Remembering Afeni Shakur: Our Own Black Shining Princess (cont.) After that, I heard and saw nothing as my mind took me on a ride down the corridors of history. Winston Hill was a great friend. We shared many memorable times together. For five years, I was the unofficial chaplain with the New York Jets, starting in 1970, after they had won the Super Bowl. I made many friends from that team, especially Winston. For twelve years, he was the all-pro offensive tackle. We maintained our friendship up until the time of his demise. On Wednesday, April 27th at 6:30 p.m., this time it wasn't a call. It was word of mouth. Nick, the owner of Amarone restaurant (one of our favorite eating places), met me at the door. His face was contorted with grief. Sadly, shaking his head, as though it weighed a ton, The first words out of his mouth were: "Mayor Parker has died." He then proceeded to extol her many admirable qualities. His voice grew weaker until it became inaudible. He was saved from incoherence when the door swung the door ajar, and other customers entered the restaurant. Mayor Parker was only 44. She was the first Black female mayor of Teaneck, NJ. She died suddenly of breathing problems. On Friday, April 29th, 2016, I tried to make an effort to attend the funeral of Mr. Dwayne "Pearl" Washington, the great point guard of Syracuse University. Because of traffic, I knew I would be late. I decided to return to my office. At 12:05 p.m., I returned the telephone call of Ms. Natasha Panell. She wanted to invite me to be the Keynote Speaker at her brother's “Philip Panell program of Remembrance.” There will also be a panel discussion. Eagerly, I said, “Yes.” Then, my wife reminded me that we had another commitment on that day. Regrettably, I had to call back and convey the sad news of the change. Phillip was a fifteen-year-old lad who was shot in the back in Englewood, NJ by Officer Gary Spath on April 10th, 1990. There were many marches, rallies, and demonstrations in the towns of Teaneck and Englewood New Jersey, and even a march to Trenton – the capital of New Jersey (70 miles away). The jury found Officer Spath not guilty. A little more than an hour later at 1:20 p.m., I received a call from Mr. Alexander Bethea. In a voice that trembled with sorrow, he said, “ Would you say a prayer for my son?” "What?” I asked. “ Have they found your son?” “Yes,” he replied. “ We found him in the river.” His body was so decomposed the family decided to cremate him. His son Alex, age 21, had emotional/physical challenges. He had been missing for two weeks. We had prayed that he would be found alive and unharmed. It was not to be. It was 1978 when Mr. Bethea was a teenager, and I led a march through downtown Brooklyn, NY to secure jobs for the Youth. His daughter, Breanna, and son, Alex, III, had joined our church in Jersey City, NJ three years ago. On Tuesday, May 3rd, at 12 noon, I was in Augusta, GA conducting church business when I received the call from my administrative assistant, informing me that she had just learned that Afeni Shakur, the mother of Tupac, had died the night before from cardiac arrest. Afeni joined our church around 1982, along with her sister, Gloria, and her two children, Tupac and Sekyiwa. Tupac was 11 years old at the time. On Wednesday, May 4th at 10:00 a.m., I spoke to Sekyiwa, Afeni's daughter. I expressed my deep, deep sorrow and prayed for the family. She gave me the information regarding the funeral arrangements. Within the same period, Mr. Roderick Frazier, our gardener, also made his transition. He was a skillful, sensitive, and generous man who cared deeply for all of God's creations, particularly Mother Nature and humans. He had a competent staff, which I am sure will sustain the care and beauty to which he was committed. I learned through the press about Rev. Dr. Samuel Billy Kyles. He was a gallant participant in the Civil Rights Movement. He was instrumental in persuading Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to come to Memphis Tennessee. It was at his home with Dr. King, Jr., and others were scheduled to have dinner. In fact, he had come to Hotel Lorraine to take Dr. King back to his house for dinner. However, it was not to be. Dr. King, Jr. was assassinated. Rev. Kyles and I had mutual admiration, at least from my side. I admired him deeply. I have more to say about him later. I really owe three articles on Mr. Winston Hill, Ms. Afeni Shakur, and Rev Dr. Samuel Billy Kyles. Father Daniel Berrigan was a Roman Catholic priest and activist. He became famous as one of the foremost activists against the war in Vietnam. I participated with him in marches and rallies. In addition to his activism, he was the author of nearly 50 books. He was a university professor. On Thursday, May 12, 2016, I received a call from Ms. Joyce Layne that her sister, Darlene, had passed. Darlene was a member of our church, The House of the Lord Church. She grew up with our children. She was a beautiful young lady in physiognomy and character. She was also very intelligent. On the same day, I received an email from my daughter, Sharon Daughtry, that Attorney Michael Ratner, the brother of Mr. Bruce Ratner, the President of Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC), had made his transition at the age of 72. He had an extraordinary record of achievement on behalf of the world's poor, exploited, and oppressed. For over 40 years, Michael defended and advocated for victims of human rights abuses across the world. He joined the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) in 1971. I will always be grateful to Michael. Back in the early 1980s, he had been associated with Attorney William Kunstler, who succeeded in winning a character defamation case for me against a major television company. Riveted in my memory were my travels to Nicaragua in the early 1980s as part of a Peace Delegation to study the reports of human atrocities and meet with leaders of the Revolutionary Democratic Front and leaders from Nicaragua where U.S. intervention had sought to put down the rebellion led by the Sandinista Revolution. We had been informed that the U.S. - backed contra were wreaking havoc on the people. To be continued…

Remembering Afeni Shakur: Our Own Black Shining Princess Having completed the Earl Caldwell article on the founding of NBUF, now I want to resume the memorial of Afeni Shakur. We originally started with Charles Barron's article in his book Charles Barron: Speaking Truth to Power Articles and Essays on Revolution, Black Radical Politics and Leadership. Afeni was a member of my church. She brought along her son, Tupac, her daughter, Sekiywa, and her sister, Gloria. Following is the foreword and introduction that I had thought were important to include in the article. It has become my practice to write personal reflections on the transitions of family and friends, not the usual biographies or obituaries, but more importantly, personal, intimate interactions with animals instances were an ounce of the larger public. These reflections were published in the New York Daily Challenge. I’ll write two articles weekly – sometimes more when special events or issues occur. I confess I am amazed by the wide range of personalities that I have had some kind of interactions with, and sometimes, long and deep relations with. My interactions included President Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, Ms. Mae Mallory, Mr. Kwame Ture, Mr. Amiri Baraka, Mr. Percy Sutton, Mr. Basil Paterson, Governor Mario Cuomo, Ms. Rosa Parks, Mr. Max Roach, Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, Tupac Shakur, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Mr. Jitu Weusi, Ms. Ella Baker, Mr. OmarI Obadele, and, now, Ms. Afeni Shakur. As I was preparing the articles about Afeni, I could not hold my pen still. The articles kept getting longer. Much administration said, “you or to turn the articles into a book, and have it ready for a Feeney‘s memorial on June 18, 2016.“ “It will be a towering challenge,” I thought. “There was less than a month to get it done, but let’s do it.” First, we have this volume, remembering Afeni – our own Black shining princess. Most of us will recognize the words from Ossie Davis’s eulogy for Malcolm X. He was “our own Black shining prince.” Because of the haze with which the book was done, there might be a few errors or mistakes, but the substance and meaning are clear. Thus, the reasons why there are no acknowledgments, table of contents, bibliography, and index. Additionally, the reader might find a few repetitions. Remember, the chapters were prepared for newspaper paper articles. In any case, repetition is good. It has been said, “something has to be mentioned at least three times before it is comprehended.“ I quoted extensively from my work, “Dear 2Pac: Letters to a Son,” and the booklet, “A Seed Planted in Stone,” primarily because it was hard for me to remember Afeni without Tupac. My mind and spirit, are inextricably linked. I hope and pray that the family and friends of Afeni will appreciate his labor of love. I wanted to express my love, appreciation, and gratitude for a sister, a church member, and a fellow freedom fighter. Finally, Afeni’s transition came when there were other transitions of persons I had known - all were crammed into about three weeks. The sad news came almost daily. I made reference to them in the Introduction. Hopefully, in some strange way, as the lives of their loved ones are mentioned, they will be comforted, at least a tiny bit. Knowing that others are bearing the same unspeakable grief, too; that, in fact, we, the human family, are grieving everywhere and cherish each other’s pain. Somehow, we carry on. In the documentary, depicting the Temptations, the extraordinary group, one of the singers, Melvin Williams, met another member of the group, Eddie Kendricks, at the gravesite of another member, Paul Williams, who had committed suicide. Eddie and Paul were great friends. “I never would have left Alabama if it wasn’t for Paul,” said Eddie. Then, he turned to Melvin, and said, “ what do I do now, Melvin?“ Melvin replied, “You live. And, that’s hard! But we move on.“ Yes, we move on in spite of our pain. Moreover, I hope there is some solace to grieving loved ones in knowing that their loved ones are and shall be remembered by countless unknown persons. Those who grieve must remember that you do not grieve alone. INTRODUCTION Often, we are asked, “Where were you when someone when some momentous event occurred?“ For example, “Where were you when Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, or President John F Kennedy was assassinated?”; or, “Where were you when someone special in your life was killed or died?” I have been in the ministry for over 60 years, and I have never experienced the transition of loved ones in such a short period of time: Saturday, April 23, 2016, through Tuesday, May 12, 2016. It seemed that news reached me every day of the transition of a person who was in some way close to me. It started with a telephone call on Saturday, April 23, 2016, at 9:44 p.m. - it always seems to start with a telephone call. It was Tylibah Washington, a third-generation member of our church, The House of the Lord Church. She had bad news. Her aunt, Truly Washington, the sister of Yusef and Weusi, had been killed in a vehicle accident. Her body was mangled. She was in a coma and not expected to live. “Would you pray for her and the family?“ she asked, “Would you also call my father, who is at her bedside in the hospital?” I called and spoke to Weusi, offering words of comfort, and prayed with him. On Wednesday, April 27, 2016, at 9:05 AM, when I was sitting in my office at the church, preparing the finishing touches for my weekly articles, my wife, Dr. Karen S Daughtry called. Among other conversational matters, she said, nonchalantly, as if she was telling me something that I already knew, “Have you heard about Winston Hill?“No,“ I replied, bracing myself for the worst. She said, “Winston Hill is dead.“ “When?“ “Tuesday night.“ To be continued…

