JUNE 2019
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MODERN DAY JUNETEENTH MOVEMENT The late Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D. is the Father of the Modern Day Juneteenth Movement
Colorado Juneteenth Trailblazer Dr. James Tucker has been involved in Juneteenth for 28 years. He hosted Juneteenth events in Colorado Spring for 25 years prior to moving to St. Louis, Missouri in 2016. He also serves on the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation Board of Directors for many years.
Juneteenth is observed on the THIRD SATURDAY IN JUNE. There are 46 states that recognize Juneteenth as a Day of Observance or a holiday.
HAWAII, MONTANA, NORTH DAKOTA AND SOUTH DAKOTA DO NOT RECOGNIZE THE COMMEMORATION OF JUNETEENTH.
Dr. Tucker continues to support the Modern Day Juneteenth Movement nationwide. The African American Voice donates ads and keeps communities informed about cultural and social events.
JUNE 2019
See COMMEMORATE JUNETEENTH S5
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When: June 15th, 2019 - Saturday Where: Jones Park - 2600 Caseyville Ave, East St Louis, IL 62205 Time: 12 Noon at the Boathouse Motorcade: 11:30 Leaving 4600 State Street East St Louis, IL 62205 www.cdss-esl.org S2
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Caribbean immigrants have been contributing to the well-being of American society since its founding. Alexander Hamilton, the First Secretary of the Treasury was from the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. We count among our famous sons and daughters, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Cicely Tyson, WEB Dubois, James Weldon Johnson, Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier to name a few. The Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) effort began in 1999 with a petition to President Clinton for the recognition of a Caribbean American Heritage Month. ICS’ effort to establish National Caribbean American Heritage Month (NCAHM) began in 1999 with outreach to President Bill Clinton asking for the recognition of August as National Caribbean American Heritage Month. This resulted in the first White House Caribbean American Community Briefing being held at the Clinton White House in 1999. Meanwhile, a now-defunct Ad-Hoc Group of Caribbean Americans lead by Doreen Thomspon organized efforts to get June declared Caribbean Heritage Month in Washington DC. ICS joined forces with the AdHoc group in June 1999, but by 2000, the group dispersed.
In June 2000, ICS took on the mantle of leadership in Washington DC, changed the name to National Caribbean American Heritage Month, and organized events in June under that banner. Efforts to engage the White House were fruitless. In 2001, ICS was joined by TransAfrica Forum and the Caribbean Staff Association of the World Bank to organize events during June, promoting recognition of June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month, and the momentum slowly began to build. In 2004, the efforts gathered steam, when an Official Campaign for June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month was launched upon the tabling of a Bill in the US Congress by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, with language provided by ICS Founder and President, Dr. Claire Nelson. ICS worked with the Office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee to galvanize support for the Bill from organizations across the country and oganized events on Capitol Hill in recognition of June in 2004. The Bill was reintroduced and passed the House in June, 2005, and the Senate in February, 2006. A Proclamation making the Resolution official was signed by President George Bush on June 5, 2006. https://www.caribbeanheritagetx.org
Since 1979, the United States has set aside the month of June to appreciate the musical contributions of its African-American musicians, composers, singers, and songwriters. Inspired to celebrate an enduring art form, Kenny Gamble, Ed Wright, and Dyana Williams pursued creating Black Music Month. Their efforts were backed up by generations of artists whose talents and skill built a foundation of musical ingenuity in America. Historically rooted in rich African traditions and the conflicted slave trade, black folk music provided the soil for jazz to grow. Other sounds began to join the chorus. From rhythm and blues to barbershop and swing, the artists responded to every era with a fresh wave of inspiration and visionary sound. The music breaks barriers and moves people. It inspires generation after generation of artists and music lovers.
“Music, at its essence, is what gives
us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it JUNE 2019
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HOW TO OBSERVE Immerse yourself in the music of your favorite black musicians. Discover new sounds and genres while revisiting long lost loves. Whether it’s classic jazz or smoky blues or some fast rhythms and rhyming raps, let the singers and songwriters speak to you. Share the best and the brightest and the undiscovered using #AfricanAmericanMusicAppreciationMonth and #AAMAM on social media. HISTORY On June 7, 1979, President Jimmy Carter decreed June to be Black Music Month. Each year since Americans have celebrated the iconic music loved by generations. https://nationaldaycalendar.com
“you always learn a lot more when you lose than when you win.” ~African proverb
-Stevie Wonder
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VISIT WWW.AFRICANANCESTRY.COM TODAY
African Ancestry uses the world’s largest database of African DNA lineages to determine your country and ethnic group of origin, all with a simple swab of your cheek.
