We Are SRDC

The Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC) was founded in 2006 in response to an invitation from the African Union (AU) to the African Diaspora (people of African descent around the world) to become involved in the AU’s work toward uniting and lifting African people in the Continent and throughout the world.

Continue reading

 

Current Posts

African Union African Diaspora Sixth Region High Council Announces Official Launch and Constitution

African Union African Diaspora Sixth Region High Council Announces Official Launch and Constitution

In May 0f 2022, Pan African activists from across the African Continent and around the Diaspora met in Addis Ababa,...
Read More
Aging People in Prison Human Rights Campaign Holds Hearing at the Organization of American States on “Loss of Resources and Generational Mass Incarceration’s Impact on Black Women”

Aging People in Prison Human Rights Campaign Holds Hearing at the Organization of American States on “Loss of Resources and Generational Mass Incarceration’s Impact on Black Women”

"We decided to petition for this hearing today because we are an organization that works to get people out who...
Read More
The Ancestors’ Call: Dr. Susan Hycenth Efe ALFRED, May 1, 1969 – September 19, 2023

The Ancestors’ Call: Dr. Susan Hycenth Efe ALFRED, May 1, 1969 – September 19, 2023

Friday, September 22, 2023 Tribute to A Great Pan-Africanist: Her Excellency Ambassador Dr. Susan H.E. Alfred, President of the Ghana-Caribbean...
Read More
HBCU Pan African Global Trade and Investment Conference, October 10-14, Atlanta

HBCU Pan African Global Trade and Investment Conference, October 10-14, Atlanta

The first HBCU Pan African Global Trade and Investment Conference (PAGTIC) will be held at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta,...
Read More
SRDC 2023 Summit, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia, October 10-13

SRDC 2023 Summit, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia, October 10-13

The Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC) holds its 15th Annual International Summit at Clark Atlanta University during the week of...
Read More
“Black August: The Shakur Nation” on Africa 500, Wednesday, August 9, 2023

“Black August: The Shakur Nation” on Africa 500, Wednesday, August 9, 2023

The Wednesday, August 9 edition of Africa 500 begins its celebration of Black August by taking a look at the...
Read More
African Diaspora High Council Meets in Maputo, Mozambique

African Diaspora High Council Meets in Maputo, Mozambique

The African Union African Diaspora Sixth Region High Council (AUADS High Council), formed last May in the aftermath of the...
Read More
Africa 500 Discusses Child Support Enforcement and the War on Black Fatherhood, Wednesday, July 5, 2023

Africa 500 Discusses Child Support Enforcement and the War on Black Fatherhood, Wednesday, July 5, 2023

The Wednesday, July 5, 2023 edition of Africa 500 looks as the issue of Child Support Enforcement and the War...
Read More
The Fifth State Of the Black World Conference in Baltimore, Maryland

The Fifth State Of the Black World Conference in Baltimore, Maryland

by Bro. Cliff SRDC Maryland State Facilitator Member of the Secretariat The Institute of the Black World (IBW) hosted the...
Read More
Return to Panama City: Setting Up for Pan-Afrikan Organizing in Panama and Central America

Return to Panama City: Setting Up for Pan-Afrikan Organizing in Panama and Central America

by Bro. Cliff SRDC-Maryland Facilitator Member of the Secretariat My plane touched down at Tocumen International Airport in Panama on...
Read More


The Ancestors’ Call: Baba Oscar Brathwaite, SRDC-Toronto, Canada

Baba Oscar Brathwaite

On Monday, May 8, 2023, we were shocked and saddened to learn of the passing to the Honored Ancestors of our dear Elder and comrade, Baba Oscar Brathwaite of Toronto, Canada.  A facilitator in the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC) since its founding in 2006, Baba Oscar had been fighting a number of health issues that had limited his activities over the last few years, but we were nonetheless shocked to learn of his passing.

Baba Oscar was known as a consummate educator, dedicated to the restoration and promotion of Afrikan-centered educational institutions, principles and practices.  We will share more information on Baba Oscar in the near future.

His family writes on Facebook:

We are very sad to share that our father E. Oscar Brathwaite has passed on. Though we, and so many others, will miss him dearly, we are thankful for his life, love and all of his contributions both here and abroad. We celebrate him through good memories and recognition of his vision and his legacy. He is now with our ancestors and the Creator, and for that we are grateful.

