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scene at a time in which Kemet was divided and, to a
degree, under foreign domination. Piankhy re-unified
Kemet and brought it back under indigenous African
leadership.
The hero presented to us by Mondo was Queen Nanny,
the maroon queen and military leader in slavery-era
Jamaica, who was known for her great courage, skills on
the battlefield, and the love and confidence felt by her
people toward her. In sharing with us the story of Queen
Nanny, Mondo made the point that any exploration or
recognition of African history must include the lives and
works of sisters as well as brothers in order for it to be,
in any sense, complete.
The presentations on African heroes were followed bv a
reading by our Eso/Alakoso Asha, Damani, of three
poems he'd written. Dannye Echtinaw, one of our
volunteers, shared poetry and prose of her own.
We express our appreciation to all those who participated
in our African History program and also wish to express
our appreciation to the OMAHA STAR newspaper for
printing our position paper on observances of African
History Month and to the Aframerican Bookstore for
displaying our African History poster and promoting our
February 26th. program.
Announcements
The PRISON ART website is going to try a small
"Books to Prisoners" program. I will only send
progressive political literature. There is a place on the
website where your outside people can request a specific
title and provide your name and address. I'll locate the
book and if I can find it at a reasonable price I will send
it to you. You can also write to PRISON ART
requesting a specific book. Website for inquiries is
mailto:mead@prisonart.orgThe mailing address is
PRISON ART Newsletter; P.O. Box 31574; San Fran-
cisco, CA. 94131-0574.
Our volunteer-run DC Area Books to Prisons Project
continues to promote literacy and to link people across
prison walls. In 2001, the project shipped 1,800 donated
books to 400 prisoners around the country. In 2002,
Books to Prisons hopes to find a permanent home for its
growing library of donated books in order to expand the
number of books shipped out by volunteers, and to
expand the number of prisoners it serves. Write to Equal
Justice USA; Books to Prisoners Project; Quixote
Center; P.O. Box 5206; Hyattsville, MD. 20782. Equal
Justice USA also runs a GrassRoots Investigation
Project (GRIP). In 2001, GRIP tested its pioneering
organizing model of local "investigative teams," including
prisoners' families and friends, community activists, stud-
ents, and lawyers. GRIP has networked with lawyers
and innocence projects at law schools throughout the
country. The project often serves as a bridge between
prisoners and lawyers by screening prisoner appeals for
help and empowering the people closest to a case to do
the research and documentation that attracts and
supports able counsel. Again, write to Equal Justice USA
or check out their website.
JUSTICE DENIED [is] an internet magazine for the
wrongly convicted. Write up to 5 single-spaced pages,
with at least half inch margins. Keep a copy. Back your
claim with details and evidence. We'll publish your case
if your claim seems valid. At the end, relate the current
status of your case. Send us the name and phone number
of an outside contact person. Send to
:
JUSTICE
DENIED c/o Barbara Jean McAtlin, 12164 Old Salem
Court, Lake Ridge VA 22192.
Back In Time
In Holland, Jews participated in the formation of the
Dutch East India Company.. When the company's
undertaking included the occupation of the Cape of Good
Hope in 1652, the Amsterdam Jewish community was
part of this settlement ... By the end of the seventeenth
century, the Dutch Jews were the principal stockholder
in the Dutch East India Company.
Small Jewish settlements in what is now Capetown and
in other parts of South Africa developed in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. On September 17,
1828, the Zulu King Shaka granted Nathaniel Isaacs the
use of a large tract of land for himself and the Jewish
people. This was a gesture of friendship from the
powerful king...
The discovery of diamonds and gold in South Africa
profoundly affected the economic status of the Jews.
They had a tradition of dealing in precious minerals...
Both Theodore Herzl and Chaim Weizman promised to
use the state of Israel to protect European colonial
interest in this part of the world. The promise was
repeatedly projected until it culminated in the Balfour
Declaration in 1917; both Herzl and Weizman accepted
allies wherever they could find them, and had no
compunctions about linking the Zionist quest for Palestine
with British imperial interests. The Balfour Declaration
was the reward for this linkage of interests. The
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