1000-mile Trek for African-Centered Education
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Posted By: Samuel Burnham on July 10, 2009 Blackonomics By: James Clingman 1000-mile Trek for African-Centered Education 07/01/09 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7SeEhFHHJg Do you have a cause for which you would walk 1000 to raise funds and awareness? Well, Brother Amefika Geuka does. Indeed he does. The Founder and former Headmaster of the Joseph Littles - Nguzo Saba Charter School (JL-NSCS) will begin walking from his hometown of West Palm Beach, Florida, to Washington, D.C. on July 15, 2009. Why? “To call the village to account,” Geuka says. “Black people must be responsible for and become the primary source of funding for the effective education and development for our children,” he continued. Upon arrival in the nation’s capital, Geuka will petition the President and the Department of Education to ‘acknowledge’ that children of African descent have a right and a need to an education rooted in their history, heritage, and culture.” Geuka and his colleagues have dubbed this venture a “Trek for African-Centered Education,” to be conducted from July 15th through August 15, 2009. In addition to gaining credibility for African-centered education, the walk is expected to raise money to close the funding gap for Geuka’s Joseph Littles-NGUZO SABA Charter School which completed ten years of continuous operation on January 20th of this year. Overall coordination and planning for the walkathon has been contracted to iZania, LLC (www.izania.com) based in Columbus, Ohio. Geuka states, “Both President Barack Obama and his Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan have spoken strongly in favor of public charter schools, which are designed to explore creative and innovative approaches to educating students who do not fare well in traditional public schools. The African-centered approach to providing a strong cultural foundation for children of African descent is being adopted across the country by school districts, public schools, private schools, and charter schools.” Supporters of African-Centered Education draw parallels between the ‘ACE’ approach and the generally accepted contention by Jews and Catholics that their respective students learn best when their formal education is rooted in study and appreciation of their own heritage, history, and culture. A self described “Practical Nationalist” and subscriber to Marcus Garvey’s tradition of self-help, Amefika Geuka has a history of getting things done. Yes, he is an excellent speaker; he can theorize and intellectualize with the best us. He is “articulate,” to borrow Joe Biden’s description of Obama, and Geuka is highly educated and intelligent. However, his commitment to doing the work necessary to promote, support, and uplift Black people far exceeds his rhetorical prowess. He puts his money where his mouth is and lets his actions definitely speak louder than his words. Geuka has worked with the likes of Dr. Claud Anderson, Bob Law, Rosie Milligan, Tom Pope, Senghor Baye, Kweku Akan, and many other conscious brothers and sisters across this country and in Ghana, West Africa. His deeds are well known within the Nationalist Black Leadership Coalition, which he co-founded. The ACE Trek will be yet another effort of Black consciousness from which we can draw strength and commitment to continue our quest for economic empowerment. Along the 1,011- mile route, there will be “surrogate walkers,” celebrities, sorority and fraternity members, high school and college students, honorees, and many others who want to assist in this valiant effort. The National Elder for the ACE Trek is none other than the 91-year young, Godfather of African Centered Education, Dr. Ed Robinson of Philadelphia. We hope to see Dr. Robinson in Washington, D.C. when Geuka arrives to make his recommendations to the Department of Education and the President’s representative; maybe President Barrack Obama will there; he certainly should be, considering the occasion. To those of you who are spending your time espousing and musing about what “somebody” ought to do for Black people, take a lesson from Amefika Geuka, who has used his time on this earth to enhance the lives of Black youth as well as encourage and support the “seasoned” among us. We must take a greater role in the responsibility for our children and their education; we must teach them their heritage and help them understand that they are important – important enough for us to walk 1,000 miles on their behalf. We must also instruct and encourage them in entrepreneurship, in order to relieve them of the burden of dependency. The ACE Trek is a “practical” solution being executed by a conscious Black man who “practices” what he preaches. The Trek is symbolic, but it is also very substantive. Its visibility will open the minds of many across this country, and it could be, with our help, one of the largest events in our recent history. It’s all up to us. How can you help? Glad you asked. Of course you can donate funds to help Geuka along his 30-day trek. Your donations will also help the Joseph Littles School continue its mission of providing African Centered education. You can let others know, especially those on the east coast route from Florida and Georgia to the Carolinas, and into Virginia. Millions of us can get involved in this effort and millions of dollars can be raised if each one of us would do our part. Get on board! Let Baba Geuka know that you will be there on the road with him. Please support this valiant effort for the proper education of our children. Go to www.izania.com or call 614-855-448 or 786-253-9496 to make a contribution. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Samuel Burnham
Associate, Chosen Agency Florida A&M University class of 2003 Member Since February 2009 |
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