Long before being “woke” became a social media trend, 400 years was a round figure used to tally how long we and our ancestors have been toiling in America, first as slaves, then as a segregated, oppressed and disrespected group of people. Even Bob Marley and the Wailers released a song titled 400 years way…
Straight Outta Kenya: Meet Mwende “FreeQuency” Katwiwa, Poetic Changemaker
Did you know that May 25th is celebrated as Africa Day throughout the African continent and in parts of the global Black diaspora? Its purpose is to commemorate the founding of the Organization of African States (now known as the African Union) by freedom fighters like Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Emperor Haile Selassie of…
Seven Reasons to Overcome All Objections to Celebrating Kwanzaa
Habari gani? That’s a Kiswahili phrase meaning “what’s the news?” It is a common greeting used during Kwanzaa, the seven-day, African-American festival created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga (born Ron Everett), who is also the founder of US (United Slaves), a cultural organization based in Los Angeles. When someone says habari gani, you respond by…
Three Takeaways from Lil Jon’s African Philanthropy
If you logged into any social media accounts over the weekend, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard Atlanta rapper Lil’ Jon has built a kindergarten in Ghana, West Africa. And if you’re like me, you probably had one of three reactions: What! Okaaaaay! Yeaaaaah! Dave Chappelle has trained us well. In all seriousness, I…