Dr. Barryl Biekman of the African Union African Diaspora Sixth Region Facilitators’ Working Group and Tiye International in The Netherlands, writes in tribute:

May his soul rest in Peace & Power.

For those who do not know. Oscar is well known as one of our pioneers of PASEN on the development of African Centered Education methodology; active family member of the AUADS 6th Region developments; A Canadian authentic Pan Africanist; Human Rights Activist. Leader of the Canadian HR clinic and deeply involved in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) mission on the aspect of Reparatory Justice.

My heart cries Oscar but I’m happy too knowing too that you are now in good everlasting company with the Ancestors on whose shoulders you lived.

I’m thankful that I have learned much from you as my Grand Master Teacher, Elder on how to become a real dedicated passionate Pan Africanist.

I remember the lessons from you and Dr Khazriel about the difference between education and dedication. Like Dr. Tumenta and Professor Horne about the difference between PHD & PH-Do.

A big Applause for you Oscar

You won’t be dead until we’ve forgotten you. (And we shall not forget.)

Sister Barryl Biekman

SRDC and Sehwah-Liberia Inc. Announce the Maisha Washington Education Foundation Scholarship Fund

December 27, 2021 Off  By CLIFF KUUMBA

Donate to the GoFundMe Page for the Maisha Washington Education Foundation Scholarship Fund:


Sehwah-Liberia, Inc.
 and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC) are announcing the Maisha Washington Education Foundation Scholarship for high school students in Liberia.

The Scholarship Program represents part of SRDC’s continuing efforts to build bridges between the Pan-African Diaspora and the African Community on the Continent, and Sehwah-Liberia’s continuing commitment to lift up the people of Liberia as the country continues to rise up from decades of civil war.

The Scholarship Program is named after Mama Maisha Washington, who as a member of the Maryland SRDC Organization and the Maryland Council of Elders (MCOE) had led efforts to launch a successful 2020 Pan African Summer Camp in Liberia, administered and taught by teachers in Liberia and the United States.  Mama Maisha was also one of the leaders of the Pan-African Library Project, which will build the first-ever public library in Monrovia, Liberia, and which will primarily serve the countries of Liberia, Guinea-Conakry, Siera Leone and Cote D’Ivoire.

Mama Maisha transitioned to the Honored Ancestors in October 2020.

The initial goal of the Maisha Washington Education Foundation Scholarship is to grant educational scholarships to 150 high school students (9th, 10th, 11th and 12th graders) in Liberia during 2022, and to expand the Scholarship Program from there.  Also, in support of the Pan-African Library Project, Liberian college-age students will be trained in Library Science to equip them to manage and operate the library once it is completed.

At the 2021 SRDC International Summit, the Government of the Republic of Liberia and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus agreed and signed a Memorandum of Agreement to proceed with the fundraising, design and construction phases of the library, with land allocated by the Republic of Liberia in Monrovia, the country’s capital city.

Another objective of the Scholarship Program will be to build relationships between Scholarship donors and students in Liberia who will benefit from the Scholarship Program.  We have included a Scholarship Program Donor Form, which we request Donors to complete below:

 

To make a donation to the Maisha Washington Education Foundation Scholarship Program using PayPal, please click the button below:

SRDC’s Pan African Library Project

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared on August 7, 2018 as “Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus Liberia Library Book Donation Project”.  This is an update of that article and a continuation of the Library Project.

Among the projects being developed by the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC), a Pan-Afrikan Diaspora organization dedicated to organizing the voice of the grassroots Pan-Afrikan Diaspora at the local level and merging them to take that voice to the World Stage through the African Union, United Nations and independent Afrikan Diaspora organizations, are a number of initiatives working toward the development of concrete institutions and services on the Afrikan Continent.  One of these is the Liberian Library Book Donation Project, being led by the South Carolina SRDC Organization and its State Facilitator, Mr. Joseph “Kumasi” Palmer.

As of this writing, there are no Public Libraries in Liberia, according to Mr. Palmer.  This comes as a surprise to many of us, partly because of our assumptions in the United States that a Library is so routine that we often ignore them, as well as the documented progress that Liberia has made since the removal of Charles Taylor as President in 2003 and the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as Afrika’s first woman head of state in 2006.  Mr. Palmer and several associates from South Carolina have met with Liberian officials to advance work on the development and supply of the first Public Library in Liberia.

