HAPPY FREEDOM DAY SOUTH AFRICA!!

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

Well, now for some good news:  Today, April 27, 2020, marks the 26th Anniversary of SOUTH AFRICAN FREEDOM DAY.  Normally we celebrate it will elaborately, with our South African Brothers and Sisters, many of whom are members of the ANC.  However, this year, in the new abnormal of social distancing, we have had to forego that pleasure.  

Many of us remember, however, the day Nelson Mandela was released from Robben Island, after having been held prisoner for 27 years under the heinous tenets of apartheid - and an egregiously oppressive, racist system that kept millions of BLACK South Africans under the heels of white interlopers.  Originally called Boers, or Trekkers, from the Dutch who invaded in the 1600s, and eventually becoming under the rulership of the Brits - who weren't much better - our brothers and sister suffered from the same horrendous oppression as African Americans.  

African Freedom Day marks the first Free Elections where Black South Africans were able to vote for the first time in the history of South Africa - electing Nelson Mandela as their first Black president.   I love Mandela's spirit and wisdom - he was a Cancerian, and so his nurturing and forgiving spirit probably spared South Africa years of civil conflict.  They were able to have a "peaceful" transition of power.  Had it been an Aries, such as myself, I would have probably started out with opening a can of whip-ass and retribution for all the years of oppression, murder, privation, rape and degradation they had visited on my people - and then I would have been able to calmly sit down and do a reconciliation program.  They are lucky and blessed to have had this wonderful, valiant, strong, resilient, powerful, articulate Fine Black Man.  He, in turn, was lucky and blessed to have had Winnie Mandela to continue his work while he was held behind bars as an unlawful detainee - a rule they had in South Africa where they could hold you as long as they wanted, for no particular reason, and you had no right of appeal.  

 

NELSON ROLIHLAHLA MANDELA

African Americans, once we finally knew the history of Nelson Mandela, and the injustices he suffered for the liberation of his people - largely conveyed via wonderful people like Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masakela - and the play Sarafina - among other things - we were instrumental in shutting down all trade and interaction with South Africa and any company investing in, or doing business with South Africa - from the late 1980s until the beginning of the 1990a.  

It was so intense that Black entertainers who defied us found themselves without an audience, their businesses shut down (ask Millie Jackson - who defied us to get the money she was offered - she found herself totally shut down and never made a return).  When we said "We Ain't Going to Sing In Sun City" we meant it!  More importantly, we went after the corporations and made their lives living hell.   We refused to purchase their products, watch shows they sponsored, picketed their board meetings.  We were relentless.  While the ANC was boots on the ground in South Africa, African Americans were in the US, number one trading partner to South Africa, boycotting cars, food, clothes and anything else that they had anything to do with.

Now, it's 26 years later and, while there's much to celebrate, there's also still much to do to really make South Africa's dream come true.   There still large numbers of businesses that are in the hands on the colonial monsters there, that were never transferred over to Black South Africans.  And those that were, they were not able to manage or maintain hem because of lack of education and training - so they eventually ended up losing or destroy it as a result.   The redistribution of wealth has not been fully realized.  

Our victory was realized when Mandela was elected president, and when he came to the US - to NYC - who was honored by a parade and reception organized by then mayor David N. Dinkins.  The entire city rolled out for him.  And for the first time Black people were allowed in the South African Embassy in the front door, to do other than menial jobs.   We learned all the stanzas to Nkosi Sikelele Africa, and shouted AMANDLA throughout the time we visited them.  

The day of liberation always sticks out in my mind because of an incidence that could have developed into  international conflict.   The South African Embassy had some beautiful Xhosa sisters from South Africa who were there making beaded bracelets, and some bony white south african females (putting it mildly) who were standing over them as if they were in charge - actually trying to stand between them and African Americans.  The bracelets were wonderful - one was made for me as I watched - it was a beautiful serpentine silvergrey and black beads - as she made it, I remembered thinking how beautiful it was to have such a wonderful skill (I could never make anything so wonderful). 

Hand made South African Bracelet

I asked her how much did I owe her, and extended a Twenty Dollar Bill toward her.  She looked at me and said nothing.  Indicating that it was a gift.  And  the white female stepped in and reached for the money,  saying "She doesn't know; she's indigent."  I looked at her and said, "Indigent?  Who made  her indigent," I could feel my temper rising, as I was getting ready to smack the taste out of her mouth at the audacity of an oppressor coming between me and this South African Sister.  Then I asked her, "Did you make this bracelet?  Do you know how to make the bracelet?!!?" I guess I was basically escalating, because my friend, Maxine McCrey Montano, had to step in between us before I did bodily harm.  The white female had turned beet red.  I took the $20 and pressed it into the sister's hand, and told the white femaie if I heard anything about her taking the money from her, I would personally come back and open a can of African American whipass all over her.  She backed away from us, with Maxine still holding me back.  We still laugh about that to this day. 