The National Black United Front Revisited It was my intention to follow Councilman Charles Barron’s article on the memorial for Afeni Shakur with my article. But Charles Barron’s article reference was made to NBUF and, strangely, I was looking in my files and I saw an article written by Earl Caldwell. The article entitled “His dream of a Black United Front is now a reality” again underscores our church’s role during that time period. I know that there have been references and even articles written about NBUF. However, there was always more to be added for any major event. NBUF was no different. Daily News New York, Monday, June 30, 1980 His dream of a Black United Front is now a reality ___________________________________________________________________ He dreamed about it. Nobody knows just how long it had been in his mind but it was his idea. He nursed it. He worked at it. And finally, it happened and in the morning yesterday when he came into his church on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn, the Rev. Herbert Daughtry knew that the dream was real. "I’m excited,” he said. " I'm grateful and humbled and honored to have had some in the process." “What was most important?" he was asked. “Just the conference," he said. "The conference itself." Not much was about it in the newspapers. No television crews dashed about in the big hall. But quietly, through and Friday and Saturday, out in Brooklyn at the old Sumner Ave. Armory, the Rev. Daughtry's dream of building a national organization became real. THE SUMNER AVE. ARMORY IS a huge, fortress-like building of red brick that covers most of the block along with Sumner between Jefferson and Putnam Aves. It sits in the heart of Brooklyn's black belt. In the morning on Thursday, the armory was alive. The red, black, and green flag of black liberation flew from the roof. And out front crowds gathered on the sidewalk. It was the kind of coming together that was a part of the 60s, like the black power conference of Newark in 1967. People came wearing dashikis, jeans, and T-shirts, in sports jackets and business suits. They came from Brooklyn, Mississippi, and Chicago, from St. Louis, and Ohio, and from as far away as Portland. On Thursday, when the founding convention for a National Black United Front began, 500 people registered. Except for a few Asians, all of them were black. On Friday the number swelled and by Saturday, when the meeting began at 8 am (it did not end until 3 a.m. Sunday) more than 1,000 delegates had been registered. THE OFFICIAL PAPERS said that there was to put together a broad-based organization. In the armory in Brooklyn, there was a bit of everything. “Glad to see you all,” Amiri Baraka (formerly Leroi Jones) said in his address to the convention. "Haven't seen some of you since the last time we tried this." Baraka, now with a Marxist-Leninist group called the League of Revolutionary Struggle, was in Newark in 1967 when the effort was made to build a national grass-roots organization to deal with the problems facing blacks. He was in Atlanta in 1970 when the Congress of African People attempted to build on that effort. And in Gary, Indiana, when yet another effort was made in 1972 to create a National Black United Front. “Meeting here to form a National Black United Front is a historical event of great significance,” Baraka said. “Black people have done it before, and if we fail they will have to do it again. But it will be done. Either we do it, or our children will have to take care of it. But it must be done and it will be done.” Baraka asked the question, why? Then he answered it himself. “Because a Black United Front, composed of all those horses in the black nation and oppressed nationality willing to fight against black oppression, and fight for it black self-determination, such a front is the key instrument necessary for Black Liberation." Through the weekend in Brooklyn, the pieces for a National Black United Front – time a constitution was drafted. Priorities were established. Temporary officers were installed. And by yesterday, when the closing session was taking place at the house of the Lord Church on Atlantic Avenue, nobody talked about an idea. The organization was real. The coming together on a national scale in Brooklyn was reminiscent of the 60s in so many ways. The black power conferences came out of crises. In 1967, it was the riots that swept the country that prompted thousands of blacks to flock to Newark. The meeting this weekend in Brooklyn had Miami as a backdrop, along with the growing discontent in black communities across the country. The issues discussed over the weekend involved unemployment, housing, police brutality, education, electoral politics, community organizing, and down the line. They are old issues but the idea now was to put new thought, new strategies, and new energies into finding solutions. The founding convention of the National Black United Front was filled with promise. It was a rallying of the troops. It was saying to one another, let's put aside our old differences, the ones that separated us the last time, and let's try again. And through most of three days, in the old armory in Brooklyn, that is what happened. Just before 2 o’clock in the morning on Sunday, the Reverend Daughtry was elected chairman of the national organization that was established and has the ambitious idea of placing chapters in every state in the nation. “What does it mean?" the Reverend Daughtry was asked. When he replied, he began to talk about the 60s, about the wide range of black organizations that existed then. He mentioned CORE and SNCC and SCLC, and he took off the names of several others. "They kept the oppressor off-balance,” he said, "but those groups, many of them, they've been captured and now there is only the NAACP and the Urban League. We needed something else. There was a vacuum. We went into the “70s limping from the many-sided attacks against us. But now we are ready to enter the 80s with people surfacing, charging, and reasserting under a progressive umbrella." The Reverend Daughtry said that the creation of the National Black United Front makes it possible for serious efforts to be aimed at what he called "a radical rearrangement of the social order." He called the front "a link that has been missing for a long time." And he added: "Now we have another black organization, one that is pan-African in scope, mass-based in-depth, and totally and completely committed to liberation in its thrust." The rap against Reverend Daughtry is that he tries to do too much. And ambulance chaser, that's what he is, a critic said. But the Reverend Daughtry is determined and he has victories. A year ago, in the summer of 1979, the idea of building a National Black United Front was an idea. Yesterday it was real and now the Reverend Daughtry is on the national scene. To be continued…

Charles Barron: Speaking Truth to Power Articles and Essays on Revolution, Black Radical Politics and Leadership, His New Book Another article by Councilman Charles Barron which references the House of the Lord Church is the memorial for Afeni Shakur. In so far as I also wrote about her memorial. My piece will follow his article. Afeni Shakur Smiling From Heaven! June 2016 ______________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Afeni Shakur, Black Panther leader and the mother of our beloved Tupac Amaru Shakur and Sekyiwa Shakur, must be smiling from heaven after hundreds of people packed the historic House of the Lord Church to honor and pay tribute to her for her life’s work in our movement for liberation. The House of the Lord Church, whose present Pastor is Rev. Dr. Karen S. Daughtry and whose national presiding minister is the world-renowned Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry, has historically served as the “People’s Church” and a “safe haven” for freedom fighters, was the most fitting place to have the tribute, especially since Afeni and her family were members. A special shoutout of appreciation must be given to Jamal Joseph for doing a superb job in developing and coordinating a powerful and most memorable program. The tribute, titled “Reflections and Celebration of Afeni Shakur,” was hosted by Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry; Jamal Joseph, Panther 21 member; and Charles Barron, Panther member, and New York State Assembly Member. The tribute was co-sponsored by Voza Rivers and the New Heritage Theatre. Powerful, passionate reflections were delivered by Sonia Sanchez, Kathleen Cleaver, Rev. Dr. Karen S. Daughtry, The Panther Women’s Collective, Emilia Otto of Impact, who powerfully and dramatically read Afeni’s closing argument to the jury during the Panther 21 trial, Sekou Odinga, Dhoruba Bin-Wahad, members of the Shakur family and of course the hosts Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry, Jamal Joseph, and Charles Barron. Special acknowledgment was given to Tyrone Talib Shakur, the son of the political prisoner of war, Mutulu Shakur. We will not stop until Mutulu is freed from prison. This is a partial listing of the presenters. Cultural renditions were delivered by Songhai Djeli (African drummers), Keith “The Captain” Gamble (Harmonica), and Soloist Ebony Jo-Ann. Peggy Iman Washington (who was assigned by Pastor Herbert Daughtry as Afeni’s “big sister” at The House of the Lord Church), set it off with her rendition of the “Wind Beneath My Wings,” and Jamal Joseph’s Youthful Impact Repertoire Theater brought the house down with their expressions of love and respect for Afeni Shakur.

