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Attendees from bottom right: Kess Mahitama Selassie, Kassayi Hailu, Dr. Khazriel Ben Yehuda, Baba Kofi, Brother Ata Omon, Sister Ivory A. Black,  Gebre Selassie,  Abdelwsie Issa, Brother Che, and Howard University  Students.

In celebration of the Decade of the African Descendant, Afrikan Unity of Harlem, Inc. presents

 “Respecting our Heritage sharing our Commonalities” Summit

September 8th and 9th 2011

Howard University 2397 6st N.W. Blackburn Center

Washington D.C.

Summary Community Report

October 5th 2011 Diaspora / 2004 Ethiopic

On the behalf of Afrikan Unity of Harlem, Inc. and our global membership, we are ever so grateful to have met each and every one of the scholars, spiritual fathers, students and African activist who participated in the “Respecting our Heritage sharing our Commonalities” summit at Howard University this past September. They all presented and shared exactly what the overall goal of the summit was; to express the African mind from various areas, ideals, and understandings to start the process of pulling together the African collective. This made the summit a true success.

 As we witnessed during the summit, we as African/ Black peoples, can no longer stay in our small corners looking at other African/ Black peoples as an enemy due to ones language, religion or place of birth. Hearing from the presenters, all faith and culture that we as African/Black people practice, originated from us at some point in the earth’s history. International recognized speakers on Afrikan/Afrikan American history, culture and civilization Ashra & Charmaine (Merira) Kwesi of Kamet NU Productions, presented Ancient Kushites to Black Lions.  

This was a two-part multimedia PowerPoint slide presentation that focuses on Ethiopia, the oldest independent country in Africa. This visually-documented lecture took the viewer from ancient times to the modern day as it relates to African peoples of antiquity to preset. It made the gathering clear on how today’s world populous copied African/Black traditions and culture and used it for their own.

Likewise Crown Dr. Khazriel Ben Yehuda:  Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dimona, Israel presented an amazing new fact of the African identity. In his analysis, the African peoples forced into captivity, made slaves, and had to labor under the most callous actions are indeed that lost tribe of Israel according biblical description. He showed a map detailing the emergence of Black Hebrew  peoples in Africa after the fall of Jerusalem of 70 AD and how these Black Hebrews were then captured and forced in to the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

We learned that it is not only important to know our culture and traditions from a historical past but also we need to bring forward those structures that worked in the developments of our great civilization, to know how to implement  a governing structure for today. Featuring “Horn of Africa Scholars” Author Dr. Argawi Berhe Author, Founder and Chairman of the Tigray Alliance for National Democracy (TAND) and Dr. Mesfin Araya, Professor and Chairman of African American Studies, York College CUNY seated on the Panel of Peace and Security in African / Diaspora did just that. They both expressed African Kingdoms verses that of nation states and how the effect of structural colonization needs to be replaced with an Afrikan centered government. We learned that African Kingdoms where governed by the land in which people lived, a communal belief of God, and the protocols of respect for elders. While nation states formation due to the demarcation of Africa after the 1884 Burling Conference, planted a demarcated style of rulership only to severe its foreign master using local African rulers to master over their own people. The need to revert to a African principal based government in Africa, the gathering found, needs all active Heads of State in Africa attention to sit down with one another to resolve.    

Knowing that all forms of modern day faiths and beliefs come from the continental Africa, Kess Mahitama Selassie of The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Holy Trinity Church, shared the historical mission of the oldest African Church to the Diaspora. Revealing Afrikans in the Diaspora helped to fight against Mussolini, the fascist torrent trying to bully Ethiopia (Abyssinia) in 1935, by lining up in Harlem signing on to join to fight with Abyssinia. By sending aide and money, quipped teachers and pilots, His Imperial Majesty Hail Sellassie I King of Kings of Ethiopia, grated Africans in the Diaspora the Shashamani land grant, a government known of the Ethiopian World Federation and the Church to bring back her lost sheep.  Whereas Brother Ata Omon in his “Bring MAAT”,  to the community showed how there is a need for a spiritual balance in the African movement that will elevate the African peoples to a higher consciousness thinking to solve global problems.

In the same line, Bother Muhammad Isb Bashir attorney and Author of “Raw Law”, give young Black males attendees guidance on how not to be targeted by the police. He states that cops are looking for a certain style of dress and attitudes. So if you’re in a group on a corner, just easily disperse when you see police in the area. Or if you are walking, cops look for those who wear their pants sagging, so pull them up or wear a belt. Also police will target a short dark skin brother before a tall light skin brother. Included in his presentation he showed how modern day acts against terrorism is indeed acts fighting against Islam. And see that portions of Africa’s people practice Islam, symbolically it keeps African/Black peoples separated because the media today’s makes the world feel that if you are Muslim and practice Islam, then you are a Terrorist.

Brother Cliff Kuumba  of SDRC / PADU  demonstrated the structure  of The PAN AFRICAN DIASPORA UNION as a coalition of regional and national Pan African organizations from Brazil, Canada, Cuba, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Martinique-Guadeloupe and the United States, among other areas, and that this Pan African Diaspora Union is a direct result of the partnership of several major Pan African coalition organizations, including— SRDC (Sixth Region Diaspora Coalition, also including the African Diaspora Sixth Region-Europe), UNIA-ACL (United Negro Improvement Association-African Communities League, AAPRP (All African People’s Revolutionary Party), Afrikan Unity of Harlem (AUH), Per Ankh of the Virgin Islands, among others. The Union seeks to establish its initial voting representation inside the Economic Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), the civil society body of the African Union, as a global united front of African Diaspora organizations.

“Respecting our Heritage sharing our Commonalities” summit opened the way towards a true united people, by allowing various Africa peoples from various backgrounds to come together to share their side of the story. So let’s pull out those things that were corrupted so a more pure culture of people can emerge especially for Afrikans/Blacks in the Diaspora for we all are here now, no matter from what side of the paradigm we come from.

Afrikan Unity of Harlem, Inc. is compiling a complete report from the summit and the documentary is being edited. As soon as both are completed you can see the full report and film on our website. We will also use the documentary as a teaching tool for young motivate African youth who are interested in the development of Africa and her peoples globally. This will be presented to the Pan African Diaspora Union in which we are a voting member of, to be adopted as a teaching tool.

One of the objectives of the summit was the creation of a speaker’s bureau of African/ Black scholars that will tour various African countries starting with those that make up the African Union. The information  presented is key in renewing and advancing the African mind to bring about a new genius within the African continent and peoples.

AUH, Inc. is a partner of the Sixth Reign Diaspora Caucus with whom we are members of the African Diaspora Sixth Region of the African Union under the Union’s Constitutive Act Article 3 section Q, adopted by the 1st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 3 February 2003, and by the 2nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union in Maputo, Mozambique on 11 July 2003, stating to, “invite and encourage the full participation of the African Diaspora as an important part of our Continent, in the building of the African Union”. To this end, AUH, Inc. is inviting all of you to participate in the speaker’s bureau here in Harlem New York City at Columbia University May 2012. Here in Harlem we will lay the base to travel into Africa, prayerfully starting with Kenya, by visiting various African Missions and Consulates. 

 If you need further information or have a question, please contact our office directly.

Most Respect

Sister Ivory Ann Black II Woletta Sellassie

Executive Secretary

Afrikan Unity of Harlem, Inc 

Office Phone: 212 531-0384 / Fax: 212-531-0382

Mobile:  347-286-9571 / 414-429-2160

Website: www.afrikanunityofharlem.com

Blogesite: http://www.afrikanunityofharlem.wordpress.com