I absolutely cherished that bracelet and wore it with everything every day until someone stole it in 2018 - during a visit.  Brothers and sisters from South Africa would always comment on how special the design was.

By the way,  this is why I said that I,  as an Aries, would never have made a good transition president for South Africa coming out of Apartheid.   Thank goodness they had Nelson Madiba Mandela.
   

GOD BLESS THE MEMORY AND LEGACY OF NELSON MANDELA:  AMANDLA!!

In honor of South African Freedom Day, I am sharing a letter from South African Brother/Friend Dr. Godfrey Sithole, of the ANC and the Mayor's Commission on African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs or Philadelphia, PA.  We will be celebrating for the rest of the month - Much Love and Congratulations to our Brothers and Sisters in South Africa on the 
26th Anniversary of SOUTH AFRICAN FREEDOM DAY!!

HAPPY FREEDOM DAY SOUTH AFRICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Dr. Godfrey Sithole, ANC/SA

It is now 26 years since we got our freedom. It did not come easy. Many lives were lost during the
period of Apartheid which was a crime against humanity. Today's Freedom Day comes at a time when
there is a lock down in our country. For the first time in our history people are celebrating in their homes.
There are no public celebrations because of coronavirus 19  which is devastating the entire world.

As we celebrate this day, we woke up with good news in South Africa. A plane landed at Waterkloof
Airport with Cuban doctors who have come to help fighting this evil disease which knows no  color, race,
rich, poor, gender, age or boundaries. Indeed, it is menace to humanity. Many countries have lost their loved ones, young and old. There was no anticipation for this.Our lives have been ruined beyond repair. We cannot forget the Cubans who fought the Aparthied forces at the battle of  Cuito Cuanavale where the racist forces were defeated in 1988. Who can forget that.

We celebrate this year knowing quite well that the struggle is not over. What we know today is that the economic battle is being fought on all fronts. This disease is delaying that fight at a very high cost. Many of our citizens are in deep poverty not knowing when it will end. But, be assured that the present Government of the African National Congress (ANC) will fight this battle to the bitter end as it fought the Apartheid system. 

On this date we honor all those fought with us, some whom died in the process. We thank those who sacrificed their own lives. Please continue to bond with us as we march on. We cannot forget the father of the Nation, Nelson Mandela, and many others who fought with him - THE HIGH COMMAND OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS.

The African National Congress has been in power since the dawn of our freedom. There is no party coming close to remove the ANC. It is working very hard to improve the lives of our people. There are still obstacles in the path of working for our people. We know that in 1994 when our people voted for the ANC they did not have houses, water, electricity and many other things that we take for granted. Today, they have some of these things, even though it is not enough. Some of the things cannot happen over night. But the  ANC is there for our people even during this period. 

So friends, know that the ANC is for a better South Africa, no matter what. Viva ANC!!!!!!!!!!

Godfrey

NOW THAT YOU KNOW

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

Stay Blessed &

ECLECTICALLY BLACK 

Gloria Dulan-Wilson

 

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Celebrating Rev. Dr. Leon Sullivan and OIC - Opportunities Industrialization Centers - 50 Years of Excellence

REV. DR. LEON SULLIVAN Founder of OIC

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Sometimes it's not necessary for me to write everything from "scratch" - especially when the job has already been so beautifully done - as in the case of Explore PA History www.explorepahistory.com. 

You will probably be reading several pieces on Rev. Dr. Leon Sullivan from me over the next few weeks.  It's because, not only was/is he a personal hero of mine, but I had the great good pleasure of meeting him, living near his church, and actually taking some of the courses (well, one course) at OIC - Opportunities Industrialization Center, when I first graduated from Lincoln University and thought I was going to be a fashion designer - but that's another story for another day. 

I was so impressed and motivated by this giant of a Black man, that I began working with the chronically unemployed, under the City of Philadelphia's PEDC program -  many of whom took courses with OIC in order to obtain job skills and certifications that made it possible for them to obtain higher level, career based jobs.

Today, OIC in Philadelphia is still in operation - though not at the same level of its original entity - and there are at least 44 still operating throughout the US; with  OIC International still operative in many positive, forward moving African Countries.  

Is there still a need for this organization?  YES!! Now, more than ever!  Are we doing everything we can do to maintain and expand OIC/Philly and OIC throughout the US - that's a good question.  There will be celebrations throughout the week, culminating with a gala on Saturday, June 14.  It is hoped that the founding city, Philadelphia, PA, will definitely see fit to maintain and expand this wonderful organization; and that other cities, such as BROOKLYN, NY (which used to have an OIC) will buy a clue and re-instate the programs, as well as provide avenues via OIC for greater access to training, green technology, computer trades, etc.  

In the interim, here is a brief overview of the life and contribution of Rev. Dr. Leon Sullivan - my personal hero:

Opportunities Industrialization Centers Historical Marker

Mouse over for marker text

Name: Opportunities Industrialization Centers
Region: Philadelphia and its Countryside/Lehigh Valley
County: Philadelphia
Marker Location: 19th and Oxford Sts., Philadelphia
Dedication Date: November 23, 1990

Behind the Marker

Reverend Leon Sullivan talks to a group of preschool children who use his church...

