AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMEMORATIVE SURVIVAL JOURNAL

N.B.S.C.J. DEADLINE CHANGED TO APRIL 1, 2009: THE JOURNAL IS ON THE AGENDA FOR THE INAUGURAL WEEKEND SUMMIT OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS
JANUARY 14, 2009

SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, VA – As Inaugural Weekend rapidly approaches, the deadline for submission to the National Black survival Commemorative Journal deadline has been moved forward to April 1, 2009. The NBSCJ is a project that offers Black individuals an opportunity to document “how they survived oppression.” The documentation period is the year 1555 to the Election of the first Black president of the USA.
“The December 25 date was a long shot from the beginning. So April for publication of the first edition of the Journal is more realistic.
“We Keeping final deadline for the entire project to December 1.” Said Publisher H. Khalif Khalifah.
The fee for each submission to fill space for 1000 words, including pictures to illustrate the document is $50.00. The story can be about the contributor, or someone dear, near or a hero or sheroe that inspired them to do what they ultimately did with their life.
As an independent Publisher, UBUS has never received a penny in loans or grants to publish the 600 books that have been “by for or about Black People.' But when the writer believes in his or her work to the extent they are willing to pay anything toward it publication, UBUS will do the rest. For more information call (704) 509-6773 or (704) 277-1462.
Send the manuscript copy to: nbscj@khabooks.com .
KHALIFAH

P. O. Box 9 –
SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY
Drewryville, Virginia 23844

Would Sojourner Truth 'wanna lick the rapper?'

One morning while riding in my car I decided to venture away from my regular News programming on the radio and turned to one of our local Hip Hop and R&B stations.
It wasn’t long before the commercial for some debt creating pay-day loan went off and my ears, mind, and soul was being violated by rapper lil’ Wayne’s song ‘Lollipop.’ As I listened in disgust to the monotony of his lyrics (similar to many I had heard in some contemporary rap songs today) about how some women wanted to ‘lick the rapper’ amongst other things, my eyes began to tear up from those degrading and humiliating lyrics.
Keeping in mind that I am in no way picking on any one rapper, I began to think about all of the African American women who fall subject to those words and gobble them up as a ‘way to behave.’ Pardon the pun. And then I thought back to the glorious African American women like Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Nzingha, Yaa Asante, and Mary McLeod Bethune.
I turned my thoughts to these women and I wonder. I wonder if our fore-mentioned female ancestors are watching us from the other side in utter disgust and humiliation. I wonder if they cry for us. I wonder if their spirits cringe and fall to their knees in agony as they watch their descendants fall into a deeper pit of sexual promiscuity, self imposed inferiority and hatred, and total miseducation. I wonder if Harriet Tubman feels like all 19 of her potentially deadly trips were traveled completely in vain.
I wonder if Sojourner Truth still feels like a ‘woman’. I wonder if Mary McLeod Bethune still believes in the power of knowledge and education being put into action as a form of liberation and progress. I wonder if Nzingha and Yaa Asantewa would still feel like mighty warrior Queens who believe in the power of women’s leadership strong enough to defeat the deadliest of opponents. Maybe. Maybe not.
Are not African American women worthy of marriage, community, and family life no matter what their educational, social, or economic status may be? Are we not befitting of praise and uplifting, adoration and hope; rather than being the modern day sex toys degraded and mistreated in the very same manner that our ancestors were treated by white males? Are we not precious jewels blessed with the ability to bring forth life and love?
As proven by time immemorial, the African American woman, then and now, has undeniably been the glue that binds. We are strong and beautiful. We are the hopeful and forgiving mothers, lovers, and friends to our communities. We have been the nurturers and the shelters of those in need. We have worked like horses to keep our families and our Men from falling through the cracks of hunger, helplessness, and even homelessness. In spite of all the propagandizing of us being bitter, cold, disrespectful, and nowadays no more than some poorly upgraded bed winches- many of us still stand strong.
We have been used up, beaten, raped, tortured, and mentally tormented while our babies are being trained to be nothing more than fools and jesters for the entertainment purposes of a society that does not consider their best interest.
We have been subjected to mutilating ourselves and our God given beauty and resilience only to be told that we are never enough. We have to declare our freedom and our sanity. We must embrace our struggles and now our mental liberation. It’s time to take back your lives, your families, your respect, and your Mind.

