Kwame Ture (aka Stokely Carmichael)

"Kwame Ture was born Stokely Carmichael on June 29, 1941 in Port of Spain, Trinidad, the son of Adolphus and Mabel Carmichael. He immigrated to the United States in 1952 with his family and settled in New York, New York. He graduated from the academically elite Bronx High School of Science in 1960 and made the decision to attend Howard University. Howard University conferred on him a Bachelor of Science Degree in Philosophy in 1964. It was while in Washington that Stokely became deeply involved in the "Freedom Rides," "Sit-Ins," and other demonstrations to challenge segregation in American society.......

While residing in Africa, Stokely Carmichael changed his name to "Kwame Ture" to honor Kwame Nkrumah, who led Ghana to independence from Britain, and, Sekou Toure, who was President of Guinea and his mentor. For more than 30 years, Ture led the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party and devoted the rest of his life to Pan Africanism, a movement to uproot the inequities of racism for people of African descent and to develop an economic and cultural coalition among the African Diaspora......

In 1998, at the age of 57, Kwame Ture died from complications of prostate cancer. To the end he answered the telephone, "ready for the revolution."
Saturday, May 8
Howard University Commencement 1999


It is our duty as students here at Howard University to continue the legacy of Kwame Ture through attaining higher education and using our knowledge to make a positive change not only in "Black America", but throughout the world--to always be "ready for the revolution."

Saturday, August 27, 2011

WELCOME TO HOWARD


The moment I’ve been waiting for, for months has finally arrived. I was actually on the campus of the prestigious Howard University getting ready to move in. On the day of move-in, everyone was so helpful which made me feel even more sure of my decision of attending Howard University. As soon as I got out of the car, there were upperclassmen ready and willing to help. As I went to fill out my papers, they gathered all of my luggage and carried it up to my room. I spent hours unpacking, making sure every thing was perfect – zebra print here, purple there, pictures from everyone back home all over. After all, this was going to be my new home for the next ten months.

As freshman week went along, there was always something to do (thanks to the Campus Pals). During the day, we had events such as the ice cream social and the pinning ceremony; and as night came, everyone gathered in Cramton Auditorium whether it was for the Talent Show, Taste of Howard, or the Variety Show. My favorite event was “A Taste of Howard”. This definitely gave us freshmen a look at the many things Howard University has to offer. However, the first day of classes was becoming closer and closer. Every day, I checked and double-checked to make sure I had everything I could possibly need for classes.

During the first week of classes, everything went by smoothly. There wasn’t much work given or tasks to complete since it was the add/drop period. At first, I didn’t understand why Freshman Seminar was required for graduation but as I sat in the first lecture and listened as the presenter described the course, I realized that Freshman Seminar would be much more than a mere one-credit class. Freshman Seminar, as stated in the course syllabus, was created to encourage us students to become engaged participants in the intellectual and cultural life of African peoples throughout the Diaspora by exploring this rich history and legacy and this legacy’s vibrant contemporary work and institutional life. This course would not only allow us to graduate, but it would also affect our personal lives helping us become more fruitful and beneficial citizens of the world.

Although each lecture has its own specific purpose, I am most looking forward to lecture three “Abandonment and Dismemberment: “Something Torn and New””. This lecture is about the separation of Africans from their homeland because of enslavement and the maintenance of their culture. This lecture seems most interesting to me because I am from the US Virgin Islands and now being on the mainland I need to find ways to maintain my culture while adapting to new surroundings.



- Carina F.

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