When Leon Sullivan arrived in Philadelphia in 1950, he was "flabbergasted" at the conditions surrounding Zion Baptist, where he was to be pastor. Having worked as Reverend Adam Clayton Powell's assistant at Abyssinian Baptist in New York, he recalled, "Harlem was bad enough but North Philadelphia, where I rode that day, beat Harlem in housing decay."

In Sullivan's eyes, an influx of migrants, some lured by defense-related jobs, had contributed to a community breakdown. To reach out to local teenagers, he started church athletic teams and drama groups, and began to minister outside the church, explaining, "Some people look for milk and honey in heaven, while I look for ham and eggs on earth, as well as for heaven eventually." His mission included a series of remarkably successful self-help programs targeting Philadelphia's black community, including the Opportunities Industrialization Centers (OIC).

An industrial row house neighborhood, Philadelphia, PA, circa 1920.

Following a gang shooting of three boys in South Philadelphia in 1953, Sullivan helped form the Philadelphia Citizens" Committee Against Juvenile Delinquency and Its Causes, but soon realized that citizens" committees could only "dust off the slums while the forces that created and maintain them remain and expand." With Reverend Thomas Ritter's help, he organized a youth-employment program, helping to employ about 1,000 people a year. Racial discrimination, however, prevented many from finding jobs and limited the kinds of jobs that were offered.

In 1959, Sullivan organized a local picket line in support of Martin Luther King's campaign to open Southern lunch counters to Black people, and soon promoted local boycotts to "break down the Job Discrimination Walls of Jericho." His Selective Patronage program undertook 29 campaigns between 1959 and 1963, targeting the Tasty Baking Company, the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, Gulf and Sun Oil, and others. Sullivan also led "400 colored preachers" who identified companies with unsatisfactory Black employment records. Phoning a selected company, they would outline a demand for Black employment including skilled positions, using job turnover rates to determine feasible figures. If the company did not meet the demand after a specified period, typically four to six weeks, the preachers would call for a boycott from their pulpits the following Sunday. Demonstrating the economic power of Black consumers, the program directly generated some 2,000 skilled jobs and several thousand more indirectly.

The Leon H. Sullivan Human Resources Center, 1415 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia,...

Sullivan recognized that in order to fill the skilled jobs now opening to Black Philadelphians

On January 24, 1964, a crowd of 8,000 attended the opening of the first Opportunities Industrialization Center, which soon offered courses in drafting, machine shop, sheet metal work, power machine operation, chemical laboratory techniques, electronics assembly, teletyping, and restaurant employment. The OIC soon opened additional centers, including one in West Philadelphia at South 52nd Street, dedicated in May 1965, which specialized in "merchandising." Yet another OIC center opened on Gerritt Street in South Philadelphia two months later.

Erie Opportunities Industrialization Center crew working on the Bayfront Ballet...

Many potential trainees arrived at the OIC with poor basic skills and low self-esteem, often having dropped out of school. To address their needs, the OIC added a "Feeder Program," first established in an old synagogue, which taught incoming students basic literacy, mathematics, grooming, work habits, health, consumer skills, and innovative "minority-group history" classes to bolster self-respect. Here, too, a team of counselor-teachers referred students to a "Technical Skill" center, directly to a job, or to an on-the-job training position. Launched in 1966, the Adult Armchair Education program operated as a "do-it-yourself Feeder Program," holding classes in neighborhood homes and encouraging community improvement projects and links to neighborhood schools.

Success soon prompted federal involvement. In 1964, the Labor Department granted $458,000 for the Feeder program (soon increased to $558,000), and the Area Redevelopment Administration awarded another $50,000. The new federal Office of Economic Opportunity contributed $1,700,000 in 1965. The next year the Department of Labor gave $5,000,000 to establish centers in eight additional cities, including Erie and Harrisburg in Pennsylvania. In 1971, the OIC received $32,600,000 to become "a prime national contractor" for manpower services.



Leon Sullivan and Reverend Thomas Logan at the opening of Progress Plaza, Philadelphia 

,...

Rev. Sullivan and President  Lyndon Baines Johnson at the beginning of The Great Society

This gave the national OIC greater control over local centers but threatened its community base. Two years later the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act favored more local control, forcing the OIC to compete with other providers and at times limiting it to partial services in contrast to the comprehensive "whole person" approach associated with the "Philadelphia program." Requirements for training stipends challenged the OIC's conviction that stipends would cause some to view the training as a job and lessen trainees" determination to succeed.

Reverend Leon Sullivan with President Richard Nixon and reporter John Hannah,...

