Respecting and recognizing our sis-star leaders, movement builders and contributors
by Baba Jahahara Amen-Ra Alkebulan-Ma’at
6261 AAAK, March 2021, JC-PG
Africans deserve Reparations! ‘Cause Black Lives Matter!
Blessings of Imani (faith) victorious G-o-ds, esteemed Elders, sis-stars, bro-stars and youthful revolutionaries!
May our Divine Mother-Father Creator of and in all – and incredible ancients and ancestors from millennia past, yesteryears and, literally, yesterday – find you and your extended family staying healthy, safe and keeping in positive spirit.
Honoring our new ancestors
As we had, unfortunately, predicted in mid-January, the official COVID-19 virus death toll passed one half million lives lost in the U.S. over the past year. Our current home state of California registers 10 percent of that total with a guesstimated 50,000 deaths. That works out to an extremely disturbing one-fifth of the total deaths in the world – from one-fourth of the total infections – with less than 4 percent of the world’s population.
We might add that, as in most areas of life, it is Black and Brown working and impoverished persons, who are suffering and dying disproportionately from the deadly virus. Therefore, we should be extra careful in following the politicians who are now rushing to re-open public and private spaces due to economic and political pressures while at the same time refusing to release so many behind the walls.
While continuing to organize for truth, justice and Reparations in health care, housing, community safety and all aspects of our lives, we encourage every individual to continue being as safe as humanely possible. Protect your own health and that of your loved ones and community members by:
- Being persistent in wearing your shield or mask – two if possible – and gloves when outside of your immediate family confines.
- Practicing safe physical distancing and avoiding crowds, washing your hands regularly and thoroughly.
- Drinking plenty of good clean water every day.
- Eating in healthy ways, particularly loading up on fresh veggies and fruits.
- Taking a good multi-vitamin, especially with zinc.
- Treating your mind, body and soul to regular prayer or meditation, great and restful sleep, moderate exercise, mutual massages, Mama Nature’s gifts of forests, beaches, parks and Amen-Ra’s healing rays!
- Staying socially connected with loved ones, colleagues and friends – even if only through electronic means!
- Writing or recording, then sharing your feelings, moods, challenges and successes – even through prose or poetry or song – with those you are close to!
- Getting’ yo’ study on, in researching and informing yourself to self-determine the best options, including whether to allow the government to vaccinate you and yours! Or not!
- Finally, please share with us your key methods of staying healthy – spiritually, physically, emotionally etc. – and coping through these multiple crises. Asé.
Respecting and recognizing our sis-star leaders and contributors
Blessed March! Blessed sis-star leaders and contributors! This month, all around our planet, we are studying, applauding and recognizing the extraordinary leadership qualities, everlasting love, legacies and lasting contributions of our women and girls. In every field! Asé.
International Women’s Month began over a century ago as International Women’s Day on the March 8 in labor and socialist movements around the world. Its goals were and are to highlight the movements for full equality and human rights for women and girls in our societies, to end discrimination, exclusion and violence based on gender and to celebrate – despite the oppressive odds – the many achievements of women.
This year, entities like the United Nations have advanced the theme “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 World.” The 2021 theme is aligned with that of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which calls for: “Women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life … and in all areas of life, equal pay, equal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work, an end to all forms of violence against women and girls and healthcare services that respond to their needs.”
Due to the ongoing pandemic, mass rallies and commemorations for International Women’s Day and month are not being held. To view how women and their male allies are organizing around the world to uplift women and girls, I encourage everyone, especially we men and boys, to visit the UN’s site at: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/11/announcer-international-womens-day-2021.
And, most importantly, may we males show critical respect, full support, shared responsibilities and loving appreciation for the incredible women in our lives and those who are co-leading our movements. Asé.
Destination Reparations
In February, our N’COBRA (National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America) pushed for and then participated in a major hearing on H.R. 40, “The Commission to Study Reparations Proposals for African Americans Act.” Testifying before members of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee was our N’COBRA National Male Co-Chair Baba Kamm Howard of Chicago.
Also presenting in favor of H.R. 40 was Dr. Shirley Weber, our great scholar and new California Secretary of State as well as other superb presenters. In case you missed it, here’s the link to view the entire three hour hearing, with Baba Kamm coming in for five minutes around 1:13:00: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQKmVyU1LyU&feature=youtu.be
Again, I and we are so grateful to those of you who have over the past few months taken time to study, endorse and make calls to elected officials on H.R. 40 and S. 40, our “Commissions to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans Act” in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.
Respectfully, I am asking all residents of California to now call our U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, who was appointed by Gov. Newsom to replace Vice President Kamala Harris. Call 916-445-9555 to insist he follow the actions of Vice President Harris and Sen. Feinstein as co-sponsors of S. 40.
We urgently need your participation in our growing Reparations movement, particularly here on the West Coast. Please become a member of our N’COBRA or encourage your group or institution to join us. Visit www.ncobraonline.org or contact me at support@africansdeservereparations.com or the address below. Asante Sana. Asé.
Also, please take a moment to review, consider, sign-on and forward our FONAMI’s “Change the Name of the ‘White’ House Petition” to your networks: https://www.change.org/p/u-s-house-of-representatives-change-name-of-white-house.
Finally, we invite you to join our freedom and justice-loving community in helping increase our campaigns to win freedom, amnesty and restitution for all our political prisoners and exiles and victims of the U.S. government’s admitted repressive COINTELPRO programs to divide and destroy Black and progressive leaders, organizations and movements. Go to the Jericho Amnesty Movement to learn more and get involved at www.thejerichomovement.com. Asé.
Congratulations!
Congrats! To beloved Queen Warrior Mama Akua Njeri and her dear son Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. – life and son of our legendary ancestor Fred Hampton Sr., chairman of the Black Panther Party in Illinois – for their efforts to save the Hampton Family House in Maywood, Ill. – a suburb of my former home town of Chicago.
The Black Panther Party Cubs are creating a revolutionary museum and community center at that sacred site. Asé. You can still express your love at https://www.gofundme.com/f/SaveTheHamptonHouse51.
Finally, you know what I’m asking you to do next. The Bay View Newspaper deserves your support! Please send your check or money order in any amount to us at 4917 Third St., San Francisco, CA 94124. Or go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/fundraiser-for-the-bay-view-newspaper.
Continue to take your righteous steps, knowing our Divine will do the rest. And, walk in the power of Imani (faith), on each and every day. Amen-Ra Hotep! Asé.
#BlackLivesMatter #AfricansDeserveReparations #BringOurEldersHomeNow #AbolishPrisonsandPolice #LoveandDefendMotherEarth #BlackNewDeal
Jahahara Amen-Ra Alkebulan-Maat advocates for power to the people politically, economically and culturally and is known particularly for his leadership in the struggle for reparations. Jahahara Amen-RA Alkebulan-Ma’at is an ascendant of the Yoruba and Ewondo nations in Alkebulan-Afrika, a Baba (Elder), Pan Africanist, socialist and internationalist and member of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N’COBRA). Take a listen to a few songs from his musical catalog at https://soundcloud.com/search?q=jahahara. Jahahara can be reached at support@africansdeservereparations.com or FONAMI, P.O. Box 10963, Oakland, CA 94610.
