Ramses the Great at the University of Memphis

Les Lester, Ramses the Great My photo enlarged 200 percent The Ramesses the Great statue on the University of Memphis campus, in Memphis, Tenn., is indicative of the cultural capital that that city enjoys. The ancient Egyptian replica statue, that once stood on the grounds of the 30-story stainless steel Pyramid Arena, the former home of the NBA's Memphis Grizzles, represents cultural cultivation at its best. Memphis, Egypt is the city's namesake. A typical flight into Memphis allows one to gaze down at what is sometimes called the great pyramid of America, which is a sight to behold from its overhead panorama. Currently, the pyramid houses a retail outlet, but the Ancient Egyptian motif is still inherently effective. The city engenders a cultural goldmine that can easily be exploited by its schools and the community-at-large, to full effect. On a recent trip to that city, I was able to visit the University of Memphis' Egyptian Gallery at its campus museum. Memphis has all of the prerequisites of a world-class cultural destination, much like Atlanta, Ga., which has sometimes cultivated its "Atlantis motif." Kudo's to Memphis as it embraces its cultural assets.

Alfonso X, "the Moors...Black as a Cooking Pot"

In the 13th century, King Alfonso X of Castile — known as el Sabio (the Wise) — was both a lawgiver and a chronicler who recorded the history of his realm. His works, including the Cantigas de Santa María and the Estoria de España, contain descriptions of the Moors (Muslims of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula). Alfonso X commissioned the above portrait for the “Libro de Los Juegos,” (Book of Games). In the "Primera Crónica de España," written during his reign, it states: “Las caras dellos negras como la pez, el mas fremoso dellos era negro como la olla” (“Their faces were black as pitch, the most handsome among them was black as a cooking pot”). "Digital Library"

Lee Kuan Yew on U.S. Bribery Attempts, Singapore

Singapore emerged out of the European colonial era in the 1960s, like many African countries, with dubious prospects given its multi-tribal, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious population. Its leader Lee Kuan Yew was faced with forging a coalition of the diverse groups to ensure Singapore would emerge successfully. Yew said the United States' penchant for bribing foreign nationals to achieve its egregious aims would have derailed his vision for a prosperous Singapore, which today is one of the most successful countries in the world.

Jesse Jackson Fought to Expand Democracy

The spirit of the Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson lives on in all of us. I had an opportunity to chat with him a couple of times this past summer, and what was clear to me was that his mind was as lucid as ever, despite his waning physical strength. He called his organization Operation PUSH, "the Dr. King workshop." But in my eyes having watched him over the years, Operation PUSH was the "Rev. Jesse Jackson workshop." Without realizing it, I had come to embody his clearly modeled concepts on cultural framing. From his African-centered dress in his early years, where he challenged the status-quo to cut us in or cut us out, to his transcontinental forays into the liberation struggles of South Africa, Liberia, and the Black diaspora, his mantra was clear that the tent of justice must be expanded. At his recent PUSH alumni "Homegoing Celebration," hundreds of spanish activists were there also to begin a three-bus caravan to Selma Alabama, site of the Edmund Pettus Bridge debacle, where civil rights activists in 1965 were pummeled for marching to achieve the right to vote. With the primaries upcoming in a few days, I'm keenly reminded of Rev. Jackson's mantra to "Keep our eyes on the prize." We can honor his legacy by taking back the Congress through the voting booth.

Mexico's 1st Black President Freed the Slaves in 1829

Mexico's first Black president was Vincente Guerrero, a mixed-race man of African and indigenous descent. In 1829 he abolished slavery, which consisted of indigenous and African peoples. Interestingly, the pervasive depictions of Guerrero are posthumous -- painted decades after his death. So we really don't know what he looked like. Meanwhile, many current-day Mexican people can trace their heritage to a Black ancestor. The genetic legacy of Mexico's once significant number of colonial-era Blacks is evidenced in non-Black-appearing Mexicans having trace amounts of sub-Saharan African DNA found in the average Mexican. Today, much of the African-descended population has been absorbed into surrounding Mestizo, Mulatto, and indigenous populations. Reference: Sage Journals Reference: additional link concerning Primordial Blacks in South America [LINK HAS BEEN FIXED].

The Olmecs May Have Been the Carthagenians

Given the African hair of the Olmec "El Negro," and other Olmec artifacts, it's unquestionable that the ancient Meso-American society was Negroid. But further research may indicate the ancient world's most skilled navigators (Hannibal's nation), may have crossed the Atlantic to Mexico. Utilizing the Atlantic Ocean currents between Africa and the Americas, the seafarers could have reached the New World in as few as three weeks. Mexico assisted Ethiopia during the Ethiopian-Italian war and gifted the African nation with an Olmec replica in honor of their relationship.

Minoans: The Bronze Age of Black Classical Cultures

This is an image of a Minoan display I took while at the British Museum in London last year. While I was pleased about the Hebrew depiction being there, via the Battle of Lachish display, and the reality that the Queen of England never visited Israel due to her awareness of the Black history coverup. I was paradoxically saddened by the tacit "institutional" hoodwinking that continues where our classical cultures are concerned. The pink coloring of the washed-out parts of the Minoan artifact reflects a begrudging, obscuring coverup. True progressives should break ties with the neo-conservatives once and for all, helping to propel planet Earth to one destiny for all.