Going beyond training, Sullivan also argued that Blacks should create their own jobs. In June 1962, he had asked church members to contribute $10 a week for 36 weeks into an investment co-operative, sharing profits between a charitable trust (40 percent), and shareholders (40 percent) and workers (20 percent). The cooperative built a garden apartment complex opened in 1966; the Progress Plaza on Broad Street dedicated in 1968; the Progress Aerospace Enterprises, which earned $2,600,00 in subcontracts from General Electric in 1968; and the Progress Garment Manufacturers supported by the ILGWU.

Despite the many self-help programs he created, the OIC remained for Sullivan "the main building block upon which all these other self-help programs must rise." Still active across the country, the OIC currently operates Pennsylvania centers in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, West Chester, Carlisle, Norristown, and McKeesport.

In the 1960s, the successful efforts of the Sullivan, the Philadelphia NAACP, and their allies in the fight against job discrimination in Philadelphia also attracted the attention of U.S. Department of Labor, which in 1967 adopted the "Philadelphia Plan" as a model for its national program to root out discrimination and prejudice in the construction industry.

In 1969, President Richard Nixon embraced a revised "Philadelphia Plan," which required federal contractors to hire of African-American employees by specific dates in order to combat institutionalized discrimination by specific skilled building trades unions. The plan was quickly extended to other cities. In doing so, Nixon's became the first administration to implement an "affirmative action" program at the federal level.

Beyond the Marker

Leon H. Sullivan, Build Brother Build (Philadelphia: Macrae Smith Co.,), 1969.

Leon H. Sullivan, Alternatives to Despair (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press), 1972.

Leon H. Sullivan, Moving Mountains: The Principles and Purposes of Leon Sullivan (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press), 1998.

OIC of America, Inc. http://www.oicofamerica.org/.

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More bragging about Rev. Sullivan - most people outside of Philadelphia, and a few who live here are not aware that he started a Black owned and run shopping center in the 60's which is still thriving and going strong today:

Our History

Reverend Dr. Leon Sullivan, Our Founder

The Reverend Dr. Leon H. Sullivan was born October 16, 1922, to Charles and Helen Sullivan in Washington Court,  in West Virginia. He was educated at Garnett High School, West Virginia University, Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary.

 Reverend Dr. Leon Sullivan was unrivaled by few men in the 20th Century. During his lifetime, Reverend Dr. Leon Sullivan impacted millions of people throughout the world, but particularly throughout the United States and the Continent of Africa, by advocating self-help principles of empowerment and community development and self reliance.
Under the mentorship of A. Phillip Randolph, who lead the premier March on Washington Movement that undergirded the quest for equal rights for minorities, particularly Blacks, the Reverend Dr. Sullivan developed his unique ideas on nonviolent, direct action and on the development of the community through community-based organizations. A.Phillip Randolph taught the Reverend  Dr. Sullivan, “how to organize…how to mobilize”.
In the late 1950′s and early 1960′s Reverend Dr. Sullivan initiated a successful “Selective Patronage” operation in Philadelphia to boycott companies that did not offer employment opportunities to black men and women. Later, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, would adopt the highly successful Selective Patronage program and transform it into the Operation Breadbasket program.

As job opportunities began to open up Reverend Dr. Sullivan realized that a trained workforce did not exist to fill them. In 1964, as a response to these newly opened opportunities, he founded the OIC, a skills training program providing training and retraining on a massive scale. Currently there are 60 active centers in 17 countries around the world. He also founded the Progress Investment Associates(PIA) and the Zion Non-profit Charitable Trust(ZNPCT) ZNPCT was established to fund housing, human services, educational and other non-profit ventures for inner city dwellers. Zion Gardens, an apartment complex, constructed in 1965, Progress Plaza a two million dollar shopping center, built in 1968, and the Progress Human Services Center, built in 1987, are just a few examples the venture undertaken by PIA and ZNPCT. The Reverend Dr. Sullivan also established inner-city retirement and assisted living complexes in Philadelphia and other cities throughout the United States , named Opportunities Towers.
Throughout the late 1990′s , the reverend Dr. Sullivan brought world and business leaders together to expand the successful Sullivan Principles into Global Sullivan Principles of Corporate Social Responsibility. In November, 1999 at a special meeting at the UN, the Reverend D. Sullivan and UN Secretary general Kofi Annan formally announced these new Principles before world and business leaders.
The Global Sullivan Principles will advance the cause of human rights and economic and social justice not only in Africa but everywhere in the Post-Cold war world there is the need for the advancement of human rights.
The Reverend Dr. Sullivan has been the recipient of many commendations throughout his life, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President George Bush in 1999, In 1999 the Notre Dame Award, awarded to persons who have achieved international recognition for the contribution of the welfare of humanity the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award presented by Preside Clinton in 1999, the NAACP Spingarn Award, the Kappa Alpha Laurel Wreath and more than fifty doctoral degrees.

