Dear Editor
An Op Ed “Black History Lecture Looks at Reparation to Africa”
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, an African American historian graduate of Harvard with a Ph.D; believed that the contributions to civilization by African Americans and people of the African Diaspora; were not being recognized. Thus, during the month of February 1924, he began a week long celebration to pay tribute to the legacy of African Americans in the United States. In 1976, the late President Gerald Ford officially signed a Proclamation to extend the celebration to a month during February. Thereafter, Africans in the Diaspora have also held celebrations to acknowledge contributions by people of African descent in the Americas and globally.
How did the term “Black History” come of age? Every group celebrates their ancestors by acknowledging a land base as a point of origin. How then can we negate our own ancestral homeland the continent of Africa? May I suggest that if we are outside of the U.S, and we are paying tribute to our ancestors during the month of February, we can use the term African Diaspora Heritage Month?
The “Back to Africa Movement” is nothing new. It was proposed by the late legendary Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey during the 1920’s. Although he never made it to the continent, he created the “Black Star Line” that transported goods and passengers to and from the continent of Africa. Many other Pan African nationalists, such as the legendary Edward W. Blyden of St. Thomas, George Padmore of Trinidad and African American historian W.E. Dubois settled in Ghana during his later years. Legend has it that the legendary Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who brought Ghana to its independence; was seen weeping at the coffin of George Padmore who had served as his closest advisor.
I had the opportunity to spend my undergraduate senior year in college as an intern in an African nation, and later on a summer study abroad in another African nation. It was a milestone in my academic career. Yet, I knew then and I know now that repatriation to Africa is not an option for me personally. I was treated royally, lived in a major urban metropolis, and had the opportunity to contribute to an aspect of nation building. However, I did not go to the Continent to find my roots, I already knew them; so I decided to return to the Western Hemisphere and bloom where I was already transplanted.
On the other hand, there are many Africans in the Diaspora who have made a conscious decision to repatriate to Africa and have found their utopia. Mind you, I said they made a conscious decision to return to the Motherland. I most assuredly do not believe that they made such a major life changing decision, based on anyone else’s call to do so. Case in point and word of caution; do not let someone else’s agenda become yours. Whatever you do, wherever you go, let your own inner voice be your everlasting guide.
I wonder if the Continent of Africa and her over a billion people are ready to absorb her children in the Diaspora. Moreover, even though our ancestors were forcibly taken from our ancestral homeland; our ancestors as survivors of the Middle Passage; gave us the legacy of struggle to thrive and bloom where we were transplanted. As an illustration of my point, many, many years ago, someone suggested that Anguillans move to what was then British Guiana (now Guyana). Our ancestors being the strivers that they were; negated such a suggestion and decided to bloom where they were transplanted. My paternal grandfather who was a shipwrecked seafarer and not even Anguillan; as well as so many of our ancestors stood their ground and decided to remain on our island nation of Anguilla.
Moreover, when the mostly Irish colonial planters left Anguilla because it was too barren to bear crops; our ancestors being the strivers that they were, saw an even greater opportunity to bloom where they were transplanted. They bought lots of land, built their own homes, carved out a living by seafaring, fishing, small scale agriculture and livestock rearing, salt pond picking, boat building and boat racing that has become our national sport. Back in the day, they also built a strong sense of community with our African tradition of jollification, emerged as solid self taught businesspersons owning and managing their own successful businesses, educated us, fought a bloodless revolution in 1967 and brought Anguilla to where she is today. And one of their descendants who bloomed where he was transplanted; was a visionary who built (“Lloyd’s Bed and Breakfast” – Anguilla’s first guesthouse); that gave birth to what is now known as “an upscale tourism industry”. It happens to be the economic engine of our island providing economic growth and development for the entire island nation of Anguilla.
Now, we are not saying we are perfect, far from it, we are coming into our own, and our setback is a setup for a comeback. So, we had better pay the utmost tribute to our ancestors, by deciding to continue the tradition to bloom where we are transplanted. Anguilla is the crown jewel of the northeastern Caribbean. It creates a buzz around the world and conjures up dreams of paradise “tranquility wrapped in blue” with thirty-three (33) of the “world’s best beaches” waiting to welcome visitors to our shores.
In closing, the good Lord has brought us too far, for us to leave now. Furthermore, we are in the midst of a budding phase of nation building. “Tout mon bagaye la” we need all hands to join in and say Amen…….Anguilla is ours and we intend to keep it so. I do believe that the utmost tribute that we can give to our ancestors; as descendants of the survivors of the Middle Passage; is to continue to bloom where we are transplanted on our island nation of Anguilla.
Name held upon request
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
