FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 2006

Contact: Rev. (Mganga) P.D. Menelik Harris/404-527-7756

Pan African Summit in USA Calls for Actions

Dr. Leonard Jeffries declared in his opening address to the Pan African Movement Summit on March 3, 2006, “We are called to this sacred space by our Ancestors… By John Henrik Clarke, Kwame Nkrumah, Queen Mother Moore, Marcus Garvey, Chancellor Williams…to make the vision of Pan Africanism a reality in our lifetime… to work with the African Union for the rebirth of African people in the world.” He continued, “We are participating in the building of an African political, economic and cultural structure for an African World Community.” Dr. Leonard Jeffries is one of the foremost Pan African scholar-activist who has worked tirelessly over the last 50 years to promote Pan Africanism. The Pan African Movement (PAM) Summit was a gathering of hundreds of Africans from across the United States in Atlanta with leading Pan African scholars, activists, students and officials. Under the theme “Political Determinism for Economic and Cultural Rebirth”, the purpose and goals of the Summit were to commemorate the 106th anniversary year of the formal launching of the Pan African Movement in July 1900 and to begin the process of organizing a comprehensive action plan for the African Union 6th Region that is tailored for Africans in the U.S. Some specific Summit goals were to set programs of action to mobilize Africans in the U.S. to effectively respond to critical challenges on the African continent and other parts of the Diaspora. Another goal was to ensure African heritage and values are prioritized in the work to promote Pan Africanism and also to explore opportunities for Africans to promote fair trade and participate in investments and other business initiatives.

Elombe Brath, another veteran of the Pan African Movement and Chair of the Patrice Lumumba Coalition, called the Summit a “historic Pan African gathering to establish a principled and revolutionary position to help prevent the re-colonization of Africa by European and Arab interests in African oil and other natural resources.” More importantly, he pointed to African Liberation Month (ALM) in May for immediate actions to be taken on the Summit ’s initiatives. May 25 is the historic celebration of the founding of the African Union/Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963. During the full month of May, Africans are urged to intensify support to protect and promote the liberation struggles in Zimbabwe , Darfur, the U.S. Gulf Coast, Haiti and the Congo as critical issues for Africans in the world. The support for Zimbabwe is especially of immeasurable consequence because of the neo-colonial policies of the Anglo-American regimes to undermine and destroy the hopes of Africans for land and resource control in Africa . Mr. Wilbert Gwashavanhu of the Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe in Washington , D.C. impressed upon Africans in America “to redouble your interests and commitment to African liberation for African ownership over our land and resources.”

Dr. Shelby Lewis, a leading Pan African activist, scholar and the Summit ’s primary economic workshop leader, insisted that Africans in the U.S. become more serious about organizing resources and investing in Africa because “the time is now.” One of the key issues Dr. Shelby highlighted from the economic workshop is for the establishment of a development fund for Africans to invest in promoting health, education and food security for Africans. Also, the workshop leaders urged Africans in the U.S. to participate in the transfer and the flow of skills, technology and capital to Africa for the development of the continent and the Diaspora. Additionally, Africans should commit to promoting African markets in villages throughout the U.S. with the cooperation of Black farmers and African business leaders.

In several sessions of the Summit , Prof. James Small of the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) stressed the great importance of Africans re-learning African culture to “re-immunize ourselves from the barbaric experiences of centuries of multi-layered genocidal warfare against African people by our enslavers.” The other cultural imperatives of the Summit are for Africans to: Participate in at least one pilgrimage to Africa; publish and promote a guide for Pan Africanism; learn an African language; encourage African pilgrimages to African Diaspora sacred spaces; promote youth rites of passage programs; participate in Maafa (African holocaust) remembrance ceremonies and establish family/ancestral sacred spaces in our homes.

Some of the other leading conveners, participants and speakers at the Summit were Dr. Asa Hilliard, a vice president of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilization (ASCAC) and Professor at Georgia State University; Councilman Charles Barron (NYC), former member of the Black Panther Party and Congressional Candidate; Minister Akbar Muhammad of the Nation of Islam; Priest Prince Rahm of the African Hebrew Israelite Community; High Priest Wande Abimbola of Nigeria; and Cardinal Mbuyi Chui of the Shrine of the Black Madonna/Pan African Orthodox Christian Church; Dr. Jewel Crawford of Global African Congress; Joe Beasley of African Ascension and RainbowPush Coalition; Mama Anna Swanston, author and former secretary for Dr. J.H. Clarke; Sis. Njeri Algahnee of NCOBRA and Atty. Mzee Tate of the Concern Black Clergy of Atlanta ; Joe Kumasi Palmer of WHADN; James Brown of MATAH; and Sobukwe Shukura of the All African People Revolutionary Party (AAPRP).

At the conclusion of the Summit , Minister P.D. Menelik declared that “this is a campaign for the very lives of Africans to make right and recreate an eternal bond with African family members scattered and broken everywhere due to the enslavement and colonial subjugation of Africans.” The Summit leaders and attendees urged Africans to immediately commit to: Promoting and supporting African issues such as Zimbabwe, Darfur, New Orleans and Reparations during African Liberation Month (ALM) in May and the Pan African Movement anniversary month in July; join a cultural, political or economic PAM Task Force; support the call for African Diaspora citizenship in Africa; contribute financially and support to the ongoing work of the Summit and other AU 6th Region programs; convene monthly programs annually in May and July on Africa with leading Pan Africanists; and promote the 2007 Summit.

Finally, the PAM Summit is calling for the support of the PAM Convention in July 2010, the 110th anniversary of the formal launching of the Pan African Movement. The Pan African Movement Summit 2006 was convened at the historic Clark Atlanta University (CAU) from March 3-5, 2006. For more information, please contact rhawpan.org or call 404-527-7756.