How to Support the Liberia Library Project

Financial donations are graciously accepted to help with the cost of building the first public library in Liberia.  Arrangements are being made to establish the library’s location and groundbreaking.  Next, the hard part begins.  Architectural and engineering firms in Liberia and the United States are being consulted.  Plans and architectural drawings must be completed, books to stock the library must be accumulated through purchase and donations and actual construction of the library must begin.  Thus, fund-raising will be critical.  To support this project, please visit our PayPal page by clicking the Donate Button below:

https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=ADULMYPDQ6PGE

The Book Donation Project

EDITOR’S NOTE: Below is the public letter that was released in August 2018 by the South Carolina SRDC Organization concerning the project and the criteria for donating books.  Contact information for the South Carolina SRDC Organization is also included below.  If you have gently used books that you would like to donate, please feel free to contact them to arrange your donation.

July, 2018

Dear Friends and Associates,

The South Carolina branch of the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC) is embarking on a project to help establish a public library in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa. We have endeavored to collect book donations, create a working inventory and database, and ship books to Liberia. The key to the success of this type of project is a good and dedicated ‘on the ground’ partner with a proven track record. We have that in SEHWAH, a local and international Liberian organization. The Director of SEHWAH, the Hon. Ms. Louise W. McMillan-Siaway, was the Assistant Minister for Culture (Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism) under the former Ellen Johnson Sirleaf administration. Ms. McMillan-Siaway is working closely with the current Liberian government to obtain a proper space and furnishings for the library.

“In America there is a public library in every community. How many public libraries are there in Africa? Every day there are new books coming out and new ideas being discussed. But these new books and ideas don’t reach Africa and we are being left behind.”
-George Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia, West Africa

This initiative, though absolutely necessary, is not without its challenges. Still, SRDC considers it a major responsibility and is excited to be the pioneering element of this project. Public libraries are essential in the process of providing citizens access to knowledge. It is certain that a well-stocked public library will have a positive impact on Liberian literacy and development. For this reason, we are taking a grassroots approach and are reaching out to you to donate and/or purchase books to donate. Grassroots interest and involvement is a way to ensure that the library is solidly developed, sustainable, accessible and well-used.

SUBJECTS NEEDED

    • History (World History/African History/African American History/Caribbean History/History of Blacks in Europe, etc.);
    • Political Science;
    • English (Grammar/Writing);
    • Music;
    • Arts;
    • Literature/Novels;
    • Geography;
    • Education;
    • Math;
    • Finance;
    • Banking;
    • International Trade;
    • Health;
    • Hygiene;
    • Wellness;
    • Science;
    • Ecology;
    • Medicine;
    • Nursing;
    • Farming;
    • Gardening;
    • Agriculture;
    • Animal Husbandry;
    • Law;
    • Business;
    • Computer Technology;
    • Construction and Building Technology;
    • Electrical;
    • Plumbing;
    • Engineering;
    • Electronics;
    • Photography; and
    • Children/Young Adult books.

We will accept “For Dummies” book titles (e.g., Digital Photography for Dummies).
See link for list of titles: https://www.dummies.com/store/All-Titles.html

GUIDELINES

    • We seek gently used books – books that are in good condition.
    • Books or novels that have “explicit” sexual content (pornography) will NOT be accepted and/or shipped to Liberia.
    • Books that evangelize/proselytize/promote a particular religion will NOT be accepted and/or shipped to Liberia, unless we can determine historical value.
    • Please send a listing of all books, along with your name, organization, email address and contact phone number to the email address listed below.
    • Pack books carefully and deliver or mail to our warehouse:

Mr. Joseph Palmer
901B Long Point Road
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
Phone: 843.452.4880
Email: panafricanlibrary@gmail.com

In the future, we will need to set up a Board in order to oversee the development and supervision of staff and interns for the library; to create a proper atmosphere and establish methods to measure and maintain the progress of the library. Contact us with any questions or concerns. We will keep all of our book donors posted on all developments pertaining to the library (so please send us the list of books you are donating as well as your name and contact information).

Monetary donations in any amount can be made via PayPal by clicking the Donate button below:

Funds donated for the Library Project will be used to defray costs and materials needed to ship the books to Liberia.

Please remember, A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life, so kindly assist us by becoming a benefactor of this important initiative.

