2A
NEWS/The Charlotte Post
June 13, 1996
Why we
celebrate
Juneteenth
MELODYE MICERE STEWART
In the
spirit of
Ma’at
January 1, 1863. President
Lincoln issues the
Emancipation Proclamation
“upon military necessity,” pro
claiming that all enslaved
AfHcans in states in rebellion to
the Union would, “henceforward
shall be free.”
According to celebrated histo
rian Benjamin Quarles, “In
reform circles, and especially
among Negroes, the
Proclamation was received with
great joy and thanksgiving.”
Celebrations were held in
Northern cities and Union-held
regions in the South.
According to North Carolina
historian Paul D. Escott in his
book "Slavery Remembered,"
not all received the news of
emancipation with joy. Many
slave owners prolonged slavery
by a variety of different meth
ods, including deception, refus
ing to let former slaves leave
and even attempting to physi
cally appropriate black children
for servitude until adulthood.
The most common trickery was
to simply withhold the news of
freedom. According to more
than a few slave narratives, the
practice was widespread and
recorded by government agents
who inquired why blacks were
still being held in bondage. One
such response: “I hears ‘bout
freedom in September.”
“Juneteenth” originated as a
belated, celebratory respon.se to
“bearin’ ‘bout freedom” six
months after it had been
decreed by the President of the
United States. Juneteenth cele
brates the optimism that was
born with the Emancipation:
freedom to pursue "life, liberty
and happiness" in the land of
plenty. As a growing observance
by modern day African
Americans, a serious under
standing of that history could
help inform the freedom strate
gies we must put in place today.
Historian Escott writes,
“Emancipation had a desolating
effect on masters who could not
conceive of a world in which
despised bondsmen enjoyed
equal status with the white
race.”
The sentiment expressed in
1863 continues to be expressed
in all the statistics of wellness
for African Americans. Fast
forward to 1996. Juneteenth, a
celebration of emancipation and
the possibilities of freedom for
African Americans, is severely
muted in the wake of 30 black
churches burned in 18 months.
The FBI has six open cases in
Tennessee, five each in
Louisiana, South Carolina and
Alabama, four in North
Carolina, three in Mississippi
and one each in Virginia and
Georgia. Juneteenth. A celebra
tion of freedom in a land where
freedom for African Americans
is still not free.
Foreign service
officers refuse $5.9
million settlement
By James Wright
THE WASHINGON
AFRO-AMERICAN
WASHINGTON - Key black
members of the Foreign
Services Officers Association
have refused to accept a settle
ment offer of $5.9 million in a
10-year-old racial discrimina
tion case against the U.S. State
Department.
In addition, they said they
plan to take their own attorneys
to task for offering to settle
without their approval. The
officers also said they have won
the support of Reps. Cynthia
McKinney (D-Ga.) and Charles
Rangel (D-N.Y.), two outspoken
black congresspeople.
“We are still fighting the same
See FOREIGN on page 6A
PHOTO/PAUL WILLIAMS I
Ra Un Nefer Amen I, leader of the Ausar Auset Society, (seated) signed copies of his books
during a stop in Chariotte.
African values in with society
By Clarence Thomas Jr.
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
Traditional African lifestyles are more
embraced by African Americans, says the leader
of a group promoting African thought.
Ra Un Nefer Amen I, leader of the Ausar
Auset Society, was in Charlotte to promote his
new book “Tree of Life Meditation System,” and
to take a first hand look at the work the
Charlotte chapter of Ausar Auset is doing these
days.
The scholar, lecturer and writer has about 20
books to his credit. Amen started the society in
order to provide a vehicle through which
African Americans could return to a traditional
African lifestyle. He saw a need for a way of life
that re-established the spiritual foundation
which gave rise to the great African civiliza
tions, he says. “Our main problem as black peo
ple, is a lack of spirituality,” he said. “We have
to uplift, the people spiritually, so that we can
succeed and flourish.”
Ausar Auset has flourished under Amen’s
leadership. Since its establishment in 1973, the
society has opened four K-12 schools, 35 voca
tional schools across America, England and the
Caribbean and nine health food stores. One of
those health food stores opened eight years ago
in Charlotte. Kamit Natural Foods first opened
its doors at the home of Meru Kheprama and
her husband Aimgkh Raghi, formerly known by
local residents as Ama and Amen Bey. It was
not long however, before the two were forced to
find a facility that could better accommodate
the demand of their customers. “The communi
ty has embraced us," she said. “It was real nat
ural for it to gravitate towards us, because we're
from this community.”
The store and the entire organization
approach things in the same manner as its
leader, Nefer Amen. All incorporate a natural
and holistic approach towards healing and
maintaining good mental, spiritual, physical
and emotional health.
One of the persons who admits that he has
benefited from Amen's guidance is Tehaas Ka
Saa Ari, Kamit’s general manager and a “priest
in training.”
“I joined during college as a way of filling a
void," he confessed. “A lot of young black males
feel that the deck is stacked, so we have to
embrace oim traditions and culture so we can
counter some of our ills and level the playing
field.” !
Nefer Amen’s goal is to produce, on a grander
scale, more individuals in the African American
community like Kheprama, Raghi and Ari.
“This way of life has been critical in altering
one's consciousness,” he said. “I’m here to assist
black people and others, in overcoming social,
personal, economic and political problems
through spiritual empowerment.”
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Thomas’ presence draws protest
Continued from page 1A
protests by some members of
the county school board who
said the sole black member of
the Supreme Court has under
mined his own people by deci
sions against affirmative action.
Marcy Canavan, president of
the Prince George’s County
Board of Education, pointed out
that students of both races gave
Thomas a standing ovation sev
eral times.
“'I think it's mostly because
they learned a valuable lesson,
that you don't bow to threats
and disruption," she said.
About 50 protesters held an
alternative program in another
room of the school in Seat
Pleasant where the ceremony
was held. The Pullen school is in
handover.
Signs reading “No Uncle Tom
in our county” and “Uncle
Thomas is a traitor” were coim-
tered by “Say no to hate and
bigotry, let 'Thomas speak.”
Thomas was nominated to
replace Thurgood Marshall in
1991. He has been in the court
majority for decisions that
struck down black-majority con
gressional districts and set in
motion a rollback of federal
affirmative action programs.
“I deeply regret having
brought some unwanted atten
tion to this wonderful ceremony
of you all's,” Thomas said.
“However, 1 gave you my word
that I would be here at this
most important event, and I
fully intended to keep my word."
The justice seemed to refer
obliquely to protesters when he
told students, “Good manners
will open doors that education
cannot and will not. Even
though you have strong feehngs
about something, that does not
give you license to have bad
manners."
Thomas was first invited by
the school, then disinvited by
the county school superinten
dent because of the planned
protest, then reinvited by the
coimty school board.
“The majority of us wanted
him there,'” said Talia Hicks, a
Pullen seventh-grader who is
black.
“It was supposed to be special
because of his presence, not a
debate,’” said Susan Szerenyi, a
white student at Pullen.
In his remarks, which were
interrupted frequently by
applause, 'Thomas stressed the
need for his audience to study
hard, be positive and obey their
elders.
He also encouraged the stu
dents to think for themselves:
“You can think for yourself and
not be led mindlessly.”
But many protesters said
Thomas’ presence was a slap in
the face.
“1 would be ashamed if my
grandchildren knew 1 had an
opportunity to protest against a
man who hates himself and
hates black people, and I stayed
at home,” said one protester,
Roscoe R. Nix, a former school
board member in neighboring
Montgomery County, Md., who
is black.
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