Afrikan-Centered Black Consciousness

Hotep!!!

Take Notes!!!

This word Hotep is our ancient Afrikan word for peace!!! It comes out of the Medu Neter in Kemet (Egypt), Afrika. Europeans and Arabs call it the hieroglyphics. Hotep is the oldest word for peace in human history!!! Hotep predates the Hebrew word shalom and the Arabic word Salaam for peace. If we as Black people embrace our history, and our culture, we would force the world to recognize Blackness. But because we don’t know our history, and our culture, non-Black people are forcing the world to continuously negate Blackness. This must end now. If one day there will be some sort of pathway to reparations, and reconciliation, between the Black victims of racism, and the world that perpetuates racism, then everyone on the planet earth must begin to embrace the facts that roots of the world’s civilizations and religions are rooted in the history and cultures of mother Afrika. However, we as Black people cannot wait for this to happen in America and in the world. We as Black people must continue forward reestablishing the Afrikan world community empowerment. Ultimately, an Afrikan-centered Black consciousness (for you millennials that means being Black and woke) must be at the center of rebuilding a Black revolutionary culture for a Black liberation Movement amongst Black people in America, in mother Afrika, and in the world Afrikan community.

With the lack of a strong Afrikan-centered Black consciousness in Black people, and the absence of a Black liberation movement, there are very few outspoken woke Black people in the streets. This is why I am re-dedicating myself to Afrikan-centered Black consciousness and Black liberation. I am going to hard on the importance Afrikan history and culture. Our people (i.e Black Jews, Black Christians, Black Muslims, Black Atheists, Black people without a faith, Black people without a faith, Black Democrats, Black Republicans, Black Union members, the Black middle class, the Black working class, Black Democrats, Black Republicans, Black Marxists, etc) are suffering from the lack of the knowledge of our Black selves. Therefore, we struggle with blackness. In other words, we have failed to transformed the world into a safe environment for Black economics, Black philosophy, Black politics, Black ideology, Black education, Black culture, and Black religious traditions. As a result of this, a real Black agenda for Black liberation has not been established in the Black community in America. These conditions are making us, Black folks, totally dependent upon White people, Arab people, Asia, Asian people, Europe, European people, religious fanaticism, the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, the Green Party, Marxism, Leninism, Trotskyism, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, communism, socialism, Americanism, and elected officials.

On Saturday, November 23, 2019, I went to the Dr. Cornel West’s lecture today at Rutgers University’s Newark. He represented a political inter sectional progressive approach to Black oppression. And that was good. All oppressed and marginalized groups must find a way to unite against White supremacy and the system of racism for needed resources to help improve all of our lives (Black people, Latino people, Native American people, people of color, poor White people, gay and lesbian people, etc) in America. Unfortunately, I left before I could ask him about the anti-Pan-Afrikan ADOS (American Descendants of Slaves) movement being pushed in the United States. With that being said, I am old enough to be clear on the fact that Dr. West is not a leading voice and intellectual on Black liberation. This is why the crowd consisted of many elderly Black people and many non-Black people. Brother West’s events could, cannot, draw the everyday Blackman, the everyday Blackwoman, the Crips, the Bloods, the thugs, drug dealers, drug addicts, corner people, the Block, and the oppressed everyday Black youth to the event.

We must raise Black intellectuals that will uncompromisingly speak for Black liberation and inspires Black people to fight for Black liberation!!!

Those of us that are apologetically Black and Afrikan-centered must continue to help raise the consciousness levels of our people. If we do this family, we will have the Black intellectuals needed to fight for Black Unity, Black reparations, Black studies, Black people, and Black liberation.

I got away from teaching Black studies and Afrikan-centered Black consciousness in the streets. But I am going back to it now. I am in my 50s now!!! I am really concerned about the next generation of Black people, particularly Black youth. They know nothing about their history and culture. All they know are preachers, Imams, the streets, rap music, and the dominance of elected officials in their lives!!! They have very few strong independent Black revolutionary and Black conscious voices making the power structure,and Black people, accountable to Black people, particularly Black youth. We must be unapologetic about "kicking the truth to the young Black youth.”

Black youth today are not getting Afrikan-centered Black consciousness in our homes, our schools (public and charter), in the churches, in the Masaajid (Mosques)!!! They are not getting the knowledge of self nowhere family!!!!! This is a travesty!!!!!!!

In closing, we must teach Afrikan-centered Black consciousness to our people, so today’s Black people, and our Black youth, will continue the struggle for Black liberation. I am so personally fired up about teaching Afrikan-centric Black consciousness, I am going to Kemet on June 27, 2020. I will stay in Afrika for 15 days. I am going on an educational tour to document the genius of Black people, and our contributions, to human civilizations and the world’s religions. Professor Ashra Kwesi is leading the tour. He, Kwesi, was a 14-year student of the late and great African Egyptologist Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannan. Dr. Ben, as he was affectionately called by the masses of people in the world, died on March 19, 2019. He was 97 years old. Although Dr. Ben-Jochannan has passed, he authored many widely read books before his death, such as Africa: The Mother of Western Civilizations, Africa: The Mother of Western Religions, and The Blackman and His Family of the Nile. Inspired by the scholarly works of Dr. Ben, Professor Ashra Kwesi has spent 39 years taking people from all around the world to teach and tour the histories and cultures of Kemet, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Kenya.

More information on Ashra Kwesi’s annual trip to Kemet can be found in his website at this link: https://www.kemetnu.com/egypt_tour.htm

I know and respect Professor Ashra Kwesi's work. Brother Kwesi's educational tour of Kemet will help me expand my lessons on history, as it relates to ancient Kemet, on world history, on the world’s cultures, on the world’s religions, on American history, on African spirituality, on African religions, on African culture, on African history, on African American history to my students at Weequachic. Therefore, let’s get it in Black family!!!’ Let’s teach our history and our culture!!!!

Through Afrikan-centered Black consciousness, the spirit of Black liberation will place be place on the hearts and minds of Black people all over again in America and in world.

Stay strong!!! Stay Black!!!!!!!

Hotep (Peace)!!!

-Bashir Muhammad Akinyele is a History Teacher, a Black History Teacher, and Chair of Weequahic Black History Month Committee in Newark, NJ. The link to support my educational trip in Kemet (Egypt), Afrika is the following:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/education-tour-of-ancient-kemet-…

Note: Spelling Afrika with a k is not a typo. Using the k in Afrika is the Kiswahili way of writing Africa. Kiswahili is a Pan -Afrikan language. It is spoken in many countries in Afrika.