Sincerely,
Joseph Palmer
Facilitator
SRDC – South Carolina
Email: panafricanlibrary@gmail.com
https://srdcinternational.org

 

Bridging the Gap Between Ourselves (Our African Connection)

by Kumasi Palmer, SRDC-South Carolina Facilitator

EDITOR’S NOTE: The 2021 SRDC International Summit will be held November 8-13 in Monrovia, Liberia.  We will be advancing our outreach to the Mother Continent through concrete projects and programs with grassroots organizations on the ground there, starting with the effort to build Liberia’s first public library and sponsoring the 2021 Summit in cooperation with the Liberian grassroots organization Sehwah-Liberia.  The official announcement of the 2021 International Summit, with Registration Page and information regarding travel and accommodations for the Summit, will be made in the next week.  Meanwhile, we invite our readers to enjoy this brief history of some of the connections between Africa and the Diaspora, specifically as they relate to the Republic of Liberia, from Baba Kumasi Palmer, SRDC-South Carolina Facilitator.

Daniel Coker

Lott Cary

The Republic of Liberia was established as an independent nation state off the coast of West Africa in 1847 by freedmen from the United States. The first set of freedmen from the U.S. settled on Sherbo Island in modern day Sierra Leone in 1820. After a year of hardship at Sherbo Island the returnees moved on further along the coast landing at Providence Island in 1821 which is today known as Liberia. Lott Cary (1780-1828) and Daniel Coker (1780-1846) were the first group of pioneers that arrived in the newly formed colonies of Sierra Leone and Liberia, Coker being one of the founding members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church founded in Philadelphia in the year 1816.

It was through the aid and support of the American Colonization Society (formed in 1817) to send freed Blacks to the colony of Liberia. During this same period Freetown, Sierra Leone was established by the British (1808) as a colony that served as a refuge for enslaved Africans. Paul Cuffee (1759-1819), a freedman and owner of his own shipping vessel, was one of the earliest pioneers with the vision to repatriate freed Blacks from the United States to a new home in Sierra Leone. But it was Liberia that eventually became the new home for Repatriated Blacks from the US. This migration started by ship in 1820 and continued into the 1880’s.

The search for political, economic and physical security by Africans in the southern United States at the ending of Reconstruction created the condition for many Black families to seek refuge to Africa. Liberia was at the center of this migration and reconnection.

Edward Wilmot Blyden

Henry McNeal Turner

Edward Wilmot Blyden (1832-1912), Henry McNeal Turner (1834-1915) and Martin R Delany (1812-1883) were three prominent 19th century Black leaders at the forefront to reconnect the Diaspora to Africa by way of Liberia during and after the Emancipation Proclamation in the United States. Blyden was the foremost intellectual thinker and activist to advocate Diasporan Blacks to repatriate to Liberia. Blyden, the originator of the concept called “The African Personality”, was born in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands but migrated to Liberia in 1850. Turner, who made numerous trips to Africa, was born in Newberry, South Carolina and became the 12th bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E) in 1880. Delany was born in West Virginia and served in the Civil War, and was commissioned as a medical doctor with the rank of major.

Martin R Delany

The early repatriates to Liberia also emigrated from the West Indies islands of Barbados, the Virgin Islands and Jamaica. From the United States they came from the states of Virginia, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas and Ohio.

We find cities in Liberia named after the states and towns where the early repatriates came and settled. Greenville, (Greenville-SC) and Maryland County (Maryland) are some of the names similar to names of US cities and states. Then there are cities named after families that emigrated from the Caribbean such as Barclayville, (president Barclay-born-Barbados-West Indies), Bensonville-(president Benson-born in Maryland-U.S.).

Joseph Jenkins Roberts

William R Tolbert Jr

All elected presidents of Liberia from 1848 until 1980 were born in the Diaspora or were the children of those born in the Diaspora. The first ten (10) presidents of Liberia were born in the Diaspora. Liberia’s first president, Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1848-1856), was born in Virginia. The grandfather of William Richard Tolbert Jr., the 20th president of Liberia (1975-1980), was born in Charleston, South Carolina.

Bridging the gap between Liberia and the Diaspora is a continued legacy established in the 19th Century by men and women who built the bridges for our Pan African connections. Many of those who left the United States for Liberia during the 19th Century embarked on ships docked at the Charleston Harbor located in South Carolina. Join us as we continue the journey of our pioneering ancestors who reconnected us over 200 years ago.

Our organization, The Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC), is presently working with our partner organization in Liberia (SEHWAH) to construct a public library in the capital city of Monrovia, Liberia. Books for nation building are welcome. Contact us at panafricanlibrary@gmail.com or our website: https://srdcinternational.org.