Zekita is author of Don’t Call Me N!gga (Revised- Purple Cover) and Reggies Wakes Up- two socially conscious books for African American Youth about the ‘n’ word and education and entrepreneurship. She can be reached at info@zeniampublications.com by email or visit www.zeniampublications.com.

CREATING "CONSCIOUS" CHILDREN BY "BANNING THE 'N' WORD FROM THE MOUTHS OF OUR BABIES" AND ENCOURAGING ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN OUR COMMUNITIES

YOU READ SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS BOOKS TO UPLIFT AND INSPIRE YOU....SHOULDN'T YOUR CHILDREN DO THE SAME?

CREATE CONSCIOUS CHILDREN......

Making a living and taking care of a family is a very hard thing when your amount of income depends on how much you write and how many people are willing to pay for your work. In the business of Liberation esp. that of Liberating African/Black people, the art of being a wordsmith gets even more complicated. There are so many obstacles when trying to reach a particular audience of whom need freedom, deprogramming, and then reprogramming. The reason being that- you have to first convince the people that they are ill and are in need of some serious self reflection. This is why I find it not only more feasible, but at this point, more essential and urgent that we as the promoters and purporters of African/Black Unity and Liberation focus most of our energies on our children and young adults. They are the ones that will surely lead us to our Victory. They are strong, they're minds are fresh and innovative, and they are seemingly more willing to listen to and contribute the ideas of self determination throughout the diaspora. We as the adults of this struggle should always keep them in mind and be sure that they are involved in everything that we do in terms of cultural events, rallies, conferences, and yes even our most hard core grassroots operations. Our young people have been lost in the last decade or so to just plain ole' stupidity. By that I mean lost in a lifestyle of selfishness, disrespect, and that total annihilation of the Knowledge of Self. They are being whitewashed (brainwashed with a pseudo culture) and turned away from truth like we never imagined. Many of them lack respect for their elders, their families and peers, and ultimately themselves. It is our job to 'talk' less and 'act' more or even better, 'act' just as much as we 'talk' - even if that means something as simple as volunteering your time teaching 'cultural' or African/Black awareness in community centers on weekends or at your local library. Actually, that's not really 'simple' at all, teaching African/Black awareness in your free time is something that could be life changing for one of our young people. Whatever we do we should always maintain our one true mission that is to CULTIVATE AND CULMINATE SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS CHILDREN in addition to our adult peers.

Written by Zekita, Author of Don't Call Me N!gga (NEW REVISED EDITON) a book that discourages the use of the so called 'n' word in youth and Reggie Wakes Up, a book for youth that encourages Entrepreneurship in the community. For ordering info of signed copies contact zeniampublications@yahoo.com or info@zeniampublications.com or you can go to Amazon.com.

KHA Books: PRINTING YOUR BLACK BOOKS

THE LUMUMBA BOOK PRINTING COMPANY/ KHA BOOKS

Lumumba Book Printing Company/ KHA Books began printing quality books [quickly] in 1989. They offer all of the services you can expect from a division of a company that have been serving the Black Nation in North America for 33 years. TLBPC/KHA Books was co-founded by H. Khalif Khalifah and Lumumba Odingo as a division of UNITED BROTHERS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS. It is named for the co-founder, Black nationalist, who is now deceased was a legendary legitimate business manager of Harlem, N.Y. gangster Bumpy Johnson; after the death of Bumpy Johnson, he became the personal Security Officer for the family of Malcolm X. During the last 23 years of his life, Brother Lumumba was a registered United Brothers, providing Mentoring and Securing H. Khalif Khalifah. Brother Lumumba Odinga made his transition in his beloved Harlem, NYC in 2003. His name lives on through the company that he co-founded and the book he co-authored: "BUMPY JOHNSON & LUMUMBA ODINGO: TWO UNCOMPROMISED BLACKMEN BORN IN THE SLAVERY SOCIETY CALLED THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA".