ADA ANAGHO BROWN roots@rootstoglorytours | (410) 429-0804 ROOTS TO GLORY TOURS P.O. Box 92 | Stevenson, Maryland 21153
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JUNE 2019 Keeping The Community Informed Since 1991
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NU TOWN IS HOME OF THE ROSE HESTER GRAY HOUSE
James JamesTucker Tucker Publisher Publisher
Phone: Phone:719.528.1954 719.528.1954 james.tucker@africanamericanvoice.net james.tucker@africanamericanvoice.net
Undray UndrayTucker Tucker
Associate Associate Publisher Publisher
Reginald ReginaldWatson Watson The Tucker Family Annual Memorial Day Weekend had a unique twist to it this year. Three generations came together in New Madrid, Missouri. Dr. James Tucker, the second eldest son of Ms. Rose Hester Gray, remembered her in a special way. He dedicated his newly built house in memory of his mother. It is called “The Rose Hester Gray House.” It is distinctive because the bricks used to build the house were handmade made by slaves. He also honored Ms. Rose by hosting a House Church service. During the House Church service, Dr. Tucker also named the “multicultural” room in honor of his Uncle Jack and Aunt Elizabeth (Lizzie) Gray. Uncle Jack and Aunt Lizzie played a vital role in the life of Rose Hester Gray by helping her raise five active boys and one girl. According to one of Ms. Rose’s five sons, Dr. Harold Tucker, their Uncle Jack was a self-made mechanic who played a significant role in inspiring the Tucker brothers to attend and graduate from Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi. He also reminded the family that their Aunt Lizzie was an excellent cook. Ralph Tucker said this about the gathering, “This is a good way to honor our ancestors and remind our youth to value family history.” Dr. Tucker stated that “The bedroom is named the Bias and Hester King room. They were my great uncle and aunt. The Kings graciously gave my mother and her children a place to live. They also emphasized the importance of reading to
JUNE 2019
my siblings and me. We called Hester King “Momma” because she was like a second mother to us. She read Psalms 23 to us every night before we went to bed. Reciting, the Lord’s Prayer was a family tradition. Uncle Bias and Aunt Hester left their land to my mother.” Black families, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, and cousins have a long history of helping their relatives. The Rose Hester Gray House will be used as a family home when they visit their hometown. Some of the many highlights of the for the weekend were the dedication of the newly constructed house as The Rose Hester Gray House, the House Church service, and the generational prayers and blessings extended to all family members. Dr. Tucker prayed for and blessed his generation; Ralph prayed for and blessed the second generation; and Harold’s daughter Dawn Frazier read a poem, blessed and prayed for the third generation. During the House Church service, Beverly Pegues Tucker shared ideas from the Nine Mountains That Transform Societies: • • • • • • • • •
Arts, Entertainment and Sports Business/Economy Education Family Government Media Religion Safety Science and Technology
In any country or community, the most dominant leader over these domains set the cultural norms for the majority of society. According to Dr. Tucker, the time has come for a systemic change to address transformation in the lives of Black people. Grave site of Rose Hester Gray located at Sand Hill Cemetery in New Madrid, Missouri.
“This is a good
way to honor our ancestors and remind our youth to value family history.
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-Ralph Tucker
Dr. James Tucker www.AfricanAmericanVoice.net 1.719.528.1954
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Columnist Columnists: Columnists: Charlene Crowell
Charlene Crowell Charlene Crowell Kim Farmer Harry C. Alford Mr. Harry Harry C. Alford Alford& Ms. DeBow Jamil Shabazz
Th TheeAfrican AfricanAmerican AmericanVoice Voiceisispublished published monthly by Th e African monthly by The AfricanAmerican American Voice VoiceNewspaper, Newspaper,Inc. Inc.Th Theecontents contentsofof this thispublication publicationare arecopyrighted copyrightedby byTh Thee African American Voice Newspaper, African American Voice Newspaper,Inc. Inc. Reproductions Reproductionsor oruse useofofcontent contentin inany anymanner manner isisprohibited prohibitedwithout withoutprior priorwritten writtenconsent. consent.
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www.africanamericanvoice.net www.africanamericanvoice.net The TheBlack BlackPress PressCreed Creed
The The Black Black Press Press believes believes that that America America can canbest bestlead leadthe theworld worldaway awayfrom fromracial racial and andnational nationalantagonism antagonismwhen whenititaffords affords toto all all people people –– regardless regardless ofof race, race, color color or orcreed creed––their theirhuman humanand andlegal legalrights. rights. Hating Hatingno noperson personand andfearing fearingno noperson, person, the the Black Black Press Press strives strives toto help help every every person personin inthe thefirm firmbelief beliefthat thatall allare arehurt hurt as aslong longas asanyone anyoneisisheld heldback. back.
HEALTH
RESET AND RECLAIM YOUR HEALTH GOALS THIS MONTH
Can you raise your hand if you promised yourself that you would eat healthier and exercise at the beginning of the year and fell off the wagon? Well you are not alone. This is true for many people, and by the time June comes around, we have forgotten what we said. We all have something about our bodies that we want to improve and while we might slip up every now and then, the good news is that we can start again…and again. It’s never too late to start over and reclaim your goals; you just need to make the decision to do it…every single day. Staying motivated to achieve your goals to eat well and exercise is not an easy task. There will always seemingly be something more important you want to do besides exercise, and there’s always something salty or sweet that your taste buds crave. There is never a perfect time to get back on track, since you will probably always be busy and as we all know, time seems to speed up as we age. Motivation levels tend to come and go and as a result, we need to make a decision every day to stay on track with our goals. Read the tips below to stay motivated this month:: Set small, attainable goals that will support a larger goal. For example – I will consume one more serving of a fruit or vegetable every day this week. In a few weeks you will have reached the goal of eating the recommended amount of 5-servings in one day. Keep in mind that you are not perfect and there will be days where you have a setback, but reset and reclaim the goal. Another example: Drink one more glass of water each day to reach a goal of eight per day. Keep an exercise and food journal. Doing this is extremely useful and helpful to track how much you are eating since it is easy to forget small bites that we take here and there throughout the day. Those small bites tend to add up to big calories so it’s a good idea to keep track. You can try a hand-written journal or go digital and track your food and fitness from your computer or your smartphone. You can call it “My Diet and Fitness Diary for June” and it will support you to stay motivated this month. Try to eat something every two to three hours to keep your metabolism up and also to make sure you don’t get too hungry and make bad food choices you will regret later. Don’t allow set-backs to keep you from working hard toward achieving your goal. Remember that there is always another day coming tomorrow so you can start again. Stay motivated and keep your goals in writing to refer to if you get off track. Get help from an accountability partner or a personal trainer to help you with your goals.. Contributor: Kim Farmer of Mile High Fitness & Wellness. Mile High Fitness & Wellness offers in-home personal training and corporate wellness solutions. Visit www.milehighfitness.com/personal training or email inquiries@milehighfitness.com
In Home Personal Training & Nutrition Coaching Starting at $30 www.milehighfitness.com
Health information provided by Mile High Fitness & Wellness
Kim Farmer
Kim Farmer is the president of Mile High Fitness & Wellness. Mile High Fitness & Wellness offers in home personal training, wellness challenges, onsite corporate fitness classes and seminars including cooking demos.
