As we prepare for
the Twenty-eighth Annual National Black United Front (NBUF)
Convention, to be held in Houston, Texas at the S.H.A.P.E.
Center from July 12-15, 2007, we are honored to commemorate
the birthday of our great ancestor, Kwamé Turé, who was born
in Trinidad on June 29, 1941. Kwamé moved
with his family to New York at the age of eleven. Upon graduating
from Bronx High School
of Science, he enrolled in Howard University earning a degree
in philosophy while beginning his involvement in the Civil Rights
Movement.
On the morning
of November 15, 1998 in Conakry, Guinea, Kwamé Turé made his
transition into eternity (died).
Primary source
documents reveal that, “In the Winter of 1960, Black college students in dozens
of communities across this country conducted sit-ins to secure
the desegregation of lunch counters in drug and variety stores." These
sources go on to explain that, “Arrests numbered in the thousands.
On every major college campus in this country, students organized
groups such as NAG (The Non-Violent Action Group) at Howard University
to continue the Sit-In Movement.” Kwamé was a founding member
of NAG and was one of its early leaders.
Out of this
student activism, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee
(SNCC) was formed
at Shaw University in April of 1960. SNCC and its student base
provided ground troops for almost every major Civil Rights Demonstration
and Campaign during the 1960s period of the Movement. Kwamé was
one of the three hundred “Freedom Riders” that were arrested “in
Mississippi and Alabama during the Spring and Summer of 1961.” From
that point on, Kwamé participated in every major campaign
that emerged.
Kwamé Turé came to the public's attention on November
16, 1965, when Look Magazine featured an article titled "Freedom
Road," that mentioned Kwamé's role as an organizer
and leader in SNCC.
Several months later, in June of 1966, Ebony
Magazine historian and writer, Lerone Bennett, Jr. wrote an
article featuring Kwamé.
Brother Bennett observed in this article that (a.k.a. Carmichael)
Kwamé, “No other young man, with the exception of Martin
Luther King, Jr. has risen so fast so quick. No other young man
has sparked such an avalanche of hope, fear, anger, and public
concern.” Bennett asked the question, “Who is this young man?
What does he want? What does he mean by Black Power?”
Again, primary source documents explain
that, “In April, 1966,
at the Kingston Spring SNCC staff meeting (a.k.a. Stokely) was
elected chairman, ushering in a new level and direction for both
the organization and the larger movement of which it was an integral
part.” These same sources indicate that, “In June, after James
Meredith was gunned down on a highway in Mississippi, (a.k.a.
Stokely) sounded the new Black mood.” This is what Kwamé said, “The
only way we are gonna stop them white men from whippin’ us is
to take over. We been saying freedom for six years and we ain’t
got nothing. What we gonna start saying now is BLACK POWER!”
The National
Black United Front (NBUF) is honored to participate in
the birthday celebration of Brother Kwamé. It was, in
part, his living inspiration that caused the National Black
United Front to come into existence in 1980. His leadership
in helping form the Black United Front in Washington, D.C.,
in 1968, was the model NBUF utilized in keeping the idea alive
of building a Black United Front.
Kwamé, we as African people are indebted
to you for your thirty-eight years of consistent, dedicated
and tireless efforts
to free African people from the yoke of oppression and white
supremacy throughout the world.
Kwamé’s pronouncement of the idea of “Black Power” provided
a historical shift in our movement in l966 that led us back to
accepting our African ancestry and caused us to reconnect with
Africa, like many of our ancestors had called for in the nineteenth
and twentieth-centuries. Kwamé’s call for “Black Power” put
us back in touch with the contributions of Richard Allen, David
Walker, Nat Turner, Denmark Vessey, Martin Delany, Bishop Henry
McNeal Turner, Edward Wilmot Blyden, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Amy
Jacques Garvey, Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad, Osagyefo Kwamé Nkrumah,
Ahmed Sekou Turé, Patrice Lumumba, and many, many more.
Kwamé Turé’s “Black Power” pronouncement helped
to revitalize the Pan African and Nationalist struggle that we
are continuing as we celebrate his birthday. His “Black Power” pronouncement
helped our people break the chains of being Negroes with no land
we belong to, except America.
Fortunately, this contribution has helped most of our people
understand that Africa is our home - not America.
Also, Brother Kwamé taught for a
long time that African people should strive for self-determination
and independence.
In organizing the Black United Front, in 1968, he understood
what we still must understand, as a people, that a great unity
is needed among us to save African people in America who appear
to be doomed if we fail to wake up!
Brother Kwamé taught, repeatedly, that African people
must understand that we can no longer rely on the deeds of one
individual, nor one organization to solve the problems of the
race. He taught for many years that we must rely on the collective
efforts of all our organizations that support what Dr. Anderson
Thompson calls the “African Principle." The greatest good
for the greatest number of African people, wherever we are.”
Kwamé Turé taught by example and understood what
Dr. John Henrik Clarke always pointed out, that is, powerful
people never have to prove anything to anyone. And by extension,
Dr. Clarke exclaimed, "Powerful people never apologize to
powerless people for the actions they take in order to remain
in power."
Brother Kwamé, we truly appreciated
your traveling and lecturing throughout the world and organizing
African people
to understand the need to struggle around the idea of Pan Africanism
as the only solution to our problems.
Brother Kwamé, as we all know, had been struggling with
prostate cancer for two years prior to his transition. As Kwamé’s
good friend, Bob Brown, observed, “His spirit is high, and uncompromising
and he will continue to struggle until the last second of the
last minute, of the last day.” During the last days, Brother
Bob, along with many other people, including his family, assisted
Kwamé with his medical, personal, and organizational needs.
In fact, Kwamé did struggle right to the very end. But
in the African Way of spirituality, Kwamé’s death is not
the end. It is a transition to eternity, as the spirit and life
work of Brother Kwamé will live on in the hearts and minds
of people throughout the world. Ready for the revolution?!!
BC columnist Conrad W. Worrill, PhD, is
the National Chairman of the National Black United Front (NBUF). Click
here to contact Dr. Worrill. |