2014 Optimal Health for Black Men Conference
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
2014 Optimal Health for Black Men Conference Rites of Passage as Preparation Rites of Passage as Prevention November 4th 2014 Morgan State University 8:30am-4:30pm Sponsored by the Black Men’s Optimal Health Collective, and the Morgan State University Institute for Urban Research AGENDA 8:30-8:45 Registration 8:45-9:00 Opening Remarks 9:00-9:20 Education or Incarceration| Dr. Keith Jawara Hunter 9:30-10:30 Poro Society and Male Rites | Dr. Raymond Winbush Rites and African Spirituality| Nana Kwabena Brown Panel Discussion/ Q&A 10:30-11:30 Ankobea Rites Lessons from 25 years | Dr. Atiba Coppock National Rites of Passage Institute: Lessons Learned| Paul Hill, Jr. Panel Discussion/ Q&A 11:30-1:00 Lunch Break 12:40-1:00 Short Film on Youth in Riker’s Island 1:00-2:00 Environmental Inputs into our Consciousness |Dr. Jared Ball Rites of Passage as Community Education 101 |Ayize Sabater Panel Discussion/ Q&A 2:00-3:00 Initiation: Behind the Veil of Secrecy | Dr. Jeff Menzise Traditional African Socialization to create modern Afrikan Warriors Asafo, Jagun- Jagun, Ishakulu.| Tshango Mbilishaka Panel Discussion/ Q&A 3:00-4:15 How to Run a Mentoring Program and Why Mentoring is important | Cameron Miles Strategies and Best Practices for Program Success | Fanon Hill | Program Graduates Panel Discussion/ Q&A 4:15-4:30 Closing Remarks/ Next Steps 2 Nana Kwabena Brown, M.Ed, MRS Priest, father, son, anthropologist, consultant, educator, instructor, counselor, trainer/coordinator, Nana Kwabena Aboagye Brown had little choice in being what he is today. Born in the midst of a world changed by the Second World War, he was nurtured in a proud West Indian household that stressed a sense of culture and identity. From a mother whose strong guiding hand and smiling supportive face molded and shaped him, he grew into a young man in the 1950s and 60s who had a desire to explore the intricacies of culture and spirit that bonded people together. This natural-haired woman whom we know as Iyalode, not only gave him life, but also she gave him and others so much more. Through her, he got his jump-start that propelled him into a journey along the spiritual path that has taken him all over the world. Through his mother and her mother, he gained a sense of what is right, what is decent, and what is culture. The myth that had been propagated by white racist anthropologists and sociologists that people of color had no culture to speak of fell on deaf ears in their household. Nana’s grandfather, a Garveyite, would never allow their offspring to fall victim to the racial trap of inferiority. Preaching the doctrine of “Africa for the Africans,” this West Indian family personified the positive attributes of Garveyism. They sunk their roots deep into the earth of racial identity and culture pride. Migrating from New York to Washington, DC, the family brought this cultural awareness and desire to educate their people to Eighth Street Southeast to Zaro’s House of Africa. This mecca of African art and artifacts became one of the focal points of the establishment of the Akan religion in the Washington Metropolitan area. Their vision was further fueled by Nana’s mother, who introduced Nana Kwabena to Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu, who was one of the chief architects for the introduction of African culture to the United States. It was this association that helped Nana shape the foundation of his beliefs for the development of study groups and then the African Cultural and Religious Society. Nana Kwabena’s studies of the religious and the spiritual have taken him from the esoteric to the metaphysical to the scholastic realms of knowledge. His teachers have been many and varied. In his quest to introduce people to a spiritual path, he has studied under a variety of masters. They include: Yete Tete, a Bukor who taught him the ethical nature of spiritual work; Okyeame Donkoh, who first introduced him to Nana Oparabeah, the Chief Priestess of Akonedi, who taught him about divination, working with the spirits and with the various shrines in Ghana, and is still a teacher to him. There was Dr. Don Eubanks of the Howard University Divinity School, an outstanding scholar who helped Nana to develop into a scholarly and spiritual man. Professor Rema Karifa Smart of Howard University showed Nana the essence of religion as an agent for social change. Dr. Leon Wright gave Nana the metaphysical understanding of applied spirituality. Nana Kofi Donkoh from Techiman gave him the knowledge of herbs and medicines for spiritual work. Kofi Ifa, son of Kofi Donkoh, provided Nana with a greater understanding of the skills and techniques of spiritual work. Also there was Perizade Nyak Khan, a Sufi mystic with whom Nana spent two wonderful summers at the age of twenty-one; from him he learned meditation techniques and concepts of spiritual evolution. As a result