President
Stay in the KNOW! Join our Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/milehighfitness for special offers and timely fitness and nutrition tips! Mile High Fitness & Wellness was founded by Kim Farmer whose primary mission is to bring fitness and nutrition to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Mile High Fitness & Wellness is the proud provider of many municipalities, private companies, school districts, non-profits and other groups located in and outside of Colorado. She has partnered with many practitioners to travel to various locations to provide high quality, professional personal training and nutrition programs, corporate wellness initiatives, assessments, workshops, speeches and more.
Sign up at www.milehighfitness.com to schedule a consultation for in home/at work fitness and nutrition support.
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About African American Voice Newspaper The African American Voice is the brainchild of publisher and owner James Tucker. In 1991, he conceived the idea while serving in Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq during the Gulf War. James’ goals then, as now, were to awaken the larger community to the needs and untapped potential of African Americans worldwide. The Voice brings broad awareness of the diverse mix of local, regional, national and international issues impacting the Black community. The Voice is committed to promoting and preserving African American history. In June 2016, the African American Voice celebrated its 25th Anniversary, printing its last hard copy. In so doing, became the longest-running Black monthly newspaper published in Southern Colorado and the largest Black monthly newspaper serving Colorado Springs Metro, Denver Metro and Pueblo. The Voice is the brainchild of publisher and owner James Tucker, who conceived the idea while serving in Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq during the Gulf War. James’ goals then, as now, were to awaken the larger community to the needs and untapped potential of African Americans living in Colorado, while at the same time, bringing to the state broad awareness of the diverse mix of local, regional, national and international issues that have, and will continue to have, an impact upon the Black community. In addition, The Voice is committed to promoting and preserving United States history. With a primary investment of his own time and money, assistance from the former veteran-owned Hispania newspaper, Bob Armendariz, and a few advertisers, contributing writers and editors, James has not only managed to keep the paper alive, but also nurtured its steady growth. With the rise of right-wing intolerance, however, publishing has become a challenge. The racial climate for Blacks has become hostile and more unfavorable in the United States. The proof of this is in the killings. Focusing on issues the mainstream media will not cover, the African American Voice is determined to keep the community informed on issues that matter to them.
Tucker protested in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri in 2014
Meet The Publisher
The paper is published online today with the continued efforts of Tucker, independent contractors, and volunteers.
Tucker has received several honorary degrees. In 2007, Tucker received an Honorary Doctor of Management Degree from Colorado Technical University. Years later, in 2011, during a trip to Africa, he received the Honorary Degree of the Lamidat of Garoua, Cameroon, while tracing his ancestral roots. In 2013, Dr.
Malcolm Newton and the Denver Institute of Urban Studies and Adult College presented Dr. James Tucker his second honorary Doctorate, a Doctor of Philosophy. Tucker recently published Our Story: Looking Back: Moving Forward which is his legacy chronicling his life in Colorado and highlighting active involvement of Blacks within the political, social and economic development of Colorado. The book is rich in cultural attractions and includes a resource of Black Banks throughout the United States. James Tucker is a Christian, husband, father of a son with autism, educator, publisher, strategist, activist and war veteran. Dr.James Tucker, www.AfricanAmericanVoice.net 1.719.528.1954
James Tucker was born in New Madrid, Missouri, on May 6, 1951. Tucker began his crusade for justice and equality while earning an undergraduate degree in History and Political Science from Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the Army and served three years on active duty at Fort Carson, Colorado. He also served 17 years in the Colorado Army National Guard. In 1985, Tucker received a master’s degree in Counseling and Student Development from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama. In 1991, Tucker served during the Gulf War as a legal specialist with the 217th Medical Battalion. While serving in Iraq, Tucker started the African American Voice Newspaper, Inc., as a hobby and published the first edition in June 1991. The paper is published online today with the continued efforts of Tucker, an independent contractor, and volunteers. In 1996, Tucker retired from the Colorado Army National Guard. He is a decorated war veteran who received a Bronze Star. He taught social studies at Harrison High School for 24 years, retiring in 2001.
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URBAN SPECTRUM
Our 400 Year Sojourn: THE LASTING INJUSTICE OF JIM CROW PART 3 OF 5
By Jamil Shabazz
Welcome to part three of the five part Denver Urban Spectrum series: “Our 400 Year American Sojourn” A Chronicle of Pain, Suffering, Struggle, Resistance and Ultimate Triumph. In parts one and two, Alfonzo Porter and Ruby Jones scribed magnificently about 1619-Emancipation and Reconstruction, respectively. Ushering in the next chronicle of our history is the Jim Crow era. An era best defined by pain, suffering and struggle. The “separate but equal” narrative that is synonymous with the Jim Crow era of American history is only part of the story. The Jim Crow era and the racial segregation that underpinned it was not just designed to make African Americans feel inferior but the objective of was to legally strip away our humanity in every quantifiable way imaginable. Jim Crow was a racial caste system, which operated primarily in the southern United States between 1877 and the mid1960s. It represented the legalization of Black oppression. In the south Jim Crow laws were a continuation of what was once known as the “Black Codes.” The codes were post-Civil War laws designed with the intent to restrict the rights, freedom and economic independence of AfricanAmericans. The term “Jim Crow” derived from pathetic minstrel show performer Thomas D. Rice and his character “Jim Crow” which he performed routinely across the south in a popular song-and-dance act called “Jump Jim Crow.” Rice would don blackface and gavotte about like a buffoon to the delight of White audiences in the United States as well as overseas. Because of his performances, Rice obtained a significant amount of popularity domestically, especially in the south where his comedic pejorative, “Jim Crow” went from being tongue and cheek to the law of the land.
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before the law,” such equality extended only so far as political and civil rights (e.g., voting and serving on juries), not “social rights” (e.g., sitting in a railway car one chooses). The Plessy v. Ferguson verdict enshrined the doctrine of “separate but equal” as a constitutional justification for segregation, ensuring the survival of the Jim Crow south for the next half-century.
