0 arcus. Gar-
y, Pr . nt-General of
U niver I egro Improve­
at Association d African
Communitie$ Le e.
This bold declaration cap­
tures the essence of a vie
which h been a CODS· t
dimension of Africa -
American political thought
since e rrived here in
Ameri . Fro Ma·
Delaney, to B· hop Henry
Me eal Turner, &om Wil­
t Blyden t� W.E.B.
, &om Garvey
alcolm X to Queen
er oore, there aI-
beee • school of t
that pbeId the
view t 1rV'" .....
in America
for the. resurreeti
d redempt·
mother A&ica. .
Blyden kJ call it p -
. egroism and Du· Id
a ce the not" of P -
tever the ter­
m.JD01Ot�1' the concept . t
the vast rich conti ent of
Africa ould serve a cul­
tural eoonomic and political
power b for aU of Africa's
d u ters nd scattered
throughout the Id. He �
I 11 fricans a ho e and
abro d, . bould truggl f;
the total libera tion and
de elopment of A&ica.
Since Europe and
America, h ve been involved
in the ubju ation and r pc of
di
equities.
The final speaker, on
Ted Koppel town hall meeting
·,ch rUlCntiy broadcast
on e ork television, per­
haps be t expressed the
&ustr . ODS and tr ppings of
poYerty in her n . S
• a ther p,rot.bllY.
experien� every bad hand
life to deal: of a
son; drug ddicti ;' car­
eer . n; poor education; etc,
Despite a series of ecoao .'
and social deprivations she
has chosen to surviYe' d sue­
ceed, Her simple request:
" e me know that rm th
fi tiDg for:
The first step in bel· ad­
dress . request is to explode
the myth and tereotypes
regarding Blacks 0 IiYe in
poor communi· . The vast
majority of persons who live in
predominately Black neigh­
borhoods re law-abiding
citizens who take pride in their
community. Most youngsters
rcn't violent, and if given a
choice, don't want to engage
Africa through slavery and
colon' r m, nei er Eur pe
or America h been anxio
to ee Africans in the dis­
aspora develop an ideology
ich would unite our people
ro nd a common goal of
A&ian redemption. After all
. the primary beneficiatie of
conque of Africa have
been Europeans from Europe
and America. The centnri of
free African labor ate
ub equent exploitation of
Africa' agering lth of
. era pr cious metak and
ra materi Is have been a
pr iacipal source for the
economic growth and
�pmeDt of Europe and
America; growth and
development at the expense of
Africa nd African people
Idwide.
The -Americanization" and
"Europeanization- of African
in America aed the· pora,
tended to erod OUt se
of a relstio hip to Africa.
We b ve been brainswashed
belie' lh have no
in A&ica and thal our
African bro and s' ters
liule or no interest in
&ians in America or t
disaspora. Europe and
rica have attempted, with
ome success, to drive a
ycho gi I and cultur I
ed e bet een African­
Americans and A&ica. It is of
course a lucntM scheme of
divide and pr per.
From oil and rubber to
uranium, plutonium,. f�om
diamOnds to gold, nickel and
p tinum to iron ore, bauxite
. manganese, �c, oopper, to
chrome ore, America and
in criminal acts. But for many
people vioIeJl�· the
short-term answer. It get's
them t they want - adult
tteDtion, rJothes, money and
approval by their peers. It i
no suprise that 80% of yoq
�ple in jail are functioaally
illiteta . Dr. Alvin P . t,
a Harvard JlIYchology pro':s­
sor d a op expert on Bl:ack
violence, thinks that poor
B ck teenagers with little
education and low self-esteem
resort to macho displays of
. violeace to uphold a" . ted
semeofd�:
This· not to suggest all the
crime aed drug peddling' the
result of wayward ·wan­
nabees". ·It is to sugge t
however, that many of these
youn kids are preyed upon by
hardened, repeat offender .
