Afrakans in Amuraka: Black History Month Profile - Manuel dos Reis Machado

Manoel dos Reis Machado was a  grand master practitioner who brought to world prominence  the Brazilian Afrakan martial art known as Capoeira. He is the "true" father modern Capoeira Angola.

November 23, 1899 – February 5, 1974

Commonly called Mestre Bimba, Manoel dos Reis Machado, was born the son of Luiz Cândido Machado and Maria Martinha do Bonfim. Manoel was born at the Bairro do Engenho Velho, Salvador. The nickname "Bimba" came up due to a bet between his mother and the midwife during his birth; his mother bet that he was going to be a girl and the midwife bet he would be a boy. After he was delivered, the midwife said... it's a boy, look at his Bimba' (male sexual organ).

Manoel started learning Capoeira when he was 12 years old. Capoeira was considered illegal and those caught practicing it persecuted by the authorities.

By 18, Manoel felt that Capoeira had lost all its efficacy as a true martial art designed as an instrument of resistance to colonial rulership. He saw Capoiera evolving more as something akin to a folkloric activity, it complex movements and postures reduced to a mere nine manuevers. It was then that Manoel started to restore movements from traditional Capoeira, introducing movements created by himself as well adding movements from the Afrakan fighting style called Batuque. Manoel learned Batuque from his father, whom was a champion practitioner. This style later became known as "BimbaAngola"

Manoel was the 1st to create a method of teaching to help facilitate learning because until then, Capoeira was only learned by watching and participating in the roda. In 1928, a new chapter in the history of Capoeira began, as well as a change in the way Afrakan people brought to Brazil as prisoners of war were looked upon by Brazilian society. After a performance at the palace of Bahia's Governor, Juracy Magalhães, Manoel successful in convincing the authorities of the cultural value of Capoeira, thus in the 1930s ending its official ban, in effect since 1890.

Machado founded the first Capoeira school in 1932, the Academia-escola de Cultura Regional, at the Engenho de Brotas in Salvador, Bahia. Capoeira was still heavily discriminated against by the white Brazilian society. In order to change the pejorative reputation of capoeira and its practitioners, Manoel instigated new standards to the art.His students had to wear a clean, white uniforms, show proof of grade proficiency from school, exercise discipline, show good posture as well as many other standards. The result, doctors, lawyers, politicians, upper-middle-class people, and women (until then excluded) started to join his school, providing Machado with legitimacy and support.

In 1936, Machado challenged fighters of any martial art style to test his regional style. He had four matches, fighting against Vítor Benedito Lopes, Henrique Bahia, José Custódio dos Santos ("Zé I") and Américo Ciência. Machado won all matches. On June 9th 1937, he earned the state board of education certificate. and officially registered the 1st Capoeira center. In 1942, Machado opened his second school at the Terreiro de Jesus on Rua das Laranjeiras. The school is still open today.

Afrakans in Amuraka: Black History Month Profile - Philip Emeagwali

The internet owes much of its existence to Philip Emeagwali,  who created the formula that made it possible multiple computers to communicate with one another at once.

Philip Emeagwali is a Nigerian Afrakan engineer and computer scientist/geologist who was one of two winners of the 1989 Gordon Bell Prize, a prize from the IEEE, for his use of a Connection Machine supercomputer to help analyze petroleum fields. He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Oregon State University in 1977. During this time, he worked as a civil engineer at the Bureau of Land Reclamation in Wyoming. He later moved to Washington DC, receiving in 1986 a master's degree from George Washington University in ocean and marine engineering, and a second master's in applied mathematics from the University of Maryland. He is married to Dale Brown Emeagwali, a noted American Afrakan microbiologist.

For more info visit http://emeagwali.com/

Afrakans in Amuraka: Black History Month Profile - Mark E. Dean

Mark E. Dean is an American Afrakan inventor and a computer engineer. Dean was part of the team that developed the interior architecture (ISA systems bus) that enables multiple devices, such as modems and printers, to be connected to personal computers. In addition he led a design team for making a one-gigahertz computer processor chip. Dean holds more than 20  patents including three of IBM's original nine PC patents.

Dean holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee, a master's degree in electrical engineering from Florida Atlantic University and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Dean has also taught computer science at Harvard and was CTO for IBM Africa. Dean is the first American Afrakan to become an IBM Fellow which is the highest level of technical excellence at the company.

New Avengers, New Black Panther, New Black Power??? Why the Black Panther needs a solo book Pt. 3

New Avengers continues to hedge in its depictions of the Black Panther's prowess and abilities. Off panel fights notwithstanding, Tchalla is repeatedly cowed by Namor's pomposity making his death threat seem all the more impotent. This coupled with his being seemingly oblivious to Black Swan's pretentious swagger which masks her all too subtle manipulations of he and the rest of his Illuminati. Add to this his younger sister doing all the counter striking further distancing him from ever regaining the throne.

Tchalla is not even given the courtesy of utilizing his own transportation. If I have to witness the Black Panther being carried in Dr Strange's magic sphere or hitching a ride in the fantasticar I don't know what I'm going to do.

I think both Reed and Stephen would enjoy the comfort and luxury of an N'Yami battle cruiser or Tchalla's personal transport.

The Black Panther forlorn and seen as a betrayer by the Hatute Zeraze, the Dora Milaje and worst of all by Shuri. Who does he turn to? Reed Richards, his new soul brother? The Illuminati? Does Namor become some twisted confidant? Will the nights in the Necropolis become so cold and lonely that in his destitution he seeks the companionship of Black Swan? Observe how easily Tchalla is being primed for isolation and detachment from Wakanda. This is a major misstep.