Charles Barron: Speaking Truth to Power Articles and Essays on Revolution, Black Radical Politics and Leadership, His New Book This week is the second article from Council member Charles Barron’s book (listed above). In this article, he talks about Black Radical Politics. He mentions the founding of the National Black United Front (NBUF). Our church, the House of the Lord Church, played a key role in the formulation of NBUF. Even before the culmination of the Convention in 1980 from the beginning. There were five of us that met in the Chapel of our church, Charles Keon, Cairo, IL; Florence Walker, Philadelphia, PA; Alfred ‘Skip’ Robinson, Tupelo, MS; Ron Herman, Portland, OR; Jitu Weusi, Brooklyn, NY in December 1979. As chairman of the NY Black United Front. During the prior year, we had traveled to many cities to organize local chapters or similar organizations. We had been successful in our organizing in NY and we wanted to duplicate it in other cities. The very ideas and the first meeting was held at our church. But I'll let Charles Barron's article speak for itself. Fired Up! _________________________________________________________ Igniting the Flame for Black Radical Politics October, 2016 “We’re fired up, won't take no more! All fired up,won't take no more!” That was the battle cry of Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry and the National Black United Front (NBUF) in the 1980s, long before Senator Barack Obama said, “Fired up, ready to go” during his 2008 presidential campaign. It was 1981, when Paul Washington, Kai Crooks, Inez Barron, and I joined Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry, National Presiding Minister of the House of the Lord Churches and Chairman of the National Black United Front, and others on a trip to Chicago to meet Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam. We were meeting with Minister Farrakhan to discuss fostering a closer working relationship with the Nation of Islam, and to discuss NBUF’s upcoming National Convention. Paul, Kai, Inez, and I were hard-working dedicated members of the National Black United Front. NBUF, as we affectionately called it, was a broad-based grassroots, Pan-Africanist, activist united front that included membership from the NAACP to nationalist to socialist and communist. NBUF held its national founding convention in 1980 in Brooklyn, NY. Over 1,000 people attended representing 35 states and 5 foreign countries. During the founding convention Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry was elected NBUF’s Founding Chairperson. NBUF had over 40 chapters in cities and states across the nation that organized around a myriad of national and international issues affecting our local Black communities and our countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and other oppressed nations and nationalities. On that trip in 1981 in Chicago with Minister Farrakhan, Paul Washington and I, in a hotel lobby over breakfast, had our first serious discussion on actually getting involved with electoral politics. We had been somewhat supportive of so-called progressive candidates but never had we considered our personal involvement until that day in Chicago. Well, in 2001, I was elected to the New York City Council, and my wife Inez Barron in 2008 was elected to the New York State Assembly. As of this writing, after twelve years I was term-limited out of the New York City Council and Inez has been elected as my successor. I ran for her seat and succeeded her as a New York State Assembly Member. Inez and I, along with Peggy Washington, Adeline Bunche, and others are founding members of operation P. O. W. E. R (People Organizing and Working for Empowerment and Respect), a political movement in NYC focusing on getting Black Radicals elected to city and state offices. We need more Black radicals in local elected political offices. We don't need a president that happens to be Black; we need a Black president that is committed to Black people. We don't need doctors who happen to be Black; we need Black doctors who are committed to Black people. We don't need lawyers who happen to be Black; we need Black lawyers who are committed to Black people. We certainly don't need local Black elected officials who happen to be Black. We need local Black radical elected officials who are committed to a Black agenda for Black liberation. Blackness must be defined front-and-center on the agenda of Black leadership. Blackness is not only African features, melanin skin pigmentation, rich coarse African textured hair, etc.; it's a state of mind. If Blackness were African features, the Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas would be the Blackest man in town. Everyone knows that he is diametrically opposed to anything that would have any semblance of benefiting the Black community. He is one of the most “ non-black,” Black persons in the country. Let's develop a working definition of what Blackness is political. Dr. Lani Guinier in her book Tyranny of the Majority stated that some Black leaders are “descriptively Black,” they look like us. Others are “ authentically Black,” and they are committed to us. Thus, being Black is being committed to the empowerment, interest, well-being, political, economic, and social progress and liberation of the Black community. The call for Black Power, Black Liberation, and Black self-determination is still very relevant today. Being Black doesn't exclude one from uniting with other ethnic groups struggling against oppression, nor does it disengage us from struggles against class issues, colonial capitalism, imperialism, globalization, etc. On the contrary, addressing Black issues is synonymous with addressing class issues. While I used the term Black often, I want to remind us that we are African people. We are not a “ race”; we are a nation of African people who have been displaced from my homeland, Africa. Because we were kidnapped as people and remote from my homeland, that does not take away from us being a nation of people. We are an African people! But bear in mind we don't only want to change the complexion of the people in power; we want to change in the direction of the politics of America. We want ideological change. We want a revolutionary change. Therefore, we are calling on Black leaders to embrace Black radical Politics, the politics of Liberation, and revolutionary change. As I stated, our journey into the electoral arena began shortly after that 1981 meeting in Chicago that began our involvement in the 1984 Jesse Jackson for President Campaign. Harold Washington had just won the mayoral campaign in Chicago in 1983 with a campaign slogan, “It's our turn now!” And now here comes the Jackson for President campaign slogan, “Our time has come!” The word “ our” used in these slogans is clearly talking about us, Black People. However, these were reformist campaigns designed to keep our people trapped in the democratic party that takes us for granted. We decided to use the democratic party to get unbossed and unbought independent Black radicals elected to local seats of power because our people blindly vote democratic. We are totally independent from the democratic party. We are using the electoral arena to secure goods, services, and material benefits to ease the pain of greedy economic capitalist oppression, and to raise the consciousness of our people so that they can see the contradictions in this two-party racist, parasitic, predatory capitalist system and fight for systemic radical transformation and a socialist revolution. One of the most Radical/ Revolutionary victories in electoral politics was the election of Chokwe Lumumba, a revolutionary nationalist, to the position of Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi. He was the first Black revolutionary to be elected mayor in American politics. The Black Liberation movement and his loved ones were shocked and saddened by his untimely death after just months in office. The Jackson plan and Cooperative Jackson became the model for Black political and economic liberation in Black communities around the nation. My commitment is to continue Chokwe Lumumba’s legacy by training and developing young Black Radicals/ Revolutionaries to win local seats of power across this nation. “Remember, the struggle may be long, but victory is certain.” Note: In 2017, Chokwe Lumumba’s son, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, was elected Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, and committed himself to continuing the revolutionary legacy of his father. To be continued…

Charles Barron: Speaking Truth to Power Articles and Essays on Revolution, Black Radical Politics and Leadership, His New Book Dear Reader, Once again I will be writing about Councilman Charles Barron and his newly published book Speaking Truth to Power Articles and Essays on Revolution, Black Radical Politics and Leadership. While Mr. Barron is an elected official that makes him consistent with the elected officials about whom I’ve been writing. But Mr. Barron is very much alive. The other elected officials that I’ve been dealing with under the theme, ‘I Remember’ are deceased. Honesty compelled me to say, one of the reasons that I want to change the theme is I want to help Charles sell his new book. If you do not know Mr. Barron, you will learn about him and his great contributions in the few words I will write about him. But especially from his book. I met Charles Barron for the first time when he was a sophomore at Hunter College. He was very impressive. He was smart, aware of current events, culturally conscious, knowledgeable especially of our history, and a skillful organizer. All of these qualities I could discern during our first meeting and the program he had organized. Not long after, he joined our movement, more specifically the Black United Front (BUF) which I headed. All the other organizations that emanated from our movement he was a part of. The qualities that I discerned initially became more and more evident. His participation and his qualities moved him into more important roles. He became a special assistant to me and then chairman of the Harlem, NY chapter for the NBUF. But he was