H. KHALIF KHALIFAH....First United Brother, H. Khalif Khalifah is a Master Typographer (printer). He was born in The Black Nation in the territory called Alabama in 1940. His family imgrated to NYC when he was a child of 11 years old. He has been in the Nation of Islam since 1972. He modelled his services to The Black Nation in the mode of the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey; and of course, his Spirituality under the Guidance of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad. He was a principal leader of N'COBRA (The National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America) during the 1990's when the Great Issue of "Reparations" became a household topic in America.

PRINTING RANGE: TLBPC/KHA Books offers quality and quantity printing from 50 copies to 1,000,000 and more. Find us a http://www.khabooks.com/ E-mail printing@khabooks.com or call (434) 658-4934 or 704-277-1462

'REAL' NEWS YOU CAN USE

REAL NEWS- TAKEN FROM http://www.africaspeaks.com/

African Diaspora: Revolution Against Western AlliesPosted on Thursday, December 27 @ 08:10:25 EST by admin

By Reason WafawarovaDecember 27, 2007

The just-ended EU-Africa summit has left a clear message that the era of aid cemented relations between Africa and its former colonisers have come to an end. The refusal by African leaders to endorse the newly proposed Economic Partnership Agreements and the emphasis on a new era of a partnership of equals was indeed the right direction for African leaders to take. For Europe the summit was about out competing China for the resources of Africa and the tradition of dangling aid to manipulate a good Samaritan-hapless man relationship between Africa and Europe did not work this time around. In fact Africa left the European imperial womb ovulating and totally refused to fertilise the imperial egg at the expense of African resources. For Britain, particularly for its unelected Prime Minister, Gordon Brown (who must really thank President Mugabe for bringing his name into the international lime light) – the summit is one forgettable piece of history that has made a mockery of Britain's claim to the EU-super power mettle. Brown vainly tried to use his assumed supremacy in the EU to unite Europe, divide Africa and isolate Zimbabwe and as Caesar Zvayi pointed out in one of his pieces, only the opposite was achieved. Gordon Brown, by declaring that only two summits could materialise – one with him present or another with President Mugabe present, managed to humiliate himself irretrievably as both Europe and Africa clearly preferred a summit with President Mugabe in attendance and there was no sign that anyone missed the unelected Brown in Lisbon. Gordon, by trying to replay the archaic colonial master tactic, only managed to unite Africa, divide Europe and hopelessly isolate himself – even to the dustbins of war torn Basra, Iraq, where he duly enjoyed the company of his inherited poodle Nouri Al-Malik. The face-saving after thought gimmick by some European countries who are now claiming that Angela Merkel of German – who tried to convey the London message on Zimbabwe; was speaking on behalf of Europe falls hollow in that Europe clearly failed to speak on behalf of London all the time Brown was trying to rope everyone into his ban-Mugabe campaign. Africa had its way on the Mugabe issue and Britain did not. Through Africa Zimbabwe had its way to Lisbon and through Europe Britain was handed its defeat in the diplomatic war with Zimbabwe. If Merkel spoke against Zimbabwe at the summit, so did President Mugabe against Brown's "gang of four" and so did Abdoulaye Wade against Merkel's assertions. That is how international gatherings proceed and it is plainly vainglorious for Brown or anyone else to claim any victory over Merkel's pronouncements. The Lisbon diplomatic score by Zimbabwe can only be viewed as one more battle won in a revolutionary war whose ultimate victory is still coming. It is a victory that has rekindled hope into some hearts that were failing at the ruthless suffering induced by the sanctions so systematically mobilised by Tony Blair against the people of Zimbabwe. It is a victory that can only fuel the Zimbabwean agrarian revolution to greater heights. Now that the Lisbon victory was closely followed by Zanu-PF's extraordinary session of Congress at which President Mugabe was unanimously endorsed as the party's presidential candidate in March 2008, one has to look at the agrarian