The ideological and cultural construct of Wakanda is essential to the Black Panther.The locus of which resides squarely in the heritage of an Afrakan people who developed civilizations and resisted colonization, enslavement and cultural infringement. These are the hallmarks that so distinguish the Black Panther. Keep him in and connected to Wakanda. One can't keep the Black Panther out of Wakanda.

Now is the time to utilize Tchalla's Techno-jungle. He secretly traverses Wakanda via it's subterranean tunnel network. It is here that Tchalla conducts experiments in vibranium and shadow physics explaining his new force field and ability to teleport.

Depict him training, testing the limits of his superhuman strength and show him moving at super speed. Let's see Tchalla working on his personal arsenal which includes cloaking, morphing light armor , energy daggers, anti-metal claws, morphing vibranium micro-weave panther suit and vibranium field generating boots. Retcon the Tecno-jungle as a secret location that only he, Shuri, the queen mother and two Dora Milaje know how to access.

Thus the opportunity presents itself to reintroduce Okoye and Nakia. Since a love interest is needed, these are the two best candidates. Nakia for all the obvious reasons as she is an outcast Dora Milaje who Tchalla shared mutual love and affection with.

Juxtapose her with Okoye for counter-balance and Tchalla is involved in the ideal love triangle. Tchalla now has his Betty and Veronica, his Gwen Stacy and Maryjane.

In conclusion the Black Panther requires three things...a writer in possession of a competent grasp of Afracentricity and who understands the inherent traits that should consistently define the character. Second, an artist capable of expressing the diverse aesthetics of Afrakan people and finally some serious marketing to the "so black" demographic.

New Avengers, New Black Panther, New Black Power??? Why the Black Panther needs a solo book Pt. 2

The comments previously mentioned are predicated on Tchalla the Black Panther being king of Wakanda.

Being king does not preclude world travels, cosmic adventures, exotic romances or urban intrigue.

The definition of warrior king as outlined by the Wakandans is grounded in the fact that their leader (king, queen or both) explore all possibilities that may represent a potential threat.

What is most pertinent is the royal demeanor and imposing stature that warrants kingship.

Being king of Wakanda is a power Tchalla the Black Panther should never loose. King of the Dead (whatever that entails) should be a complement not a substitute. As a replacement it's like Stark using other tech and not armors or Superman teleporting instead of flying. Being king is a political tool and a necessary power that is endemic to who the Black Panther is.

The Wakandan society, which is tens of millennia old, should be a well structured paragon of high civility, especially by what is now the twenty first century.

They should be well beyond all that usurpation nonsense; avoiding all the pitfalls that plague contemporary Afrakan societies. Wakanda should be immune to western imposed contrivances at cultural and militaristic domination and invulnerable to the Afrakan states that have succumbed to such a fate.

To Be Concluded...

New Avengers, New Black Panther, New Black Power??? Why the Black Panther needs a solo book Pt. 1

There are 13 reasons to date why the Black Panther requires his solo ongoing series and they are all to be found in the pages of New Avengers. Hickman, like Liss before him, has attempted to return weight and stature to Tchalla. Just as Liss' Black Panther was in need of extrication from an odious premise, Hickman"s Black Panther requires procurement from an ill-fitting team format.

To stay in a team book without a solo series will continue to stifle the necessary expansion of the Black Panther and his world. There is simply not enough panel space to properly display the scope of the character in a group book without supplementation of an individual ongoing. The team format works well for new or under-developed characters but not for those well established in their own mythos.

This begs the question; Does the Black Panther need to be part of the Illuminati? Not out of the New Avengers book but off team Illuminati. I say he does. IMO the Black Panther works best as an independent sovereign with his own agenda and with Wakanda being an insular society under his protection. This credentializes Tchalla's mystique, attitude, motivation and objectives.

Does this preclude the Black Panther from interacting with the "new" Avengers? Absolutely not but it makes lucid his reasons for being with them; thus removing the passive, inactive, forlorn Panther and inserting the proactive, preemptive, assertive Black Panther.

The moral directive of the incursions and its dilemma imposed on Tchalla is external and debilitating. Sure as a plot device saving the multi-verse is useful but so is one about saving Gotham. Tchalla's reasons for not joining the Illuminati in the first place should still stand. The Black Panther should be motivated by the internal, underlying imperative of what is in the best interest of Wakanda.

The incursions are a threat to Wakanda and like any other affront must be dealt with accordingly. Thus the Black Panther should be seen manipulating the members of the Illuminati to achieve this agenda. To this end the Black Panther's machinations saves Wakanda and by extension the Multi-verse. The Black Panther is Wakandan centered. This is the essence and true worth of the Black Panther. Anything else is a waste of his potential.

To Be Continued...

Afrakan Men and Women... Staying Together: Some Stats

While so called Black men marry white women at twice the rate of so called Black women only 8.5% of married so called Black men had White spouses in 2010 up from 6.6% in 2005. 10.8 percent of so called Black men men married outside their race in 2010 also up from 8.4% in 2005.

It is Asian women who have the highest rates of intermarriage which is twice that of so called Black men. So called Black women were the least likely to marry outside their race at only 4.6% in 2010 up from 3.6%, and only 3.9/% married to White men up from 2.8 in 2005.

Percentage Who Married Someone of a Different Race/Ethnicity, 1980 and 2010*

White Men and Women Who "Married Out" in 2008 by Race/Ethnicity of Spouse

Note: "Other" includes American Indians, people identifying with more than one race, and "some other race."

* Data represent the 12 months prior to the survey.
Source: Paul Taylor et al., Marrying Out: One-in-Seven Marriages Is Interracial or Interethnic (Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2010).