Plessy v. Ferguson In 1890, the state of Louisiana passed the “Separate Car Act,” which required separate accommodations for Blacks and Whites on railroads, including separate railway cars Homer Plessy, the plaintiff in the case, was seven-eighths White and oneeighthBlack, and had the appearance of a White man. On June 7, 1892, he purchased a first-class ticket for a trip between New Orleans and Covington, La., Plessy took possession of a vacant seat in a White-only car. He was arrested and imprisoned; Plessy was brought to trial in a New Orleans court and convicted of violating the 1890 law. He then filed a petition against the judge in that trial, John H. Ferguson, at the Louisiana Supreme Court, arguing that the segregation law violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which forbids states from denying “to any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws,” as well as the Thirteenth Amendment, which banned slavery. The court ruled that, while the object of the Fourteenth Amendment was to create “absolute equality of the two races before
Convict leasing The lasting vestiges of the Jim Crow era included numerous images of wellkept segregated restaurants, hospitals, and schools with “Whites Only” signs plastered everywhere. These photographs were often juxtaposed against “Colored Only” signs that hung above pictures of by comparison and were little more than spigots and shacks. While viewing the images is painful in and of itself, rarely do we ask how those structures came to be. Like most things in America, they were built on the backs of African Americans. It is a well-known but seldom discussedfact that Black people rebuilt the postwar south through convict leasing. Convict leasing was a system that
Convict leasing was a system that allowed private companies to lease felony prisoners from the state for a fee. “Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War” by author Douglas A. Blackmon describes the practice: “It was a form of bondage distinctly different from that of the antebellum South in that for most men, and the relatively few women drawn in, this slavery did not last a lifetime and did not automatically extend from one generation to the next. But it was nonetheless slavery – a system in which armies of free men, guilty of no crimes and entitled by law to freedom, were compelled to labor without compensation, were repeatedly bought and sold, and were forced to do the bidding ofWhite masters through the regular application of extraordinary physical coercion.” Between 1866 and 1928, every Southern state in America practiced convict leasing. A minor or fabricated charge could cost an individual life in prison. Approximately 90 percent of all leased prisoners were black men; three percent were black women. They built railroads, cut sugarcane, made bricks and mined coal. Convict leasing had an extremely clear financial incentive. Author and professor Talitha LeFlouriaestimates that on a national level, states that did not utilize the convict lease See URBAN SPECTRUM, page 6
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Beyond the rhetoric
By Mr. Alford & Ms. DeBow We now continue from where we left off last week. We had just discovered Harry’s grandfather and great grandfather were recipients of a land grant (360 acres for two grants) located in Bellevue, Louisiana. It was shocking and we could find no one in the family who knew about this. All they knew was that Grandpa left us 40 acres – not the 160 acres that he received from the Homestead Act grant. Great grandpa, Cicero, had land, 160 acres from a Homestead Act grant, at the time of his death but that got steered away from our family. In fact, if we had not found this out through our research, no one would have known the difference. These Homestead Act land grants were issued in 160 acre “chunks”. Smart people would make applications in succession tying 160 acres to a previous awarded grant and do that repeatedly. That’s how many of the newly arrived immigrants from Europe would arrive in America and journey out West or down South and soon became great farmers owning square miles of land to farm on and become wealthy. Black recipients (freed slaves and their descendants) were not going to be allowed that opportunity. There were a few exceptions, but they were far and in between. Our curiosity took us to the Bossier Parrish (Louisiana) courthouse which kept all land records. These southern courthouses could tell the true story about land transactions. You could dig up some dirt or trickery about land ownership. That’s why so many of the small courthouses would become totally damaged through mysterious fires. One of the most notorious cases was the fire of 1890 in the Bureau of Archives where so many census records
were destroyed. These fires just did not “happen” on their own. It was easy to track grandfather Tom Alford’s land grant. Almost immediately, (like a few months) after he was awarded his 160 acres, he began to sell portions of it. 20 acres, 25 acres or so at a time. Before long he was left with just 40 acres. It was more than coincidental that the person who helped our grandfather with the
Homestead Act was for freed slaves and newly arrived immigrants or settlers. That became a “borrowed event” for the Black applicants. Like our forefathers in this case, they were completely illiterate and at the “mercy” of third-party participants like Old Man Roos. Tracking the land awarded to great grandfather Cicero Alford was more mysterious. This is how it was verbally
Homestead Act application was a realtor named Mr. Roos. We went to the curator and sought her advice on this guy. She claimed, “Old man Roos is everywhere in these transactions. He was a rare Jew in this part of the country and did not make too many friends. As we continued our search, it became clear that Mr. Roos was making a career of helping freed slaves get Homestead Act land grants and start immediately selling parcels of that awarded land to white people. It was kind of a pass through. The outreach that was intended through this
told to us. Cicero Alford was born in Noonan, Georgia on the Alford plantation. Plantation owner, James Alford, moved his plantation to Alabama just across the Georgia state line. Soon after he moved to Bossier Parrish, Louisiana. As he aged and as it is rumored, he decided to protect a portion of his biological grandchildren which were results of his affair with his slave female, Paulina. He “married” Paulina to Cicero. Soon after Cicero was awarded that 160 acres homestead grant. We guess it became quite clear that any inheritance was going to Paulina’s children
only. It appears that his land was destined for Paulina’s children (mulattos) she gave to him. Harry’s father once told him that this was common in the Jim Crow South. Exposing such a scheme would surely cost someone their life. What is so curious is that Paulina’s grave lies in our family plot. It is kind of isolated from the rest of our deceased relatives. None of her children are buried there. Did they pass over for whites? Where are they? We found the formal will of James Alford at the courthouse. There is no mention of his children from Paulina. There is a very successful lumber company in Bossier Parrish. Harry sometimes plays with the idea of matching his DNA with the owners of Alford Lumber Co. who are white. Are they cousins? Who knows? The fact is that many descendants of slaves participated in this Homestead Act of 1862. It appears that the enormous amount of land transferred to Black ownership did not prosper or flourish amongst the generations thereafter like those of white recipients. Next week, let’s wrap this up with examples at how they piece by piece brought that newly won land into white ownership. The benefits were mostly short lived.