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• In the 1970s South Africa was governed by apartheid or “apartness” between whites and blacks. There were no opportunities for blacks in South Africa and most lived in poverty. General Motors asked Sullivan to be on their board.  After joining, he took an interest in the corporation’s SA operations. He used his position to launch an international effort to end discrimination against blacks in the workplace in South Africa and created the Sullivan Principles as the framework.
  The Principles became a tool for anti-apartheid activists to take to corporations operating in South Africa. They became part of broad pressure, including a refusal of cities and states to purchase goods from companies with South African operations and the divestiture of shares by stockholders in those companies, which ultimately lend to the end of apartheid laws.
  In the preamble to the Principles, Sullivan wrote:
  “The objectives of the Global Sullivan Principles are to support economic, social and political justice by companies where they do business; to support human rights and to encourage equal opportunity at all levels of employment, including racial and gender diversity on decision making committees and boards; to train and advance disadvantaged workers for technical, supervisory and management opportunities; and to assist with greater tolerance and understanding among peoples; thereby, helping to improve the quality of life for communities, workers and children with dignity and equality.”
  Companies that sign on to the Global Sullivan Principles pledge to do the following:
• Express their support for universal human rights, especially for their employees, the communities in which they operate and for the parties with whom they do business.
• Promote equal opportunity for their employees at all levels of their company with respect to issues such as color, race, gender, age, ethnicity or religious beliefs. Also they would not operate with worker treatment that exploits children, includes physical punishment, abuses females, imposes involuntary servitude or incorporates other forms of abuse.
• Respect their employees’ voluntary freedom of association.
• Compensate their employees enough to enable them to meet their basic needs and provide the opportunity to improve their skill and capability in order to raise their social and economic opportunities.
• Provide a safe and healthy workplace, protect human health and the environment and promote sustainable development.
• Promote fair competition including respect for intellectual and other property rights and not offer, pay or accept bribes.
• Work with governments and communities in which they do business to improve the quality of life in those communities, including their educational, cultural, economic and social well-being. They would also seek to provide training and opportunities for workers from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Promote the application of the Principles by those with whom the company does business.

 *The Basic Sullivan principles: 1. Non-segregation of the races in all eating, comfort, and work facilities. 2. Equal and fair employment practices for all employees. 3. Equal pay for all employees doing equal or comparable work for the same period of time. 4. Initiation of and development of training programs that will prepare, in substantial numbers, Blacks and other nonwhites for supervisory, administrative, clerical, and technical jobs. 5. Increasing the number of Blacks and other nonwhites in management and supervisory positions. 6. Improving the quality of life for blacks and other nonwhites outside the work environment in such areas as housing, transportation, school, recreation, and health facilities. 7. Working to eliminate laws and customs that impede social, economic, and political justice. (Added in 1984)

That said - there's a lot to celebrate and much to be proud of, and a great man to emulate - so make it your business to be part of the ceremonies as OIC launches its official 50th Anniversary. 

But don't just come to celebrate, come to learn and take back with you that which can be applied in your own communities.  We have giants who have blazed trails for us to follow - saying, "This is the path, walk ye in it."  And Leon Sullivan was certainly a giant among men who left mighty shoes to fill, but also selected some mighty people to carry the torch forward.


Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Celebrating Madiba: Honoring the Memory of President Nelson Mandela- Now President of the Ancestors

 By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

While the world is mourning the loss of President Nelson Mandela, I want to raise a voice in celebration for this wonderful, stalwart, genteel, dedicated, brave, courageous, cunning, and noble example of Black Manhood.  Amandla!!!  It's not enough to say "job well done."  We really do owe him a vote of thanks, because what he did took us to a whole other level of the contrast between Black and white.  

While others are talking about equality, Mandela exemplified superiority.  His values were superior to those of the mundane white racists of South Africa and the United States and Great Britain, who conspired to keep him incarcerated.  They truly found out, once and for all, that "iron bars do not a prison make," when they were dealing with the fine mind of Mandela.  His mind was and is free from the oppressive, hateful, heinous things they obviously tried to heap upon him during his 27 years of incarceration.  He came out clear minded, and just as set on purpose as the day they shut the bars.  

Making his transition at the age of 95, and not dying in prison, which I am sure was their mission, is another testimony to the strength, endurance and intrepid fortitude of Nelson Mandela.  How happy they would have been had he succumbed to the rigors of incarceration; had he made an attempt to break out, so they could dispatch with him.  But, no.  He managed to not only live, but continue to be a vital part of the ANC anti-Apartheid movement via his wife, Winnie Mandela - who kept things going and kept his memory alive, in spite of, and because of, the machinations of a racist regime gone mad with its own vapid whiteness.

