The Pan-Afrikan Nationalist Manifesto for International Community Empowerment
Thoughts and ideas on how we can better ourselves
by Ayesha F.

I have limited knowledge of a lot of the varying disparities that Afrikan’s across the globe face. However, I do know that Afrikan peoples have suffered, primarily from lack of community and financial stability. Inspired by the book “Black Economics: Solutions for Economic Community Empowerment” by Jawanza Kunjufu; I hope to lay down some fundamentals for all Afrikan communities to consider. I will be using some of Jawanza’s own ideas for community empowerment in this manifesto. I know that some of us would rather read less rather than all at once so for this reason this manifesto will be broken up into “Parts”.

Part One - EDUCATION

I don’t know the exact numbers but it seems like, nationally, our children are suffering at the hands of the Public school system. As a former student of this system and as a mother of a child who is currently in this system, I know it does not work for Afrikan children. Ever since my daughter starting attending places of learning since the age of three I have been repeatedly told that she is really really smart. I consider my daughter to be of regular smartness. She should be doing what she is doing, in school, and is definitely capable of doing more. However this school system is only geared toward Teaching for Tests. These tests allow the state government to better discern what schools get the most funding, based on test scores. Last year my daughter scored far above the average requirement for her State tests. I was ecstatic, of course, but then I began to wonder if the average was far too low.

At the first open house, of this school year, I was surprised by the attitude of my daughter’s 4th grade teacher. Once again, I heard praises for my child’s smarts and how she had no problems with my daughter. However, with further discussion I felt like she had a condescending attitude toward the kids that weren’t at my daughter’s level, average level. She spoke about some children not being able to do simple math or being able to read. Is this the criteria they are using to base my daughters smarts on? I’d rather her smarts be compared to children who were performing on her level. I was surprised to know that spelling was not being taught in that school. Can you believe that? No wonder our kids can’t read past a 6th grade level by the time their in 12th grade. The system has failed them. There is another option. I can just remove her from that school and send her to a better performing school. But here’s the thing. What will she be learning? If it’s the same thing I was taught, then no ma’am. Our children need more than just book smarts they need to be taught sense of where their place is in this world. Our history is not just one chapter in the “His-Story” books, its way more than that. It is for that reason that I am a proponent for Afrikan-centered learning. This is why I propose the creation of Afrikan-centered learning institutions that are largely supported by the Afrikan business and civil communities.

As a child, I attended Sister Clara Muhammad Elementary school in Newark, NJ; from the time I was in pre-school until I was in 4th grade. This school had an Islamic base but more importantly the children were all Black and so were the teachers. We were taught everything from phonics to religion. The teachers had a more of an auntie and uncle relationship with their pupils and this allowed them to invest more of their feelings into teaching us. This enabled the children to do better. My estimate is that the school had more than 150 kids enrolled. I left the school at age 10, because my dad couldn’t afford to keep all four of his kids there. Around the time we left, the school had become bigger. It bought the building across the street, to house the upper classes that they began teaching. The building was big but it was run down and shotty. Within 5 years, of us leaving, the school had closed, due to financial difficulties.

I used that story as an example of the pros and cons of having a school like this. The pros were our children learning and achieving more and the teachers investing more. The cons, of course, are the cost.

The State run public schools that are doing the worse are located in predominantly lower income Black and Hispanic communities. So it just makes sense that we should open schools in those areas. However these schools would be privately run; meaning that the cost of running the school will fall squarely on the low-income earning parents of the children who can attend. Education shouldn’t be a case of the haves and the have nots. Our inner city children are the ones that need it the most; so this why I implore the community at large, particularly the Afrikan business owning communities to also invest in the schools. How much a parent will pay will be based on their income and hopefully the additional cost can be supplemented by community investments. I won’t call it donations because this financial contribution is an investment in our people as a whole.

How will these investments work? I will take a page out of the Jewish tiding system, to which I have been witness too, working for Jewish companies. Rabbis will come by on a weekly basis to Jewish owned companies (there are a lot of big companies in the apparel industry) and ask for donations for certain things. Some of these things would be helping poor Jewish families in the local community and the community abroad, helping with a Jewish couple’s wedding expenses, investing in Jewish schools, etc etc. Let me tell you, money may not always be given happily but nonetheless it is given, every week sometimes to 10 rabbis weekly. The Jews have a sense of community and maybe this is because they all share one religion but their community is strong. In our community, our different religions, separates us, but these are the things we must get over for the betterment of us all.

Now, how does one start a school like this? Well, all I can say is that we already have schools like this. In our homes we “sit” children and some of us have even gone the official route and have leased space to start day care facilities. All we need to do is take this one step further. Starting small is optimal. You will be better prepared to know your own capacities and what other help you can enlist. My suggestion is that people who currently run day care facilities should start expanding into higher grade levels. They should also hold meetings for the local black business owners, in their communities, to enlist them to invest in their schools.

There are two goals for these schools. One is to teach math, reading, writing on a level that is equal to or that surpasses what is being taught to children across the globe. America is the dumbest nation when it comes to our school systems and when our children are left in this dumb nations failing schools, then what advantage will they have. Secondly is to teach our history. I think it is our lack of the vastness and richness of our history that allow us to continue on without a sense of self. Our history consists of the kingdoms of Egypt and Nubia, the colleges in Timbuktu and Salamanca in Spain, the kingdoms of sub-Saharan Afrika, a thorough look at the displacement and death of millions Afrikans via the slave trade, the collective years of bondage and free labor from our ancestors in the U.S./Caribbean (including the Spanish speaking Caribbean)/South America/ Central America, the thousands of slave revolts, the emancipation and civil right movements in the U.S., Black Wall Street/Little Africa, Rosewood, lynchings, black power movement in the U.S. and abroad, Music (jazz, r&b, soul, hip hop, reggae etc) and I could go on and on.

Now doesn’t this look separatist? If this Afrikan-centered school system works, then this will be what the naysayers (the powers that be), will say. They will use that reverse psychology tactic to shame us into abandoning our children; when in fact, it actually benefits their agenda if our children remained uneducated and a threat. Prisons are an industry in this country and a large number of our people fuel this industry. Inmates are the modern day slaves, forfeiting freedom based on their social situations and lack of sense of who they are and their position in this world.

Funnily enough this shaming tactic is only used toward Afrikan peoples. The Jews, Asians, and every other hyphenated people in this country aren’t accused of being separatists or racists, when they open schools to educate their youth; which leads me to believe that they are scared of us and our history and of our strength. The reason the world is like it is today is because of our collective weakness and lack of community. I wholeheartedly believe that just like our ancient Nubian and Egyptian ancestors, Afrikan’s are the people who will enlighten the world, but first we must enlighten ourselves.