It should be no surprise that the United States’ Senate finally apologized on July 29, 2008 to Black Americans for enslaving them and putting them thought Jim Crow’s segregation laws.  The United States’ Senate claimed that the reason they have not done so after 140 years of abolishing African slavery was because they feared that the Blacks would ask for reparation for their suffering.  They have apologized to the Native Americans, the Hawaiians, and the Japanese-Americans, but not the Africans.  They even gave the surviving Japanese-Americans $20,000 each for the insult they faced during the Second World War, but never the Africans of the slaver trade.  Even, the Jews get millions each year from the United States because of what they faced during the Second World War. 

What is wrong in paying a cost for your damages or wrongs?  Why must the Jews and Japanese get reparation, but not the Africans?  If America claimed that they would have apologized long ago but were scared that the descendants of the African slaves would ask for reparation, what make them think that the Blacks will not still ask for reparation now that the Senate has apologized?  Why all of a sudden?  Why did they not wait another 200 years, to allow all kinds of mixed breeding, before apologizing?  By then, they might be a narrow distinction between the races to worry about any reparation. 

The White man, unlike many Black leaders of today, is very conscious in his leadership.  He will never let you get him with his pants down.  Unlike Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria, who denied the presence of America troops in the Niger Delta until the American General said they were there, the White man knows how to cover his tracks.  For decades, the American government refused to accept what they did to Blacks as a nation even though the Senate passed a bill to commemorate slavery in 2000, but they never did.  A man by the name of Constantine Bogle, who is the great great grandson of the great Paul Bogle (hero on Jamaican $2 bill), started a slave memorial in October 1999 in Jamaica.   We meet at the National Action Network meeting in Atlanta in December 2007.  He purpose was to bring the memorial to American soil and get the attention of the world to the plight of the Black man.  I agreed with him and we became partners ever since. Our goal was to light a total of 100 million candles around the world in every nation’s capital, if not this year, maybe in the future as we commemorate the slaves annually.   

Since January 2008, we have contacted the President of America, NAACP, Governors, Mayors, United Nations, Civil Right groups around the world, a former American President, and even the speakers of the House.  Many have responded and others have remained silent.  Almost all the White leaders have responded, but very few of our Black leaders have shown any interest.  This memorial has been done in October since 1999 in Jamaica and we want to continue the tradition in America.  We could not secure Washington for October, but we secured the Capitol Building in Atlanta, Georgia.  We got a permit to light 1000 candles on Washington Street, right in front of the Governor of Georgia’s office, from 6PM -11PM and Governor Perdue of Georgia has been invited to light the first candle in October 2008.   We got the event permit to block Washington Street in May 2008 and the fire permit to light the candles in June 2008. 

This is where the White man outsmarts the Black man in governance and leadership.   The American government will not seat back for the world to watch 1000 candles (maybe more, if other cities follow) burning through the night in front of a State Capitol Building and ask why.  They know that we have secured the permits for October 2008, we are going to do it annually every October, and they know that it will spread to the rest of the world from the media sensitive United States.  It is a case of making peace with your neighbor before the neighbor takes you to court.   This is the only reason why the slave apology came all of a sudden and unannounced.  For those of you who would like to know more about the African Slavery and Holocaust Memorial this October, please go to Edofolks.com, click on the memorial, and go to “response” to see all the dignitaries that have responded and those that have remained silent.   

This is the turning point for the Black race.  The White man does not like negative attention.  If he does not want to justify the annual candle lights for the slave or increase its magnitude like fire on dry grass, it will be best to leave the Black man alone and respect him.  All these Jena 6, nooses, KKK, Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, and slave laws in our courts need to be abolished.  All we are asking God for is complete 1000 candles in glass, and a bright and sunny day to lay our candles on Washington Street on Sunday, October 19, 2008.