When I Was A Member Of The Black Cultural Nationalist Organization "Committee For Unified Newark/CFUN" 1967-1969

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is a compilation of the comments that I have published online about my involvement from 1967-1969 in the Black cultural nationalist organization entitled "Committee For Unified Newark" (CFUN) [Newark, New Jersey]

Most of these comments were published on this pancocojams blog. One comment was published on Mudcat folk music forum and one comment was published in a YouTube discussion thread.

The Addendum to this post consists of two comments that I wrote on June 10,2024 that I refer to as "Long Story Short". 

Thanks to all those who are mentioned in this post.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
These comments aren't meant to convey my full experiences with that organization.

These comments also aren't meant to imply that everyone (and particularly every woman) experienced Committee For Unified Newark the same way that I did. However, I believe that even the small amount of information that I chose to share may be helpful to people who are interested in that organization during that brief time period.

Furthermore, this post isn't meant to be a portion of an autobiographical book, a confessional, or a treatise about why I no longer considered myself or was considered a member of that organization. Suffice it to say that I stopped attending CFUN meetings some months before I left Newark, New Jersey to move back to my hometown of Atlantic City, New Jersey after graduating from Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey (located very near Newark).

Shortly after I moved back home, I received a telephone call from Aminah Baraka, the wife of Amiri Baraka (the head of CFUN). Aminah shared with me that her friend, poetess Sonia Sanchez was moving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to join the teaching staff of the newly constructed University of Pittsburgh Black Studies department. Aminah said Sonia wanted someone to be a live in nanny for her toddler twin sons. To make a long story short, I jumped at the opportunity and Aminah helped me hook up with Sonia. Within three days we were in Pittsburgh.

When Sonia Sanchez left the University of Pittsburgh, I remained in that city. For a while, I still considered myself as a member of CFUN, almost like I was in some foreign missionary outpost. I traveled back to Newark (with some sisters from Pittsburgh) to work on the Gipson mayoral contest (which he won) and I attended an Imani feast at CFUN in 1970 on the last night of Kwanzaa. But after that, I didn't go back to Newark. I recall seeing Aminah one time at a speaking engagement that she had a Pitt. We barely spoke but time had separated us, just like time had separated me from any ongoing relationship with Sonia Sanchez.

Eventually, I made peace with the fact that my path was no longer the same as the path of members of Committee for Unified Newark. Although I've lost touch with everyone I knew during those two years, and have also lost touch with people who were/are? in the cultural nationalist movement in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I wish everyone peace and love. Also, I very much appreciate the positive influence that a number of people in CFUN and in the cultural nationalist movement in Pittsburgh had on my continued interest and continued involvement with African and African Diaspora culture as demonstrated in my years of telling adapted West African stories, in my formation of African American children's game songs performing arts groups, and in my editing of this pancocojams blog & my other online blogs.  

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COMMENTS ON THIS SUBJECT

These comments are given in chronological order based on their publishing date, with the earliest dates given first. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only. 

1.

https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=104999
Subject: RE: African American Protest Slogans & Songs
From: Azizi
Date: 23 Sep 07 

"I just thought of another Black cultural nationalist chant that I remember saying when I was a member of Committee For Unified Newark {CFUN}. This organization was largely under the leadership of Amiri Baraka [also known as poet, playwright, author LeRoi Jones}

This chant is from the late 1960s:

Caller- "What time is it?"

Group response- ["It's] "Nation Time"

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2.
HOW I GOT MY AFRICAN NAME

Written by Azizi Powell, 

Note: I wrote this post on January 22, 2005 as part of this thread on the Folk & Blues discussion forum Mudcat.org: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=55491#1385101 "How Did You Choose Your Mudcat Name?"

 This post is presented without any corrections, additions, or updating.

"In the late 1960s I was a member of a organization that focused on African culture. Like other members of that group, I wanted an African personal name. My male friend at that time, Zayd, said he would give me an African name. And because I just loved loved loved him, I said I would accept the name that he selected. So out of the kindness of his soon to be cheatin heart, Zayd gave me a choice of two names-either "Aziza": Arabic for "one who is rare & precious" or "Azizi": Kiswahili with the same meaning.

Back in those days {and now} a lot of female names given to African Americans from the Arabic language and other language sources {as well as names which are creatively 'made up'} end with the 'ah" sound, names like "Keisha", "Maisha", "Malika", "Fatimah", "Kadisha", "Aaliyah". I liked the idea of "Azizi" because it sounded more unique.

But in those days {and still today} there was also a brand of makeup called "Aziza". The REAL reason why I choose 'Azizi' instead of 'Aziza' is that I didn't want to give somebody the opportunity to look at me and say "Aziza, you forgot your make-up, girl."

So I've been 'Azizi' now for 37 years-and I try to live up to that name with or without wearing makeup."

-Azizi Powell 

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3.

https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/05/comments-about-distinctive-african.html "Comments About Distinctive African American Names (Which I Don't Call "Ghetto Names")

Edited by Azizi Powell, May 5, 2015

"This is part of an ongoing series on distinctive African American names and naming practices. Other posts in this series can be accessed by clicking the "distinctive African American names" tab below.

EDITOR'S COMMENTS ABOUT THIS SERIES

This pancocojams series provides examples and comments about African American naming traditions, including my speculations about why many African Americans have preferred and, in some cases, still prefer certain prefixes and certain suffixes. For example, it's my premise that the large subset of 19th century and, in particular, 20th & 21st century distinctive Black (African American) names that begin with "sh" or "ch" can be at least partially explained by 1. the existence of a large number of Arabic names and traditional African language names that begin with one of those sounds, and 2. the existence of pre-1960s mainstream American names and distinctive Black American names that begin with one of those sounds and 3. the mass media attention given to some people or products with those names from the 1970s on.

I was one of the African Americans in the late 1960s who were interested in finding lists of African names so that we could change our "slave names" (birth names from European languages or from Hebrew) to "free names" (names from Arabic or traditional African languages.) In those early days of the Black power movement with its interest in African cultures there was no internet and lists of African names were hard to come by. I recall people in the Committee For Unified Newark, (the cultural nationalist group that I belonged to which eventually was headed by poet, playwright, activist Amiri Baraka, formerly Le Roi Jones), sharing mimeographed (reprinted) copies of African names that we happened to come by. Many of those names were from the Arabic language and others were from KiSwahili, which is largly based on Arabic. I'm not aware of any book of African names that was published before The Book of African Names (As Told by Chief Osuntoki) was published in 1970. In 1972 another book of African names was published - Names from Africa: Their Origin, Meaning, and Pronunciation by Ogonna Chuks-orji helped introduce African Americans to names from traditional African languages. I owned both of those books, but unfortunately, The Book of African Names (As Told by Chief Osuntoki) has gone missing. Some names from that second book is included in the pancocojams post on traditional African names that begin or end with "sh" or "ch".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/05/arabic-names-that-begin-with-sh-or-ch.html for the pancocojams post entitled "Arabic Male Names And Arabic Female Names That Begin With "Sh" or "Ch" "

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/04/jamaican-names-that-begin-with-ch-or-sh.htmlfor the pancocojams post entitled "Swahili & Igbo Names That Begin With "Sh" or "Ch".

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4.
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-afrocentric-meanings-of-terms-slave.html

Azizi Powell, October 26, 2017

"It occurs to me that maybe the reason why I haven't found any information online about the afrocentric use of the terms "slave names" and "African free names" (or "free names") is because those terms may not of been used by any other people but the members of the Black power organization called "CFUN" (the Committee for Unified Newark).

I was a member of that organization from around the end of 1966 until the summer of 1969. Imamu Amiri Baraka (formerly known as Le Roi Jones) was the leader of CFUN for much of that time.

Another term that probably was unique to members of that organization was "house" meaning the person who a woman is romantically attached to (i.e. a woman's man or husband).

For example, a woman might be asked "Who is your House?" If she was attached to a man, she would say "My House is Jamal." And if the woman wasn't attached, she would say "I don't have any House".

I think that this use of the word "house" came from the view that the man was the head of the household (i.e. "the Lord of the manor").

I don't recall men referring to women as anyone "house", which demonstrates the way that males had a higher status in that organization - although the view was that the roles of males and females were "different" and not either higher or lower.

By the way, in contrast to the Black Power organization, the Oakland California organization "US" that I believe served as a model for that Newark, New Jersey organization, males who were members of CFUN were supposed to have only one House (i.e. weren't supposed to be involved with more than one woman at a time), while males who were members of US were "allowed" to be polygamous.

