This is our second cyber libation honoring those who have made transition during the past decade. We felt it appropriate to give honorable mention to these beloved ancestors who have lived a life dedicated to the realization of Afrakalture. We give praise to Carter G. Woodson for deeming it necessary to have a time period set aside to do such.
Asa Hilliard made transition August 12, 2007. He was a professor with a comprehensive understanding of Afrakan Centered educational psychology. Dr. Hilliard was a founding member of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations and served as vice president. He served as an expert witness in court testimony on several federal cases regarding test validity and bias, and was the co-developer of an educational television series, Free Your Mind, Return to the Source: African Origins.
In the forward to his book SBA: The Reawakening of the African Mind, Wade Nobles had this to say. “It is a roadmap. It is a call to destiny. With SBA: The Reawakening of the African Mind, Dr. Hilliard helps us to comprehend why education is so critical to African liberation and advancement. Within his opening thoughts, Asa inextricably links the mind (spirit), with culture and education. He notes that to reawaken the African mind, one must ensure that the goal of education, and the socialization process must be to understand and live up to African cultural principles, values and virtues.”
April 6, 2007 we had the pleasure of the company of Dr. Hilliard. We did again in June. His personality was warm and affable with an engaging and humorus personality. It was our honor to be able share in the wisdom of this esteemed Afrakan.
Baba Kwame Ishangi was one who communed with the ancestors. He reunited with them in the Gambia, West Afraka on October 22,2003. I remember the first time I saw him. I remember the first words I heard him speak. It was at a West Philadelphia YMCA decades ago. My aunt deferred her time to speak so that Baba could.
He stood majestically in full Afrakan regalia. He had presence, a strength that permeated each person in attendance. He asked the audience, "Do you know what this is? He was holding high above his head a sacred drum. Baba told us what culture meant that night. He concluded by saying "We are the oldest people on earth, it's time we act our age." Baba Ishangi like my uncle before him taught me something about the righteous indignation of being Afrakan and of being an Afrakan man. Reclaim your ancestral heritage. Use the wisdom of the past to ensure a better future were the words Baba Ishangi lived by.
For a comprehensive history of Baba Kwame Ishangi visit the following site. ishangi.com
Ishakumusa Barashango departed from us to another sphere on January 14 , 2004 in Philadelphia. He apparently succumbed to a heart attack during his morning walk. Barashango, who was elevated to a grand master scholar in 2000 while in Kemet and co-founder and creative director of the Fourth Dynasty Publishing Company in Silver Spring, Maryland, would have been 66 in April.
"I've known Dr. Barashango for more than a quarter of a century," said Dr. Jack Felder. "In fact, we talked for about two hours, two days before he made his transition. One thing he always stressed and that most impressed me was that we can never free our minds as long as we view God as a white man or as long as we keep worshiping white people's Holy-days (Holidays). He was a pillar of our community."
Dr. Barashango, affectionately known as Baba, received his bachelor of arts degree in religion from Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. He studied for his master's degree at Northeastern Seminary in Takoma Park, Maryland. The New Afrikan University Network System of Washington, D.C. saluted him with an honorary Doctor of Philosophy Degree in 1979. Always a popular lecturer, Baba leaves behind a vast collection of taped speeches on such topics as "Ten Points on the Afrakan Centered Realities of Religious Thoughts and Practice," "The Role of Religion in Afrakan Historical Development," and "The Afrakan Origins of the Bible." "He was also a prolific author," said Minister Clemson Brown, who spoke at Dr. Barashango's funeral in Philadelphia on Saturday, Jan. 17. "I've known for some 20 years and he was completely dedicated to the physical, mental and spiritual liberation of our people. He dedicated his life to these causes."
Taken from an article written by RBG StreetScholar
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