Help Wanted: Villagers Needed!
As you have no doubt already read in a preceding article, or we can. And since African migration to the U.S. wasn’t as two, the Organisation of African Unity was established 50
commonplace as it is now many of us hadn’t interacted with years ago; on May 25, 1963, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. But Africans; an encounter which would have helped to confirm what you may not know is that one year later Malcolm X, we did in fact have African ways. Things family members so inspired by the OAU when he visited Africa in April and did in my youth; like eating collard greens and cornbread May, 1964, founded the Organization of Afro-American with our bare hands, or big Sunday dinners so plentiful they Unity (OAAU) in America. The OAAU was an organization rivaled Thanksgiving feasts, or how we held our elders in focused on the fight for human rights of Afro-Americans and such high regard—the highest in fact, or how arriving on promoting cooperation among Africans and people of African time to an event was never as important as showing up in descent in the Americas. Sadly today, 50 years later, OAAU
style, hence the phrase CPT (for color people time), or our is no more.
communal spirit, or… all of these African things that still course through our veins.
Persons of African heritage in the U.S. have been fighting for freedom, economic independence, individual sovereignty, It was about 50 years ago that my people became “African-civil rights, or basic human dignity since day one of this great American.” Before that we were Negroes; a race of black nation. But more importantly we have been fighting against people, globally. We were Negroes, but so were the our indoctrinated self-hatred; which might explain the gaps black people across the Atlantic; at least initially. When and spurts of stagnation in the progress of my people, in the the concept of a Negro was introduced to the world all main. Moreover, for the past 150 years the black American black people were believed to be Negroes. But now…
struggle has gone on congruently to the continental African now, according to our most outspoken sources, only the struggle unbeknownst to the average black America on the descendants of American slaves that descended from West street. Simply put, very few of us had any idea Africans were African tribes are considered African-American (hence fighting for independence and control of their own countries.
the controversy over President Obama’s African-American Indeed; where in the world can Africans feel free to be designation). And socially this is a most tragic happenstance Africans?
because it cuts my people off from the fullness of what it means to be African; our African ethnicity. And ethnicity 50 years ago Martin Luther King Jr. famously marched on is the anchor of a people’s humanity; it is the source of a Washington D.C., August 28th; which is viewed by many as people’s pride of ancestry. To better understand what I am the Civil Rights struggle’s turning point. Then just18 days saying one need look no further than the precedent set by later, September 15th, 4 little black girls, Americans of white Americans.
African descent, were killed when an Alabama church was bombed in retaliation of the Civil Rights Movement. Still, White Americans will tell you that racially they are white.
many believe the fall of 1963 was the “beginning of the But they will also tell you that they are German, or Italian, beginning” of Civil Rights for blacks. But 1963 was also or Irish, or part this and that. They will tell you this because arguably the “beginning of the end” of America’s African somewhere deep down inside they know that their ancestry village.
(which is another way to say ethnicity) is essential to their The generation of African-Americans that were children in American identity; as in when and how their people came to those days, i.e. my mother’s generation, were for all intents this country. They may not know or perhaps haven’t given and purposes the last generation that could be spanked by much thought as to why this is, but it is knowledge they value a concerned neighbor and then spanked again when they enough to pass down to their children. And it is this pride got home—because that neighbor would call to report what of ancestry from which an oppressed or subjugated people he or she saw that child do. In those glorious days any will draw strength. But alas, my people have been made to African-American adult could rebuke any African-American believe we are simply a race of black men; no longer African; child because we were one community—a village, if you no ethnicities to speak of; no sufficient argument for our will—of displaced Africans; a people still emerging from the humanity.
shadow of American slavery. Every adult felt a responsibility towards every child; particularly those children from the 50 years ago the black American community was an African same neighborhood. They were all aunties and uncles, or a village in the midst of America. 50 years ago we were more big momma or old pa to every child. Sound familiar? But as like our African cousins across the Atlantic. Today there the dominate American culture encroached more and more isn’t a village of aunties and uncles helping to raise our on our sub-culture, members of our community grew further children. Today my people are in more need of “villagers”
and further apart; which made this practice less and less than perhaps any time in our history!
acceptable.
In our nationwide pursuit to be recognized as full-fledged Iron sharpens iron, so let’s be better because of it!
Americans many of my people began to forget how Gerald Montgomery
important it was, or rather is, to also remain as African as AIM MAGAZINE