I lost touch with members of CFUN when I left Newark in 1969 and eventually moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I often wondered what happened to certain members of that organization, particularly certain sisters (women members) of that organization. I hope that life has been as good to them (or better) as it has been to me."

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5. 

https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/11/comments-on-youtube-discussion-thread.html

Azizi Powell, November 27, 2017
"I posted a comment to the discussion thread of this showcase video to thank the publisher for sharing that video and to inform her and others who might read that discussion thread about this post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3hb8buLU0w  "Niyah African Sweet 16 Dance"
Coley* , Published on Apr 21, 2017

I also added this comment:

..."While I take no position in that blog post, I agree that we African Americans must do much more to learn about history and cultures of the African continent. That said, I stand by the saying that I learned and chanted way back in the late 1960s when I was a member of the afrocentric group "The Committee For Unified Newark"- "We are an African people!"

One love!
-snip-
*The publisher's name when I first published that video in this pancocojams post was ”Nicole Campbell”.

On June 10, 2024 the comment feature was closed (which means all of the comments have been discarded - except for the selected comments that I quoted in that pancocojams post.


“We are an African people” was a exclamation/slogan that was used by members of CFUN when I was a member in Newark in 1967-1969.

June 10,2024. The comment feature is turned off 

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6.

Pancocojams Editor's Note:
This is the comment that I was searching for when I was thinking of compiling the online comments that I had written here and elsewhere (on Mudcat Discussion Forum) about my being a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Azizi Powell September 17, 2022, https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/09/black-fraternity-sorority-calls.html
"Anonymous, thank you for adding to the historical record about historically Black Greek letter organization.

I appreciate it. For the historical record, I love it if you had shared which organization created its call in the 1940s and where and what its call was.

As I mentioned in this post, I'm an inactive member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc (Gamma Zeta chapter, New Jersey). I became inactive shortly after I went over in 1967 as I decided to devote my attention to college and to the afrocentric organization The Committee For Unified Newark). The only direct information that I have about historically Black Greek letter organizaions since that time is my attendance at step shows, and knowing friends and other people who have joined these organizations.

For the historical and cultural record, I would appreciate other corrections you or others make to my posts about historically Black Greek letter organizations.

And I agree with you that these organizations benefit their communities.

Best wishes,

Azizi Powell"
-snip-
For the record, I pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. starting in 1966, and crossed over in 1967. I voluntarily became inactive from that sorority in 1967 and was an active member of the Committee For Unified Newark (CFUN) from 1967 to around the spring of 1969.

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ADDENDUM - LONG STORY SHORT

Azizi Powell, June 10, 2024

"In the spring of 1969, after graduating from Upsala College near Newark, New Jersey, I lived with a Committee For Unified Newark sister and worked at a summer program that Imamu Baraka was associated with that introduced young Black adults to concepts about writing television scripts. (Little did I know that about four years later I would have a local television series in which I told adapted West African stories to a revolving group of young children. But that was in the not to be imagined future.)

Long story short- during that sprint of 1969 I was still trying to get over the heartbreak of my relationship ending with Zayd, who used to be a leader in Committee for Unified Newark.  I didn't believe that staying in or near Newark, New Jersey was a viable option for me. So I moved back to my mother's place in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

When I look back on it, I marvel how I quickly decided to leave my home in Atlantic City, New Jersey and move with Sonia Sanchez to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Long story short, 'm not an adventurous person at all. And Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was a city I had never been to, where I knew no one.

I had sorta met Sonia Sanchez one time when she read some of her poems at a Committee For Unified Newark (CFUN) program, but I didn't really know her . But I was at a crossroads in my life. My once upon a timeI h and didn't really want to stay in Atlantic City because my family was sorta dysfunctional. Besides, I was then and still am a believer in "signs" and I had two signs that I interpreted as pointing me to the city of Pittsburgh before I got that call from Aminah Baraka suggesting that I move to that city with Sonia Sanchez as her nanny.

First- I just happened to watch a television commercial about Pittsburgh Paint and second (right after watching that commercial - I went to visit my girlfriend Francine who had also just graduated from some college-I don't remember which one. Francine and I used to be rather close, but our friendship had basically ended in part because we both went away to college, and also because she had pledged Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and I had pledged and I had pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. the fact that those two sororities were (and still largely are) rivals didn't bother me-especially since I became inactive shortly after I crossed over (i.e. officially joined that organization) since I decided to devote my energy to Black cultural nationalism instead of that sorority. But Francine was old school, and the last time I had seen her (probably the Christmas of 1967) she said we couldn't be friends anymore because we were in different sororities. So it's kinda a wonder that I was even going to visit her two years later. But I remember us both congratulating each other for graduating college and I remember her telling me that she was going to grad school at the University Of Pittsburgh. I recall telling her that I had just seen a television commercial about Pittsburgh before coming to visit her.

The way that I remember it, soon after I returned home from visiting Francine, I got the phone call from Aminah suggesting that I move to Pittsburgh with Sonia Sanchez. My recollection is that Aminah sweetened the pot a little by saying that Sonia could probably help me attend some classes at Pitt. Plus she may not have known that the fact that Sonia had twins helped me decide to make that move. (I'm a twin and I always considered-and still consider seeing twins to be good luck.) So, I decided basically on the spot to make that move, and somehow I gathered up my courage and got out of Dodge (with "Dodge" being "Atlantic City.". Within two days, I took a bus to New York City and met Amiri Baraka's sister (who I barely knew) at the huge New York bus station. I spent the night with her and she went with me the next day to the airport where I met Sonia (without her children who were with family and would be arriving in Pittsburgh later that week). That was my first time in an airplane.

Fast forward to 1971. i was in Pittsburgh at another cross roads in my life. I was a Black cultural naturalist who wore no make up and wore my hair in an afro. I always wore African style clothing (mostly tee shirts or sweaters with a long wraparound piece of material, even over pants in the winter time. I was living in an apartment with Wade (also known as Mukuta), my soon to be husband who I had met shortly after I first came to Pittsburgh.  Wade was a Jazz trumpet player and a student at Pitt's undergraduate school from which he soon graduated. Our apartment (on the street that just so happens to be around the block from the home that we were to buy some years later and where I still live) had just been broken into. We had decided to move, but didn't have a place in mind. I got on the neighborhood bus that day and looked up and saw my Atlantic City girlfriend Francine. In contrast to my appearance, Francine was what I called "an Avon lady" (meaning she wore make up, her hair was straightened, she had on "regular" middle class/work in the office type American clothing. )

The remarkable thing is that Francine and I hadn't seen or talked to each other in the two years since that momentous (for me) visit with her in Atlantic City which helped propel me to move to Pittsburgh. During that bus ride Francine and I got to talking and she shared that she had graduated from Pitt, and was moving back to Atlantic City (I think). She also shared with me that her apartment would be available in a couple of days. Long story short- Francine gave me her landlord's name and number and soon got off at her stop. (That was the last time I ever saw Francine or talked with her).

Long story short, Wade and I moved into Francine's old apartment and I thanked God for watching over me and reaffirming to me that I was at the right place at the right time for whatever reasons.

That's a true story of part of my life.

Thanks for reading."

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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome. 

1998 Chicago Tribune Reprint: "Kwanzaa: It's Not About Christmas" (with Pancocojams editor's response to that article)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents a reprint of a 1998 Chicago Tribune newspaper article entitled "Kwanzaa: It's Not About Christmas".

The Addendum to this post also presents my comments about some of that writer's responses to the questions asked in that article.

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural, historical, and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners. Thanks to Akilah Monifa for writing this reprinted article and thanks to the Chicago Tribune newspaper for publishing it offline and online.

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CHICAGO TRIBUNE REPRINT: KWANZAA: IT'S NOT ABOUT CHRISTMAS
From https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-12-25-9812250022-story.html

Akilah Monifa, Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services. Akilah Monifa is a freelance writer in Oakland, Calif
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
"Many questions surround Kwanzaa, a holiday celebrating the roots of African-American history. Here are some answers.

10. Kwanzaa. Isn't that the African-American Christmas?

A lot of people assume that Kwanzaa was intended to replace Christmas. But the celebration has nothing to do with Christmas. Its purpose is to promote unity among African-Americans, as well as an understanding of our cultural roots. It was started in 1966 by Dr. Maulena Karenga, professor and chairman of black studies at California State University at Long Beach. The holiday is based on the cultures of Yorubas, Ibos, Ashantis, Zulus and other African tribes.