Mr. Alford is the Co-Founder, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce ®. Ms. DeBow is the Co-Founder, Executive Vice President of the NBCC. Website: www.nationalbcc.org Emails: halford@nationalbcc.org kdebow@nationalbcc.org
Mission Statement The National Black Chamber of Commerce® is dedicated to economically empowering and sustaining African American communities through entrepreneurship and capitalistic activity within the United States and via interaction with the Black Diaspora.
Organization Profile The National Black Chamber of Commerce® was incorporated in Washington, DC in March 1993. The NBCC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian organization dedicated to the economic empowerment of African American communities. 140 affiliated chapters are locally based throughout the nation as well as international affiliate chapters based in Bahamas, Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, France, Botswana, Cameroon and Jamaica and businesses as well as individuals who may have chosen to be direct members with the national office. In essence, the NBCC is a 501(c)3 corporation that is on the leading edge of educating and training Black communities on the need to participate vigorously in this great capitalistic society known as America. The NBCC reaches 100,000 Black owned businesses. There are 2.6 million Black owned businesses in the United States. Black businesses account for over $138 billion in revenue each year according to the US Bureau of Census. The National Black Chamber of Commerce® is dedicated to economically empowering and sustaining African American communities through entrepreneurship and capitalistic activity within the United States.
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4400 Jenifer St. NW Suite 331, Washington, DC 20015 Phone: 202-466-6888 | fax: 202-466-4918 Info@nationalbcc.org | www.nationalbcc.org
“The fool speaks, the wise man listens.” ~Ethiopian proverb
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Continued from URBAN SPECTRUM page 4
system earned only 32 percent of their overall expenses, while those that did exploit convict labor earned 267 percent. The African American convicts often suffered indignities that were not much different from slaves. They were beaten, raped and literally worked to death. Oftentimes once the “prisoner” died, they were buried in a shadow grave, disregarded like the piece of property the state considered them to be. As of 2018, they are still finding bodies of leased (enslaved) convicts, like the Sugar Land 95. In February 2018, the Fort Bend Independent School District was ramping up construction of a career and technical education center in Sugar Land, TX.
While doing backhoe work, a construction worker unearthed what appeared to be human remains. During the next few months, the remains of 95 people were exhumed. An examination of the remains determined they were more likely Black convict leasing victims because the site was also once a Plantation as well. Unfortunately, the story of the Sugar Land 95 is not an outlier. The southern United Statesare filed with unmarried graves, populated with the remains of what were once beautiful, Black people. Writing this section of the piece made my heart and eyes weep with deep sorrow because if history has taught us anything, it is that society views Black people as nameless, faceless and disposable. The only thing those so-called convicts were guilty of, was being Black in America – which ultimately cost them their lives.
urban spectrum A race riot erupted, one of the most violent and destructive in American history. The entire community was burned to the ground in two days’ time. An estimated 300 African Americans lost their lives in the riots and about another 10,000 were left homeless, and property damage amounted to more than $1.5 million in real estate and $750,000 in personal property ($32 million in 2019).
Two years later in 1923, the same thing happened in Rosewood, Florida. The events of the tragedy that occurred in Rosewood were made into a 1997 feature film by John Singleton. Rosewood, just like Tulsa was a thriving, self-sufficient, African-American community until the first week of January 1923, a “dispute” led to a race riot and the town of Rosewood was burned to the ground. An estimated 100-150 Black people lost their lives and homes, the ones who did survive sought refuge in other nearby cities.
“Black Wall Street” & “Rosewood” One of the hallmarks ofJim Crow era was the physical oppression of White people viewed it as their God given duty to keep “Blacks in their place” using violent action. The physical oppression was part of a multi-pronged attack to ensure socioeconomic suppression amongst the African American community. In a capitalist society economic independence, especially by a minority group represents a threat to those in power. During the Jim Crow era, White people were willing to scorch the nation to keep Blacks from economic independence.
Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District was once dubbed the “Black Wall Street” in the early1900’s. The centerpiece of that district was Greenwood Avenue, a 35-square block district lined with hotels, restaurants, barbershops, and early 200 businesses total – all Black owned and operated, and financially independent from White society. That changed dramatically during Memorial Day weekend in 1921.
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rocked mainstream America, rich White people had the audacity to use their resources to bribe, lie and cheat their offspring into prestigious universities. What the mainstream media neglected to report is how Black kids have been deprived since the Jim Crow era from equal academic opportunities, because of Redlining. Established in NewYork during the1930’s, redlining was (is) a discriminatory pattern of disinvestment and obstructive lending practices that act as an impediment to home ownership in certain neighborhoods, often neighborhoods populated by African Americans and other minorities. The term came from the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC). Property appraisers would draw a red line on a map around less than ideal neighborhoods, a warning that the area should be avoided. Banks used the concept to deny loans to homeowners and would-be homeowners who lived in these neighborhoods. Thisin turn resulted in neighborhood economic decline and the withholding of maintenance and upkeep services. Since the federal government sponsored HOLC, the damaging impact of Redlining was felt across the United States. The decimating effects of which, continue to undermine the development of the Black communities from both a housing and educational perspective. Since the funding of public schools is tied in part to local property taxes, homes in Redlined communities are at an instant disadvantage because they are undervalued. A recent study by the Brookings Institute shows that homes in Black neighborhoods
are, on average, have values 25 percent lower than homes in White neighborhoods, even if the homes have similar characteristics and the neighborhoods have similar amenities, crime ratesand resources. Furthermore, a 2019 study byEdbuild, a nonprofit organization that focuses on fairness in the funding of public schools, documented that public schools serving minority students receive $23 billion less in funding than schools that serve students a majority of White students. The study also highlighted the fact that the average minority school district receives $2,226 less per student than a White school district. Even though Redlining was banned five decades ago, the punitive effects of the practice still disproportionately affect African Americans and our youth. This piece has been difficult to write for a variety of reasons. I could write from now until the moment I draw my final breath and never completely articulate the breadth and damage done to the African American community from Jim Crow laws. The era was a multiphase physical and socio-economic attack; from housing to education to economic independence. Jim Crow laws sought to dehumanize, disenfranchise and immobilize Black people in America. But it didn’t work, undeterred by obstacles, and through pain unparalleled the African Americans of that era soldiered on, coping and adapting to survive. Whether it be 1619 or 2019 every era of our sojourn is threaded together by our collective resilience. Jamil Shabazz, Reprint Urban Spectrum
The Denver Urban Spectrum is a monthly publication in Denver, Colorado and has been spreading the news about people of color since 1987. For more information or interest in advertising your product, service or business with Denver Urban Spectrum, please email advertising@urbanspectrum.net.
