Lessons from Marcus Garvey: Lesson 1- Race First and African Fundamentalism

New 25-day series, Lessons from Marcus Garvey.  The Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey (August 17, 1887 - June 10, 1940), is Jamaica’s first National Hero, pioneering Pan- African philosopher, visionary, Black nationalist and  political leader. 

Lately I have been reading a lot of Garvey particularly, Tony Martin’s Race First and Marcus Garvey Message to the People (the majority of the books are available in Google Books). 

Marcus Garvey’s African Fundamentalism

The time has come for the Negro to forget and cast behind him his hero worship and adoration of other races, and to start out immediately, to create and emulate heroes of his own.

We must canonize our own saints, create our own martyrs, and elevate to positions of fame and honor black men and women who have made their distinct contributions to our racial history. Sojourner Truth is worthy of the place of sainthood alongside of Joan of Arc; Crispus Attucks and George William Gordon are entitled to the halo of martyrdom with no less glory than that of the martyrs of any other race. Toussaint L'Ouverture's brilliancy as a soldier and statesman outshone that of a Cromwell, Napoleon and Washington; hence, he is entitled to the highest place as a hero among men. Africa has produced countless numbers of men and women, in war and in peace, whose lustre and bravery outshine that of any other people. Then why not see good and perfection in ourselves?

Ours the Right to Our Doctrine

We must inspire a literature and promulgate a doctrine of our own without any apologies to the powers that be. The right is ours and God's. Let contrary sentiment and cross opinions go to the winds. Opposition to race independence is the weapon of the enemy to defeat the hopes of an unfortunate people. We are entitled to our own opinions and not obligated to or bound by the opinions of others.

Source: http://www.international.ucla.edu/africa/mgpp/lifesamp.asp

Dr. Gina Athena Ulysee performs at Liberty Hall: The Legacy of Marcus Garvey Thursday May 9, 2013

Gina Athena Ulysee was born in Pétion-Ville, Haiti. Trained as a cultural anthologist, Ulysee is also a poet and multi-media artist.  She has been teaching since she earned her PhD in anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1999.

Spoken-word is her chosen medium. Ulysee employs history, statistics, personal stories and Vodou chants to address the injustices and dehumanisation of the struggle Haitians.

 http://www.ginaathenaulysse.com/

Searching For Me

Last night I cried myself to sleep I was just sad. Simply couldn't switch it off. My first post for 2013 was supposed to be inspiring and enlightening. I wanted to share something interesting at least. 

But lately I've been feeling stuck and awfully overwhelmed and tired. Last night I just cracked. I was crippled by negative energy that I was fueling. I regretted going a History and Philosophy degree.  The Oxford Dictionary offers this definition of Philosophy, "the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline."But last night it was the study of nonsense and the fact that I excelled at the study of nonsense made me cry even harder. 

Once again I had back myself into the corner of self-doubt. It often seems that @ 25 I have no idea what I want to do and I haven't accomplished anything. 

This morning in the already too bright orange light of the sun (its going to be another scorcher and I am already dreading the trek to NHT and back for lunch) I feel better. Things are clearer now. 

These are the absolutes of my life. I accept that the purpose of life is expression. I am wholly responsible for my choices and actions. 

Writing and research are my basic tools . This is what I am intrinsically motivated to do and these are the tools I must use to expand my life. This is easy to write and even easier to say, to act requires discipline and commitment and thus far I've been resisting. 

I must now actively use my skills to produce on the creative plane to expand my life. With this I resolve to just be me for I am enough. This is where my happiness lies

PS: Thank you Boo boo, for returning and staying.