more than that. He was a friend and confidant; sharing our deepest thoughts, plans, ideas, visions, etc. One of the organizations that we started was the African Peoples Christian Organization (APCO). I was founding President and he was Secretary-General as we set out to build a Christian nation. He was my trusted advisor and I had confidence in him and trusted him implicitly. He became my delegation leader to foreign countries. I trusted him to meet with heads of state fully confident that he would handle the assignment appropriately. He became a member of our church. I baptized him in Augusta, GA. I married him to Ms. Inez Barron, who was a principal and later became a Councilwoman, I christened their first son Jawanza. I think I’ve said enough. There is far, far more I could write about Charles Barron, that's why you need to read his book. To get to know him fully, his life, and his thinking. I think I’ve given you enough for you to understand another aspect of why a section of Charles Barron’s book is included. If anybody reads what was going on at the House of the Lord Church and the movement of that time surely it would be Charles Barron. He was there and an integral part of the movement. Black Liberation Theology and Black Power Ideology ________________________________________________ God and Liberation! Religion and Revolution! August 2019 Part One The 1960s was a dynamic period in the history of Black people in America that ushered in movements that demanded Black power, civil rights, human rights, Black nationalism, and calls for revolution. These movements had a profound impact on the Black church, especially the Black power movement. Dr. James Cone wrote a book during that time titled, Black Theology and Black Power. Cone states in his book, “Black theology is the theological arm of Black Power, and Black power is the political arm of Black theology.” He further states that “While Black power focuses on the political, social and economic conditions of Black people, Black theology puts Black identity in a theological context.” Dr. Cone also wrote God of the Oppressed and Black Liberation Theology. Rev. Albert B. Cleage, Jr. (a.k.a Jaramoge Abebe Agyeman) wrote books titled, The Black Messiah and Black Christian Nationalism. He also founded The Shrines of the Black Madonna, churches that focus on the revolutionary dimensions of Jesus Christ, the Black Messiah, building Black Christian Nationalism and political activism. It is important to note that the Black Madonna, Jesus’ mother, is recognized all over the world. Rev. Albert Cleage, Jr. also provided leadership in organizing the historic “Walk to Freedom” with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Detroit, Michigan in June of 1963. Over two hundred thousand Black people participated in the largest civil rights march in history at that time. It was at the “Walk of Freedom” in Detroit where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. first made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Rev. Cleage made a fifteen-minute speech just before Dr. King that brought the house down. Two months later in August of 1963, Dr. King reported the “I Have a Dream” speech at the historic March on Washington which received worldwide attention. In November of 1963, Rev. Cleage organized the forum that brought Minister Malcolm X to Detroit to make his historic “Message to the Grassroots” speech. Minister Malcolm X mentioned Rev. Cleage admirably during his speech. Rev. Cleage and Malcolm X became good friends. Minister Malcolm X and his wife Betty Shabazz spoke at Rev. Cleage’s Shrine of the Black Madonna and heaped high praises on Rev. Cleage and the Shrine for the work that they do in the community. Inez and I (aka Camara and/Shomari Baruti) are presently members of the Shrine of the Black Madonna in Atlanta. Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry wrote, Jesus Christ African in Origin Revolutionary and Redeeming in Action and My Beloved Community. He became the national presiding minister of The House of the Lord Pentecostal Churches that focuses on the priestly and prophetic dimensions of Christianity (personal salvation and collective liberation). He also became the founding chairperson of The National Black United Front, a grassroots Pan-Africanist activist organization that had its founding convention in Brooklyn, New York attracted over one thousand people, representing over forty states in the United States and five foreign countries. Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry traveled extensively across the United States and throughout the world championing human rights. National and international leaders considered it an honor to speak at Rev. Daughtry’s historic House Of The Lord Church. Leaders such as Winnie Mandela, Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael), Rosa Parks, The Honorable Judge Bruce Wright, Viola Plummer, Muslim Minister Dr. Khalid Muhammad, Afeni Shakur (Black Panther and mother of Tupac Shakur), numerous ambassadors and freedom fighters from Africa and the Caribbean, countless Black elected officials and grassroots leaders. Rev. Jesse Jackson launched his historic 1984 presidential campaign at The House Of The Lord Church. I am sure that I left out some very important leaders. The list is endless! Rev. Daughtry was the president and founder of the African People’s Christian Organization (APCO). I was honored to serve as the Secretary-General of the African People’s Christian Organization. APCO, as we affectionately called the organization, established “The Timbuktu Learning Center.” Renowned scholars lectured at the center such as Dr.John Henrik Clarke, Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannan, Dr. Ivan Van Sertima, Dr. Cornel West, Dr. James Cone, Dr. Rosalind Jeffries, Dr. Leonard Jeffries Jr., Dr. Adelaid Sanford, Dr. Amos N. Wilson, Dr. Paulette Pierce, Dr. James McIntosh, and many more. As chairman of the National Black United Front, Rev. Daughtry spoke at huge rallies in Washington D.C., on college campuses, and in communities across the nation on a myriad of local, national, and international issues. He united Black radicals/revolutionaries, liberals, socialists, communists, Black nationalists, Christians, Muslims, and even atheists under the banner of the National Black United Front. Rev. Daughtry, a prophetic minister of Black liberation theology is affectionately known as “The People’s Pastor.” His wife, Rev. Dr. Karen S. Daughtry, is presently pastor of The House Of The Lord Church in Brooklyn, New York. I am humbled and honored to say that my wife, Inez Barron, and I served as members of The House Of The Lord Church under Rev. Daughtry’s pastorship, and I served as Rev. Daughtry’s Chief of Staff under his leadership as chairman of the National Blak United Front. Father Lawrence Lucas is a revolutionary Roman Catholic Priest who was born in Harlem and has pastored in Harlem for over thirty years. He authored the book, Black Priest/White Church: Catholics and Racism, and he co-founded The National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus. He is a revolutionary Black liberation theologian who has done grassroots organizing with the revolutionary December 12th Movement in New York City. He is a true champion of Black liberation, human rights, and social justice. Rev. Jeremiah Wright is the retired pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Rev. Wright served on several boards of directors, including The Black Theology Project and The Malcolm X School of Nursing. He was the pastor of President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama. He performed their marriage ceremony and baptized their children. When he was a community organizer and Senator, Barack Obama attended a sermon delivered by Rev. Wright titled, “Audacity to Hope”, which was the title of his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and later became the title of his second book. To be continued…

Remembering the Life and Times of Glenn Cunningham Occasionally, I still visit The Club. Just about everybody I once knew is gone, but the atmosphere and activities remain the same. The smoke is thick, the talk is loud, and the booze abounds. I sit and wonder where I would be had not Jesus Christ come into my life in 1954. Now we were passing Union Street where P.S. 14 is located. This is the public school I wanted to attend when I arrived in Georgia. It was predominantly Black, but I ended up at P.S. 15 on Stegman St., which was predominantly White. I recall the principal at P.S. 15, Dr. Bannerman. She was a frail little white woman with a southern accent. She loved to talk about the “darkies” and their habits. I hated her. Today the school is a primary and middle school named after the late Whitney Young Jr., former head of the National Urban League. P.S. 14 was later named after Flip Wilson. I was there for the naming ceremony. I was good friends with Flip's brother, Clifford, whom we called “The Fox.” Nearing Forest Avenue was Caruso, another infamous liquor store and watering hole. Across the street was the 418 Club, a more upscale watering hole. Not far from the 418 Club was "the cut" , a known gathering place above the railroad track. On any evening reefer smoke filled the air. In addition, fiery arguments and tall tales were exchanged. At that time, nobody paid much attention to reefers or any form of dope. The only treatment center that we knew about was in Lexington, Kentucky. A man named Sonny R. was given credit for bringing heroin—also known as "horse," "white lady," and "junk”— into the community. Before we knew it, another destroyer had taken hold of our community. Innumerable persons, old and young became hooked. Whole families were destroyed. But nobody seemed to care—until 1948 when young white women were caught getting high with Black musicians at the famed Birdland jazz club. Then society became aware and alarmed. An outcry erupted and demanded that something be done. How many times has that happened? As long as an illness is contained in the Black community, it’s not a problem. This reflects how society esteems Black humanity. The next block up was Ege Avenue on the corner was Marie's