He can truly be called the "President of the Ancestors," for having come through the fire, and walked out, head held high, smiling always, in the faces of those who would have cheerfully walked down his spine.  This in no way takes away for all that has been contributed by all of our other heroes and heroines.  We have a pantheon of exemplary Black men and women, African, African American, African-Caribbean;  Africa-South American; African-Central American - but realize that there is no such thing as a Black  person who is not of BLACK AFRICAN HERITAGE.  So the honor goes across the board for this wonderful  man - from all of us who know that our ancestry, cradle to grave starts in the Continent for which he so nobly fought, and of which South Africa is only a part.  MANDELA STOOD FOR ALL OF US.  South African President Nelson Rohilala "Madiba" Mandela President Nelson "Madiba" Mandela has been a personal hero of mine since I was a student in Fredrick  Douglass High School, in Oklahoma City, OK.  We had been studying the Apartheid racist pass laws  instigated under Voervood (don't know if it's spelled right, and don't care), and the efforts to fight against  it on the part of the South African people,  when he was first incarcerated by the racist apartheid regime.    It paralleled our own civil rights struggle, with sit ins, being hosed by police, having dogs set upon us - all  to keep us from having a part in the so-called American rights to freedom.   We learned about his incarceration, the kidnap/murder of Patrice Lumumba, and so many other atrocities taking place against African brothers and sisters,  who were trying to throw off the colonizers oppressive yoke, from our teachers, Mr. Buford and Mr. Harris - who I am sure are sitting up there right now comparing what they taught us in class with the facts, now that they have him there to get the info directly from him. Jomo Kenyatta and the MauMaus were also personal heroes of mine.  Our history and social science teachers kept us well informed and up to date about colonization in Africa, in much the same way they did the racism we were suffering right here in the US.  They wanted us to understand that it was all related, all the same oppressors, just geographical differences.  The path between Africa and Blacks in America was a two-way street.  President Nelson Mandela - this powerful, yet genteel man, the first  Black President, of South Africa, is  also known as the father of Democracy in S.A.  He suffered from a lung ailment that was stubbornly  resistant to treatment, and to which he finally succumbed on Thursday, December 5, 2013.   It was nearly six months after President Barack Obama had made a sojourn to South Africa in hopes of meeting his hero and fellow Nobel Peace Prize recipient.  They formed a mutual admiration society, those two. However, owing to the gravity of his illness, the meeting did not take place.  President Obama, however, did go to the notorious Robben Island, where Mandela had been incarcerated for 27 years, and walked with his wife and children through that tiny cell that held that giant spirit.  President Barack Obama  was a great admirer of President Mandela, and will be attending the services along with former Presidents Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and George Bush; as will many other dignitaries, heads of state and elected officials.   These two great men possess some of the same wonderful traits of leadership and responsibility, which places them heads and shoulders above their detractors.  As a student at Lincoln University, and peer counselor to brothers and sisters who were refugees from non-independent African Nations, including South Africa (Azania is the real name), Namibia, Angola, Mozambique, Congo, Lesotho, and other countries under the heel of atrocious colonial imperialist oppression, my fellow classmates and I used to come up with scheme after scheme about how to free Mandela, free South Africa, reign down retribution on the oppressors, and move the country to sovereignty. The sad thing for me is that most of them did not live to see Mandela free.   Many of my friends actually worked in the UN for a while, but later returned home to help with the liberation efforts.  They there with the rest of the  ancestors to greet him, share a mug of Skokian,  and regale him with how they managed to escape, come to America and attend Lincoln University - the Alma Mater of Nkrumah and Azikewe - who are also there to welcome him to his new home.   As most are aware, the legendary leader of South Africa was imprisoned in Robben Island, one of the harshest prisons in South Africa, for his defiant stand against Apartheid.  What we are now learning is that it was the CIA that was instrumental in his capture.  But then, who would be surprised at that?  During the 27 years of his torture and incarceration, the ANC (African Nationalist Congress) and the youth of South Africa, under his then wife, Winnie Mandela, continued their resistance and assault against the racist regime started by that s.o.b. Voervord in the 1940's.   President Barack Obama Will Attend President Mandela's Services During this time,  and later, in the fifties when they were made even harsher, (actually starting with the Boer and British invasions in the 1800's) South African Blacks could no longer walk or live freely in their own land.  They had to walk around with "passes" or I.D. cards with their pictures on them.  "Pass laws required that Africans had to carry identity documents with them at all times. These books had to contain stamps providing official proof that that the person in question had permission to be in a town at that time. According to Section 10 (1a-d) of the 1954 Native Urban Areas Act Africans could only stay in an urban area for more than 12 hours if they:  a) Had been born there and had lived there ever since.  b) Had worked there for ten years under one employer, or had lived there for 15 years without breaking any law (including pas laws); c) Were the child or wife of a man permitted to live in the urban area on the conditions of (a) or (b) mentioned above.  