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1941-1998 Kwame Ture, known in the 60's as Stokely Charmichael and the formulator of the phrase "Black Power," paid many visits to Cuba and was under the personal protection of Cuban forces wherever in the world he happened to be, as he discussed in his last letter. It is rumored that he got his guerreros in Cuba from a babalawo in Havana. At his
funeral in Guinea, he was honored with a large cow for the funeral sacrifices sent by Lybia's Muammar Al Qathafi, who
had been developing a new Africa oriented
policy. Such a funeral sacrifice among West African people is designed not to speed
the person on to the ancestors but to entice their spirit to stay here with the living. Kwame took his name from Kwame Nkrumah, the great pan-africanist leader of Ghana, and Sekou Ture, the leader of Guiné. He founded the AAPRP, the All African People's Revolutionary Party (a-aprp-gc.org)
Last Letter on Lybia and Africa |
| Sent: Thursday, December 02, 1999 9:46 AM Subject: Mother of Kwame Ture Launches Worldwide Recruitment and Fundraising Drive Kwame Ture Work-Study Institute and Library 1819 East 71st Street Chicago, IL 60649 Tel: (773) 324-0494 - Fax: (773) 324-6678 kwameture1941@yahoo.com December 4, 1999 Thank you in advance for endorsing, becoming a Charter Member, and making your
tax-exempt contribution. We ask that you forward this letter to at least ten other people
or organizations whom we might have missed, or who you think might be interested in
helping us fulfill Kwame's dying request. |
| For Immediate Release Worldwide Contact: Paroots02@yahoo.com Friday, April 30, 1999 Howard University Will Award Honorary Ph.D. To Kwame Ture On May 8th, Memorial Work Study Institute and Library to be built in Guinee Howard University in Washington, DC will award an honorary Ph.D. to Kwame Ture, formerly known as Stokely Carmichael, at its 131st Commencement Exercise on May 8, 1999 in Washington, DC. Howard University's TV and radio stations will broadcast the ceremony live. Other media sources are encouraged to cover the event as well. Howard University student trustees, Randy Short and Jonathan Hutto led the drive to secure the honorary degree for Kwame. They were supported in their quest by the Howard University Faculty Senate, the Hilltop campus newspaper, Julian Bond, Dick Gregory, Dr. C Delores Tucker, Rev. CT Vivian, Professor Michael Eric Dyson, Dr. James Cone, Elaine Jones, Joe Madison, Dr. Ronald Walters, Lawrence Guyot and others. Mrs. Mable Carmichael, Kwame’s 80-year old mother, will attend the Commencement Exercise and accept this honor on behalf of Kwame, and on behalf of progressive and revolutionary students and youth, and their mothers and grandmothers, worldwide. May Charles, as she is affectionately called by two generations of movement organizers and activists, is spearheading a worldwide effort to build, in fulfillment of Kwame’s final wishes, a Work-Study Institute and Library in his name in Conakry, Guinea where he lived and worked for the past 30 years. Later that evening at 7:00 p.m., Mrs. Carmichael will be honored at a community gathering to celebrate this prestigious honor at the New Bethel Baptist Church located at 9th and S Streets NW in Washington, DC. This gathering is being organized by Jonathan Hutto and Randy Short, (Howard University Student Trustees), Rock Newman (Community activist), the All-African People's Revolutionary Party and the All-African Women's Revolutionary Union, the Howard University Faculty Senate, the Howard University Student Government Association, and a host of other organizations and activists. Rock Newman will serve as the Honorary Chairperson of this gathering. The event is free and open to the public, and everyone is encouraged to attend. Mrs. Carmichael will take this opportunity to express her thanks to the People and the Movement for the tremendous support, encouragement and love that they gave to Kwame over the past four decades. She will extend her families’ sympathy to all present, because she knows that you too have suffered a great loss. She will express her desire to stay in touch with every one of Kwame’s extended family, and will be appreciative of your support and help in her effort to build the Kwame Ture Work-Study Institute and Library. This is the second occasion in which an accredited University has awarded an honorary Ph.D. to Kwame Ture. Shaw University in Raleigh, NC awarded his first honorary degree in 1971. Kwame’s latest honorary degree from Howard University is a well deserved acknowledgment of his 40 years of service, sacrifice and suffering. Listed are a few of his many achievements: Kwame graduated from Howard in 1964 with a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy. While at Howard, he joined and worked with the Nonviolent Action Group (NAG) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and participated in numerous demonstrations, including the "Freedom Rides." Upon graduation, Kwame decided to work for SNCC full time, helping build the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), the Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO), and the Black Panther Party (BPP). He was elected chairman of SNCC in 1966, and served as the honorary Prime Minister of the BPP from 1968 to 1969. He was also a member of the Central Committees of the All-African People's Revolutionary party and the Democratic Party of