restaurant, where a portly Black woman was the owner and cook. I can't remember what was on the menu, but with our heads swimming from marijuana, our stomachs demanded sweets and liquids, and we would keep Marie's open late into the night making endless orders of sweet potato pie, coconut cake, milk, and sodas. We ate and laughed the hours away. One of the persons among the nocturnal crowd was Danny Walcot, the brother of Red Walcot, Red Walcot named Marshall, who had named Sluggo. He had won the reputation as being one of the biggest potheads in Jersey City. One night he went to a church and "got saved." He went home and flushed all his reefers and tobacco down the toilet. He, like Sluggo, wanted everybody "to be saved" immediately. His conversations had one subject matter: Jesus Christ. They nicknamed him Mr. Bible because every time you saw him, he was carrying a Bible. Months later, Danny died suddenly. We never knew why. The whole town was shocked. In his coffin, they placed a Bible in his hand. It was hard to believe he was gone. We turned west on Orient Avenue where Glenn once lived. We went up to Bergen Avenue and turned south. Looking northward on Bergen Avenue is the Millers' library where the monthly lecture series sponsored by the TAP and the Power Within forum is held. The procession continued past Grant Avenue where I had lived between MLK and Ocean Avenues. There on the corner of Bergen and Grant Avenue was Snyder High School. Vivid in my mind were the black and orange uniforms and the name of Covella, a White football player whose exploits were compared to Aubrey Lewis of Montclair High School, who became the first Black football player at Notre Dame University. Years later, I took some kids from my church in Brooklyn to see Lewis. We went into the wooded area around his house, and he cut some branches and made a wooden cross. It hangs in my pulpit today. The funeral process continued on Bergen Avenue turned east on Bidwell Avenue, not far from the Greenville Hospital where Glenn died an hour after arrival, and where my brother Bob died 20 years before, amid many unanswered questions. Then we turned south on MLK Jr. Drive to east on Warner Street, to south on Ocean Avenue to Chapel Avenue. All along the way to the Bayview cemetery people were lined up. Some of them must have been waiting for hours. Some had brought chairs and benches to sit on. I said to the ministers who were riding in the limo with me, "It is great to have VIPs attend your funeral. But it is greater to have the people show their love by lining the streets the way they have done." We entered the cemetery winding through the narrow curvaceous streets. It was an old cemetery. The bronze casket was placed above the ground atop a grass-green carpet. The immediate family sat in chairs. The weeping now became audible. Family members buried their heads in their hands. Ms. Cunningham fell over on the shoulders of Glenn's brother. Dr. Maize and I moved closer to the casket, and he read the familiar burial litany, concluding with "ashes to ashes, dust to dust..." As he spoke, he plucked the petals from the white rose flower I held in my hand and announced that I would do the closing prayer. I paused to gather my composure and prayed: "Oh God our help in ages past our hope for years to come our shelter from the stormy blast and our eternal home. We are gathered here in this hallowed place with hearts mixed with sadness and gratitude. We are sad because our loved one Glenn Cunningham, the mayor, and state senator, is no longer with us on this side of history. But we are sorry not like others who have no hope. “We are grateful too for the time Glenn was with us, and all the good he did. ‘He put his footprints on the sands of time.’ While we place his body on the ground he will never die. His spirit will live as long as the sun shines. We are grateful that one day we shall meet again, and on that day there will be no sorrow, suffering, death, and parting of the ways. For the former things would have passed away. Till then comfort the family, inspire us all to do your will." After the prayer, there was a pause, and the military ceremony began. When the ceremony concluded, the clergy in a line marched past the family. I had an eerie feeling as I greeted one of Glenn's brothers; he looked so much like Lowell, now deceased, with whom I used to "run". When I reached Ms. Cunningham, I bent over to embrace her. Tears were rolling down her face. She was sobbing as she thanked me. I whispered to her, "You will always be in my prayers. Stay well, stay strong. God will take care of you. Let's carry on." A little distance away the ground was open to receive the coffin. Rev. Maize and I walked with the family to the burial ground, paused for a moment, and then returned to our cars. The reception was held at Tavern Restaurant in Lincoln Park. The place was packed. It was whosoever will, let him come. One person present who was dear to me was Bernice Lawrence. She is the wife of the renowned, deceased evangelist John Lawrence. In 1953, and for many years thereafter, John had had a powerful influence on my religious conversion and development. Innumerable lives were changed through his ministry. The drive back home seemed short. I lost track of time as I pondered my Jersey City days, the life and times of Glenn, the days’ events, and the cause of death. Again, I vowed to redouble my effort in urging people to take care of their health and get their physical check-ups. As I neared home, I started humming Dion’s melancholy melody, (pardon me Dion for changing the names): Anybody here seen my old friend Glenn? Can you tell me where he is gone? He freed a lot of people. It seems the good die young. I just looked around, and he was gone Anybody here seen my old friend Sonny? Anybody here seen my old friend Malcolm? Didn't you just love the things they stood for? They tried to find some good for you and me So, we would be free soon One day it's gonna be Anybody here seen my old friend? Can you tell me where he is gone? I think I saw him coming over the hill with Martin, Sonny, and Glenn To be continued…

Remembering the Life and Times of Glenn Cunningham “...Let me allow discomfort to Mrs. Daughtry to get things moving.” The doctor informed me that the condition could have come from genetics since my family has a history of cardiovascular problems, aging, stress, or other unknown factors. He did say my health program probably saved my life. I have been a vegetarian for twenty years, and I vigorously engage in physical exercise, including full-court basketball. Health is a major part of my ministry, and after this experience, I increased my emphasis. I've said to all, "Take care of yourself. If you lose your health all else matters little. Get your periodic physical examination and be consistent." The pilot’s voice interrupted my thoughts: "Fasten your seat belt. We are encountering turbulence." About a week before Glenn died, I visited Jersey City just for a walk down memory lane. One of the places I visited is my old barbershop on Edge Avenue, now a landmark. “Larry” was still cutting hair in the place where I’d gotten my first cut six decades earlier by Mr. Johnson, the owner. As was our custom, we discussed events and personalities from long ago. Then Larry said to me, "Mayor Cunningham was here a few days ago. He is doing a book on Jersey City. He will be back next week to interview me." We expressed our admiration for him. Glenn loved Jersey City. He was always talking, writing, and taking pictures of Jersey City. In a conversation about a week after his passing, Glenn’s wife explained to me all that had happened. I felt deep sorrow for Sandra. She was a perfect complement to their public service, perfectly handling public ceremonies including Jersey City’s part in the historic station of the African Burial Ground procession to lower Manhattan where the actual coffins would be reentered. The procession started at Howard University where some of the remains had been housed. We journeyed from Howard to Manhattan with four coffins, two adults representing male and female and two smaller ones representing a boy and girl. It was as I have stated a historic event. And one of the stops was in Jersey City at a site at the Hudson River before crossing the water. Equally, she was masterful in the Kwanzaa Celebration at the Jersey City City Hall. I prayed with her and wished her well. Glenn died at 10:45 p.m., May 24 in the Greenville Hospital in Jersey City, an hour after he arrived. It is the same hospital where my brother Bob died twenty years before of problems with his heart. Harvey L. Smith, president of Jersey City’s City Council succeeded Glenn as mayor. In 1953 his father, Stan Smith, and I both committed our lives to the Lord and vowed to become ministers. So long, Glenn, we will miss you. But I know your brother Lowell and all our generation who have gone before are happy to greet you, and so is the entire heavenly host. Hopefully, we who remain will be inspired by your life and make our contributions too. Glenn Cunningham, Mayor of Jersey City, dead at age 60. Long live the spirit of Glenn Cunningham and all our people who struggle to move us toward the Promised Land. The Funeral Procession From the armory, we traveled south on Jordan Avenue to South on Monticello Avenue. The twenty or so blocks brought us to Communipaw Avenue. We passed Saul’s bar, one of the famous hangouts. A block before Communipaw was Lou's Pool Hall where I would sneak in at age fourteen and learn to shoot pool. Around the corner was the bowling alley where I did the backbreaking work of setting up bowling pins. The long working hours earned me a few dollars and a distaste for backbreaking work. We crossed Communipaw, where half a block east was the police precinct where Glenn Cunningham worked. We entered Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Drive, which used to be Jackson Avenue. MLK Jr. Drive once was a well-kept street with comfortable attractive homes and apartments and thriving businesses. It was the street we "walked" and assembled. If you wanted to meet someone, chances were if you walked up and down the street long enough, you