9. How long is Kwanzaa?

The celebration runs for seven days, from December 26 to January 1, and focuses on one principle each day: unity, self-determination, collective work, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

8. What religion do you have to be to celebrate Kwanzaa?

Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday. It is celebrated by people of many faiths, as well as those who do not embrace any religion.

7. Why do people celebrate Kwanzaa?

Kwanzaa is sometimes criticized because it is a new holiday and lacks the historic roots of Hanukkah and Christmas, two prominent December holidays. But African-Americans' history in this country is relatively short--particularly our history as a free people. People celebrate Kwanzaa for a variety of reasons: to pay homage to our ancestors, for hope and faith, and for renewal and pride.

6. Doesn't Kwanzaa use a menorah or candelabrum?

A kinara (seven-branched candleholder) is used in Kwanzaa celebrations. Some confuse it with a menorah, which is used in Hanukkah celebrations. "Candelabrum" is a generic name for a branched candlestick. Menorah and kinara are two types of candelabra.

5. What colors are associated with Kwanzaa?

Red, for the blood of our people, not shed in vain; green, representing hope; and black, for the faces of our people.

4. Is celebrating Kwanzaa tantamount to supporting black nationalism or separatism?

None of Kwanzaa's principles calls for nationalism or separatism. This myth probably originated because Karenga, the holiday's founder, was a militant activist in the 1960s.

3. Is Kwanzaa recognized as a state holiday anywhere?

No. But last year the United States Postal Service honored Kwanzaa with a postage stamp.

2. How many people celebrate Kwanzaa?

About 18 million people celebrate Kwanzaa.

And the number-one question folks want answered about Kwanzaa but are afraid to ask:

1. Can white people who are not of African descent participate in a Kwanzaa celebration?

The short answer is yes. American society is becoming increasingly racially and ethnically diverse. But cultural sensitivity is always appropriate. More and more of us have mixed ethnic backgrounds. It is important, though, to remember that a big part of the holiday is creating community among African-Americans.

When invited, I go to cultural and religious celebrations that are not part of my cultural or religious heritage. I participate in a way that is comfortable for my host and for me. It would be arrogant of me, a non-Jew, to dominate a Seder or Hanukkah celebration, for example. People who are not of African descent should approach Kwanzaa with the same attitude.

A proverb often quoted during Kwanzaa reads: "I am because we are; because we are, I am." Harambee! (Let's pull together!)"

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ADDENDUM- MY COMMENTS IN RESPONSE TO CERTAIN ANSWERS FROM THE ARTICLE "KWANZAA: IT'S NOT ABOUT CHRISTMAS" [Revised December 11, 2018]
As background, I was an active member of the cultural nationalist organization CFUN (Committee For Unified Newark) from 1967-1969. During that time That organization considered itself to be a sister group to the Oakland, California based organization "US" which was led by "Maulana" Ron Karenga, the founder of the Kwanzaa holiday. (That said, there were considerable, important differences between those two groups,). CFUN was led by (Imamu) Amiri Baraka (formerly known as Le Roi Jones), and I believe that to a large extent Amiri Baraka can be credited with helping to promote Kwanzaa in the East Coast of the United States and throughout other regions of this country besides the West Coast.

I celebrated Kwanzaa for the first time in 1967 and can attest to the fact that the concept of Kwanzaa and my attitude about Kwanzaa and the attitudes of early celebrants who I knew in that Newark, New Jersey organization are different than what is stated in the Chicago Tribune's 1998 article embedded in this post.

Here's my responses to some of the questions asked above. I agree with the responses to all the other questions:

10. Early on, I believe that Kwanzaa was meant to replace the secular celebration of Christmas for African Americans. That belief was backed up by statements from the leaders of Maulana Ron Karenga's US and Imamu Amiri Baraka's "Committee for Unified Newark."

I also don't agree with the statement Akilah Monifa (the author of that reprinted 1998 Chicago Tribune article that "the celebration has nothing to do with Christmas". Instead, I believe that the Kwanzaa holiday was purposely set to begin on December 26th, immediately after Christmas. Also, while the red, black, and green colors of African American flag (and therefore the colors associated with Black power) were adopted long before the creation of Kwanzaa, the fact that those colors were similar to the red and green Christmas colors enabled the decorations for the secular aspects of Christmas to blend with Kwanzaa decorations.

While Kwanzaa has aspects of African harvest festivals such as the fruits and vegetables that are used for the Kwanzaa display, if Kwanzaa was really meant to be a week long harvest celebration, I believe it would have been scheduled for immediately after Thanksgiving and not immediately after Christmas day.

I remember when members of CFUN were encouraged to give one a present of hand made item each evening of Kwanzaa and then give the largest item (which preferably was also handmade) on the last day of Kwanzaa, when the biggest feast (except perhaps for Kuumba- the day devoted to creativity) occurred. The idea that gifts were to be hand made and not store bought was never adhered to during the two celebrations of Kwanzaa that I experienced in that group. Furthermore, I definitely recall that people wanted their public gift (from their husband or wife or their significant other) to be more expensive than what any other person had or would receive.

With regard to Akilah Monifa's statement that "The [Kwanzaa] holiday is based on the cultures of Yorubas, Ibos, Ashantis, Zulus and other African tribes, I think it behooves us (no pun intended) to detail which parts of Kwanzaa come from these and/or other African ethnic groups, besides the Swahili terms, and the African drumming and dancing, and the harvest fruits and vegetable decorations that were/are part of Kwanzaa decorations. (I consider those decorations to be a nod to African harvest festivals such as Ghana's "Homowo" festival* which members of CFUN didn't learn about during the two years that I was a member in that organization).

*Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/11/ghanaian-harvest-festival-homowo.html for a 2015 pancocojams article entitled Ghanaian Harvest Festival "Homowo" (information & videos).

That said, it's incorrect to consider Kwanzaa "the African American Christmas".

Furthermore, it wouldn't surprise me if most people who celebrate Kwanzaa also celebrate Christmas, like I do.

**
6. I don't think that it is accidental that the Kwanzaa kinara is similar to the Jewish menorah. I think that people who celebrate Kwanzaa should acknowledge that Ron Karenga, the founder of Kwanzaa, lifted the candle holder and candle lighting ceremony from Hanukkah and move on from any denial or debate about this subject.

**
4. There's a lot to unpack in Akilah Monifa's response to question #4:
With regard to whether "Kwanzaa is tantamount to supporting black nationalism or separatism", I agree that the seven principles of Kwanzaa (the Nguza Saba) don't necessarily call for nationalism, and don't inherently call for separatism -although some celebrants of kwanzaa early on preferred that only Black people attend Kwanzaa gatherings - see my response in #1 below.

I think part of the problem with Akilah Monifa's response to question #4 is that she (and some others) always conflate "nationalism" and "separatism" and she also loosely used labels such as "militant" and "militant activist".

I believe that Kwanzaa initially was created as a secular holiday for Black people to counteract the white images of the religious and the secular celebrations of Christmas. The religious celebration of Christmas featured White images of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph although they were likely not White as depicted by most artists, given the geographical area that they were from. With the exception of one Black wise man, all the other people who were depicted as being present at Jesus' birth were depicted as being White. In addition, most artists depicted/depict angels as White. And the secular depictions of Christmas usually focus on a White Santa Claus and his White elves. Such images can be very detrimental to Black group esteem and Black self-esteem.

That said, I don't believe that Kwanzaa needs to be a holiday just for Black people. Instead, information about Kwanzaa and Kwanzaa songs can (and are being) shared as part of the multicultural heritage of the United States. Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/12/a-hyperlinked-list-of-kwanzaa-songs-on.html for this pancocojams post entitled "A Hyperlinked List Of Kwanzaa Songs On YouTube (as of December 9, 2018)".

Also, I'm not sure whether Ron Karenga, the founder of Kwanzaa, was (and is) a Black nationalist, or a Black cultural nationalist. Maybe he was (and is) both. In the late 1960s, my understanding was that some Black nationalist were separatists and some weren't. Black nationalist who were "separatist" wanted a nation only for Black people. In contrast, Black cultural nationalist (which is how I identified myself and other members of the Newark, New Jersey group CFUN and how I still identify myself), were interested in learning about Black cultures in Africa and elsewhere throughout the world, and adopting (and adapting) some of those arts, beliefs and customs in the geographical space where we lived. Black cultural nationalists were (are) also interested in competent Black governance of Black spaces (including cities and schools) and in supporting Black owned businesses.