Therefore, the aspirations of
the majority in a community.
are dashed by a hun dfu I of
criminals whose actions di -
rupt pe ceful continuity,
The tradition I respon to
all criminal behavior ha been
our
poor
to build more pr' . But
this short-sighted strategy
does not address the root
of aime. A prison. a
sYIIIlboI of failure. Why in t
can . vest
in hope. Th· .. agenda
of hope can be realized by:
prOYidiDg UBi rsal preschool
edue.· ; b ilding a com­
muaity school ere parents,
teadlen and pt'incipals �k
together; providiag decent
and affordable public bo .
. OD-site supportive ser­
(child care, job counsel-
. in� recrea . and cultural
a "tics); building self es-
t through �unity d
fraternal organizaf chur­
ches, and professional d
busi groups; and securing
both govern t d private
sector jobs, in ar near the
oolDlDUllity.
- Last, but n least, have
to i est IDOre on tear
gainst drugs;· terms of de g
education in our chools,
added drug tr atment
facilities and stopping the
ruggle .fO a Afri
Europe have a big s in
Africa. And so do e a
African-Americans. A&ica's
great YJealth does not belong
to America and Europe. It
belongs to Africa and A&ican
people and i ould be used
for the dadopmeo of Africa
Ron
Daniels
VANTAGE
POINT
and African people. This re­
quire a conscious commit­
ment to struggle to rid Alrica
of all forms of oolonial and
neo-colonial rule, direct and
indirect domination by
Europe aDd America.
Thanks to the "Black Con­
ciousne - movement of the
sixties and seventies, African­
Americans h ve developed a
greater con ciou ne sand
oommitment to Africa.
African Liberation Day
(May 25) which w initiated
by the Organization of African
Unity (O.A.U.) w first 0b­
served in the U.S. in 1m. It
has continued to be an impor­
t nt focal point for education
and politic I mobilization
around the i ue of tot I
freedom and independence
(i r Africa.
Th Free outh Africa -
Anti-Apartheid movement in
its various dimension has also
\ been effective in concretely
pre uring the U.S. go�r�
ment . and U. . CorporatJons
and institution to It r
Americ n policy t w r
South Africa and sou the
Africa. .
. Permanent organizations
nd in titu lion li e th
Southern Africa Support
Project, The amibi Infor­
mation Servic and Tran -
Africa ba a e er ed
vital forces in. strugg for
African . pcndence. All of
these efforts provided in­
valuable su pport for our
brother in uceess have
been at t frondin of the
struggle in Africa.
, oppression
eeoeeeee eXIlllolI· ration. . To
be more co cious of our
. responsibilitytoA&· . tobe
more oonsciousof our re pon-
ibility to ourse and our
total extended family. LibeJ'a­
tio self-determin lion, self-
elp .. aDd elf-d velopmemt .
are the order of tj) day in
Africa, Americ Dd the
whole of the African di -
n
tur I nd litical eoenec­
tions, providing . ,. d
material support for t e
liberation movement in
outh Africa and Namibi d
b ieged govern nts li e
Angola nd Mozami>igue. It
is also essential tb t African­
Am rican uppor private
and public initi tives whi
can en b Africa, to 1laJ�;S
h r eoon mic potenti in
inter t ftb African masses
A healthy Africa' good for
thc . ell ing of Africa
everywhere. 0 a we
eel rate African Li rati n
D y the year nd ork for
African liberation nd
velop nt every year, let
heed the rds of Marcu
Garvey - . Africa fo the
African, at hom nd
br -.
Ron Dtllliels �d as 1M
Direcu» of the NIlIionIll RIIin­
bow Coalition lind as the
Deputy Ctlmptlign, MtlIIIIgU for
the Reve1f!lld � J QC/csOll'S
Presidential Cllmpaiwa '88. He
has ef'VlUl as Pruident of 1M
NIlIiotulI BI«lc Assembly tIIId
as Chaitpenon of the Natiotalll
BIDCk Intkpentknt Political
Party. Currently, M servu
Ptesident of the Imtitute for
Community 0rgtuaizIlti0n and
Devleopmenl in YounSS'town,
Ohio. He may be contOcteJ III
(219) 746-5747.