Dr. Daud Malik Watts on Kemet (Egypt)

Biblical Battle of Lachish Reliefs... .

When the underlying facts are not revealed, the public comes to inaccurate conclusions surrounding issues such as the Hebrews and the depictions of the people of Mesopotamia/Sumer, Ancient Persia, the Assyrians, etc. Below, I'll show you another journalist's unbiased depictions of the Hebrew captivity reliefs.

Ancient Hebrews being taken into captivity by the Assyrians, circa 701 B.C.

Why the False Hierarchy Must be Deconstructed

Fascism emerges when a group feels they are justifiably higher on the hierarchy because they've earned it. Thus, they feel equality meted to others is unfair. Even honest conservatives are lured into fascism when they're told, look it's an existential fight. The leader says, 'I know you don't accept every doctrine that we exercise, but your family is under threat, your family is at risk, so without this tactic you're in peril.' At the root of it all is the false hierarchy.

Netanyahu Hides Behind Trump in Arrest Warrant

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has jailed the likes of Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia (now Serbia/Montenegro) and Charles Taylor of Liberia. But Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, who could be arrested while visiting countries like Britain and France, was protected by the U.S. refusal to join the ICC. In addition, Trump recently filed economic and travel sanctions against the ICC war crimes prosecutor Karim Khan. With a potential U.S. government shutdown on March 14, due to stalemates between the two major parties, the Trump administation could have carte blanche to strengthen what some consider an ongoing attempted coup.

Denzel Washington, Classical Black Cultures

Where are the movies depicting Black classical cultures? The movie-viewing public is actually short changed when the full history of the world is left out. Denzel Washington is certainly a draw in the current Gladiator II movie. He's such a good actor that his current arms-dealer, impresario role is unsettling, I'm told. But of course Denzel is so talented he'd redeem his good-guy image in the character of the greatest pharaoh of them all, Ramses the Great (also known as Ramses II).

Let's Create a Flourishing World for our Youth --

Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochanan Challenges Jewish Narrative

In this thought-provoking debate, renowned historian Dr. Yosef Ben-Jochannan and noted Jewish scholar Rabbi Arthur Seltzer engage in a passionate discussion on the complexities of worldwide Jewish identity. Dr. Ben-Jochannan, an Afrocentric historian, challenges traditional narratives with his perspective on the African origins of the ancient Hebrews, while Rabbi Seltzer defends the traditional Jew-ish understanding of heritage and diaspora. This intense dialogue explores historical, cultural, and theological aspects of Hebrew identity, asking critical questions about ethnicity, religion, and the global Jewish experience. A must-watch for anyone interested in history, religion and the dynamics of identity.

Sumer, Mesopotamia, Progenitors of the Middle East

Genesis, the table of nations, and the extant artifacts in the current-day Middle East (Sumer, Mesopotamia) categorically provide abundant evidence of the progenitors of modern day Arabs, Persians, and Hebrews. Thanks to balanced 21st century research, the full history and culture of Black classical civilizations is available to the public-at-large.

Dalit Activists Building Links with Diaspora Blacks

Since the days of W.E.B. DuBois and India's Bhimrao Ambedkar, insightful Black activists from the Western and Eastern hemispheres, of the globe, have worked to converge the liberation struggles of melanated people worldwide. Overruling the objections of critics who say the link between India and Africa dates back 10s of thousands of years, emerging leaders such as Dr. Suraj Yengde, a Fellow at Harvard University, posit that the Aryan invasion of India, which left its imprint on the caste system there, is tantamount to the Jim Crow impact on Blacks in America. Currently, he is engaged in developing a critical theory of Dalits and Black Studies.

European Slaves Taken to Egypt Through the 1870s

Many people, today, wonder why contemporary Egyptians are commonly light skinned. Well, prior to the late 1800s, Barbary Coast corsairs (state-sanctioned pirates) raided the coastlines of Western Europe and Italy taking Europeans to North Africa, e.g. Egypt and Ottoman slave markets. In addition, the earlier Greek, Roman, and Levant incursions into Egypt impacted the characteristics of the people. Link: Slavery on the Barbary Coast

Schools are Shortchanging Black History

The Nile River descends from the highlands of the Great Lakes region of Central Africa and has deposited people along its shores since time immemorial. The Hollywood representations of European-looking biblical people is in stark contrast to the real depictions I saw in my visit to the Valley of the Kings. Schools at least should tell the truth about classical Black cultures.

An Ancient Syrian Soldier with his Wife

The color coding of Black classical cultures to look pink colored, in modern media, is a basic issue that should be addressed by the Department of Education and the religious community. Black youth, and people at large, are critically shortchanged when society fails to tell the truth. Mesopotamia and Sumer (currently the Middle East) were greater Africa to the ancient mind. World History Encyclopedia

Mass Media, Popular Culture, and History

The producers of Krapopolis, a comedy, have been forward-thinking in getting out a more accurate depiction of the ancient world, namely ancient Greece. Of course typically all of the ancient world's people have been depicted as pink-colored by Eurocentric media creators. From biblical illustrations to children's books, like Aesop's Tales, the current status quo could take a page from this forward-leaning satirical work.