d) Signed a contract to migrate from a rural reserve to a specific job for a limited period of time in an urban area after which they must return home. Contract workers' families were not allowed to join them in an urban area.   If they did not have these, they would be incarcerated - detained indefinitely - or killed.  They were subjected to harsh treatment, outright shootings by the so-called police in - their own  country!!! With South African Flag Graphic in Background The brave Black men, women and students who rose up against this were finally victorious in having Mandela released in 1990.  He became the first Black president in modern times of South Africa; however, instead of continuing the hostilities (as many of us kind of expected and wanted him to do - we kind of wanted revenge against the tyranny they had suffered - especially us Black folks here in the US), he put together a reconciliation plan which averted what surely would have been years and years of protracted blood baths.   New Yorkers were especially instrumental in effecting a massive boycott of South Africa, helping bring  the ANC bring the heinous regime to its knees.   Young Warrior Nelson Mandela                                                                                              Mandela With Wife Graca Machel-Mandela The brutal massacre of innocent students at Soweto, the Sharpville-Langa Massacre (which happened on my birthday, March 21) ; the production of Sara Fina, local ANC-based New York organizations that met and raised funds on a weekly basis, orchestrated by Sandra Rivers, Lyndon Prince, Elombe Brath, Sam Anderson, Duma Ndlovu, and so many others - I mention them here, because these are names the  meanstream press will never mention.  They'd rather talk to whites about the heroism of this great Black man. There were so many more Black people behind the liberation efforts to free Mandela.  Suffice it to say, we know who we are.   Of course the support of such celebrities as Harry Belafonte - who was involved waaaay before any of the others because of his friendship and support of Miriam Makeba and Letta Mbulu - Hugh Masakela, Danny Glover, Michael Jackson, Kwame Toure` (a/k/a Stokely Carmichael),  and others, all brought the message home, that South Africa ( Zimbabwe, SouthWest Africa/Namibia; Zambia, and other oppressed areas) would no longer be allowed to exist.    News caster and Soror (Delta Sigma Theta) Charlayne Hunter Gualt, and her husband, producer, Ron Gualt, moved to South Africa as soon as Mandela was liberated, and have lived there ever since.  Charles Moses, former press secretary to former Governor Mario Cuomo, was hired by President Mandela to head up his University of the North in South Africa - which he did for four years.  And a special mention to Susan Taylor,  who at that time was Editor in Chief of Essence Magazine, and who, long before Mandela had been released, honored Winnie Mandela at an Essence Awards Ceremony when they were still being held at Rockefeller Center.  She literally stopped the entire program to pay homage to Winnie and Nelson Mandela, and had Winnie speak of the necessity of keeping the pressure on.  African Americans, Black elected figures - including the Congressional Black Caucus - Black community leaders, were of one voice when it came to boycotting South Africa and keeping the name of Mandela befire America's consciousness.  Artists and musicians were warned  that if they performed in racist South Africa they would find their products boycotted by Black consumers.  If you performed on the stage in South Africa, you were toast.   "Oh no, we won't go to Sun City!!" was the chant of the day (unfortunately vocalist Millie Jackson didn't get the memo, and the consequences to her career were swift and dire.  Not only did  they refuse to buy her records, but audiences boycotted all her performances.) On the corporate side, companies that traded with South Africa found that their products were not allowed in the US. But no one was more on point and up in arms than my classmate, brother/friend Gil Scott-Heron, whose song JOHANNESBURG said it all!  It brought together all the emotions we were feeling, all the pathos, horror, and determination to wipe that regime out.  "What's the Word:  JOHANNESBURG" was on everybody's lips.  It was our anti-apartheid battle cry.  Gil had a knack for bringing it all down front.   Upon his release, Mayor David Dinkins, New York City's first Black mayor,  honored President Mandela with a reception and a ticker tape parade through Avenue of the Americas and Harlem.  It was the first (and only) time that an African head of state was given such an official honor in New York City (or anywhere else, for that matter).  The streets were lined with proud Africans, African Americans and Caribbean Americans who watched as the humble man waved and smiled his way through and into the hearts of New Yorkers.    We lined the streets of Harlem to greet President Mandela and hear him speak - standing for hours waiting for his arrival.   It was also the first time the South African Embassy on Third Avenue opened its doors to Black people -  ever.  Several friends, including Maxine McCrey Montano, Shirley Scott and myself, went to a reception they  reluctantly held for us.  Shiela Sisulu, Max Sisulu's sister, was also present.  There were several Black women from South Africa present at the time, many of whom had never been outside their village.  They were making and displaying crafts that they had designed to sell via an organization called "Shared Interest," founded by Donna Katzen.  The organization made micro loans to Black businesses where the white banks would not, so they could have businesses of their own.  They have been one of my favorite organizations for decades.  Every year they go to South Africa and help others start businesses of their own. As stated before, there were many of us who were prepared to exact punishment against the South African whites who had held our brothers and sisters down so long.  And I guess I'm guilty of that.  At the South African Embassy, in Manhattan,  there were South African white women  whose business it seemed was to exploit the new opportunities to trade with America.  They had brought some work  done by Black South African women and tried to sell it to us.  