Repudiating Trump’s racist comments and educating the world about how Africa built and continues to enrich the Western world. Photo: Gage Skidmore–Flickr
#ProudAfricans a coalition of African, Caribbean, and African-American activists, human rights, and professional organizations is hosting a protest rally outside the United Nations Organization at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza park, 47 Street between First and Second Avenues in Manhattan, at 11 AM sharp on Feb. 15 to denounce the recent anti-Africa racist comments by President Donald Trump and to highlight Africa’s past and continuing contributions in the creation of wealth and prosperity in the industrialized West.
The coalition also denounces global racism and exploitation and will highlight the exploitation of African migrants whose plight was highlighted in a recent expose on CNN showing auctions of enslaved Africans in Libya. Additionally, thousands of young Africans continue to drown during desperate voyages across the Mediterranean to seek employment in Europe. The economies of their own countries have been destroyed by policies imposed by the World Bank and IMF under corrupt regimes generally maintained in power by the West.
The coalition will issue a set of priorities in terms of policies under the framework “Protest, Policy, Power” (PPP) to The White House, the United Nations, and other International organizations to address the socio-economic and political marginalization of Africans and African descendants all over the world. The coalition was brought together by the United African Congress (UAC), a New York-based National organization representing African immigrants in the U.S. under the leadership of Dr. Mohammed Nurhussein, Chairman, and Sidique Wai, President and National Spokesperson.
“We are Africans of diverse backgrounds who are proud of our heritage, here to denounce strongly, without stooping to his level of depravity, the vile and racist characterization of people of African descent by the occupant of the House that Africans built,” says Dr. Nurhussein, a retired physician, referring to the construction of The White House, a fact not widely-known.
“As President of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and Convener of the Pan African Unity Dialogue, I am proud to stand with Sisters and Brothers in the Diaspora in repudiating the foul mouthed insults that spewed from the mouth of the current occupant of the White House. We will not be disrespected,” says CUNY Professor Ron Daniels, who is one of the chief organizers of the rally.
“Donald Trump represents the kind of racism towards Africans and African immigrants and brutal exploitation that we see around the world. As the world now knows from the recent CNN expose, Africans are even being auctioned into slavery in Libya. This is the 21st century and we will not stand for it,” says Bourema Niambele, a leader of New York City-based African Diaspora Coalition for Justice, one of the protest organizers.
“As an Immigrant from Morocco and as a human rights activist and community organizer I would like to denounce the hateful words used to describe my beautiful motherland Africa,” says Ms. Souad Kirama founder and director of New Horizon Center for Advocacy and Development. “We are here in this wonderful newly founded coalition to say it loud and clear #ProudAfrican!”
The rally is expected to draw thousands of people from the African immigrant, African American, Caribbean and Latino communities from the Tri-State area and nationally. The coalition’s “Protest, Policy, Power” (PPP) priorities will include but not be limited to:
Protest: As #Proud Africans, people of African descent, Continental Africans, Africans from the Caribbean, Central and South America and African Americans of all faiths and religions we are determined to maintain our dignity in the face of racist provocations and to achieve justice and self-determination for Black people by demanding respect and resisting efforts to demonize us by “any means necessary!”
Policy: We are committed to work for the enactment of local, state, national and international policies that will eradicate hunger, poverty, disease and illiteracy and ensure the well-being of people of African descent in terms of economic development, housing, health care and education as basic human rights and in keeping with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We will agitate for a humane, just and equitable immigration policy and protection of the rights of refugees in the U.S. and globally.
Power: We will build principled and functional bonds of unity within the African Diaspora to maximize the social, economic and political power of people of African descent in the Diaspora/Pan-African World. In addition to United African Congress (UAC), the protest rally is endorsed by: Institute of the Black World 21st Century, Give Them A Hand Foundation, African Diaspora Coalition for Justice, Nextmedia.tv, The Black Star News, African Women Solidarity Action for Development, African Hope Committee, African Commission of Newark, New Jersey, and African Human Rights Commission.
For more information on the protest and to lend support and volunteer Contact: (212) 340- 1975.
Facebook: proudafricansempowerment