would meet that someone. The Club where Everybody Met Soon we were passing "the club.” The Club had an interesting history. It started further up MLK Jr. Drive between Kearney and Ege Avenues as the Viking Club. Most people thought it was named after the Jersey City Vikings, a highly regarded semi-pro football team. But once the club became a gambling place, some people didn't want the Viking's name associated with it. I sharpen my gaming skills at The Viking Club and at 16 became the "houseman" responsible for collecting the owner's share, a cut after each game. It even had a couple of pool tables there. The name issue was resolved when the owners moved the club—first down MLK Jr. Drive between Union and Atlantic Avenues and later beyond Bramhall Avenue— and renamed it the Colored Independent Civic Association (C.I.C.A.) It was an all-purpose hangout. Everybody who was anybody came by The Club, as it was called. There were games i.e., gambling, horses, numbers, sports, and all kinds of deals being made. There was a large room with card tables and different kinds of games—rummy, poker, Georgia skin, coon can, and even dominos. The games changed from time to time. There was a smaller room in the back for more private games and such. The Club was also an information center, a barbershop, street corner, bar room, and classroom rolled into one. It was a political center too, offering voter education and registration opportunities. One of the major political victories demonstrating The Club’s influence was the defeat of Frank “I Am the Law” Haque. He had been mayor for more than 30 years, and people thought he was invincible. Then leaders of The Club supported Haque’s opponent John V. Kenny in a mayoral election and achieved the impossible: Kenny won. It was unbelievable the way The Club leaders were able to involve reefer smokers, gamblers, number writers, pimps, prostitutes, and liquor drinkers in the electoral process. Vivid in my mind was this reefer smoking, reefer seller standing on the corner, eyes half-closed, swaying to and fro, urging everybody to get out and vote. It was at The Club that I stumbled upon a plot to beat the number of bankers. “The numbers,” in New Jersey, was a gambling enterprise based on guessing the number of trades at the stock market in New York. There was an elaborate scheme being formulated to have relay teams, starting with a person at the stock market, who would relay the number as soon as it appeared, before it became public. Another person would relay it to the next person and so on until it got to the number writer, who was also a part of the scheme. It was a dangerous business. If caught, death or physical mayhem was inevitable. An old hustler said to me, "Son, this is dangerous stuff. You know what will happen if we are caught." I nodded yes. "You shouldn't be in this. You are too young. I'm an old man, if I'm caught it won't matter all that much to me. But you're young." I insisted on being a part of the scheme. The old hustler said, "Okay son, it's your funeral.” We proceeded to rehearse the plan. For various reasons, the whole thing collapsed. Thank God!

Remembering the Life and Times of Glenn Cunningham Our next political person is Glenn Cunningham from the city of Jersey City, NJ. Jersey City is one of the towns where I grew up. Glenn’s older brother Lowell and I were great friends. We were successful in helping to keep Glenn on the right track. We were not so successful in doing the same for ourselves. In those long-ago years, when Glenn became the Mayor of Jersey City I was chair of the Black United Front. We really had a great relationship. In fact, he honored me at a ceremony in City Hall in Jersey City and gave me keys to the city. His wife, Sandra Cunningham is a State Senator in Jersey City. I thought it was keeping in line with what we are doing regarding our church's influence. It would be appropriate to include Glenn Cunningham. Follow our series, I Remember, coming from my soon-to-be-published book titled Passing of the Human Giant Spirit. Mayor Glenn Cunningham Sunrise: September 16, 1943, Jersey City, New Jersey Sunset: May 24, 2004, Jersey City, New Jersey Flying home across a Houston, Texas, sky, after a few days of rest in the Puerto Vallarta sun, my wife turned to me and said, "I don't know how to tell you this, but I've got to tell you before you hear it on the radio." Oh, God, what is it now? "Glenn Cunningham is dead," she said. "Dead?!" "Yes, he died while riding his bike; a heart attack, I think." "When?" "Maybe Wednesday morning. I received the call from the church. We didn't know how to tell you." At least I think that's what she said since my mind was racing back through time to the Jersey City of my youth. I knew Glenn as a little boy. His older brother Lowell and I were running buddies. Our lives were less than honorable, but we vowed to keep Glenn straight. I would always say, "We didn't do a good job on ourselves, but I’m proud of Glenn. We must have had a positive influence on him.” We were proud of him. Glenn had worked hard, maintained his integrity, and never forgotten his past and his people. He started as a patrolman and became captain of the Jersey City Police Department, serving twenty-five years. He was appointed head of New Jersey's U.S. Marshal's office by President Bill Clinton and served for five years. He was elected mayor of Jersey City in 2001 and Jersey City State Senator in 2003. (In New Jersey you can hold both offices, Mayor and state elected offices.) The last time I saw Glenn was in 2003 at a Kwanzaa program organized by the Veterans activist Khybili Tyariri at City Hall in Jersey City. Glenn appeared hale and hearty and was with his lovely wife, Sandra. We reminisced about old times, and he shared with me what he wanted to do for Jersey City. After I finished my keynote speech, he gave me the keys to the city. I spoke with him a few weeks later and asked him to do something about the construction blocking up the street where Queen Latifah had her office, interrupting her business. A few days later his deputy Mayor Drayton called back to say it was done. I also asked him to co-chair a gala being planned in my honor. I told him he would be the only elected official I’d approach for the job. I had so many friends who were elected officials if I had started down that path, I wouldn't have known where to stop. But, because of our special relationship, I felt justified in making this exception. My mind came back to the plane. I heard my wife say, "I just spoke to him. I called his secretary to tell her to convey to Glenn that the gala scheduled for June 18, 2004, was postponed to December 11, 2004, but he came to the phone. He sounded upbeat. He said he was looking forward to the gala. He was prepared to do whatever I wanted him to do." Life is so fragile. We seem sometimes to swing on a gossamer thread, yet we are made tough and can endure almost anything. Life is made of such apparent contradictions. "Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what tomorrow shall bring forth," says the Bible. I thought of my oldest brother, Alonzo Jr., who had been found dead in his home in Philadelphia just a few weeks before Glenn’s passing. I reflected on my own recent experience with a heart problem. My doctor called me one morning urging me to come to his office before noon. I had just returned from my morning exercise program, stretching, walking, running, and shadow boxing. I felt fine. When I arrived at the doctor's office, he directed me to go downstairs for an EKG. Why was this necessary? I had my annual physical. Blood work was okay, "perfect." Why was another test necessary? I completed the exam and returned to the doctor. He read the markings, and looked up, trying to remain calm. "I have to put you in the hospital," he said. "When?" I asked, startled. "Now." "What's the problem?" "Heart flutter, a form of arrhythmia." "What does all that mean?" "It means your heart isn't pumping properly. If the blood from the top chamber isn't flowing properly to the lower chamber, the remaining blood can clot, if the clot reaches the brain you die, or get a stroke. We have to keep you under observation for a while." "How long?" I asked. "I don't know. We have to see" he said. As it turned out, it was five days. I pondered if Glenn had had the same problem I had experienced. I thank God because it was only through my intervention to get my wife to make an appointment for her physical that I nonchalantly asked the doctor about my EKG exam. Had not my wife been having some discomfort, I would have never called the doctor, and who knows what would have happened? After the doctor examined me, my wife's discomfort disappeared. It was as if God was saying, "I've got to get somebody's attention in a hurry…” To be continued…