When we asked if they had made it, they gave us a queer look, and tried to act as if it was a collaborative effort.  When the Black women who actually made the crafts came forth, I offered to purchase from her, and the white woman stood between us as though to block the transaction.  When I stepped around her, she made the remark that we were to deal with them because the Black woman was "indigent."  It took Maxine, Shirley and two other people to keep me from knocking the bejeebers out of her.  My response was, "who the "f" made her indigent."  To which the white South African beat a quick retreat from the room.  As a result of my standing up for her, the Black South African sister made me a lovely beaded bracelet on the spot - which I wear to this day - it's made of grey, silver and blue miniature beads - she took less than 15 minutes to make it.  When I gave her $10.00 (she didn't want to be paid), I turned to the other white South African women and said, "If I find that you've touched any of this money I've given her, I'll stomp you into a mud hole."  One turned beet red, and left the room.  I heard the word "kaffir" in the background.   So it was indeed a good thing Mandela's wisdom prevailed in the move forward to end the hostilities and atrocities that had undermined his people for centuries.  There were those among us who would not have been so wise.   We're the hotheads.  We would have taken up arms.  The fact that he averted a long and protracted struggle has been the blue print for others to follow.  Hopefully they will. Much to our disappointment, President Mandela only served one term as President of South Africa.  We were truly enjoying the fact that they had to deal with the very same man they tried to destroy.  However, we clearly understood the need to have some time to enjoy this freedom that had so long been held away from him, and to retire his second wife, Graca Machel.  He had already done the hard job.  It was befitting that he pass the baton, while still living, and serve in the capacity as an advisor to those who succeeded him. He withstood rigors, hardship, challenges many half his age have not been able to stand up to.   The following is a link to the funeral arrangements and order of Ceremony for President Mandela.  There will be ceremonies held in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC.  As I receive them, I will post them on my blog for updates.  In the interim, log on to the following: http://www.mandela.gov.za/funeral/index.html   NB:  In New York, a procession following the path of Mr. Mandela’s June 21, 1990 motorcade will follow the indoor portion of the program.  Trade unions, legislative and faith based leaders along with some of the 100,000 people of New York City who witnessed this historic event unfold through the streets of Brooklyn are expected to attend.  Again:  My condolences and congratulations to my brothers and sisters in South Africa for having had the honor of such a wonderful, fine Black man as their leader and inspiration for so many years.  May we each learn the lessons this fine man taught us through  his living and carry it forward in our own lives and in the way we interact with each other.  May the love, peace,respect and blessings of  President Nelson Mandela reign in our hearts and in our lives. ###GDW ADDENDUM:  Last year in February, 2012, my friend, producer Sparkie Martin  sent me this great clip of "UMOJA"a South African musical that he was promoting.  I couldn't stop playing the music over and over  again.  I absolutely love South African music - there is so much vibrancy, energy,  rhythm, meaning - and even pathos - that you feel it right down in your very soul.      I have included the YouTube clip in this blog in honor of President Nelson Mandela, and the brothers and sisters of South Africa, who are the very epitome of what that music is all about.   I hope you can hear it and it leads you to go on YouTube and view all six of the acts or log on to www.umojatheshow.com.  They are so fantabulous.     (By the way: UMOJA is Swahili for Unity or Togetherness - Kenya and Tanzania gave refuge to those  South African leaders who had to escape oppression to go back and fight again). Sparkie Martins Africa Umoja ..42 persons cast ..wishing to bring this awesome show your country..contact: Sparkie Martin  @ 404-207-8834 /email: Sparkwado@yahoo.com Umoja - Umoja After      touring over 26 countries, AFRICA UMOJA is returning to SA shores to continue on their journey. AFRICA UMOJA: The Spirit of Togetherness the tale of South Africa, its people and their song. Travelling on the beats of drums, from the dusty streets of Soweto to all the corners of the worlds best and biggest stages, AFRICA UMOJA tells the moving tale of indigenous South African music - from the earliest rhythms to kwaito. Marvel in the beautiful costumes & award winning, internationally acclaimed choreography. AFRICA UMOJA is a loud, colourful and jubilant celebration of life that audiences from all backgrounds have found infectiously delightful and uplifting. Twenty-six countries have embraced the traditional love songs, lullabies and other musical expressions of rural life. They have also cried along in the city streets listening to music reflecting the pain of the migrant laborers and their families. Relive the energy of Sophiatown, inf... more        www.umojatheshow.com I hope you can view these clips - I play them because they are the heart of South African spirit, and the heart of Madiba's spirit as well.  Enjoy and Stay Blessed & ECLECTICALLY BLACK Rest Well Madiba - and give our greetings to Steve Biko, Miriam Makeba, Chaka Zulu, and so many others who are waiting to greet you. Gloria Dulan-Wilson Umoja - Umoja - YouTube  Umoja - The Spirit of Togetherness Part 3 - YouTube 23,543 20:01 Umoja - The Spirit of Togetherness Part 4by Mrbobodigital38,685 views 23:36 Umoja the Spirit of Togetherness part 5by Mrbobodigital20,818 views 11:46 Umoja - The Spirit of Togetherness Part 6by Mrbobodigital7,108 views 11:29 UMOJA - The Spirit of Togetherness Part 2 in HDby Mrbobodigital44,168 views 15:01 Umoja - The Spirit of Togetherness Part 6 in HDby Mrbobodigital3,164 views

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