Guinea (RDA). In 1969, at the invitation of Presidents Kwame Nkrumah and Ahmed Seku Ture, Kwame moved to Guinea in West Africa to live and continue his work with the African and World Revolution. While living in Guinea, he joined the Democratic Party of Guinea (PDG-RDA) and helped organize the All-African People's Revolutionary Party (A-APRP). He also supported and worked with African, Native American, Chicano, Palestinian, Arab, Irish, Vietnamese, Cuban, Libyan and other progressive and revolutionary movements and organizations throughout the world. He made his final transition on November 15, 1998 because of complications of prostate cancer at age 57. Kwame continued to work, study and struggle until the last day, the last hour, the last minute and the last second of his life. He continues to live as a revolutionary and a Pan-Africanist, who studied, worked and struggled all of his life for African and other oppressed peoples worldwide, especially their students, youth and women. It is fitting that we pledge ourselves to continue his work and memorialize him. We can all help by endorsing and supporting (materially and financially) his mother's efforts to build the Kwame Ture Work-Study Institute and Library in Conakry, Guinea. We also ask all progressive forces worldwide to organize campus based and community based actives and events honoring Kwame building a worldwide movement to continue and expand his work. Mrs. Carmichael asks all individuals and organizations who possess any type of correspondence, photographs, audio or video tapes, films, books, thesis, dissertations, newspaper and magazine articles, or other memorabilia by or about Kwame, to donate a copy to the Kwame Ture Work-Study Institute and Library, so that they can be housed in Conakry with his works. Financial contributions will also be greatly appreciated. Please send all materials, donations and/or tax-exempt contributions to the Kwame Ture Work-Study Institute and Library, c/o the Black United Fund of Illinois, 1809 East 71st Street, Chicago, IL 60649. Telephone: (773) 324-0494. E-mail: Paroots02@yahoo.com Kwame was many things to many people, however, we can all agree that he was honest, committed, dedicated, relentless and self-sacrificing in the struggle. The spirit of Kwame lives on. His words and action, work, study and struggle will never die. In the name and spirit of Kwame we will organize, organize, organize, and always stay Ready for the Revolution! |
| Hell Yes, We are Going to Libya! A Declaration to Africa and the World Date: 5 November, 1998 From: Kwame Ture (formerly known as Stokely Carmichael) Priority: To be embargoed until we board the plane We know that one of the greatest crimes an individual can commit is that of being ungrateful. I have made many errors, but of one thing I am certain, my ability to continue serving in the African and World Revolution is greatly attributed to a number of contributions that I have received from the masses of African and other Oppressed Peoples worldwide. We cite here just a few examples. In 1966, when I had just been elected Chairperson of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, my first official act, was to visit the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. It is then that he ordered all members of the Fruit of Islam to protect me wherever I traveled, anywhere in the world. I am still under that umbrella of protection today, here in Africa, in Guinea. I could never be ungrateful to the Nation of Islam, to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, nor to his incarnation - Minister Louis Farrakhan. In 1967, U.S. imperialism was seriously planning to assassinate me. It still is, this time by an FBI induced cancer, the latest in the white man's arsenal of chemical and biological warfare, as I am more determined to destroy it today than in 1967. It was Fidel Castro who before the OLAS Conference said "if imperialism touches one grain of hair on his head, we shall not let the fact pass without retaliation. " It was he, who on his own behalf, asked them all to stay in contact with me when I returned to the United States to offer me protection. I could never be ungrateful to the People of Cuba nor to Cuba's incarnation - Fidel Castro. In 1967, Presidents Ahmed Seku Ture and Kwame Nkrumah, through the intercession of Shirley Graham DuBois, invited me to attend the 8th Congress of the Democratic Party of Guinea (RDA). They invited me to live, work, study and struggle here in Guinea, an invitation which I readily accepted, despite tremendous criticism from almost every quarter. Thirty years later, I still live in Guinea, working, studying and struggling for the African Revolution. And I will continue to do so until the last second, of the last minute, of the last hour, of the last day. And it is my wish to sleep here in Guinea, eternally. I could never be ungrateful to the People of Guinea, nor Guinea's and Africa's incarnations - Ahmed Seku Ture and Kwame Nkrumah. Today, on behalf of the All-African People's Revolutionary Party (A-APRP), I am honored to accept a invitation that has been extended by Brother Muammar Al Qathafi and the People of the Libyan Jamahiriya to travel to Tripoli, which is in Africa, so that they might assist me in my eternal fight, against an unyielding enemy. It would be ungrateful, and unAfrican for me to refuse. We wish to thank Brother Muammar and the People of the Libyan