Empowering Africans Agency uses book drive to empower Black Memphis Inner City Youths…
R2C2H2 Tha Artivist Reports…
On the steamy and sunny Saturday morning/afternoon of August 5, 300 people showed up at The Davis Community Center in the heart of Memphis' Orange Mound neighborhood (the same 'hood that created Southern rap music legends Eightball and MJG) to partake in a free book and school supplies giveaway funded and created by the grassroots young Black professionals organization known as Empowering Africans Agency ( http://www.empoweringafricans.org ).
After nearly a year in existence this was their first proactive event in the Memphis area…Although all of the key members of this organization have roots in Memphis (I actually went to high school with many of the members), the organization was actually created in Washington, D.C. during the Millions More Movement last October 2005…This is significant historically because last year was the 100th Anniversary of the Niagara Movement which featured some of the leading Black activists and intellectuals of the day including Dr. DuBois, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Ida B. Wells-Barnett and William Monroe Trotter...The procactivity of the above mentioned eventually lead to the formation of the NAACP, the nation oldest civil rights organization in 1909…October 2006 will actually mark the 40th Anniversary birth of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense which was founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland California…And don't forget that 2007 will mark the 50th Anniversary of the SCLC or Southern Christian Leadership Conference which was founded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Rev.Ralph Abernathy, Rev. James Lawson, Andrew Young and other modern civil rights movement icons in New Orleans...So spiritually the Empowering Africans Agency finds itself in monumental and prolific company, but I think that this young yet dynamic organization has a lot of history and progress in it to be made yet!!!
The first thing the organization did of significance according to founding member Bro. Jeremy Sanders was purchased an electronic scoreboard for the legendary Washington D.C. basketball tournament known as The Goodman League (which is similar to the Ruckers up in New York)…The free school supplies giveaway was the first event they held in Memphis…
The President of this youthful and ambitious organization, Bro. Demar Rodgers is a very charismatic brother whom I had the pleasure of attending Overton High School with…Demar always had a very accessible and easy going way about himself…He always seemed to be comfortable in every situation and was good in making friends and building "coalitions of the willing" even in high school…To me Demar is a born politician and I wouldn't be surprised to see him running for elected office one day, especially now since he is in Washington, D.C. (a place where another famous Memphian and politico made is mark, Marion Barry)…For the time being Bro. Demar is currently in training to become a Washington D.C. police officer…
However, what's a great president without an able and capable cabinet??? The backbone and life blood of Empowering Africans Agency according to the male members is the female membership or sister members who oversaw much of the logistics concerning the Memphis event...One sister member in particular, Sis.Teleka Trezevant (I also went to middle and high school with her), a pre-Kindergarten teacher in the Memphis City Schools System was the actual mastermind in making the Book Bind drive an absolute success…It was she who actually secured the location for the event…She actually helped a lot (even dipping into her own pockets) to ensure that enough quality supplies were given away to the kids…In my estimation she is a latter day Ella Baker or Ida B. Wells-Barnett (who also once upon time was a Memphis City School teacher before she caught a pink slip and the crusader bug)...Although Teleka is very humble about her role in the organization (she also wrote the concept paper and ideology for the group with some input from fellow members) it is clear that she is revered with high esteem by all the members of this wonderful organization and rightfully so (many described her as a saint who takes no credit)…However, it takes a team to make this happen and a star is only as good as their supporting cast…Bro. Jeremy Sanders, who is also an urban planner for the city of Memphis, stated that it was imperative that parents play a more active role in teaching their kids civic responsibility and pride…He stated that the foundation for success starts in the home and in order to have a strong and sturdy house you must have a strong foundation or the house will fall…He also stated that it was important for the community to take ownership of their environment…He stated that if you don't take care of your house first, how can you fix someone else's…
Although these committed people feel they are a part of the solution many feel an urge to do more, ensuring that their passion for the upliftment of people of color is a long term committment and not just a youthful infatuation…Founding member Bro. Rodrick Hemphill even talked about following in the footsteps of Malcolm X, going to places and making speeches and instilling a sense of pride and purpose in people of color…He is also concerned with the mind state of Hurricane Katrina survivors…He said many are suffering from a condition known as "Katrina Brain" which is a nervous breakdown triggered by a traumatic event caused by Hurricane Katrina and the U.S. government's slow response time…Quiet as it is kept many people are still suffering mental lapses, physically and fatally from what occurred last summer…There have been suicides which have been contributed to the Hurricane Katrina fiasco as well as people who were relatively healthy getting illnesses due to the effects of the natural and human made disaster last summer…Bro. Rodrick is very passionate about making sure people don't forget because like he stated if we don't help our own then who's going to help us??? Sis. Jeaneen Allen was always stressed the importance of an education...I went to elementary, middle school as well as high school with Jeaneen and her mom was actually a teacher at our elemenatry school, Sheffield Elementary School in Memphis…Sis. Jeaneen is a founding member of Empowering Africans as well…Ever since I have known this beautiful young lady, Jeaneen Allen has always been quick to speak her mind, but even quicker at making friends…She felt that it's important for all of us to support one another and to show that we do care because if some of us don’t make it then none of us are making it!!!
Memphis has had a hard time recently in retaining young professionals like the progressive ones that can be found in the Empowering Africans Agency due to lack of opportunities and mentors for young professionals who truly want to give back and better their communities…It may seem like the Empowering Africans Agency is a lone voice in the wilderness crying for help, but I am sure without doubt that the cavalry will answer their call soon…So the question is when will you be ready to join the cavalry and be a part of the solution???
Please visit the Empowering Africans official website:
http://www.empoweringafricans.org/
You can also call them at 1(800) 798-6670 to find out how you can help!!!
2 comments:
DeMar Rodgers is also a great line brother as well. He's part of the 7 H.I.T.M.E.N of the Xi K.A.R.T.E.L
He's always available if you need nything. He'll be running for Governor of Barry Farms in 2014. Look out people!!!!
Wow. I'm proud of you DeMar. Looks like you're accomplishing everything we talked about as kids.
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