Furthermore, being a Black cultural nationalist didn't mean and doesn't mean that a person is a "militant activist". I don't know whether or not Maulana Karenga was a "militant activist".

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/militant defines militant as "engaged in warfare or combat" : FIGHTING and " aggressively active (as in a cause) : COMBATIVE".

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/activist define activist as "one who advocates or practices activism : a person who uses or supports strong actions (such as public protests) in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.".
-end of quotes-

Using guns and/or other weapons may be considered "strong actions" in opposition to some political or social issue. I'm not sure if Maulana Karenga advocated for the use of weapons or used weapons in his organization, but I know that during the two years that I was a member of the Newark, New Jersey cultural nationalist organization CFUN (from 1967-1969), that organization's leaders and its members never advocated for the use of any weapons or used any weapons.

Also, in the 1960s and 1970s, mainstream America-including some Black people, accused any Black American who wore our hair in an "afro" was accused of being a "militant", so I consider that description as largely meaningless.

And I think that being an "activist", vigorously campaigning for social or political change, can be a good thing- it's all about how that advocacy is done.

Somewhat, off topic, from reading about this online, I'm aware of Maulana Ron Karenga's heinous, abusive actions which resulted in his criminal conviction in 1971 and his subsequent incarceration.* The fact that this conviction and incarceration occurred after he had created the Kwanzaa holiday and began promoting that holiday doesn't detract from Maulana Karenga's despicable actions. However, I believe that the concept and practices of Kwanzaa should be considered separately from the actions of that holiday's creator.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maulana_Karenga#Criminal_convictions_and_imprisonment

**
2. I'm not sure where Akilah Monifa got her statistic that "About 18 million people celebrate Kwanzaa". Based on my direct experiences. based on viewing YouTube videos such as this 2015 one entitled "Black People Learn About Kwanzaa" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEwxZuShUn4, and reading comments from those videos and various Kwanzaa songs, I think that very few African Americans actually celebrate Kwanzaa, and I wouldn't be surprised if that number has probably decreased since Akilah Monifa wrote that article in 1998.

That said, I think that an increasing number of people (Black and non-Black) have learned and are learning about Kwanzaa, in large part because some schools-particularly elementary schools (kindergarten through 6th grade) teach and sing Kwanzaa songs during Christmas and/or winter holiday school programs and concerts. I believe that including content about Kwanzaa in schools' curriculum has been and is now done to for multicultural purposes. While I applaud the inclusion of Kwanzaa songs (and stories and decorations etc.) in schools, I think that doing so has resulted (and may result) in (further) conflating Kwanzaa with Christmas, at least in the minds of young children. To cite just one example, here's a comment from a boy writing about singing the song "O Kwanzaa" in his school's holiday concert:
Victor Rodriguez. November 2018
"I'm doing this song for chorus at school as well as other Christmas songs" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQGJvJfZ8-M&t=1s "O Kwanzaa"

**
1. I agree with Akilah Monifa's answer "Yes" to the question "Can white people who are not of African descent participate in a Kwanzaa celebration?". However, I would also add that there were some Black people in the past and there are some Black people now who disagree with that answer.

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Amiri Baraka - "Why Is We Americans" (spoken word/poetry)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases the poem/spoken word "Why Is We Americans" by Amiri Baraka (also known as Imamu Amiri Baraka; and LeRoi Jones)

Information about Amiri Baraka is given in the Addendum to this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, sociological, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Amiri Baraka for his life's legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Def Poetry - Amiri Baraka - Why is We Americans



urbanrenewalprogram, Published on Aug 26, 2010

Amiri Baraka in Season 1 Episode 4 of Def Poetry Jam

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TEXT - "WHY IS WE AMERICANS" by AMIRI BARAKA

From https://genius.com/Amiri-baraka-why-is-we-americans-excerpt-annotated
"[Intro:]
Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, the legendary Amiri Baraka.

[Amiri Baraka:]
This is an excerpt from a poem called: Why is We Americans. But reality is an excerpt on Television.

Why is We Americans? Why is We Americans?

Bu-de-daaaa. Bu-de-daaaa. Bu-de-daaaa. Bu-de-daaaa. Bu-do-do. Be-De-De-De-Bu-De-Bu-Bup-Boo-Boo.

What I want is me. For real. I want me and my self. And what that is is what I be and what I see and feel and who is me in the. What it is, is who it is, and when it me its what is be….I’m gone be here, if I want, like I said, self determination, but I ain’t come from a foolish tribe, we wants the mule the land, you can make it three hundred years of blue chip stock in the entire operation. We want to be paid, in a central bank the average worker farmer wage for all those years we gave it free. Plus we want damages, for all the killings and the fraud, the lynchings, the missing justice, the lies and frame-ups, the unwarranted jailings, the tar and featherings, the character and race assassinations. historical slander, ugly caricatures, for every sambo, step and fechit flick, we want to be paid, for every hurtful thing you did or said. For all the land you took, for all the rapes, all the rosewoods and black wall streets you destroyed. All the mis-education, jobs loss, segregated shacks we lived in, the disease that ate and killed us, for all the mad police that drilled us. For all the music and dances you stole. The styles. The language. The hip clothes you copped. The careers you stopped. All these are suits, specific litigation, as represent we be like we, for reparations for damages paid to the Afro-American nation.

Bu-de-daaaa. Bu-de-daaaa. Bu-de-daaaa.

We want education for all of us and anyone else in the black belt hurt by slavery. For all the native peoples even them poor white people you show all the time as funny, all them abners and daisy maes, them Beverly Hill Billies who never got to no beverly hills. who never got to Harvard on they grandfathers wills. we want reparations for them, right on, for the Mexicans whose land you stole. For all of North Mexico you call Texas, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Colorado, all that, all that, all that, all that, Bu-de-daaaa do do bap bap bap baaa du de do.
All that you gotta give up, autonomy and reparations. To the Chicanos, and the Native Americans, who souls you ripped out with their land, give Self-Determination, Regional autonomy, that’s what my we is askin, and they gon do the same. when they demand it, like us again, in they own exploited name. Yeh the education that’s right two hundred…years. We want a central stash, a central bank, with democratically elected trustees, and a board elected by us all, to map out, from the referendum we set up, what we want to spend it on. To build that Malcolm sense Self-Determination as Self-Reliance and Self Respect and Self Defense, the will of what the good Dr. Du Bois beat on – true self consciousness. Simply the psychology of Freedom.

Bu-de-daaaa Bu-de-daaaa Pu de-daaaa Pu de-daaaa bap bap bap bap bu de bu de bu de bu bu.

Then we can talk about bein American. Then we can listen – then we can listen without the undercurrent of desire to first set your ass on fire. We will only talk of voluntary unity, of autonomy, as vective arms of self-determination. If there is democracy in you that is where it will be shown. this is the only way we is Americans. This is the only truth that can be told. OTHERWISE there is no future between us but war. And we is rather lovers and singers and dancers and poets and drummers and actors and runners and elegant heartbeats of the suns flame….but we is also to the end of our silence and sitdown. We is at the end of being under your ignorant smell your intentional hell. Either give us our lives or plan to forfeit your own.
-snip-
About "Why Is We Americans" created by atrklja, 2014
"This excerpt was originally part of the first season of the HBO spoken-word series titled Def Jam Poetry, which aired from the years 2002-2007. Artists featured on the show include Dave Chappelle,The Last Poets, Jewel, Jamie Foxx as well as many others. Russel Simmons, co-creator, was quoted stating that “… artists feel their voices are powerful and they’re going to use them more, I think, in promoting social change in political climates that affect their ideas” in relation to the series and it’s impact (Ogg). The show has since been granted the Tony Award, the Peabody Award, been on Broadway as well as produced a book. “Why is We Americans” excerpt can also be found as a part of a longer feature on his life provided by the site Democracy Now.

Baraka himself was known as an influential Civil Rights Activist as well as a Poet, Critic, Writer and Scholar. Having been involved and influenced by Beat poetry, Black Nationalism and Marxism, Amiri changed his views on his art and it’s purpose throughout his life. While this poem is situated during the later years of his artistry, his varied political and social beliefs remain a feature within this work. He specifically discusses the tension created by the Civil War in American from a black perspective. Both style and prose in “Why is We Americans” are characteristic of his reputation of being a controversial artist, often receiving mixed reviews of his work."
-snip-
This comment is reformatted for this pancocojams post to enhance its readability.