of his studies, Nana has attained two Masters degrees, one in Community Education, the other in Religious Studies. He has also become an ordained Traditional African priest and instructor. As a man who became involved in the African Cultural Revolution to achieve black pride in the 60s and 70s, Nana has strived to show that God has a plan for the Black man. His beliefs are focused on the concept that every culture has something mystical, something to address the spiritual needs of its people. He envisions African culture and religion as the catalyst for African people to empower themselves. This can be achieved through aligning themselves with the primordial forces of the cosmos. His belief in the African’s innate spirituality is the driving force behind his dedication to developing social programs for at-risk youths. His desire is to assist them in preparing for a positive future that is devoid of drugs, violence, and disease. As the Chief Priest of the Temple of Nyame, Nana Kwabena Aboagye Brown has been a tireless servant to the people. He continues to provide counseling, Rites of Passage, and consultations on African religions and cultural practices. He continues to be a committed, compassionate, passionate and emotional servant of the people. 3 Atiba Coppock, PhD Atiba Coppock Ph.D., co-founder and president of Baobab Associates, is an independent consultant, educator, curriculum designer, researcher, evaluator, trainer, author and speaker. He received his BA in history and M. Ed. in Special Education—Emotional and Behavioral Disorders from The American University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor in Special Education. His dissertation was an analysis of suspension rates of special education students in a Midwestern school district. Dr. Coppock, has taught and severed as full time graduate faculty at Howard University (Washington, DC) and Fayetteville State University, (Fayetteville, NC). His primary focus in this capacity was the educational preparation and training of personnel to work with special needs students in urban and rural communities with African American and racially and ethnically diverse populations. He has also taught classes at The American University, The University of Michigan, and Bowie State University. Dr. Coppock also worked as a Sr. Analyst, researcher and/or trainer with private firms providing services and conducting research for Health and Human Science (HHS) government agencies such as Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD)/Administration for Children and Families. He provided program analysis and evaluation, training services to various constituencies including government staff, participants of funded government programs and community members. Some of Dr. Coppock’s published works include: Coppock, B.A. (1994). The process of technical assistance. In National HIV/STD Technical Assistance Project: A training project for community-based organizations. Washington, DC: Progressive Life Institute/Association of Black Psychologists. Warfield-Coppock, N., and Coppock, B.A. (1992). Afrocentric theory and applications, volume 2: Advances in the adolescent rites of passage. Washington, DC: Baobab Associates, Inc. Coppock, B.A., and Wood, F (Eds.). (1980). Issues in education and mental health of Afro-American children and youth with behavior and emotional problems. Minneapolis, MN: Advanced Training Institute. Dr. Coppock’s interest and work in male rites of passage began in 1986 with the design and implementation of a collective rites program for his son and family friends. Since that time he has specialized in Rites of Passage and the application of African centered strategies to problems facing African children, youth, families, and communities. He has designed, conducted, consulted with and trained adults interested in designing and conducting their own or existing rites of passage activities with youth and adults for the past thirty years. He has served for the past 25 years as the Akyemfohene, male co-minister in the Akyemfo Asomfo (Ministry of Education) of the Ankobea Abusua Society. His primary responsibility is the supervision and management of the society’s adolescent and adult male rites of passage program and other educational activities. Favorite Quotes/Proverbs: o “The man who uses his brother as his barber needs no mirror.” -Akan- o “One needs the eyes of another man to see what the shadow of the tree hides”. --Dagara— o “A weak man goes where he is smiled at.” -Herero- o “If we stand tall, it is because we stand on the backs of those who came before us.” --Yoruba-- o “Where you sit when you are old, shows where you stood in youth.” --Yoruba-- o “Follow in the footsteps of your ancestors, for the mind is trained through knowledge.” -Kemet- o “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” o “It is better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” 4 Fanon Hill Fanon Hill is no stranger to community transformation.