Dr. Maulana Karenga

Haiti and the Heavy Hand of History:

The heavy hand of history has fallen hard on Haiti once again. But this continuing series of devastating events are not simply natural disasters of earthquake and storm.

The History and Future of Haiti: Revolution, Repression, Resistance and Eventual Victory

The history and culture of Haiti is marked by extraordinary expressions of revolutionary struggle and victory, suffering and repression, but always righteous and relentless resistance of the people and their radical refusal to be defeated. The Haitian nation was born in revolutionary struggle, achieving what no enslaved people had done before or after. It defeated its enslavers and other armies and political forces that sought to thwart and negate its national liberation, inspired and assisted liberation struggles in Latin America, and became a beacon of African and human liberation, teaching possibility and achievement against all odds. But the enemies of Haiti, the world African community and human freedom never forgave it and has since its birth worked to divide it, reconquer it, and reverse its instructive and enduring achievement. In a word, their efforts were directed towards rendering it irrelevant, except as a site of imperialist exploitation, name-calling and conversational contempt.

Anatomy of Resurgent Racism: Some Sources of Its Savagery

  These conversations about resurgent racism bring to mind the Greek mythological many-headed snake-like monster that, if you cut off one of its heads, would grow back two more in its place. And only the god-like superhero, Hercules, could kill it. But racism is real, not a myth, in spite of fervent and faithful denials by its most devout, delusional and passionate practitioners.

Telling and Taking Back Tulsa: Resisting Erasure and Americana Appropriation

This current focus of the country on this horrendous act of racist terrorism, massacre and mayhem and destruction imposed and inflicted on the Black people of Tulsa, May 31-June 1, does not come as an expression of required contrition after a century of concealment and denial. Rather, it comes as a result of the long difficult, dangerous, deadly and demanding struggle by Black people for freedom, justice and equity in this country.