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ADDENDUM: INFORMATION ABOUT AMIRI BARAKA

Amiri Baraka (1934-2014): Poet-Playwright-Activist Who Shaped Revolutionary Politics, Black Culture



Democracy Now!, Published on Jan 10, 2014

http://www.democracynow.org - We spend the hour looking at the life and legacy of Amiri Baraka, the poet, playwright and political organizer who died Thursday at the age of 79. Baraka was a leading force in the black arts movement of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1963 he published "Blues People: Negro Music in White America," known as the first major history of black music to be written by an African American. A year later he published a collection of poetry titled "The Dead Lecturer" and won an Obie Award for his play, "Dutchman." After the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965 he moved to Harlem and founded the Black Arts Repertory Theater. In the late 1960s, Baraka moved back to his hometown of Newark and began focusing more on political organizing, prompting the FBI to identify him as "the person who will probably emerge as the leader of the pan-African movement in the United States." Baraka continued writing and performing poetry up until his hospitalization late last year, leaving behind a body of work that greatly influenced a younger generation of hip-hop artists and slam poets. We are joined by four of Baraka's longtime comrades and friends: Sonia Sanchez, a renowned writer, poet, playwright and activist; Felipe Luciano, a poet, activist, journalist and writer who was an original member of the poetry and musical group The Last Poets; Komozi Woodard, a professor of history at Sarah Lawrence College and author of "A Nation Within a Nation: Amiri Baraka and Black Power Politics"; and Larry Hamm, chairman of the People's Organization for Progress in Newark, New Jersey.

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From https://www.biography.com/people/amiri-baraka-9198235
"Amiri Baraka is an African-American poet, activist and scholar. He was an influential black nationalist and later became a Marxist.

Synopsis
Amiri Baraka (formerly LeRoi Jones) was born in Newark, New Jersey, on October 7, 1934. After three years in the U.S. Air Force, Jones joined the Beat movement in Greenwich Village. After the assassination of Malcolm X, he took the name Amiri Baraka and became involved in the Black Nationalist poetry and literature scenes. He later identified himself as a Marxist. Baraka died on January 9, 2014 at the age of 79.

Early Life
Amiri Baraka was born Everett LeRoi Jones on October 7, 1934, in Newark, New Jersey. After developing an interest in poetry and jazz in high school, Baraka attended Howard University, where he changed his name to LeRoi James. He earned his degree in English in 1954, and then joined the United States Air Force. After three years of service, Baraka received a dishonorable discharge for owning inappropriate texts.

Baraka then moved to Manhattan, where, in addition to attending Columbia University and The New School, he became a prominent artist in the Greenwich Village scene and befriended Beat poets such as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. He published their and other poets' work in the newly founded Totem Press. In 1961, Baraka published his first major collection of poetry, Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note. His 1964 play, The Dutchman, which addressed racial tensions and American blacks' repressed hostility toward whites, gained him fame and acclaim.

Political Activism
After a trip to Cuba, Baraka disassociated with the apolitical Beat movement in favor of addressing racial politics. The assassination of Malcolm X was a turning point in his life. Afterward, he disavowed his old life—including his marriage to Hettie Cohen—and changed his name to Amiri Baraka. He became a black nationalist, moved to Harlem and founded the Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School. The company dissolved after a few months, however, and Bakara moved back to Newark and founded the Spirit House Players. Baraka fully immersed himself in Newark, becoming a leader of the city's African-American community.

In 1968, Baraka became a Muslim and added the prefix Imamu, meaning "spiritual leader," to his name. In 1974, however, he dropped the prefix, identifying as a Marxist.

Later Life & Death
Baraka is known for his aggressive, incendiary style. His writing is controversial and has often polarized readers. His poem "Somebody Blew up America," suggesting that Israel and American leaders knew of the 9/11 attacks before they happened, was condemned for being anti-Semitic. After the public outcry against the poem, Baraka was fired from his position as New Jersey's poet laureate.

A prolific writer, Baraka has penned more than 50 books, including fiction, music criticism, essays, short stories, poetry and plays. In 1984, he published The Autobiography of LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka. He's taught at many universities, including the New School for Social Research, San Francisco State University and Yale University. Before retirement, he served as professor emeritus of Africana Studies at the State University of New York at Stony Brook for 20 years.

Baraka died on January 9, 2014 in Newark, New Jersey at the age of 79. He is survived by his wife, Amina Baraka, two daughters from his first marriage and four children from his second.

****
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiri_Baraka
..."In 1967, Baraka (still Leroi Jones) visited Maulana Karenga in Los Angeles and became an advocate of his philosophy of Kawaida, a multifaceted, categorized activist philosophy that produced the "Nguzo Saba," Kwanzaa, and an emphasis on African names.[9] It was at this time that he adopted the name Imamu Amear Baraka.[1] Imamu is a Swahili title for "spiritual leader", derived from the Arabic word Imam (إمام). According to Shaw, he dropped the honorific Imamu and eventually changed Amear (which means "Prince") to Amiri.[1] Baraka means "blessing, in the sense of divine favor."[1]”...
-snip-
As a member of the cultural nationalist organization Committee For Unified Newark (CFUN) from 1967-August 1969. During most of that time Amiri Baraka was the head of that organization and was known by the title "Imamu".

I was aware that Imamu Baraka either was or used to be Muslim, but no Islamic or any other religious teachings were given in that organization. I do however recall that some people (perhaps also Amiri Baraka) voluntarily fasted during the Islamic observation of Ramadan.

I don’t recall Imamu Baraka’s name being spelled “Amear” and not “Amiri” (the standard Swahili spelling of that name).
-snip-
Update: January 14, 2018 3:20 PM
To clarify, from 1967-August 1969 (or possibly beginning in late 1966) that I was a member of the organization that Amiri Baraka eventually led, I was aware that he was or used to be Sunni Muslim. And there were other Sunni Muslims in that organization (for instance, during some of the time that I was a member of that organization I was romantically involved with Zayd Ibn Muhammad, one of the leaders of that organization. He was Sunni Muslim as were some other people, particularly in early 1967 or late 1966. I remember that a number of Muslims left the organization at the same time in protest, because (if I recall correctly) they said that a Sunni Muslim man who had been arrested hadn't receive the support that he should have from that organization.

There were no members of Nation Of Islam in that CFUN cultural nationalist organization- but I remember buying their delicious bean pies and also remember reading their newspaper.

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The Egyptian Word "Hotep" & Its Various Contemporary African American Meanings

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides information and comments about the use of the Egyptian word "hotep" in the United States.

The content of this post is presented for etymological, historical, and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-black-consciousness-movement-spike.html for the companion post "The Black Consciousness Movement, Spike Lee's Movie "School Daze" & The Vernacular Word "Woke""

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/02/excerpts-from-online-articles.html for a related pancocojams post on the word "alafia".

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THE STANDARD MEANING OF THE WORD "HOTEP"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotephttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotep
"Hotep (ḥtp) is an Egyptian word that roughly translates as "to be at peace". It is regularly found in the names of ancient Egyptian figures such as Hotepsekhemwy (ḥr ḥtp-sḫm.wj "the two powers are at peace"), the first ruler of Egypt's Second Dynasty.[1]".....

"Hotep" is a commonly used greeting in Afrocentric circles.[6][7][8]....

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WHAT "AFROCENTRIC MEANS"
The word "afrocentric" is used throughout this post. Here's one definition for that term:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrocentrism
...."In general, Afrocentrism is usually manifested in a focus on African-American culture and the history of Africa, and involves an African diaspora version of an African-centered view of history and culture to portray the achievements and development of Africans who have been marginalized....

What is today broadly called Afrocentrism evolved out of the work of African-American intellectuals in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but flowered into its modern form due to the activism of African-American intellectuals in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and in the development of African-American Studies programs in universities. In strict terms Afrocentrism, as a distinct academic ideology, reached its peak in the 1980s and 1990s.[3] Today it is primarily associated with Molefi Asante.[4]

Proponents of Afrocentrism support the claim that the contributions of various African people have been downplayed or discredited as part of the legacy of colonialism and slavery's pathology of "writing Africans out of history".[5][6] Critics of Afrocentricity accuse it of being pseudohistory,[7] reactive,[8] and therapeutic.[9]
-snip-
I consider myself to be afrocentric. In my opinion, an afrocentric person is one who is interested in the histories, cultures, and present circumstances of people of African descent throughout the world. I believe that a person can be afrocentric without judging cultures of African descent to be better or worse than the cultures of other people who aren't of African descent.