Remembering the Life and Times of Basil Paterson Well, we have written about Percy Sutton and David Dinkins, in this, I Remember series, coming from another soon-to-be-published book titled Passing of the Human Giant Spirit. So far, I have written about elected officials whose base was Harlem. But their names and influence were known and felt worldwide. They are written about here because they were deeply involved with our church, the House of the Lord Church. And as my wife, Rev. Dr. Karen Daughtry used to say in introducing me, when we did our weekly radio program: “The church with a ministry to meet every need. Where the Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry is the pastor, a young man with a vision of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Designed not only to get us to heaven but how to have an abundant life here on earth.” The article that I am inserting this time shows: Close affection and admiration for each other. Tells how we organized together and shows the prestige and influence the paper gave to us. Black chiefs meet to create a political strategy thru 1981 By David Medina A wide spectrum of the city’s black political leadership, from the Rev. Herbert Daughtry of the Black United Front to State Secretary of the State Basil Paterson, gathered for breakfast at the Harlem State Office Building yesterday to map a black political strategy through 1981. Speakers at the gathering of about 500 included a number of radio and television personalities. Among the topics brought up for discussion were Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Bruce Wright’s Impending race for Civil Court judgeship, the possibility of running Paterson for the United States Senate in 1980, the recall of Mayor Koch, and the 1980 presidential race. But the overriding theme of the meeting was that blacks once again are under serious attack in the U.S. and had better regroup and mount a counter-offensive. “Better start packing” “Bruce Wright stands for something and if he loses we better start packing,” said Paterson in a brief but emotional speech. “We’ve got to organize, proselytize and educate.” The unity meeting was organized by Harlem People for a Better Government, a new group headed by Cenie Williams, Jr. a Harlem civic leader. The Rev. Herbert Daughtry, who was introduced as “Mayor Koch’s shadow,” got a standing ovation when he opened his speech by asking: “How am I doin’?” Daughtry said the mayoralty and the 14th Congressional District in Brooklyn are two seats whose current holders must be deposed. “Fred Richmond has admitted molesting a black youth,” Daughtry said. “You don’t have to be a genius to understand you don’t start when you get caught.” Daily News, Sunday, June 17, 1979 Basil was special to me, very very sensitive, and empathetic. I can recall several clashes that I had with high-powered elected officials. Basil always came to my side before, during, and after the controversies. In fact, I would tell him, “Basil, man you’re getting too close to me. You might want to keep our political relationship furtive. I don’t want to damage your reputation or diminish your effectiveness.” But he would never adhere to my admonition. As you can see from the photo wherever we met it was so obvious that we had a profound admiration for each other as a person and as a leader. During the time to which I’m referring, I headed the Black United Front. We were the outsiders, the militants, the troublemakers. But we had “clout”, “juice”, “influence”, and “power.” We had the masses; also, equally important, we had some friends on the “inside”. I’ve always believed in a two-tactic attack. I learned how to deal with the greedy and the needy; the sweet and the street. Therefore I thought we could be more effective in keeping our friendship secret or at least keeping some distance in public. David, his son and former governor of the state of New York reminds me of whenever Basil and I had a conversation on his way to the hospital for the last time. We prayed for the last time — very similar to Percy Sutton’s demise. Basil was labeled a member of the gang of four which was City Clerk David Dinkins, Congressman Charlie Rangel, Assemblyman Herman “Denny” Farrell, and Basil Paterson. The name was sometimes uttered with awe and respect. At other times, it was uttered with resentment and fear. The name started as a result of a meeting we had at the headquarters of District Council 37. There was a gathering of all the top Black leaders in New York. The reason for the meeting was an election year and we assembled to decide our candidate— but that’s not quite accurate. Some of our leaders had already picked their candidates. As the meeting progressed it became obvious to some of us for the first time that our leaders had made a decision and wanted us undecided to endorse their candidates. Things went smoothly with some of the candidates until they got to the mayoral seat. When the person who had been chosen by our leaders came up for a vote, up stepped Denny Farrell and declared his candidacy for Mayor. There was a disruption of the meeting. Things had not gone the way they were supposed to. Let me say at this point the candidate elected by our leaders was Herman Badillo, for Mayor. So when Farrell stepped forward and said he was a candidate. Now we had to debate the issue and the undecided raised questions relative to how the decisions could be made without the undecided. In the shortened story, Denny Farrell won the vote of the leaders who were present. Thus completely destroying the well-laid plan of our leaders. The wounds were deep and I’m not sure if they are healed even today for those who are alive in spite of the fact that we all agreed that whoever won the election that night, we would all support. But it didn’t happen that way. People carried grudges for years. Hence, the name the ‘Gang of Four’ because it was thought that the named four persons had engineered this sudden interjection of Denny Farrell in the campaign to keep Herman Badillo from winning. Herman Badillo had not supported Percy Sutton in the mayoral race and it wasn’t forgotten. I supported Herman Farrell to the end. We remained great friends until his death. I was true to my word. I voted yes for whoever won the election that night. So then we all, Farrell won and I stayed with him also receiving criticism. Well, there are only three members of the Gang of Four. Charlie Rangel is left. I said to him at the funeral of Basil Paterson. I would be honored if you included me in the Gang of Four, he smiled and said as far as I’m concerned you're in. To be continued…

Remembering the Life and Times of David Dinkins The next important meeting was the Jackson campaign for President of the United States of America. Across the country, there were reverberations of 'Run Jesse Run’. It seemed that everywhere I went, young and old, black and white, men and women, even little children were screaming ‘Run Jesse Run’ ‘Run Jesse Run’. Jesse called Al Vann and I. Al Vann was Assemblyman at the time and one of the most powerful elected officials in New York. He asked us if we would convene New York Black Leaders to help him decide if he should put his hat in the Presidential ring. September 1983, we convened the meeting at the House of the Lord Church. The church was packed. It seemed that every black leader in New York and some beyond was at the meeting. After the usual speaking by various elected officials, Jackson spoke. He said, “If I’m going to run for the Presidency. I will need three things, the masses, the machinery, and the money. If y'all will help me get those things, I’m ready to go.” There was a thunderous response and we all joined in ‘Run Jesse Run’ ‘Run Jesse Run’, we will help, we will help. After the meeting, which was held downstairs in the fellowship hall. We went upstairs to the sanctuary and held the press conference. Dinkins, who was the city clerk at the time, played a key role in helping to organize the meeting. In addition, he was a major Jackson supporter throughout the campaign. We could always count on him, and of course, there were others; Percy Sutton was one of the major New York supporters along with Basil Paterson, Carl McCall, etc. I left out Charlie Rangel; he was a surreptitious supporter. He said to me that he had given his word to Walter Mondale before Jackson decided to run and he couldn’t go back on his word. But he was prepared to do whatever he could to be helpful. As the years went by there were many important meetings and conferences that Dinkins and I attended, participated in, and/or helped to organize. His concern and involvement were global. He was very much involved in the African Liberation Movement on the African continent. I would not say that he was a genuine Nationalist or authentic Pan-Africanist, but he was committed to the freedom struggles in other countries, in particular South Africa. Before the election, he participated in many forums, rallies, etc. regarding the Southern African liberation struggles. In 1986, he spoke at the rally that we held for the incarcerated Nelson Mandela. The rally was held at the Dag-Hammarskjold Plaza across from the United Nations. From 1951-to 1963 Dag-Hammarskjold was secretary-general at the U.N. We called the rally One Thousand Men of African Ancestry celebrating the 86th birthday of Nelson Mandela. Whatever and wherever the issue was from the 60s until his death, David Dinkins was present or his representative. Even more dramatic was Dave’s commitment to engage in disobedience. Congressman-Walt Fauntroy, Randall Robinson, and of Washington D.C., Effie Barry, the wife of Marion Barry (then D.C. Mayor), a sit-in at the Washington, D.C., South African Embassy. They were arrested and it started a movement of civil disobedience across the country from every station and status of life people were submitting themselves to arrest and Free South African- Free Nelson Mandela Movement. In New York, we coordinated civil disobedience. I asked Charles Barron if he would be responsible for the orderly arrests. I chaired the National Black United Front (NBUF) and he was my chief of staff. The first group to get arrested was Dave Dinkins, Percy Sutton, myself, and others. Significantly, Percy Sutton had members of his family get arrested with him. I also had my family, my wife, Dr. Karen, and my children, Leah, Sharon, Dawn, Herb Jr., Of course, given his campaign for Mayor, he and I were very close from the beginning. Equally, I was close to his campaign manager, Bill Lynch. Bill had been a part of our organizing in the community before he joined the Dinkins campaign. He became deeply involved with the unions. Hence all along the campaign trail from the beginning to the night of victory, our church and I were very much involved in his campaign. (See photos in the church office) South Africa I was in the delegation that went to South Africa before Nelson Mandela was released from jail. Earlier in the day, we were invited to Mama Tambo’s home for a reception in the evening. We learned that her husband, Oliver, was in the hospital and was too ill to attend. I suggested that we go to the hospital and pray for him on the way to the reception. Bill Lynch, who was Dinkins campaign manager and now, and at this time his Chief of Staff, and I went to the hospital. I prayed for Mr. Tambo, and as we say in our church, “I have a praise report.” That evening Oliver Tambo surprised everyone when he showed up for the festivities. While on the campaign trail, one of the major meetings at a critical point in the campaign took place at my