revolution from the proceedings at the congress. The much-predicted fireworks against President Mugabe were not seen at the congress. What was seen was the solidarity from SWAPO of Namibia, ANC of South Africa, Chama Cha Mapinduzi of Tanzania, UNIP of Zambia, and the MPLA of Angola among other revolutionary people of Southern Africa. Such solidarity gives hope to Zimbabweans- hope that victory is certain. However, the revolution can only succeed if that hope is strengthened by a strong sense of discipline as well as a commitment to innovation and imagination. There is no room for the kind of corruption that was chronicled by Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor, Dr. Gono in a people's revolution – simply there is just no room for that. The revolution simply has to take a choice to keep its hope for survival alive. There is hope for the economy of Zimbabwe and it is highly dangerous when people are driven to assume that there is no more hope. As the American renowned linguist and academic, Noam Chomsky says, "If you assume that there is no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom; that there are opportunities to change things, then there is a possibility that you can contribute to making a better world. That's your choice." The land reform programme was based on a conviction that economic freedom could only be achieved through repossession of Zimbabwe's stolen lands. Monopoly capitalism or imperialism was and is still dictating that Africans have no capacity to control the means of production – asserting the position that only Western innovation can sustain modern economies. It is Western innovation that created the wealth in many of the Western countries – all out of the resources of colonised territories and at a cost of so much ruin and slaughter. Africa, like all other ex-colonies must realise here and now that the impious, criminal and ignominious deeds perpetrated so unjustly, tyrannically and barbarically by European settlers cannot pass for a blessing. John Sentamu, the yoked Anglican Bishop of York must also get this message clear and must stop acting like a perfect idiot. The Zimbabwean revolution is not about Britain and her allies against Zanu-PF or President Mugabe. It is about Western imperialistic subversive and destabilising forces against a national-popular project. The bourgeoisie democracies in the West are stiff scared of the power of the poor masses and Zimbabwe's land reform programme is no exception. The land reform programme is a revolution that must draw its lessons from other revolutions. Zimbabwe is not the first encounter with a national-popular revolution for Washington and its Western alliance. For Zimbabwe to survive, the revolution must be driven by hope, discipline and innovation. If corrupt officials pretend to be leaders, a revolution cannot succeed. If inept minds pretend to implement policy a revolution cannot succeed. If leaders shield themselves from accountability a revolution cannot succeed. If structures thrive to manipulate people's votes through deception a revolution's victory can only be delayed. If political aspirants believe in buying votes a revolution cannot succeed. It must be remembered that Jacob Arbenz's revolution in Guatemala lasted only three years (1951-54) before Washington overthrew Arbenz's government; the Salvador Allende government lasted two and half years (1970-73) before suffering the same fate; Nicaragua's Sandinista revolution resisted for six years (1984-90); the Bolivian revolution held out for twelve years (1952-64) while the Cuban revolution has triumphed for the past 48 years (1959 to date). The Zimbabwean leadership, like that of Nicaragua, Bolivia and Cuba is in control of both the Government and state while Arbenz and Allende only controlled governments. The Zimbabwean revolution can draw lessons from the thwarted revolutions as well as from the Cuban revolution. There is hope in the revolution of Zimbabwe – a hope manifested by the Million Men and Women March of November 30. It is hope rooted in the hearts of Zimbabwe's peasant population as well as many of its poor people – a people determined to suffer in the shaping of a better future for the coming generations. It is this hope that will bring an election victory for the ruling party in March 2008. The MDC, united or divided cannot win an election, even one supervised by angels. This is squarely because a divided minority forms two smaller minorities