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THE USE OF "HOTEP" IN THE UNITED STATES AS A GREETING/FAREWELL WORD MEANING "PEACE"
My position is that certain afrocentric African Americans began using the Egyptian word "Hotep" around the 1980s as a greeting word meaning "peace" in substitution for the Arabic greeting/farewell word "Salaam" (meaning "Peace") or the use of the English word "Peace" itself. "Salaam" was/is itself a shortened form of and a substitution for the Arabic phrases "As salaam alaikum" (greeting term meaning "Peace be unto you") and "Wa alaikum salaam (response: And unto you peace).

Those Arabic phrases were known to Muslims in the United States and elsewhere, including African Americans who were members of the Moorish Science Temple (i.e. Moorish Americans)* from 1913 on and African American who were members of The Nation Of Islam, especially after 1975.**
*Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moorish_Science_Temple_of_America for information about the Moorish Science Temple. Here's an excerpt from that article:
..."The Moorish Science Temple of America was incorporated under the Illinois Religious Corporation Act 805 ILCS 110. Timothy Drew, known to its members as Prophet Noble Drew Ali, founded the Moorish Science Temple of America in 1913 in Newark, New Jersey, a booming industrial city. After some difficulties, Ali moved to Chicago, establishing a center there, as well as temples in other major cities. The movement expanded rapidly during the late 1920s. The quick expansion of the Moorish Science Temple arose in large part from the search for identity and context among black Americans at the time of the Great Migration to northern and midwestern cities, as they were becoming an urbanized people".
-snip-
**Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation_of_Islam for information about the Nation Of Islam (aka Black Muslims)
"The Nation of Islam, abbreviated as NOI, is an African American political and religious movement, founded in Detroit, Michigan, United States, by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad on July 4, 1930.[2]...

After Fard disappeared in June 1934, the Nation of Islam was led by Elijah Muhammad, who established places of worship (called Temples or Mosques), a school named Muhammad University of Islam, farms, and real estate holdings in the United States and abroad.[9] The Nation has long been a strong advocate of African-American businesses.[10]

There were a number of splits and splinter groups during Elijah Muhammad's leadership, most notably the departure of senior leader Malcolm X to become a Sunni Muslim. After Elijah Muhammad's death in 1975, his son, Warith Deen Mohammed, changed the name of the organization to "World Community of Islam in the West" (and twice more after that), and attempted to convert it to a mainstream Sunni Muslim ideology.

In 1977, Louis Farrakhan rejected Warith Deen Mohammed's leadership and re-established the Nation of Islam on the original model. He took over the Nation of Islam's headquarters Temple, Mosque Maryam (Mosque #2) in Chicago, Illinois"...
-snip-
Some African Americans who've never been Moorish Americans and/or who have never been members of the Nation of Islam also have used/use those Arabic greeting terms toward members of those organizations and toward other Muslims. For example, from 1967-1969 I was a member of the afrocentric [Black cultural nationalist] organization the "Committee For Unified Newark (CFUN)" (located in Newark, New Jersey). While I had/have never been Muslim and have never been affiliated with the Moorish Science Temple, I greeted members of those organizations with "As salaam alaikum" and I received the standard Arabic response to my greeting.

For the two years that I was a member of that Newark organization, the "ankh" symbol of life was the only Egyptian cultural artifact that I remember being favored. Women who were members of that organization wore ankh necklaces and rings, and men wore ankh medallions. But Arabic names (or the Swahili forms of those names) were very common among members of that afrocentric group-as my name "Azizi" shows.

Instead of the Arabic greeting/farewell phrases or their shortened forms, members of CFUN (the organization which was led by Amiri Baraka, formerly known as [playwright/poet] Le Roi Jones) used the Swahili greeting phrase "Habari Gani" (We were taught that meant "What's the news?"). The response that we were taught for that greeting was "Njema" ("Fine".) And members of that afrocentric cultural organization used the Swahili farewell term "Tutaonana" (We pronounced this word "too tah oo- NAH nah" and were told it meant "See you later").
-snip-
The first time that I can recall hearing the word "hotep" used as a greeting was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania around 1987. The twenty something year old African American man who regularly used that word also gave himself (or was given) the name "Imhotep", after the ancient Egyptian physician, architect, high priest, etc. with that name. Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imhotephttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imhotep for information about Imhotep.

I think that the use of "hotep" by afrocentric African Americans was relatively new in the late 1980s, and I believe that it was confined to a relatively small subset of afrocentric African Americans. That is probably still the case today. However, nowadays in the United States the word "hotep" has taken on additional meanings, and is now considered by some to be a pejorative term.

Before looking at the added uses of the word "hotep", here's an example of that word being used at the end of a sentence to mean "Peace"- and the comment that that used evoked:

From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdpFKMbUv30
molefi mutombo, 2015
"africans were put in scientific incarceration of islamic and christian religions to physical slavery; to get out of these troubles is to rehabilitate african ancestors values, spirituality to inspire us. MAAT is still there, VOODOO is still there. hotep"

**
Reply
Italian Soldier from WW2, 2017
"Hotep? Isn't that Egyptian? Egyptian people are not black"

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CONTEMPORARY USES OF THE WORD "HOTEP" IN THE UNITED STATES
While the Egyptian word "hotep" continues to be used by some African Americans to mean "peace", some other people are using that word as a diss (insult term/description) on a sub-set of afrocentric African Americans who they consider to be hypocritical, limited in their acceptance of others, and obnoxious in their attitudes and treatment of other people-including other afrocentric people.

Here are some article excerpts about these added meanings/uses for the word "hotep". These articles are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

Article Excerpt #1:
From http://www.theroot.com/hotep-explained-1790854506 "Hotep, Explained" by Damon Young, 3/05/16
"What does “Hotep” mean?

“Hotep” is an Egyptian word that means “at peace.” It’s basically the Egyptian “What’s good?”

Over the past several decades, the word has also been utilized quite frequently by black Americans who happen to be more Afrocentric. Let me put it this way: If you happen to attend a Juneteenth festival this year and collect business cards from vendors there, at least 17 percent of them will have “Hotep” written somewhere on them....

Over the past decade or so, the working definition of “Hotep” has morphed into an all-encompassing term describing a person who’s either a clueless parody of Afrocentricity... or someone who’s loudly, conspicuously and obnoxiously pro-black but anti-progress....

“Hotep” can be a noun and an adjective. Sometimes in the same sentence! Example: “I didn’t realize he was a Hotep until I friended him on Facebook and he kept sharing Hotep memes on my timeline.” My favorite said, “Why be eye candy when you can be soul food.”

It can also be a verb (“You need to Hotep up your language a bit. More ‘kings’ and ‘queens’ would help”) and an adverb (“She spoke Hotepidly during the community meeting”). OK, maybe the adverb doesn’t quite work, but you get my point.”.....
snip-
“The why be eye candy..." is a caption in a poster of a young Black woman with no makeup wearing a gele [an African headwrap].

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Article Excerpt #2
From http://neguswhoread.com/five-kinds-hotep/
By Michael Harriot, 2016 [?]
"Lately “Hotep” has become the de rigueur term to describe anyone wearing a dashiki or sporting an ankh as a necklace or tattoo. It is slowly morphing from adjective to pejorative, and because it has crossed the invisible bounds of Black jargon into the awareness of White America, there is a need for negrologists* such as myself to lend clarity and nuance to the term, lest we soon see the phrase used in McDonalds commercials and Macklemore songs. The Urban dictionary** (or–as I call it–the “White People’s Guide To Code-Switching”)*** lists three definitions for “Hotep:”

1. “Peace” or “I come in Peace” it is a common greeting with people well versed in true world history.

Hotep brothers & sisters, today we will discuss...

2. Black men who are only concerned about matters of social justice when it comes to black men and have little or no regard for the health and well-being of other members of the black race unless those people can serve to uphold their misogynistic societal ideas.

Hoteps are bitter black men who are somewhat progressive though undereducated on issues of racial prejudice and use pro-black rhetoric to support ideas that are clearly not in the best interest of all black people. These men are typically misogynists who display a particularly high level of disrespect for the thoughts, bodies and experiences of black women, black homosexuals and black children. These men regularly espouse anti-intellectual and anti-scientific beliefs about nutrition, women’s menstrual cycles and child development on social media.

Jay is always so outraged over the oppression of black men, but often posts derogatory memes about black women and gays on social media. I finally had to just stop talking to him because he is such a hotep.

3. One who thinks and talks enlightenment and has no idea what he or she is actually talking about. Found predominately in the African American culture. Hotep thinkers believe almost everything is a conspiracy against the black race while having no actual proof to back up said conspiracy.