While too broad to explore here, there was also the Red Summer of 1919 where several race riots erupted in Chicago and Washington DC destroying several prominent, thriving African-American communities in the process. Jim Crow lives on “Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority.” —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There is an inherent power system built into racism and segregation. Jim Crow laws codified and made institutionalized racism and discrimination acceptable. While Jim Crow laws have been repealed, the tentacles from the oppressive system that was Jim Crow, still has its hooks deep into many elements of the African American experience. Recently a college admissions scandal
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commentary Nation’s racial wealth divide worsens with federal tax cuts: Black families have a dime for every dollar held by Whites By Charlene Crowell
If you’re like me, every time you hear a news reporter or anchor talk about how great the nation’s economy is, you wonder what world they are living in. Certainly these journalists are not referring to the ongoing struggle to make ends meet that so much of Black America faces. For every daily report of Wall Street trading, or rising corporate profits, you’re reminded that somebody else is doing just fine financially. To put it another way, ‘Will I ever get past my payday being an exchange day… when I can finally have the chance to keep a portion of what I earn in my own name and see how much it can grow?’ When new research speaks to those who are forgotten on most nightly news shows, I feel obliged to share that news – especially when conclusions find systemic faults suppress our collective ability to strengthen assets enough to make that key transition from paying bills to building wealth. Ten Solutions to Close the Racial
Wealth Divide is jointly authored by the Institute for Policy Studies, Ohio State University’s Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, and the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. This insightful and scholarly work opens with updates on the nation’s nagging and widening racial wealth divide. It then characterizes solutions offered as one of three approaches: programs, power, and process. According to the authors, programs refer to new government programs that could have a major impact on improving the financial prospects of low-wealth families. Power refers to changes to the federal tax code that could bring a much-needed balance to the tax burden now borne by
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refers to changes to the government operates in regard to race and wealth. “For far too long we have tolerated the injustice of a violent, extractive and racially exploitive history that generated a wealth divide where the typical black family has only a dime for every dollar held by a typical white family,” said Darrick Hamilton, report co-author and executive director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at The Ohio State University. From 1983-2016, the median Black family saw their wealth drop by more than half after adjusting for inflation, compared to a 33 percent increase for the median White households. Keep in mind that these years include the Great Recession that stole nearly $1 trillion of wealth from Black and Latinx families, largely via unnecessary foreclosures and lost property values for those who managed to hold on to their homes. Fast forward to 2018, and the report
would directly contribute to increasing the racial wealth divide, this was the impact, intended or otherwise.” With the majority of today’s Black households renting instead of owning their homes, escalating rental prices diminish if not remove the ability for many consumers of color to save for a home down payment. As reported by CBS News, earlier this year, the national average monthly cost of fair market rent in 2018 was $1,405. Recent research by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition on housing affordability found that more than 8 million Americans spend half or more of their incomes on housing, including over 30 percent of Blacks, and 28 percent of Hispanics Homeownership, according to the Center for Responsible Lending, remains a solid building block to gain family wealth. But with an increasing number of households paying more than a third of their income for rent, the ability to save for a home down payment is seriously weakened. CRL’s proposed remedy in March 27 testimony to the Senate Banking Committee is to strengthen affordable housing in both homeownership and rentals. To increase greater access to mortgages, CRL further advocates low-down payment loans. “The nation’s housing finance system must ensure access to safe and affordable mortgage loans for all creditworthy borrowers, including low-to-moderate
middle and low-income workers. Process shares the fact that the median white family had 41 times more wealth than the median Black family, and 22 times more wealth than the median Latinx family. Instead of the $147,000 that median white families owned last year, Black households had $3,600. When Congress passed tax cut legislation in December 2017, an already skewed racial wealth profile became worse. “White households in the top one percent of earners received $143 a day from the tax cuts while middle-class households (earning between $40,000 and $110,000) received just $2.75 a day,” states the report. “While the media coverage of the tax package and the public statements of the bill’s backers did not explicitly state that it
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income families and communities of color,” noted Nikitra Bailey, a CRL EVP. “The lower down payment programs available through FHA and VA, provide an entry into homeownership and wealthbuilding for many average Americans.” “Government-backed loans cannot be the only sources of credit for lowwealth families; they deserve access to cheaper conventional mortgages,” added Bailey. “Year after year, the annual Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data reveals how consumers of color, including upperincome Black and Latinx households are disproportionately dependent on mortgages that come with higher costs. Our nation’s fair lending and housing finance laws require that the private mortgage market provide access for low-wealth families. We need additional resources for rental housing to address the affordability crisis that many working families face.” There’s really no point in continuing to do the same thing while expecting a different result. When the status quo just isn’t working, change must be given a chance. Charlene Crowell is the Center for Responsible Lending’s Communications Deputy Director. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.
Phone: 202-466-6888 | fax: 202-466-4918 Info@nationalbcc.org www.nationalbcc.org
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The Juneteenth Flag is a symbol that gives all Americans the opportunity to recognize American freedom and African American History. The juneteenth Flag represents a star of texas bursting with new freedom throughout the land, over a new horizon. The Juneteenth Flag represents a new freedom, a new people, and a new star. The Juneteenth Flag was created with American red, white and blue colors.
