ANNOUNCING THE DECADE OF THE DIASPORA

On this Kwanzaa, the African Diasporan Community is embarking on one of our most ambitious endeavors since the Marcus Garvey Movement. The time is right for this audatious move, and the possibilities for its success have never been better. For those of you who have been reading my posts of late, I have called 2010 the ...Year of the African Renaissance. And now I join my friend and colleage, Dr. David Horne in calling on the Decade of the Diaspora. What irony also, that this occurs on the eve of the first day of Kwanzaa, 2010, which is Umoja (Unity) Day!!!!! I strongly urge all African Diasporan people to join ranks with the Pan African Diasporan Union, the United Front our Fire Prophet, Malcolm X, admonished us to forge. Now is the time!!!! MWK

From: daudipembe@aol.com
Subject: [PAOC-USA] Announcing the Decade of the Diaspora
To: paoc-usa@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, December 24, 2009, 6:15 AM


ANNOUNCING THE DECADE OF THE DIASPORA

By David L. Horne, Ph.D

After thousands of conferences, Ndabas, roundtable discussions, forums and meetings talking about the need to unify for positive action, action is now upon us. From January, 2010 to December, 2010, the DECADE OF THE DIASPORA has now been formally announced in OUR WEEKLY in California by the Sixth Region Diasporan Caucus/PADU. The unity and partnership of African descendant folks now has a specific time frame in which to focus the highest levels of its creativity, innovation, hard work and goal-directed energy to accomplish the United States of Africa, aka, Union of African States, in an all-out progressive assault.. Failure is not and will not be an option. Why that raison d’etre ?

African descendants have flailed away in individual pursuits towards the restoration of dignity, esteem and respect in over 70 countries for a long time. Although there have been notable successes--- the election of President Barack Obama, for example, or the release of Nelson Mandela, the ascendance of Barbados, and the creation of the Central American Black Organization, the continuing attempt to organize the European Diaspora under a common set of principles, among others---Black folks in general are still at the bottom of most measures of power, leverage and significance in the world. As Marcus Garvey and many others have said, until Africa is unified as a force to be reckoned with, Black folks wherever they are will remain disregarded and dispossessed. In order to be truly free, Africa must be operationally united. In order for Africans living in other parts of the world to be truly respected in affiliation with Africa’s transformation, the Diaspora must substantially help push this tremendous rock back up the hill. The Diaspora cannot share in the harvest without fully participating in the tillage and labor.

The DECADE OF THE DIASPORA is the time period in which African folk here, there and across the globe will rise to the challenge of bringing themselves back from obscurity, and within which the Diaspora will demonstrate clearly that it is indeed the 6th Region of Africa and the missing piece of the necessary puzzle to bring all the king’s horses and all the king’s men and women back together again.

During this period, the Diaspora will substantially unify itself internally, so that it can more effectively help continental Africa unify itself totally. That work has already begun in earnest and has begun to bear fruit. PADU, the Pan African Diaspora Union, is a partnership between the SRDC (Sixth Region Diasporan Caucus), WADU (World African Diaspora Union, through an MOU), the UNIA-ACL (Universal Negro Improvement Association- African Communities League), CABO (Central American Black Organization) , African Diaspora Union-Europe, and other such groups, and the list is growing. This coalition of equals brings together a formidable reference point for other Diasporan groups to come together, work together, and actually get significant things done. Wherever Black folks live, love, lay and lose, there are efforts, projects, ideas and events they can participate in, lead, coordinate, announce, and provide credibility to and for that will help achieve the goal of African unification. No one person or group can, will, nor should do it all. This is a collective effort of cumulative microsuccesses. Together it will all work to bring all Africa and Africans together.

The DECADE OF THE DIASPORA is for a better world, an improved set of opportunities to get it right. During this time, African descendant children should be re-acquainted with books, good reading and writing skills and other academic prowess. Barbados and others have already shown how to do that, and there are sporadic reference models of getting it right in other topical areas scattered all over the Diaspora. Those in the Diaspora with insight, vision and heart must bring those models into public view. Speeches, sermons, student activism, community organizing and other dynamism must be focused on work for a purpose—an African purpose-- not just putting in the time to help it pass. Reparations activists must understand that their work is intimately tied to the fate of 21st century Pan Africanism. There will be no reparations victory without African leverage calculated in the equation.

Part of the philosophy and long-time definition of Pan Africanism is that African people deserve to be free, successful and self-determinative. African people are worthy. The DECADE OF THE DIASPORA is to demonstrate that worthiness in more than 360 degrees of achievements. The DECADE OF THE DIASPORA will give the African Experience, in all of its different versions and dimensions, a complete face-lift, make-over and paradigm shift. It will solidify UBUNTU, the foundation African belief in enhancing and preserving humanity as the principal objective in any relationship or engagement, as a healing and merging agent for the world.

Actually, the sole remaining question is what will you do to participate positively in the DECADE OF THE DIASPORA? And, when will you get started? It is not coming, it is here.