church. At that point, the campaign had not generated any excitement. It was imperative that we have a large enthusiastic audience. During the day we campaigned on a sound truck. We invited Jesse Jackson and Harry Belafonte to the rally in the evening. We were relieved and excited that there was an overflow enthusiastic crowd. Of course, I was there on the night of the victory celebration. My reflections, however, also, focused on this very church. We had a major meeting with David Dinkins, Governor Mario Cuomo, Cardinal John O’Connor, and a host of VIPs. The meeting was precipitated by the tension in the city emanating from the murder of Yusuf Hawkins, a black youth killed by a white mob in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The city was on the verge of exploding. The reason for the meeting was to bring peace and unity to the city. Additionally, there used to be a clergy group called the Committee of Denominational Executives (CODE) Bishop Paul Moore Jr., The Episcopal Archbishop of New York was the convener. We would meet periodically to address the issues primarily in New York, but our concerns compassed the world. Strikingly, Bishop Moore and the CODE organization and meeting in Saint John Divine’s office were identical to the Council of Religious Leaders (CORL) and Cardinal Dolan, convener of the meeting at Cardinal Dolan’s residence and the reason for our convening the organization and meetings were almost identical except for names and places. Here we are, I pondered, in 2021 doing the same thing we did in 1990 addressing the same issues. Another critical point in the campaign was a decision that had to be made whether David Dinkins running for the mayoral seat should visit the family of Yusuf Hawkins in the community. Because the tension was so high and Dinkins was not known, deep and pervasive in the Black community. There was concern about how he would be accepted. At least that part of the community where Yusuf Hawkins lived. I was sitting in my church office when Bill Lynch, the campaign manager, called me and asked my opinion if Dinkins should visit Yusuf’s family in the community. I tried to put the question back to Bill. I asked him, “what did he think?” He said, “That's your call Reverend.” It was a heavy decision if Dinkins went to visit the family and was booed it would sink or damage his efforts. Fortunately in my office was Chris Griffith whose brother, Michael, had been chased to his death by whites in Howard Beach, Brooklyn. I turned to Chris and asked him what he thought. He said, “ when my brother was killed our family welcomed all the support that anyone could give us.” I called Bill Lynch back and said, “let’s go, let’s do it.” And he said, “All right. Dave will pick you up and take the two of you there.” Shortly after, Dave Dinkins came by the church with his driver and security personnel. I sat in the car next to him as we headed to the home of the Hawkins family. He had on his marine jacket and cap and seemed very comfortable as we drove along. I must confess that I was very concerned and kept my mind positive and prayerful. When we reached the community the crowd was massive. When they heard that Dinkins had arrived a thunderous cheer reverberated across the community. I had no words to say how relieved I was. We emerged from the car and the yelling was even louder with added handclaps. Dinkins went upstairs and met with the family including the mother and father. I stayed for a while and I was dropped off at the church. Mr. Dinkins was excited and pleased and I was relieved and grateful. As I remembered his last years, I recall a celebration that was held for him at Gracie Mansion. There had been such a conspicuous change in his body size, then, when I had seen him shortly before. I was so startled and saddened I went looking for his son/daughter or member of the family to express my concern. I felt guilty because this was a celebration and I was bringing bad news to the occasion. But I felt driven to do so. I knew he was in bad health that would result in his death in a few years at most. To be continued…

Remembering the Life and Times of David Dinkins Mayor David Dinkins and Joyce Dinkins Memorial Memorial Service to honor and celebrate the lives of Joyce Burrows Dinkins and David Norman Dinkins at Cathedral Church of Saint John Divine. The ceremony was scheduled for 2-5 pm. It actually started at 3 pm. It took an hour to pass through the checkpoints of identification and vaccination records. The ceremony actually went far beyond the scheduled time due to Dave and Joyce having their own speakers. The speakers, apparently, were not given time restrictions for their presentations. Some of the speakers included Dr. James Forbes, Former Congressman Charlie Rangel, and Former Ambassador Andrew Young. There was a glaring contrast between Rev. Jesse Jackson’s birthday celebration at National Action Network, the night before, and David and Joyce’s Memorial. This helped us to understand why Dinkins lost the second election in his bid to become a two-time mayor. I would estimate that 75% of the audience at the Dinkins’ memorial were Euro-ethnic and at the Jackson celebration it was the other way around 75% were community people and 25 % were others. As I sat through the long ceremony I was forced to reflect on my many experiences with Dave and our long relationship. As I stated Dave lost his Black base and therefore was defeated in his bid for a second term. “So by and large, Blacks stayed home, the 1993 turnout in no way matching that of the previous election in 1989. In 1993 Dinkins received 380,000 Black votes compared to the 501,000 he won in 1989, a difference of 121,000. Guiliani won the 1993 election by just 45,000 votes.” (See more in my book No Monopoly on Suffering published by Africa World Press) The entire audience and number of participants were hard to gauge due to the length of the nave or center aisle (St. John has the longest nave in the world. It was constructed to be longer than St. Peter’s at the Vatican in Rome) plus the spacing of the seating which was consistent with covid-19 demands 6ft apart. In any event, it was a huge gathering. The music was rendered by Ms. Valerie Simpson, Clayton Bryant, Leah Roman, Dawn Tallman, and others. The music of Duke Ellington, vocal and instrumental, permeated the ceremony. Andy Young in his remarks felt it necessary to include the experience with some members of the Jewish community when he was ambassador which resulted in his termination or resignation. At the time, U.S. Policy forbade U.S. Ambassadors from meeting with Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) representatives. Andy Young did have a conversation with said representatives, which was discovered. He said that he had met with the Chinese, Russians, and delegations that were not so friendly with the U.S. government. And there was no negative reaction. He even mentioned how he and the Russian Ambassador at the Waldorf Astoria had eaten black-eyed peas, collard greens, and barbeque that had been sent to him straight from Georgia. They, he said, ate on the floor. He said that he thought that communications, even with your enemy, were very important to prevent war and achieve peace. In no official capacity did he meet with or communicate with the PLO. Nevertheless, he was fired according to some people, but he resigned according to his own testimony. He said, “the reason he gave was that he became deeply admired by Black folks in New York and that he did not want to see a disruption of the city and relationships that would follow his attempt to stay in office.” He said that he went home to Georgia and was encouraged to run for Mayor, which he did, and which he won. He cited that experience to underscore the mysterious workings of God. I would simply add, I did organize a demonstration at the UN criticizing Jewish leadership and supporting Andrew Young. Reflections As I sat through the ceremony, I must confess that it was hard to keep my mind focused on the speeches when my memory of my long association with Dave Dinkins kept competing for attention. I was forced to remember some of the times we spent together. It is impossible for me to remember my first meeting with Dave Dinkins. It seemed that he was always there, especially during any important issue. One of the first important meetings that I can remember took place on January 12th, 1978. Dave was a city clerk then. The meeting was with the newly elected Mayor Ed Koch. At the risk of being repetitive, I must give the background for the meeting with Mr. Koch and community leaders. After Mr. Koch won the election and scheduled inaugural meetings in each of the boroughs to mark the occasion. When he came to Brooklyn, he spoke or he was scheduled to speak at the Brooklyn Museum. The auditorium was packed. When Koch arose to speak I leaped on the stage and snatched the mic from his hands and told him, “I’m not going to let you speak here until you address the issue of Randolph Evans. The security surrounding him made a move towards me however, we had far more people present both as security and in the audience than Mr. Koch. When he saw that he couldn’t win, he asked me in a very subdued and respectful manner, “What do you want?” I said, “I’m not crazy and we’re not crazy. I am a Pastor. We’re here and have taken this action because a young lad named Randy Evans, fifteen years old, was shot in the head by police officer Robert Torsney for no reason. And we want Justice. No one seemed to be paying us any mind. That’s all, we just want justice.” He responded, “All right. Let’s have a meeting.” I said, “Okay we will meet. I will trust you to set up the meeting.” He replied, “ And can you quiet these people?” I said, “Sure. All we want is a hearing and justice.” In leaving the stage, our supporters were all calm. I said, “we hope to see you soon.” The next day I received a call from Herb Rickman, his assistant to set up a meeting. We met on the day mentioned above. The meeting took place in Mayor Koch’s office. Dinkins as you can see from the photo was present at the meeting. (See in the Fellowship Hall at House of the Lord Church in Brooklyn, NY) To be continued…