th Pan
T P confront the African community in the
than they were for our parents or grand-
parents, so th r ponsibili IS now upon our houlde d we cannot
afford to p th buck once more.
The thousands of African tudents who it in their clas rooms aoo in
their dorms must awakened aoo invigorated with the knowledge of
If and community.
African tuden must understand the riousnes of the problems
confron ing us, people and by eking knowledge they will learn
some of the olutions to our problems.
Authors like Dr. Frances Cress WeI ing, Dr. Na'im Akbar, Dr.
Jawanza Kunjufu, Dr. Ben, Dr. Clarke, 0 . athan and Julia Hare, are
a few Africans who tudied the problems confronting the African­
community and who have offered olutions.
WE MU T L and teach. Each and every one of us can '
contribute greatly to our community. So to the college African tudents
of America-I k that you-step forward and lead. I ask that you repay
the debt that you owe to someone who went before you.
Remember that many people died so we could sit in fine colleges
aero America and learn. So I ay learn. Learn as much a you can. '
Readers Write
We were not
lave ,we were
laved by America!
en
As we move out of African history
month we'd like to recognize and pay
honor to 100,000,000 Africans lost
during the Transatlantic Slave tradet·
It is difficult for us as a people to
understand a lot of today's problems
because we lack a historical approach
in understanding our history, our
race, and th history of this country.
We would like to address some of'
these issues that continue to lead to
our disorientation and disorganiza­
tion.
America made us slave and we
are harned of it. But we have: noth­
ing to be ashamed of. Denying our
history of enslavement will only lead
to further shame.
We must realize that we were not
slaves, we were enslaved! Being en­
slaved made us victims.
America made us laves for
monetary reason o�t of greed.
WlUTE PEOPLE IN order to
cover up their shame, have trans­
ferred their guilt for slavery, racism,
and violence to us. Making' us
ashamed of being enslaved iJ� .. Amer­
ica.
African males have alway been
at risk in America. The difference
today is that self-destruction is taking
place because of the decaying cul ture
of materialism.
America complains about us be­
ing on welfare but will not give us a
job. America ay African Ameri­
cans are uneducated. Who refused us
an education all the years of slavery
and raci m? African people are in a
catch 22 ituation.
W� were the caretakers of the
land, but denied land ownership.
Our humanity it been scared,
and our If-esteem damaged. Our·
true culture-language history, cus­
toms, names, religion, fami] , and
religion- �as not only denied us but
was verily d troyed.
We live in a vicious cycle of ra­
cism and of victimization. We were
, victims when we were tolen from
Africa, we were mad victims again
when we were enslaved here and
fi naliy were victimized by America'
r ci t propaganda and media mi rep­
r entation 0 African Americans
predato instead of th prey.'
lavery has had on African people.
We hurt when we see television or
movies showing white slave masters
in the quarters of African women,
knowing they' had no protection le­
gally or socially because they were
slaves. Even the white church
looked the other way, or approved of
the rape of our women Contradicting
the seventh commandment.
We can not allow Europeans to
transfer their guilt onto us. Many
whites are so full of hatred, racism
and hame that they can't even see us
as human beings, all they can see is
our color!
We must understand that our race
has endured over 246 years of lavery
and over 350 years of racism and
segregation in the United States of
America. Indeed after lavery we
faced extreme conditions and yet to­
day, only 3q orne years after strug­
gling against legalized segregation,
we have been able to elect nators,
governors, and mayors. No others ___
could have survived these condjtions
livi ng in the heart of America. We are
a strong people. How do we tum this
ituation and this shame around?
How can we tum our hame of slav­
ery, of being denied an education and
having no power around? Can we do
as Jews have done byproclairning
with pride who they are and by point­
i ng out their holocaust. Slavery must -
become our "Red Badge of Cour- By TODD BURROUGHS
age".
Before Si ta Souljah, Angela
We must proclaim with pride we DaVIS, and Ella Baker st od a woman
are the descendants 0 the enslaved, who e power to inspir reach Afri­
we are survivors the of America'
can-Americans to this day.
rape! '
. She was a tea her, feminist, Black
We recognize that our past 1 not ctivist and aid to be the first inv _
limited to tM of slavery but our roots tigativc reporter. Ida Bell Well i a
in Africa and the Di pora how a true" hero".
rich hi tory of kings and queens. In Welt' was bern in Holly Spri ,
America our race was the first organ-
ized work force and built America's Mi i ippi, in ] 862, the daughter of
, Black activi th reo She b arne a
capi tal and created America'
teacher a teenager to keep her fam-
wealth. ily together after herparen died. To
Let as a people tart thinking the end, he w uncompromi ingly
about having power in America, militant a out protecting African­
about autonomy, about heating American peopl in America.
America. Po itive change will only At 22 years f ag , Well w
take place when we are at the helm. 'thrown off a train when h ref d
to give up her eat to a white person.
She went to court, but 10 t the on
appeal. But, he wrote about h r ex­
perienc for local new pape , tart-
ing an interest injoumali m.
,,-
Holl nd-Rle. and
Ken Snodgr a, D rott,
WITH 0 I went
along with a cl sm te to check my
grades on a particular clas . Finding
my I t name, I w relieved to dis­
cover that I had done very w 11 on
the examination. My friend, a
young woman from 1he Akamba
, ethnic community, had achieved
the b t core in the entire cl . In
the best Swahili I could muster, I
remarked that he had don vel)'
well for herself.
She smiled, then shaking her
head, replied:"hapana, ndugu (no
friend). I didn't do well. My people
did well, and my village did well."
And so I learned an invaluable
lesson in Black history and individ-
I W D ow wh r w
have been, how can we po ibly
know where d tiny i ta '0 u?
And if we don't understand th ori­
gins of t road we travel, how can
w ow wh re we are goin in th
future? Our history and cultural
heritage connects all ofu to p ople
who struggled in the past, to build
th foundations for our curr nt u -
ces . And we have a special 0 lig -
tion to do the arne for th childr n
of the world who are yet to be om.
� Over one hundred sixty year
ago, Nat Turner, an African-Am ri­
can mini ter in Virginia organized
one of the mo t important lave up­
rising in Am riean hi tory.
VI Ion p to the ondition of
African-American people through­
out hi tory and today, A en e f
heritage and commi tm nt means
that one i linked to the ordeal of
the p t, and th promise of the fu­
ture. Today' freedom which ar
, th ult of th i il Rights Move-
Dr. Manning Marabl
sor of Politi al cienc
tory, Univer ilY of olorado,
Boulder. " long th Color Lin "
app ar in ov r 2 0 n paper
and is broadcast by more than 60
radio stations throu hOUI North •
merica, England, Co ta Rica and
Jamaica.
My-grandpappy
always said, if
you wanna' hide
something from
Blacks ....
put it in a book.
��f3
CoP1'" •• 199' ,
Kern Deel I.e.
AU al t. R"I"ed
o
C)
. - Remember Brothers and Sisters:
Knowledge is the key, and it's generallv found in a book ... So open one!
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