Tuesday, November 14, 2006

African People's Solidarity Day

"Uhuru" was the rallying call heard this weekend as Sxmt and I experienced the warmth and unity of African People's Solidarity Day. The event was held at the International House in Philadelphia (the last leg of a four city tour) and pulled in an eager crowd.

What impressed me the most was the clarity with which the speakers spoke about Afrakan unity. Diasporic in scope, unified in ideology. Jafrikayiti of Haiti, Luwezi of Congo, Sbusiso of Azania, and Omavi Bailey of the U.S. were all eloquent and passionate on what we at PKDG term Afrakaltural Unicity. Perhaps the most powerful speaker was the Chairman of the African People's Socialist Party, Omali Yeshitela. No punches pulled, no bitting of the tongue, no political correctness...just the unadulterated truth. Convictions honed through decades of committed work, discipline and sacrifice on the behalf of Afrakan people... he gave us every reason as to why he is a great leader on the Afrakan liberation front.

I would be remiss if I left out a very impressive figure, in the person of Aisha Fields. Brilliant and accessible, committed and engaging are just a few of the adjectives that descibe this remarkable woman. Dr. Fields is tackling the alternative energy front and setting up an electrical infrastructure and water purification program based on models of environmental sustainability on the continent. We look forward to working with Dr. Fields on future projects.

At the conclusion of this event we were honored to have been invited to share dinner with these remarkable individuals. This was homestyle, Afrakan style. They were everything good there is to be Afrakan and they made us proud. Asante sana and Uhuru.

P.S. Thanks goes to Ruby from the Uhuru furniture store, Penny Hess, and the rest of the organizers of African People's Solidarity Day for their heartfelt support of the movement.


related link: African People's Solidarity Committee