Order your Juneteenth Flag by calling 1.662.299.7734 Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America. Its name is a portmanteau of “June” and “nineteenth”, the date of its celebration. Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states. Today it is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, and reading of works by noted AfricanAmerican writers such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou. Celebrations may include rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth contests. The Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles, of Coahuila, Mexico also celebrate Juneteenth. During the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on
September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1, 1863. It declared that all enslaved persons in the Confederate States of America in rebellion and not in Union hands were to be freed. This excluded the five states known later as border states, which were the four “slave states” not in rebellion – Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and Missouri – and those counties of Virginia soon to form the state of West Virginia, and also the three zones under Union occupation: the state of Tennessee, lower Louisiana, and Southeast Virginia. More isolated geographically, Texas was not a battleground, and thus the people held there as slaves were not affected by the Emancipation Proclamation unless they escaped. Planters and other slaveholders had migrated into Texas from eastern states to escape the fighting, and many brought enslaved people with them, increasing by the thousands the enslaved population in the state at the end of the Civil War. Although most enslaved people lived in rural areas, more than 1000 resided in both Galveston and Houston by 1860, with several hundred in other large towns. By 1865, there were an estimated 250,000 enslaved people in Texas.The older, and Hispanic, town of San Antonio
“A wise person will always find a way.” ~ Ta n z a n i a n p r o v e r b
JUNE 2019
had 168 among a population of 3,436. The news of General Robert E. Lee’s surrender on April 9 reached Texas later in the month. The Army of the TransMississippi did not surrender until June 2. On June 18, Union Army General Gordon Granger arrived at Galveston Island with 2,000 federal troops to occupy Texas on behalf of the federal government. The following day, standing on the balcony of Galveston’s Ashton Villa, Granger read aloud the contents of “General Order No. 3”, announcing the total emancipation of those held as slaves: The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere. Formerly enslaved people in Galveston rejoiced in the streets after the announcement, although in the years afterward many struggled to work through the changes against resistance of whites. The following year, freedmen organized the first of what became the annual celebration of Juneteenth in Texas. In some cities African-Americans were barred from using public parks because of state-sponsored segregation of facilities. Across parts of Texas, freed people pooled their funds to purchase land to hold their celebrations, such as Houston’s Emancipation Park, Mexia’s Booker T. Washington Park, and Emancipation Park in Austin. Although the date is sometimes referred to as the “traditional end of slavery in Texas” it was given legal status in a series of Texas Supreme Court decisions between 1868 and 1874. In the early 20th century, economic and political forces led to a decline in Juneteenth celebrations. From 1890 to 1908, Texas and all former Confederate states passed new constitutions or amendments that effectively disenfranchised black people, excluding them from the political process. Whitedominated state legislatures passed Jim Crow laws imposing second-class status. The Great Depression forced many black people off farms and into the cities to find work. In these urban environments, African Americans had difficulty taking the day off to celebrate. The Second Great Migration began during World War II, when many black people migrated to
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the West Coast where skilled jobs in the defense industry were opening up. From 1940 through 1970, in the second wave of the Great Migration, more than 5 million black people left Texas, Louisiana and other parts of the South for the North and West Coast. As historian Isabel Wilkerson writes, “The people from Texas took Juneteenth Day to Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, and other places they went.” By the 1950s and 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement focused the attention of African-American youth on the struggle for racial equality and the future, but many linked these struggles to the historical struggles of their ancestors. Following the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign to Washington, DC called by Rev. Ralph Abernathy, many attendees returned home and initiated Juneteenth celebrations in areas where the day was not previously celebrated. Since the 1980s and 1990s, the holiday has been more widely celebrated among African-American communities. In 1994 a group of community leaders gathered at Christian Unity Baptist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana to work for greater national celebration of Juneteenth.Expatriates have celebrated it in cities abroad, such as Paris. Some US military bases in other countries sponsor celebrations, in addition to those of private groups. Although the holiday is still mostly unknown outside African-American communities, it has gained mainstream awareness through depictions in entertainment media, such as episodes of TV series Atlanta (2016) and Blackish (2017), the latter of which featured musical numbers about the holiday by Aloe Blacc, The Roots, and Fonzworth Bentley. In 1980, Texas was the first state to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday under legislation introduced by freshman Democratic state representative Al Edwards. Juneteenth is a “partial staffing” holiday in Texas; government offices do not close but agencies may operate with reduced staff, and employees may either celebrate this holiday or substitute it with one of four “optional holidays” recognized by Texas. By 2008, nearly half of US states observed the holiday as a ceremonial observance. To date, 46 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia have recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday or a day of observance. Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota are the only states that refuse to show respect for the free labor and horrific treatment of our ancestors. The free labor of our ancestors paved the way for the United States of America to be one of the wealthiest countries in the world.
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SPECIAL EDITION
St. Louis city and St. Louis County Boycott For Economic and Social Justice
The St. Louis County and St. Louis City Boycott consist of grassroots organizations dedicated to exposing the injustice and unfair treatment of African Americans. Missouri is ground zero for the modern day civil rights movement.
Remember, Missouri was a slave state.
Arab Businesses
*Study the history of slavery and SLU
St. Louis Galleria in Richmond Heights
“We have tried everything else, now it’s time for an economic boycott,” organizer Rev. Dinah Tatman said in a statement. “Since we are a nation where all men are upposed to be created equal, it’s time to redistribute the pain.”