“The real George Washington was actually black, but the white man doesn’t want you to know that” -Hotep talk.”....
-snip-
Explanations added 2/11/2017
*"negrologists- a tongue and cheek referent for someone who studies African American culture (Note that the referent "Negro" has been retired since the late 1960)
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=negrologist
"1.One who studies African-Americans and their culture.

2.Negrology- The study of African-Americans

(not an actual field of study)
See that guy over there? He's a negrologist.

I hear he studies negrology.
#negro #negrology #negrologist #african #africa #african-american #black
by moose_20 February 28, 2007"
-snip-
Also note the use of the lower case "n" in the word "negrologist". Contemporary Black writers who purposely spell "Negro" with a lower case "n" are doing so as an insult (i.e. "Lots of people think that Clarence Thomas is a negro". (meaning he acts like an uncle tom.) Given this point, "negrologist" may be a referent to refer to a person who focuses on the less than respectable aspects of Black (i.e. Negro) culture. For the record, I don't consider myself a "negrologist".

** http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Hotep now [as of 2/10/2017 at 2:46 PM EST] has four definitions of the word "hotep".

**
When Michael Harriot wrote that he calls urban dictionary the "White People’s Guide To Code-Switching”, he means that he (and others) believe that White people search that site for explanations of African American Vernacular English (i.e. Black slang) that we use when we "code-switch" from standard American English to African American Vernacular English. Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code-switching for a Wikipedia article about code switching.

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/puttin-on-black-online-black-talk-code.html and http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/08/down-home-black-talk-in-youtube.html for two posts in the ongoing pancocojams series on African American code-switching.

That description of urban dictionary.com may also be tongue in cheek. But it's important to note that all of the terms and definitions in visitor submitted dictionary site aren't about African American Vernacular English, and some of the definitions for African American Vernacular English terms aren't correct. (Not to mention, that many of the definitions on urban dictionary.com are x rated).

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Article Excerpt #3
From https://bossip.com/1162375/stay-woke-what-is-hotep-twitter-and-why-is-it-so-awful/
Stay Woke: What Is Hotep Twitter And Why Is It So Awful? Posted on July 2, 2015 - By Bossip Staff
"Hotep Twitter is the home of the #StayWoke crowd of men who claim to represent the roots of Africa or whatever…but deep down they display misogynist and homophobic traits. Their statuses make little sense and usually offend more than help. If you’ve never come in contact with one of these Hotep men, consider yourself lucky. Just make sure that you stay aware so you can run for help when they appear. Keep your eye on the Hoteps and #StayWoke*.
-snip-
Bossip= Black Gossip

*"woke"= in afrocentric context, a Black person who is woke (awake) is conscious of the realities of oppression, institutional racism, and injustice, particularly as these refer to Black people

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Article Excerpt #4
From https://bossip.com/1162375/stay-woke-what-is-hotep-twitter-and-why-is-it-so-awful/2/
"How to identify Hoteps
“This specimen can usually be found championing for rights of Black men while simultaneously throwing Black women, Black trans persons, Black members of the LGBTQ community or anyone else who is not a Black man under the bus.- The Visibility Project"
-snip-
Another pejorative term that is used for "hotep people" (particularly "hotep men") is "Hotep Ni&&a" (with that form of the n word fully spelled out)

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ADDED 2/10/2017
Here's an example of the use of "Peace" at the end of a sentence. This comment is from a YouTube discussion thread for Spike Lee's 1988 movie School Daze and is included in the companion post about the afrocentric use of the word "Woke" whose link is found above:

jojoko64, 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg8Oq_Sd3Bw
"Be awoke enough not to allow yourself to repeat history. Division is the fall before destruction, pull folks on all sides together. You are your hope, do not continuously allow yourself to be deceived. Peace!"

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ADDED 2/18/2017
Here's another example of "Hotep" used as a greeting word:
From https://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/showthread.php/35439-ALAAFIA-IS-NOT-AN-AFRIKAN-WORD-Nor-Does-It-Mean-Peace
04-13-2007, Kentake
Re: ALAAFIA IS NOT AN AFRIKAN WORD Nor Does It Mean "Peace"
"Hotep!,
Bro.Awotunde asante sana 4 starting this thread. i recently went out 2 dinner w/my cousin 2 this new nigerian restaurant here and i overheard some bros greeting each other w/"Alafia". i must admit i was confused, i heard u and others say b4 dat it is an arab word but then i hear nigerians use it sooooo much i was asking myself ?? it is AMAZING how the Arab culture/language etc. has been SOOOO INTERTWINED AND BASICALLY INTER-MARRIED w/INDIGENOUS AFREEKAN CULTURE/LANGUAGE. it is at the point that WE cannot tell the difference btwn the 2"...
-snip-
From reading this and other comments in that discussion, my sense is that the participants are African American and "here" in that discussion means "in the United States.

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Juneteenth Commemorations & Celebrations (information & videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides information about the African American celebration of Juneteenth and provides examples of Juneteenth celebrations.

I'm particularly interested in the way that various Juneteenth celebrations throughout the United States include elements of traditional West African culture such as African dancing, drumming and (in one video African singing) and wearing traditional West African outfits made of kente cloth or other fabrics. I've noted examples of these that are found in some of the videos below, and included an editorial comment as an Addendum to this post.

The content of this post is provided for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who contributed to African American freedom. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to all those who are featured in the videos. In addition, thanks to the publishers of these YouTube sound files and videos.

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INFORMATION ABOUT JUNETEENTH
From
http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm
"Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

Later attempts to explain this two and a half year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another, is that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations. And still another, is that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. All of which, or neither of these version could be true. Certainly, for some, President Lincoln's authority over the rebellious states was in question. For whatever the reasons, conditions in Texas remained status quo well beyond what was statutory.

General Order Number 3

One of General Granger’s first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas, General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with:

"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 rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer."

The reactions to this profound news ranged from pure shock to immediate jubilation. While many lingered to learn of this new employer to employee relationship, many left before these offers were completely off the lips of their former 'masters' - attesting to the varying conditions on the plantations and the realization of freedom. Even with nowhere to go, many felt that leaving the plantation would be their first grasp of freedom. North was a logical destination and for many it represented true freedom, while the desire to reach family members in neighboring states drove the some into Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Settling into these new areas as free men and women brought on new realities and the challenges of establishing a heretofore non-existent status for black people in America. Recounting the memories of that great day in June of 1865 and its festivities would serve as motivation as well as a release from the growing pressures encountered in their new territory. The celebration of June 19th was coined "Juneteenth" and grew with more participation from descendants. The Juneteenth celebration was a time for reassuring each other, for praying and for gathering remaining family members. Juneteenth continued to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date."...
-snip-
Juneteenth has developed into a day to celebrate African American history and African American heritage, including African heritage - through parades, through formal cultural programs, and through community gatherings that include music, dance, and food.

However, it's important to note that Juneteenth isn't known or traditionally celebrated by a number of African Americans outside of the state of Texas. I believe that's particularly true for African Americans in the Eastern region of the United States who often weren't aware of Juneteenth until relatively recently, or may still not be aware of the historical significance of that day. For example, I was born and raised in New Jersey and have lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania since the late 1960s. It wasn't until the late 1990s or early 2000s that I learned about Juneteenth when a now defunct Black "urban" radio station in Pittsburgh sponsored the first Juneteenth celebration event in that city. As I recall, in keeping with its sponsor, that event mostly showcased local R&B/Hip-Hop music groups. While some Pittsburgh community organizations may still sporadically hold cultural programs honoring Juneteenth on a Saturday or Sunday near that date, I don't believe that those celebrations are that big or that well known. That said, notice that the Eastern city of Buffalo, New York celebrated its 38th annual Juneteenth parade in 2013 as documented in a video found below.

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS ABOUT THE MEANING OF JUNETEENTH
Example #1: "The Roots of Juneteenth" - Galveston, TX



visitgalvestonisland, June 1, 2012

Every year visitors to Galveston, Texas "come home where it all began" to celebrate one of the largest Juneteenth celebrations in the country! Did you know Juneteenth-a holiday now celebrated by more than 40 states-began in Galveston, Texas? Galveston holds the distinction of being the place in the United States where the last slaves were freed. Find out more in this short video and don't forget to visit http://www.galveston.com/juneteenth/
-snip-
Here's an excerpt from that website:
"Today Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing. It is a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future. Its growing popularity signifies a level of maturity and dignity in America long over due. In cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities and religions are joining hands to truthfully acknowledge a period in our history that shaped and continues to influence our society today. Sensitized to the conditions and experiences of others, only then can we make significant and lasting improvements in our society. - compliments of Juneteenth.com"

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Example #2: Juneteenth - A Celebration of Freedom (Trailer) [Texas]



FASTCUTFILMS-TEXAS,uploaded on June 4, 2009

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FEATURED VIDEOS OF JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS
These examples are presented in chronological order based on their posting date on YouTube, with the oldest examples given first. The state from which the video comes is given in brackets.