and the reuniting of the splinters can only produce another minority, not a majority. This, the bitter professor from Tsholotsho ought to know. The MDC is a minority opposition party and its splitting and reuniting cannot transform it into a majority party – only alternative policies can; and unfortunately the MDC does not believe in alternative policy. It must be remembered that the winning of an election is not necessarily the success of a revolution; otherwise Allende and Arbenz could have triumphed to the end. The Zimbabwean leadership needs to learn fast that discipline is key to the success of a revolution and that lessons can be learnt well from Cuba and China. A revolution that harbours thieves, robbers and traitors will decay from the core. This is why the Reserve Bank Governor, Dr. Gideon Gono must be courageous enough to name the corrupt leaders in his knowledge. Of course the Governor needs protection from the revolution and this writer believes that the vanguards of the revolution can provide such protection once required to do so. Equally, the revolution needs policy implementers with a vision and a sense of imagination. Some of the inept ministers must just be rested to allow more innovative minds to spearhead the revolution. Commandant Fidel Castro is a firm believer in the power of an innovative mind and this is one of the reasons the Cuban revolution has succeeded to this day. Yes, the Zimbabwean revolution has withstood the subversive and destabilising efforts of the US-led Western alliance for eight years but it is time such resilience is matched by the sacrifice that is needed to rid the revolution of the scourge of corruption and lack of innovation. The Chinese arrest and even execute the thieves in their revolution and now China is growing from strength to strength. There are no passengers on a picnic in a revolution and the economy of Zimbabwe cannot be turned around by seed-eaters. The time for people who resell farming fuel allocations for quick profit, hoard cash for speculative purposes, abuse Government resources or engage in fraudulent conduct is up if the revolution is to survive after March 2008. The impending victory for Zanu-PF in March 2008 will come with new pressure from Washington, London and other outposts of imperial tyranny. The talks between Zanu-PF and the MDC are in the context of the conflict that was created by the MDC's "defiance" campaign and they have nothing to do with the election result for 2008. The MDC has used the time between the last election and the 2008 election to confuse and scare away its supporters through the October 2005 split as well as its endless violent squabbles and fighting over access to Western donated resources. The disgruntled MDC supporters are unlikely to come back simply on the basis of a new constitution or the presence of Westerners at election time. At any rate opposition parties cannot change constitutions until they first win elections and become governments and that is the trend the world over. The MDC must come up with a way of winning elections under the current constitution and they should forget about running government institutions outside government. Instead of trying to appoint officers in commissions and public offices the MDC must be behaving like an alternative government, telling people what they will do if elected and not just concentrating on what President Mugabe should not be doing. Anyway, the current MDC cannot win an election in Zimbabwe and the major reason for that is that they do not know how to win an election. It is this apparent weakness of the MDC that is driving Washington crazy and the Zimbabwean revolution should therefore brace for new subversive tactics after 2008. This is why the revolution must rid itself of passengers on picnic because these have been used by Washington against revolutions elsewhere. Washington will call the corrupt people in Zanu-PF reformists or democrats or whatever they can coin, if only they can lay their hands on them for purposes of using them to destroy the revolution. We did hear before of plans for demonstrations against corrupt officials by war veterans and one would think that the move might now be overdue if the figures given over cash hoarding are anything to go by. Together we shall overcome. It is homeland or death for the children of the revolution in Zimbabwe. Reason Wafawarova is a Zimbabwean political writer and can be contacted on wafawarova@yahoo.co.uk