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President, veteran human rights activist and leader of the Universal People Organization “We support the boycott.” -Zaki Baruti
We ask conscious people to support the boycott! www.africanamericanvoice.net
JUNE 2019
SPECIAL EDITION
Dr. Wanda Tisby-Cousar Receives Dual Citizenship during The Homecoming of Sierra Leoneans
In our province, Bo Kakua Chiefdom
Receiving passport from his Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio, retired Bridgadier General
By Dr. Wanda Tisby-Cousar
It was an awakening for Dr. Cousar, a resident of Black Forest, Colorado who thought she came from Camden, New Jersey until taking an African Ancestry DNA test in 2006. This was to prepare to receive a Teaching Excellence Award at a Juneteenth ceremony sponsored by the African American Voice newspaper. The results in June 2006 revealed that she was Mende, Limba, Mandinka. The Mende tribe is the largest and Limba tribe is the oldest in Sierra Leone, while the Mandinka tribe is in Senegal, West Africa. This test has been life changing, resulting in doctorate study on the leadership model of the Sande Society in 2009-2013, and an invitation to celebrate 58 years of Independence during a Homecoming of Mende tribe descendants, April 23-30, 2019. It has been 400 years of resilience since slavery, 1619-2019, celebrated in major cities and Africa. After Dr. Cousar connected with the Chavonna Frazier’s Mende homecoming group in the African Ancestry Community online, she was emailed the itinerary and cost from Manstravel, Eugenia Chinsman, owner and Mende in Connecticut, USA. She had conducted tours to other West African states over 20 years, this would be the first time to Sierra Leone. Planning for the trip was intensive and included: • Verifying ancestry by sending the authentication certificate from African Ancestry to Manstravel agency • Getting a Visa from the Sierra Leone Embassy, Washington, D.C. • Sending measurements and day of the week born for a traditional outfit made to a tailor in Freetown, Sierra Leone • Getting the most cost effective and available Yellow Fever shot from the El Paso County health department and Malaria pills by prescription • Purchasing a backpack and filling it with school supplies • Collecting money and purchasing a gift for two Paramount Chiefs, one Muslim and one Christian who conducted the renaming ceremony • Learning business etiquette on tipping tour guide and the drivers • Learning currency exchange rates • Completing a request 3 days prior to leaving for the trip, an application for a dual citizenship passport with required authentication certificate and passport photo • Understanding intercultural difference
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I sometimes grumbled like many westerners, but was compliant in doing everything requested especially since the elders requested that we have outfits made. Yet, once I arrived at the Lungi Airport, in Freetown, Sierra Leone and received a grand welcome back home from the Grace MacCaully show (Mende female owned business), the Ministry of Tourism, and an International Dance Ensemble, I was overwhelmed with pride and emotion. The eight of us who made the trip were now celebrities and family. We learned Kushe’ “Welcome” from all who greeted us and how to respond in the language of Krio “Kushe’ O”. The language Krio evolved from the return of freed Africans to Freetown, Sierra Leone who learned English while in captivity. We boarded a Sea Coach in Freetown to get to our hotel and our first reception, joined by the ensemble singing Mende songs along the way. My thought was when my ancestors left Sierra Leone in slave ships, that the dehumanizing treatment of the Spaniard ship crew was nothing like I was experiencing returning home as a free woman. This was unlike my ancestors of the historic Amistad slave revolt led by Mende Singbe Pieh. At least, it did not appear this way in the film “The Amistad”, means “friendship” in Spanish which I found interesting. It was during the homecoming that a bridge was dedicated to my ancestor and the factual details were shared at the Heritage Cultural Center where a reception was held for us in Freetown. It was in Freetown I was asked to speak due to my achievement as a Professor and was acknowledged as the elder of our group to lead the libation ceremony under the 400-year old cotton tree the next day. This tree was symbolic of where the freed slaves returned to for prayer when they came back home. I also spread some of my late daughter Imani’s ashes under the tree and in the Rokel river on Bunce Island since she too is now an ancestor.
Photo with Dr. Wanda Tisby-Cousar and Minister of Tourism
We learned during our visit to Bunce Island that it was where British soldiers held slaves to exercise, break them to submit to slavery and feed them, until they went through the door of no return to ships taking them to the United States to be sold on auction blocks from slave ports. This was often never to see their family again in most cases. I thought of industries that make demands on the leadership that have exercise rooms, water coolers, dining areas and etc. never to grant a vacation or work life balance to see their families. Bunce Island had comparable historic exercise areas, like this including a separate well for slaves to drink water from that sick or resistant slaves were also thrown into to die. There were also graves of 10 Mende who infiltrated the British military as spies to come rescue Mende slaves when they learned of the dehumanizing treatment. They were poisoned when someone reported them as spies. Which is why the homecoming meant so much to me to get this information that has separated us from our African brothers and sisters due to anger over slavery thinking that they perpetuated it. We did not get the entire story and facts. There were four ways Mende became slaves: • Volunteered • Paying back family debt • Traded for guns • Captured
explained by Paramount Chief Fatoma who claimed me as part of the Kpayacoh “k is silent” family lineage and introduced me to my Paramount Chief son Ibrahim, Muslim who set aside land for me in Kalia village, only 8 miles from where the ceremony was held. It was in the Bo Kakua Chiefdom where my ancestors last lived before the slave trade. It was also emphasized that we believe in religious tolerance and gender equality by the 13 paramount Chiefs at the renaming ceremony. We are 60% Muslim and 40% Christian. genital mutilation for the past 7 years has been punishable by imprisonment since it is against the law! The practice was started by Leader Madam Yoko who lead armies as well with her brilliant strategies, and was conducted in initiation ceremonies. She started this to remain powerful over another woman in Parliament, who claimed that she knew the jungles better than Madam Yoko who wanted to continue to appease Queen Victoria. Yoko eventually committed suicide when she fell out of favor.
Homecoming group at the Immigration office being processed for dual citizenship.
A day before returning to the United States we were invited to the State House and handed our ECOWAS Dual Citizenship passports by his Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio, retired Brigadier General who spent time with us coaching that we are now Sierra Leoneans because we know where we come from and not just “Black” or “AfricanAmerican”. He said “What happened, happened, but we must get beyond it”. We promised that we would bring other Mende and other tribes living in Sierra Leone back home and contribute to our country’s economic development goals of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) comprised of 15 African countries. There is a documentary in progress of this Homecoming produced by the Grace MacCaully show in London England. I am a Mena Salone Pekin, I am a Mende child!
Bunce Island slave well
I was renamed MaBondo, while wearing a traditional white outfit and barefoot, which meant Leader of the female Bondo Society and used interchangeably with Sande Society, so I had researched and written about actually who I was, a Sowei, mojemehgoh (a big woman of importance). The Sande Leadership model was addressing sustainable organizational practices rooted in West African cultural leadership practices that were humane and consisted of 16 sustainable leadership attributes in my book Sande Leadership: Attributes of Sustainable Organizational Practices, http://sandeleadership.solutions. It was
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Mende descendents with the President Julius Maada Bio at the State House Dr. Wanda Tisby-Cousar Principal Economic Strategolutions, LLC sandeleadership.solutions
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