“Our Ancestors struggled successfully against slavery, Never again should we be divided into individual island plantation nor divided in the world,” declared His Excellency Baba Dudley Thompson, President of the World African Diaspora Union (WADU) at the Pan African Secretariat meeting Trinidad . The meeting in Trinidad was from May 25-27, 2008 with key African leaders mainly from the Caribbean region of the Diaspora.
The President was in Trinidad to send a clear message emphasizing that, “We must work to build one unified system across the world to protect our children and to promote the glorious legacy of our Ancestors, Our challenge and opportunity now is to join WADU for Black empowerment, for reparations, and to build the African Diaspora as unified region of Africa .” The President uncompromising message on unity, justice and empowerment was graciously received by the leadership before he departed to the African and American Business Summit Tanzania .
The WADU President was joined by Madame Amina Salum Ali, African Union Ambassador to the United States; Dr. Leonard Jeffries, Vice President of WADU; Khafra Kambon of the Caribbean Pan African Movement; David Commissiong, Barbados African Affairs Commissioner; Queen Nzingha of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilization (ASCAC); and others from various parts of the Diaspora. The meeting called by both WADU and the Caribbean Pan African Movement was to find ways to unify the Diaspora and support development projects.
The main speaker, Baba Dudley Thompson is a living legend of the Pan African Movement whose work has led to the liberation of the African continent and the African Diaspora. The mission of WADU is to continue the work of Pan Africanism- to unify and empower the African Diaspora with Africa . As a young Garveyite, he worked with Amy Garvey, WEB Dubois, George Padmore, President Kwame Nkrumah, President Jomo Kenyatta, President Julius Nyrere, Prime Minister Michael Manley of Jamaica and recently President-elect MKO Abiola of Nigeria . He was elected President of WADU in the 2007 African Diaspora Pan African Movement Summit .
Dr. Leonard Jeffries summed up the meeting in Trinidad “as just one important path leading to African victory over slavery, over oppression and over genocide in our long march for freedom and noble work for Pan Africanism or Perish,” And stressed “We cannot remain dominated and impoverished due to our division as Americans, as Caribbeans, Trinidadians, South Africans, Liberians, Kenyans, or as Nigerians, We are Africans, the wealthiest and most brilliant people from ancient times.”
Dr. Leonard Jeffries will be hosting the next WADU Pan African Movement Conference at City College in NYC from August 21-24, 2008. To join and support WADU contact WADUPAM.ORG or call 404-527-7756.
