"I only debate my equals. All others I teach"
Dr. John Henrik Clarke
"...the student's obligation was to build upon the previous generation's work, to find what is missing, omitted (intentional or not), neglected, and flat out incorrect, so we can make the necessary changes for the following generation."
Dr. John Henrik Clarke
Sunday April 22, was a very special day for me this year. A strength (week) before my earthday and I had been blessed with the opportunity to hear, in person finally, and eventually meet a man who had peppered the television screens and newspaper headlines when I was still a teenager. I'm speaking of the incomparable Dr. Leonard Jeffries.
For those who have not heard of him, I will say that you really must try and take a minute of your future moments to glean for yourself a bit of the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding this young and spirited 75 year old has to offer. For all those that have, well you may already know the depths of which I write here today but nevertheless, feel free to read on.
Let me do a little justice to the scale of the day first. It was one day after the 46 year anniversary of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie the 1st's historic visit to Jamaica, known reverently as Grounation Day, though history will show factually that HIM's first stop was in Trinidad and that He also made stops in Haiti and Barbados. Nonetheless, it was in the spirit and wake of Grounation Day that I was finally witness to Dr. Jeffries live.
And that particular occasion happened to be a memorial service for the late Hon. Ambassador Dudley Thompson, world renowned Pan-African lawyer and activist. I would also say champion of Pan-African dialogue because everyone that spoke of the man spoke thusly of him. As president of World African Diaspora Union (WADU) until his transition this past January, and with Dr. Jeffries as vice-president, is how I came to know of the pairs connection.
From the onset of Dr. Jeffries address though one could plainly see that the relationship was much more than collegial. Father to son, teacher to student, brother to brother, friend to friend, in every breath uttered there was a profound sense of loss for a comrade in much the same way a parents feels for a child lost far too early. No tears, but the emotions reverberated throughout the church. I will be blessed likewise should those who love me speak as fondly.
But it was Jeffries, an enigma radical racial diatribes, much of which I have come to love, that lit the room. Let me pause a moment to say that Jeffries himself doesn't give off such aurae to me. More that such was the measure of nearly every article and certainly evening news story on the man in the 1990's.
Still what I saw on Sunday was an Elder, outfitted in a splendid lavender, gold and green Grand Boubou, commandingly approach the podium with the sort of reverence and humility that I was hoping to glimpse. What I witnessed was a man turn a memorial celebration service for a dear friend and colleague into a history/herstory lesson and then paradigm shift into the future consciousness of the African mind and spirit. All of this in an Episcopal church. Sundays will never be the same at Holy Family in Miami, I tell you that.
At the end of the service, and just prior to the brief period of refreshments, I had the great delight to be introduced to Dr. Jeffries, Dr. J as he introduces himself, by Priest Douglas Smith. Smith, a Boboshanti Priest of the Ethiopia Africa Black International Congress (EABIC), had made a presentation in tribute to Baba Dudley, as he was lovingly called, along with his Rootz Foundation partner and brethren Jahbulani Tafari.
It was a brief meeting however at the church, as it was certainly unscheduled for Dr. Jeffries and I too had a previous appointment to get to. Yet I was dealt with as a parent to a child, with respect and sincere interest, and I will be forever grateful for such. I was further blessed when Dr. Jeffries granted me the opportunity to interview him later that evening.
To say the least I was beaming. A sistren of mine says I was "star struck", though it was anything but. Still how often do we get the moments to sit privately with some of our heroes, intellectual, cultural or otherwise.
to be con't
Follow me on Twitter @JahKwasiAbahu
Dr. John Henrik Clarke
"...the student's obligation was to build upon the previous generation's work, to find what is missing, omitted (intentional or not), neglected, and flat out incorrect, so we can make the necessary changes for the following generation."
Dr. John Henrik Clarke
 |
| Dr. Leonard Jeffries |
For those who have not heard of him, I will say that you really must try and take a minute of your future moments to glean for yourself a bit of the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding this young and spirited 75 year old has to offer. For all those that have, well you may already know the depths of which I write here today but nevertheless, feel free to read on.
Let me do a little justice to the scale of the day first. It was one day after the 46 year anniversary of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie the 1st's historic visit to Jamaica, known reverently as Grounation Day, though history will show factually that HIM's first stop was in Trinidad and that He also made stops in Haiti and Barbados. Nonetheless, it was in the spirit and wake of Grounation Day that I was finally witness to Dr. Jeffries live.
And that particular occasion happened to be a memorial service for the late Hon. Ambassador Dudley Thompson, world renowned Pan-African lawyer and activist. I would also say champion of Pan-African dialogue because everyone that spoke of the man spoke thusly of him. As president of World African Diaspora Union (WADU) until his transition this past January, and with Dr. Jeffries as vice-president, is how I came to know of the pairs connection.
From the onset of Dr. Jeffries address though one could plainly see that the relationship was much more than collegial. Father to son, teacher to student, brother to brother, friend to friend, in every breath uttered there was a profound sense of loss for a comrade in much the same way a parents feels for a child lost far too early. No tears, but the emotions reverberated throughout the church. I will be blessed likewise should those who love me speak as fondly.
But it was Jeffries, an enigma radical racial diatribes, much of which I have come to love, that lit the room. Let me pause a moment to say that Jeffries himself doesn't give off such aurae to me. More that such was the measure of nearly every article and certainly evening news story on the man in the 1990's.
Still what I saw on Sunday was an Elder, outfitted in a splendid lavender, gold and green Grand Boubou, commandingly approach the podium with the sort of reverence and humility that I was hoping to glimpse. What I witnessed was a man turn a memorial celebration service for a dear friend and colleague into a history/herstory lesson and then paradigm shift into the future consciousness of the African mind and spirit. All of this in an Episcopal church. Sundays will never be the same at Holy Family in Miami, I tell you that.
At the end of the service, and just prior to the brief period of refreshments, I had the great delight to be introduced to Dr. Jeffries, Dr. J as he introduces himself, by Priest Douglas Smith. Smith, a Boboshanti Priest of the Ethiopia Africa Black International Congress (EABIC), had made a presentation in tribute to Baba Dudley, as he was lovingly called, along with his Rootz Foundation partner and brethren Jahbulani Tafari.
It was a brief meeting however at the church, as it was certainly unscheduled for Dr. Jeffries and I too had a previous appointment to get to. Yet I was dealt with as a parent to a child, with respect and sincere interest, and I will be forever grateful for such. I was further blessed when Dr. Jeffries granted me the opportunity to interview him later that evening.
To say the least I was beaming. A sistren of mine says I was "star struck", though it was anything but. Still how often do we get the moments to sit privately with some of our heroes, intellectual, cultural or otherwise.
to be con't
Follow me on Twitter @JahKwasiAbahu
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