Jamahiriya for sending us this hospital plane which I, and members of my biological, ideological and social family now board. his act is just one more act of an infinite number of Brother Muammar's and the Libyan People's contributions to African and World Humanity. I am sure I will never be ungrateful to the revolutionary People of the Libyan Jamahiriya as long as I live, as I shall remain eternally steadfast and faithful to revolutionary principles. And I know that my biological and ideological family will remain steadfast and faithful as well. Sisters and Brother, Comrades, we know that the Cuban and Libyan Revolutions have a base of solid support among the Africans in United States and around the world. Imperialism also knows this. This support has been earned by Cuba and Libya, at great sacrifice. All Africans in the United States know anytime imperialism is hunting an African Revolutionary, if they make it to Cuba, as in baseball, they are home safe. From Robert Williams to Assata Shakur, Cuba has paid a heavy price as a haven for Revolutionaries throughout the world. We also know, first hand, Libya's contributions to, and protection of African and other Revolutionaries worldwide. U.S. imperialism is doing everything possible to corrode Cuba's and Libya's support among the Africans in the United States and the world. Today, we board a hospital plane to travel nonstop from Conakry to Tripoli, Libya, a revolutionary country, an African country. All of our Brother, Sister and Allied Organizations, worldwide, have been requested by our Party, the All-African People's Revolutionary Party, to join us in Tripoli; and on our return from Tripoli to Conakry. Travel to a revolutionary country, especially one in Africa, must lead to concrete action to advance the African and World Revolution. We have a heightened responsibility to help protect Cuba and Libya at this time. We must move before U.S. imperialism is strengthened and attacks, not after, by strengthening our people ideologically and practically now. We must cement Cuba and Libya to Africa, and to African People worldwide, and vice versa. We must make it clear, that an embargo and travel ban against Cuba and Libya, is an embargo and travel ban against Africa and against 1 billion African People who are scattered, suffering and struggling in every corner of the world. We must make it crystal clear that if you attack Cuba and Libya, you attack all African People worldwide, and we must break U.S. imperialism's hands off Cuba and Libya. We must end this illegal and immoral embargo and travel ban now. And with this act, by our example of boarding this hospital plane, we declare an end, once and for all, to this illegal and immoral embargo and travel ban, an end to this latest crime against African and World Humanity. As children, we joined the Freedom Rides to break the back of segregation and apartheid in interstate transportation in the United States. Today, we ride on the front of the bus, we charter buses to take one million men, women and children to marches in Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Atlanta. And we will never turn back. In the 1960's, we said "Hell No, we won't go" to Vietnam, to fight against a people who never called us a nigger, and we didn't go. We said that they would defeat U.S. imperialism, and the heroic Vietnamese People, under the sterling example and leadership of the eternal Ho Chi Minh did. Today, we say "Hell yes, we are going to Libya." We are traveling nonstop, all the way, from Conakry to Tripoli, and we warn the U.S. government not to interfere. We are certain today, that the people of Cuba and Libya, under the steadfast leadership of Fidel Castro and Muammar Qathafi will be victorious. The embargo and travel ban against Libya, Cuba, North Sudan, Korea, Iraq and Iran is finished, as of this day. The All-African People's Revolutionary Party is honored to make our humble contribution towards this end. We thank you. As African youth worldwide say, "the beat goes on." As always, we remain Ready for Revolution! Kwame Ture |
| From: UQJC33A@prodigy.com (MS ORISSA TERRELL) Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1998 13:06:14, -0500 Subject: Kwame Ture Please inform all that Kwame passed away yesterday about 3:30pm in Guinea, Africa. He was surrounded by love ones including his mother and sister. Contributions should be sent to: Kwame Ture Medical Fund, c/o Black United Fund of Illinois, 1809 East 71st Street, Suite 200, Chicago, Illinois 60649 Messages can be sent to his family at http://www.interchange.org/KwameTure |
The Hidden History of Black Nationalist Women's Political Activism 2/3/2018 Truth
Out: "Contrary to popular conceptions, women were also instrumental to the
spread and articulation of black nationalism -- the political view that people
of African descent constitute a separate group on the basis of their distinct
culture, shared history and experiences. As I demonstrate in my new book, Set
the World on Fire, black nationalist movements would have all but disappeared
were it not for women. What's more, these women laid the groundwork for the
generation of black activists who came of age during the civil rights-black
power era. In the 1960s, many black activists -- including Ella Baker, Fannie
Lou Hamer, Robert F. Williams, Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael -- drew on these
women's ideas and political strategies."
