Dr. Ben, One of the Last ‘People’s Scholars’ of Harlem, Joins the Ancestors

Yosef ben-Jochannan, one of the last of the Harlem activist-intellectuals of the 20th century—those fiery, independent scholars who taught classical African history and shaped it into a sword against white supremacy—died Thursday after a long illness. He was 96.

The man known as Dr. Ben joined his ancestors the morning of the first day of the annual meeting of the organization he helped found, the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations. ASCAC, meeting in Seattle this year, describes itself as a group with a mission to create a “body of knowledge that continuously contributes to the rescue, reconstruction, and restoration of African history and culture.”

“Our people are now safeguarded [in] the after-life by Dr. Ben, Dr. [John Henrik] Clarke, Dr. [Cheikh Anta] Diop, Minister Malcolm X, Elijah [Muhammad], The Honorable Marcus Garvey ... and many more of our greats,” announced Leonard Jeffries in a quickly circulated announcement email.

“Though painful, this is a victory, that we had him for 97 plus [sic] years,” continued Jeffries, retired professor of Africana studies at the City College of New York and one of ben-Jochannan’s unofficial aides.

Dr. Ben became a fabled Harlem luminary over the decades as one of the founding scholars and lecturers in what is now known as Africana studies.
www.theroot.com...

I know many if not most folks here perhaps had never heard of Dr Ben as he was affectionately called , yet he was among the key figures that aided me and millions of others in the search for the African past, Yes he had his detractors , and they were many who saw him as combative and more of an activist, yet face to face he held his own, like J.A Rogers he dug up facts, sometimes literally as he was one of a handful of western Blacks that carried out their own digs in Egypt and Sudan that others skirted around, but unlike Rogers who was a journalist he was armed with a PHD..he demanded of folks doing Africana studies to place them selves on the continent looking outward rather than from the outside looking in.

a reply to: Spider879

It is never a pleasing thing to see an educator pass from the world. At least, having had 96 years to inform folk and contribute to the knowledge pool of the human race, as he surely did, his heirs and mourners can take some solace from the fact that his influence effected many lives for the better, and that such a legacy can be regarded as positive.

a reply to: Spider879

while his students were on the african continent looking outward, was there any reason found as to why after owning a continent of resources for millions of years most africans still live in mud huts without running water?

a reply to: msallo

It would be best to keep your stereotypes out of this thread. Only those that get their information from MSM actually believe that.

Go talk to some actual Africans.

originally posted by: cenpuppie
a reply to: msallo

It would be best to keep your stereotypes out of this thread. Only those that get their information from MSM actually believe that.

Go talk to some actual Africans.

Thanks Cenpuppie ..

originally posted by: msallo
a reply to: Spider879

while his students were on the african continent looking outward, was there any reason found as to why after owning a continent of resources for millions of years most africans still live in mud huts without running water?

Hello there Msallo ,most humans lived in mud huts or something approaching it until very recently, unless you were very very rich, and that includes most Africans, in any case pls klik the following links below.
Lost Cities And Architecture Of Pre-Colonial Africa.
www.abovetopsecret.com...
African Skylines..The Other Africa
www.abovetopsecret.com...
Have a good day don't forget to wear clean underwear,smile and Deny Ignorance!..

a reply to: msallo

Watch this documentary Guns, Germs and Steel it talks about possible scenarios on why some societies develop faster than others.

a reply to: starwarsisreal

yes ive unwillingly read the book..obviously were all equal, and its the lands fault [rev al voice]

a reply to: msallo

We are indeed all equal. Failure to recognise that in this enlightened age, can only be a product of either reasonless hatred or poor education, since the facts have been available for some time now, that indeed all the tribes of man are kin and equal under the law for a very good reason.

a reply to: TrueBrit

though c's get degrees mine is a doctorate of law..a quick look to the NBA and NFL will showcase general trends of physical differences, but obviously those end where our vision does

a reply to: msallo

Sporting attributes as evidence for anything, other than the fact that people place far too much stock on what goes on in sports?

That collapses all on its own!

originally posted by: msallo
a reply to: starwarsisreal

yes ive unwillingly read the book..obviously were all equal, and its the lands fault [rev al voice]

Depends on where ,what era and who you are comparing them to, Africans did not lag behind sometimes some of them were ahead , it all depends on where some of them were located, they produced iron and even steel independently at an early age, matter of fact most skipped the Bronze age and went straight to iron, some developed urbanization at a very early date also, at-least one influential site in Western Africa were contemporary with the 1st dyn kings of Kemet, called Dhar tichtitt, the forerunners of the Soninke people that created Ghana or Wagadu West Africa's first mega state, but off-course you'd have to actually Klik the link provided to learn something .

originally posted by: msallo
a reply to: TrueBrit

though c's get degrees mine is a doctorate of law..a quick look to the NBA and NFL will showcase general trends of physical differences, but obviously those end where our vision does

And east Africans typically Kenyans,Ethiopians make for great long distance runners but neighboring Somalians and Tanzanians generally suck.
Jamaicans produced the best sprinters yet their ancestors home lands of Ghana ,Nigeria etc generally suck...so that tell us nada but national ambitions and expectations.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: msallo

Sporting attributes as evidence for anything, other than the fact that people place far too much stock on what goes on in sports?

That collapses all on its own!

and fat girls dont like to run

not sure how to do pictures but a search on 'caucasian vs negroid skull' yields interesting differences but obviously those are the only ones

a reply to: msallo

Some of them don't. Others do but have one of a plethora of disorders which affects their metabolic processes. The devil is in the fine, minuscule detail. No generalisations please!

a reply to: Spider879

i clicked and was pleasantly surprised. but i know the game and a few pictures of some cities isnt going to do it for me. Im well aware of consistent NEED for NGO support

And cmon, I know it destroys your entire premise, but even your boy recognizes the physical differences of of our races

During the question and answer session following the lecture, Lefkowitz asked ben-Jochannan, "How would that have been possible, when the library was not built until after his death?" Lefkowitz stated that "Dr. ben-Jochannan was unable to answer the question, and said that he resented the tone of the inquiry."[9] Lefkowitz writes that ben-Jochannan proceeded to tell those present that they "could and should believe what black instructors told" them and that "although they might think that Jews were all 'hook-nosed and sallow faced,' there were other Jews who looked like himself."[10]

LOL

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: msallo

Some of them don't. Others do but have one of a plethora of disorders which affects their metabolic processes. The devil is in the fine, minuscule detail. No generalisations please!

That was actually a dig on you, skinny long haired beer drinking writer guy who doesnt like sports

a reply to: msallo

A dig?

Why would you be digging at me msallo ?

a reply to: Spider879

ASCAC, meeting in Seattle this year, describes itself as a group with a mission to create a “body of knowledge that continuously contributes to the rescue, reconstruction, and restoration of African history and culture.”

Create is right. Reconstruct is right. For every good solid bit of scholarship produced they created an equal amount of pure bulls**t.

a reply to: TrueBrit

did you miss the skull argument or what?

fat girls dont like running, long haired skinny beer drinking writers dont like sport

skulls