Example #1: Juneteenth Parade 2013, 38th Annual Parade, Buffalo NY [New York]



Wil Images, Published June 19, 2013 [parade held on June 15, 2013
-snip-
Notice that among the very wide range of educational, recreational, cultural, health & community services, and religious organizations/institutions that participated in this event, the parade also included steppers from a number of historically Black college & university fraternities & sororities. The inclusion of BGLO (Black Greek Lettered Organizations) documents the increased presence of undergraduate college & university Black Greek organization outside of their campuses as part of mainstream Black American culture. One result of that increased presence is the number of non-college/university Black step teams that have been created in Black American and other American communities since the 1980s. Click the Black fraternity and sorority steppin tag below to find pancocojams post on stepping.

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Example #2: Juneteenth Parade 2013 [Texas]



KUT Austin, Published on June 16, 1013

Big crowds turn out for the annual Juneteenth parade
-snip-
A highly anticipated and central facet of this parade is when paraders throw candy or hand candy to those watching the parade, especially children. The act of throwing desired objects to parade onlookers is also a feature of Louisiana Mardi Gras parades. I also recall that firemen threw candy to children during their annual parade when I was a child in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the 1950s.

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Example #3: Boston's Juneteenth Celebration 2013 - Program Highlights [Massachusetts]



Uphams Corner News, June 29, 2013

Boston’s Juneteenth celebration at the Museum of African American Artists (6/19/2013) Keynote Speaker Professor Charles Ogletree, Harvard University, drumming and singing groups including Paige Academy and The Butterfly Project.
-snip-
Notice the kente cloth that serves as a backdrop to the speakers’ podium, as well as the kente cloth outfit that is worn by the young girl at 2:5, and various patterns & colors of kente cloth stoles that are shown throughout this video, including the one which is worn by the vocalist who leads the attendees in singing "Lift Every Voice And Sing", which is known as the African American National Anthem [around 10:02]. Also, notice the inclusion of other examples of traditional West African clothing as well as West African dancing & drumming in this celebration.

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Example #4: Neighborhood Block Association's 2013 Richmond California Juneteenth Parade & Celebration [California]



Djijaga, July 2, 2013
-snip-
Notice the young people wearing kente cloth stoles as a commemoration of their African heritage [2:16-2:29]

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Example #5: JuneTeenth Celebration with Dance [Ohio]



Socially Good TV, Published June 14, 2014

Watch highlights and learn about the Djapo Cultural Arts Institute (Djapo.com) and the Juneteenth Conference and Concert Weekend Celebration from Talise Cambell, Cleveland Ohio.
-snip-
I'm not a dancer, but I've attended a considerably large number of African dance performances in the United States. This highlight trailer & the narration makes me wish that I could see a live performance of this dance group or groups. I wonder if some of the performers or the instructors are African or if the African American instructors/dancers traveled to an African country/countries to learn these dances. Kudus to these dancers for their adherence to traditional West African dance techniques/costumes and the high quality of their performances! And also kudus to the drummers and other musicians!

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ADDENDUM & RELATED LINKS
I believe that the inclusion of African drumming, African dancing, wearing traditional West African or West African inspired outfits and other elements of African culture into Juneteenth celebrations reflects the achievement of a Black cultural nationalist goal from that African American movement that flowered in the late 1960s/early 1970s. That goal was that our African heritage would be accepted by more African Americans as a legitimate and admired part of our past culture and our present day culture.

Three other examples of the normalization of traditional African culture as an expression of African American culture are the celebration of Kwanzaa, the African American custom of wearing kente cloth stoles during graduation ceremonies, and the celebration of African Day in churches during which church members are encouraged to wear African or African inspired outfits. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/12/teddy-pendergrass-happy-kwanzaa-video.html for a pancocojams post on Kwanzaa. Also click "http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/02/wearing-kente-cloth-stoles-during.html and http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/02/african-day-worship-services-in-african.html for two of four posts in a pancocojams series about African Americans wearing kente cloth.

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Nikki Giovanni - Ego Tripping (sound file & words)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a sound file of and the words for Nikki Giovanni's 1972 poem "Ego Tripping (There May Be A Reason Why).

The content of this post is presented for inspirational and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remains with their owners.

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FEATURED SOUND FILE
08. Blackalicious - Ego Trip by Nikki Giovanni (featuring Nikki Giovanni & Erinn Anova)



Neku Rau, Published on Sep 2, 2014

Nia
Track 8
1999/2000
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEyozH0EQqw for another uptempo version of this poem from the "Truth Is On The Way" album. Nikki Giovanni's poems in that album are spoken along with Gospel music. [embedding disabled].

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LYRICS: EGO TRIPPING (THERE MAY BE A REASON WHY)
(Nikki Giovanni)

I was born in the congo
I walked to the fertile crescent and built
the sphinx
I designed a pyramid so tough that a star
that only glows every one hundred years falls
into the center giving divine perfect light
I am bad

I sat on the throne
drinking nectar with allah
I got hot and sent an ice age to europe
to cool my thirst
My oldest daughter is nefertiti
the tears from my birth pains
created the nile
I am a beautiful woman

I gazed on the forest and burned
out the sahara desert
with a packet of goat's meat
and a change of clothes
I crossed it in two hours
I am a gazelle so swift
so swift you can't catch me

For a birthday present when he was three
I gave my son hannibal an elephant
He gave me rome for mother's day
My strength flows ever on

My son noah built new/ark and
I stood proudly at the helm
as we sailed on a soft summer day
I turned myself into myself and was
jesus
men intone my loving name
All praises All praises
I am the one who would save

I sowed diamonds in my back yard
My bowels deliver uranium
the filings from my fingernails are
semi-precious jewels
On a trip north
I caught a cold and blew
My nose giving oil to the arab world
I am so hip even my errors are correct
I sailed west to reach east and had to round off
the earth as I went
The hair from my head thinned and gold was laid
across three continents

I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal
I cannot be comprehended except by my permission

I mean...I...can fly
like a bird in the sky...

From http://nikki-giovanni.com/page_51.shtml

EDITORIAL COMMENT:
In African American slang, a person who is "trippin" is moving away from (taking a trip away from) the real world. "Ego Trippin[g]" usually means to brag about yourself without any basis in reality. It's usually an insult to say that someone is "ego trippin[g]". However, in "Ego Tripping", Giovanni probably wants her readers/listerners to positively view the self-boasting that is voiced in this poem.

The sub-title "There May Be A Reason Why" alludes to the poet's position that there's probably a legitimate reason or reasons for the ego trippin that is done in this poem. Incidentally, the sub-title "There May Be A Reason Why" is quite similar to the funk group War's 1971 song "There Must Be A Reason Why" which was included on their album "All Day Music". But the similarities in these titles might just be a coincidence.

In the seventh line of that poem, "I am bad" means "I'm very good".

The word "new/ ark" in the line ""My son noah built new/ark/..." is a form of the place name "Newark". Newark, New Jersey is a large metropolitan community that is near New York City. In the late 1960s and 1970s Newark was the site of a Black cultural nationalist organization, the Committee For Unified Newark" [CFUN], that was headed by the well known poet/playright/activist Amiri Baraka (Le Roi Jones). As such, and in no small part because of the positive connotations that could easily be made from that city's name, Newark, New Jersey was considered by Nikki Giovanni and some other persons in the Black cultural nationalists movement as a prototype for a city where [some] Black people had knowledge of and pride in their African heritage, and strived to adhere to the values of unity, self-determination, collective work & responsibility and other principles that are incapsulated in Maulana Karenga's Nguza Saba.*

I also believe that the phrase "new creation" in the last line of Nikki Giovanni's "Poem for a Lady of Leisure Now Retired" is an oblique reference to Newark, New Jersey. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/01/nikki-giovanni-poem-for-lady-of-leisure.html for a post about that poem.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to Nikki Giovanni for composing this poem and other poems. My thanks also for the producer & uploader of this video.

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Viewer comments are welcome.