The hidden history of black nationalist women’s political activism 1/30/2018 The
Conversation: "As I demonstrate in my new book, “Set the World on Fire,” black
nationalist movements would have all but disappeared were it not for women.
What’s more, these women laid the groundwork for the generation of black
activists who came of age during the civil rights-black power era. In the 1960s,
many black activists – including Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, Robert F.
Williams, Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael – drew on these women’s ideas and
political strategies."
How fans of Fidel Castro's 1953 revolution gradually became disenchanted 12/31/2015 Australian
Financial Review: "Rojas is most energized when discussing the multiple views of
the Cuban revolution among African-American civil rights activists and leaders
of the Black Panther Party in particular, perhaps because their opinions were
varied and less easily categorized. Party co-founder Huey P. Newton "advocated
subordinating the black cause to a larger socialist cause," Rojas writes, and
admired the mix of nationalism and socialism that he saw in Ho Chi Minh's
Vietnam and Castro's Cuba. Others such as Stokely Carmichael, however, rejected
any prospect of Cold War alliances with the Soviets or did not necessarily link
racial emancipation in America to a socialist project, Rojas explains.
Meanwhile, Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver noted that few of the Cuban
revolution's commanders were black and highlighted the racism in the island's
daily life and ideological rhetoric."
Beyond ‘Black Power,’ recounting the under-told story of Stokely Carmichael 3/17/2014 PBS: "PENIEL
JOSEPH: I think he should be remembered as really one of the watershed figures
of 20th century, this activist who believed in human rights, who really, when he
was 19 years old, is arrested for the first time, one of over 40 arrests for
civil rights demonstrations, puts his life on the line, puts his body on the
line to try to achieve citizenship, democracy, human rights for all. So I think
it’s an incredible story about young people who persevere and believe that the
United States, and really the world, could be changed."
Tricontinental Routes of Solidarity: Stokely Carmichael in Cuba 12/1/2012 The
Journal of Transnational American Studies: "Stokely Carmichael’s visit to Cuba
for three weeks in the summer of 1967 illustrates a convergence in the
transnational routes of the African American freedom struggle and the Cuban
Revolution. African American activists saw Cuba as a model for resisting US
power, eradicating racism, and enacting societal change, while the Cuban
government considered African Americans allies against US imperialism and
advocates of Cuba’s antiracist stance. Amidst racial violence in the United
States and Cuba’s efforts to inspire revolution, Carmichael’s presence at the
Organization of Latin American Solidarity conference in Havana—and in particular
his interactions with Fidel Castro—caused ripples worldwide. A shared
“tricontinental” vision that promoted unity in the Global South against
imperialism, capitalism, and racism facilitated Carmichael’s solidarity with
Castro. Yet divergent views on the role of race in fighting oppression limited
their solidarity. Carmichael and Castro’s spectacular alliance demonstrated
their personal affinity and ideological commonalities but did not result in an
institutional alliance between the black liberation movement and the Cuban
state. Instead Carmichael’s connection with the Cuban Revolution left an
underexplored legacy. Examining Carmichael’s visit to Cuba illustrates the
possibilities and pitfalls of transnational solidarity and furthers our
understanding of postwar struggles for change."
An African Tree Branches: Kwame Ture Shares His Roots 12/9/2003 The Black
World Today: "He told his young son about seeing the newly elected president of
Ghana come forward to introduce his cabinet to the Parliament. The president and
all the cabinet members were not wearing the formal clothes of the British
colonial rulers, or the regal African robes of their village status. They wore
the misshapen prison garb of the imprisonment they had endured for their
nation's liberation. "Boy, you hear me, those black men marched right out of
prison and into power," the exuberant sailor told his son in the Bronx home he
renovated with his own hands. That son was Stokely Carmichael who later met
Kwame Nkrumah, the Ghanaian president, and took on the president's first name in
respect when he became Kwame Ture."
Kwame Ture’s “Ready for Revolution” launched 11/19/2003 BWT
/EnlacesInterchange's Kwame Ture page
http://www.interchange.org/kwameture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stokely_Carmichael
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