Before my grandmother was a grandmother she was an aunt.  She had older brothers but she was the eldest sister in her family of ten or eleven children.  If we’re speaking of titular longevity it would be more correct to call her Aint Bessie. Later on, moving northward and when her sisters had children, there would be variations of Aunt, Auntie, and Ant.  But the one which resonates most in my memory is hearing the children of my Aunt Herbie (who had one child named Lawrence) and my Aunt Teench (her real name was…

I’m sitting here and wondering about my child.  Where is he?  Has he eaten?  Is he drunk?  Is he clean?  Does he have a decent bed?  All these thoughts and more are roaming through my mind and running rampant and long, sprinter and marathoner combined.  I can’t believe we, his step-father and I, his sister, his brother.  None of us can reach him because he desperately wants a name other than the one I gave him on the day of his birth.  He wants the cars, a beautiful woman, wealth, and most importantly he wants a name in the streets. …

This paper pointed out what other observers have said about the generic African American personality. The author injected some of his cogitations on the nature of fear and love. His view is that racism is caused by fear and lack of love and that the cure for it is love. The African American Personality Ozodi Thomas Osuji Many books have been written on African-American personality, such as Gunner Myrdal, An American Dilemma; Kardinar and Ovesey, The Mark Of Oppression; Karon, the Negro Personality; Pettigrew, A Profile of the Negro American; Franklin Frazier, The Black Bourgeoisie; Franz Fanon, Black Skin, White…

This paper says that gradually America is living up to its promise that all men are created equal and as such should be allowed to participate in governing their society. America initially did not consider Africans as real adults (the constitution called then four- fifths of a person) and did not extend to them the vote and participation in politics. With the 13, 14 and 15 amendments to the constitution their humanity was recognized. Still, obstacles were placed on their way. However, the 1960s monumental changes in America appears to have finally made it possible for black men to participate…

This paper looked at the origin of the American judicial system, examined how it functions in the here and now and concludes that it appears deliberately designed to incarcerate African Americans.  It appears the judicial system is used as a political weapon in the war against people of African origin.  The idea is to reduce them to second class status if not to outright slave status.  That war is self-defeating for no human being accepts slavery and second class status for ever.  As Jean Jacque Rousseau observed, human beings are born free and everywhere are in chains and seek freedom.…

This paper defines international relations; it says that each nation state pursues its national interests in the international arena; what constitutes a nation’s national interests is defined by many internal political actors including interest groups; the paper concludes by saying that African Americans work to get America’s foreign policy makers to see that Africa and its issues are relevant to America’s national interests hence take positive actions towards Africa. African Americans Influence On American Foreign Policy Towards Africa Ozodi Thomas Osuji         What is foreign policy? Let us see if we can make sense of it in this brief paper.…

This paper points out the crucial role of the Black church in the survival of African Americans in the Americas. In the world of politics it says that the black church acts as an interest group lobbying for public policies that serve black folks interests.  It concludes with the view that as at present there is no alternative to the black church in holding the black community together and working for its interests hence the need to nurture the church and not knock it down as facile intellectuals who say that God does not exist try doing. The Role Of…

This paper examined the nature of civil liberties and African Americans struggle to have civil liberties extended to them. It emphasized the politics of the post-Civil War Reconstruction era and argues that for all intents and purposes the civil war really ended in 1964, not 1864! It says that despite the election of the first African- American President of the United States that the struggle for civil rights must go on. Civil Liberties, Civl Rights And African American Politics Ozodi Thomas Osuji If you want to understand people study them. If you study people you will find out that apart…

The media, print and electronic, is largely responsible for what is considered the public’s opinion on issues; the public’s opinion is what is taken into consideration in making public policies. In America the media essentially ignores black folk’s opinions and thus plays a role in the ongoing spectacle where America’s public policies do not address black folk’s issues. The American Media, Public Opinion, Public Policy And Black Folk Ozodi Thomas Osuji A new comer to a country generally tries to learn the lay of the land; one way he does so is through the media (Newspapers, Television, Radio, Internet etc.).…