News
Dr. Ben Yochannan Updated Report
(November 21, 2011)November 21, 2011 in Activist,
In our ongoing effort to fulfill our promise to keep our readers updated on the condition of Dr. Ben Yochannan we’ve learned more troubling news as well as been motivated by the community effort that exist in the lives of our great Elder Heroes!
Firstly: Contrary to our original reporting Dr. Ben is not ABANDONED by his community. We have been made to understand that Dr. Ben has been attended to by a personal Hospice as well as being check on by concerned members of his community. For this we are ELATED, however we still want to point to the overall ignorance by the “CONSCIOUS” community of our great scholars condition. It’s infinitely important that we keep track of our family, our linage, and here at eyePARADIGM we take ownership for our own failure to be aware and to PRIORITIZE our brothers and sisters whose shoulders we have stood upon for so many years. It is past time that we hold them on our shoulders and be the support system they deserve.
To that ends Sister Agnes Johnson informed us at eyePARADIGM that The NAT TURNER CULTURAL COLLECTIVE put on “A Black Solidarity Celebration: A Tribute To Our Elders” This event celebrates the journeys of Dr. Yosef Ben Yochannan, Brother Elombe Brath, and the great Gil Nobel. Three great keepers of our History, Culture, and Journalism at a pivotal point in the history of Africans in America.
An excerpt from their program reads : “The Nat Turner Cultural Collective, is immensely excited and pleased to invite you and your families out to the BLACK SOLIDARITY CELEBRATION: A TRIBUTE TO OUR HEROES. Namely we honor, Baba Dr. Ben (Afrikan Scholar, Master Teacher, Egyptologist/Kemetologist, historian, author and griot , Baba Gil Noble (The host of Like It Is for over 25 years) and Baba Alombe Brath (aka the living Afrikan History Book) founder and director of the Patrice Lumumba Coalition. Our primary agenda will be to raise money for them and create awareness of the tremendous historical impact and legacy that these Asafo Scholar Jenoch (Warrior Scholar Elders) have indelibly etched in Afrikan culture and in the minds and souls of our people.
The event was successful and raised upwards of $1,000.00 (per our latest reports).
From the responses this story has received since it first broke it is clear that there is a strong Local community effort surrounding these brothers, and the responses has also indicated the zeal in which the national community is standing at the READY to support in whatever capacity is required. Be of good spirits readers, it may have taken us a moment to get on the same page but we are getting there and we will grow and learn from this situation.
It must be understood that as a people we are having a new experiencing . Where the Heroes of our struggles are about to transition. People must get old, and people will die, it is our duty to see that their lives are comfortable and peaceful as they prepare to journey forth. To this end building a solid infrastructure to address these sorts of issues is vital. This must be the work of THIS generation of leadership. To build the Financial and institutional support to help care for our communities. Our great thinkers have sacrificed much to make us aware of our past, our culture and our present, our work is to build beyond their capacity and do the things left undone, not be mired in the criticism of our failings.
We will drop the ball family .. it will happen again, we will stumble, and sometimes we will fall and fail, but we will always get back up, we will always find a way. we will never concede defeat and we will never abandon our own. Never doubt that family.
Sometimes you got to get angry to get going but lest we forget , these men are ALIVE STILL and there is TIME to get to work. So don’t waste energy on idle words and pointed fingers. Begin by being a vanguard for the building of infrastructure and institutions personally and on a community level.
At the time of this post we still do NOT have any direct point of convergence for your donations. However it has been emphasized to me in more than one email that the brother (Dr. Ben) would love a few letters, a nice card, and even a visit. That’s not a lot to ask for.. and it’s certainly not a lot to have to give.. if anything it’s an HONOR. We ask that our readers specifically PLEASE remain at the ready IF and WHEN we get specific information for you to donate financially to. eyePARADIGM will not be collecting donations as we feel it would be both inappropriate and potentially harmful. We will defer such actions to the people closest to Dr. Ben, Brother Brath and Brother Nobel.
And as always eyePARADIGM will do it’s VERY BEST to keep this conversation ONGOING and in the forefront of our readers minds.