FEATURE: Holistic Parenting From The Pan-Afrikan Perspective....by Iya Raet

Our first feature is one that I personally was excited about being that I am a devoted mother of two very beautiful African daughters. This author is one that has been long awaited by many African/Black mothers who strive to raise socially conscious children in a healthy and peaceful home/ family environment in spite of the chaos that dwells beyond our doors..... if you have not read this book and you have children... you need to get it right away

......... Zekita

Holistic Parenting From The Pan - Afrikan Perspective by Iya Raet

Holistic Parenting From the Pan-Afrikan Perspective (Published in 2007 by KHABOOKS, a division of UBUS Communications Systems) is a guide for Afrikan families to have the confidence to parent in their own divine image. Many traditional Afrikan societies prepare for children before conception takes place. The community has a vested interest in every child. Rites of passage rituals prepare Afrikan societies for parenthood, conception, birth, postpartum, and beyond. Holistic Parenting from the Pan-Afrikan Perspective celebrates many traditional Afrikan parenting concepts and explores their benefits for Afrikans living in the Diaspora.

Topics discussed include:

* Traditional Midwifery* Pregnancy and Childbirth Rituals* Baby Wearing* African Medicinal Herbalism* Rites of Passage* Afrikan Traditional Baby-Sitting * Homebirth* Breastfeeding* Cloth Diapering* Nutrition* Circumcision* Vaccinations* Home Schooling* Toxic -Free Home* And much more.......

Holistic Parenting From The Pan-Afrikan Perspective (Published in 2007 by KHABOOKS, a division of UBUS Communications Systems) reminds parents to ground themselves and place their feet upon the earth's soil gain. This re-established connection allows intuitive thinking, so parents can make better decisions.

ABOUT THE AFRICAN GENIUS WHO GAVE US THIS BOOK:

Iya is the Yoruba word for mother. Raet is a Kemitic (Ancient Egyptian) goddess. She is the feminine manifestation of the god Ra, who is the creator. Raet represents the feminine life force. Iya Raet means mother creator or femine life force. Iya Raet's holistic journey began in 2000 after polyps were removed from her colon. She later read Queen Afua's Sacred Women. This gave her the motivation to accept the vegan diet cold turkey and become the earth mother healer she was destined to be. When her son was conceived she began preparing for a holistic pregnancy and homebirth. After reading many books she discovered none of them represented the Afrikan woman. Shortly, after her son was born at home, she began training with the Doulas of North America to become a doula. Iya Raet also joined the Philadelphia Alliance of Labor Support. Doula is a Greek word meaning women care giver or woman's servant. A doula is a birth attendant or labor assistant that supports women during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. Doulas help parents achieve the birth they desire in a hospital, birth center, or home environment. They can especially be a great advocate in a hospital environment. This support addresses the family's physical and emotional needs. Doulas let women know they have choices. They encourage women to find their voice, at one of the most memorable times of their lives. Iya Raet's doula work showed her once again that holistic birth and parenting was not reaching the Afrikan community in large numbers. She began provided complimentary doula services to low-income families. In 2006 she decided to write her own book, Holistic Parenting from the Pan - Afrikan Perspective. She believes families have a divine right to bring life into the world in a way which is healthy. Iya Raet is committed to helping mothers tap into their divine mother instincts so birth and motherhood is uplifting.

To Learn More About Iya Raet's Services and please visit:
http://www.afrikanparenting.com/

or email: info@afrikanparenting.com

~POSITIVE PUBLISHING FOR THE PEOPLE~

Published By The People blog goes out to over 500+ activist emails and networks each week. Our aim is to get the underserved African/ Black genius her/his necessary recognition and due throughout all of our communities here in the U.S. and abroad. So for those of you who have books, magazines, newsmagazines or publications, websites, organizations, etc. Or are poets, artists, indy filmmakers, and the like - this entry is for you. Any work that is socially conscious, uplifting, liberating, and r/evolutionary that you want featured- email us. The first several weeks have already been filled with features of African/Black people that are blazing through our communities; educating and fulfilling our people with knowledge that sustains a sensible and communal way of looking at living.

Each and every one of us possess genius that has yet to be discovered by our sisters and brothers. We are ALL major contributors to the success(es) of both mental, educational, and economic liberation of all members of the African diasporic family whether we know your name and your work or not. Your work and your movements, your power and your passion, are all worth an honorable mention. Let the whispers of your existence be no more. You have a voice in this struggle. Let the world hear it. Loud and clear.

Bless.


Zekita
Zeniam Publications
PO Box 142446
St. Louis, MO 63114
zeniampublications@yahoo.com
info@zeniampublications.com
http://www.zeniampublications.com/

~POSITIVE PUBLISHING FOR THE PEOPLE~
"CULTIVATING MINDS, ONE WORD AT A TIME"