|
On Saturday, Mar. 31,
2007 in Harlem, NY from 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., an Election for the African Union 6th Region Representatives took place. The
African Union, whose main purpose is to establish a United States of Africa, has invited Diasporans to
participate in its discussions and decision making. The invitation comes with a multi-tiered task, the
first of which is to organize as a community to elect 2 Representatives and 6 Observers, state by state in the US,
in Europe, Central America, Brazil
and the Caribbean. All elected representatives must be in place by December 2007. This
is the second and last deadline. The New York community heard the call and accepted
the invitation, spearheaded by Elder Adunni Tabasi of Staten Island and the Ghana Nkwanta
Project under the supervision of David Horne, PAOC, (Pan African Organizing Committee) and Ras Nathaniel of WHADN (Western
Hemisphere African Diaspora Network).
On January 6, 2007, New York held a Town Hall meeting to put the process in motion. Part
of the process called for studying the AU invitation, reviewing the definitions of the 6th Region and the Diaspora,
electing a Community Council of Elders in a Town Hall forum, selecting nominees to hold the positions of Representatives
and Observers for the African Union 6th Region and setting a date for the election.
On March 31, 2007, The Community Council of Elders/New York gathered the community in Harlem at White Rock Baptist Church to have an election for Representatives and Observers. Almost
100 people from every segment of the population came including community activists, church goers, Muslims, Rastafarians,
labor unionists, pacifists, nationalists, entrepreneurs, college students, mothers, fathers and everyday grassroots folks,
who are the backbone of our community.
|
