Rabbi Gbaba Urges A.M.E. Zion Academy Class of '89 to Pray and Stick Together: Invites Them to Tripartite Anniversary in December

Last weekend was one of nostalgia when I served as guest speaker at the A.M.E. Zion Academy Class of '89 Reunion in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The gala was well planned and executed, and the dinner was delicious. The DJ rocked the evening away with great sounds and it brought out the Alligator spirit in attendees at the gala. The ceremony reminded me of back in the day in 1981 when I taught at Zion as an Eleventh and Twelfth-grade English Instructor for morning and evening sessions. It was also during the early days of the Armed Forces of Liberia coup d'état. Throughout the gig, the A.M.E. Zion alumni were vibrant, and they demonstrated a sense of purpose and love for their Alma Mater.

Further, it is noteworthy to state that the cohesiveness, sense of direction, and matureness of the members of A.M.E. Zion Academy Class of '89 reflected the Christian doctrine of being their brothers' and sisters' keepers. Their cordial interactions and comradery were also exemplary of the academic training that they received and that propels them to strive for excellence within and outside the walls of the Academy that is run by the African Methodist Episcopal Church of Liberia. Another reason the institution had high reputation back in the day was because of the devoted faculty the school employed and because their former Principal, Reverend Dr. Frederick Umoja, was an astute educational leader, a disciplinarian and a very caring man of God who wanted the best for his Alligator Family.

Reverend Umoja is also credited with establishing the A.M.E. Zion Community College and for laying the groundwork for the establishment of the A.M.E. Zion University. Overall, Reverend Umoja's contribution to the field of education and mentoring Liberian youth is immeasurable. May God richly bless and keep you in his bosom, our esteemed elder, Reverend Dr. Frederick Umoja. Amen!

Launch of the Reverend Dr. Frederick Umoja Scholarship Fund

The Class of '89's evening dinner and ball began with an opening prayer by Deh-Zulu, and highlights of the event were the formal launch of the Reverend Dr. Frederick Umoja Scholarship Fund and the installation of the newly elected officers of the A.M.E. Zion Academy Class of '89. Those that were elected and sworn in as officers included William Ngombu, President, Sata Johnson-Kamara, Vice President, and Olive Massa, Treasurer.

The Class also presented a plaque honoring Reverend Umoja for his invaluable service to the school and the Liberian nation. His wife, Veta Umoja, received the plaque on behalf of her husband who was unable to attend. She expressed profound gratitude to Reverend Umoja's former students for the love and respect they have for her husband and wished the youth success in their endeavors.

More than twenty-three members of the class, including myself, pledged to pay the tuition of at least one A.M.E. Zion Academy student for Academic 2023-2024. The estimated cost of a student's tuition at AME Zion Academy is Three Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($350). An estimated amount of Eight Thousand and Fifty Dollars ($8,050) may be realized if all the pledges are fulfilled. Anyone wishing to donate towards the Reverend Frederick Umoja Scholarship Fund may contact the President, William Ngombu, at [email protected].

Other attractions of the evening included two talented members of the class of '89, Thomas Farley and William Mitchell. Both guys had the audience spell-bound with two musical selections. Thomas Farley vibrantly sang and danced to the rhythmic beat of his gospel song "God Bless Liberia", and his classmate, William Mitchell, nailed a famous disco beat of the 70s called "Rhythm of the Night".

The entire hall went wild and 'loko'. People jumped from their seats and went on the dance floor to boggy down to the ground! Later they did the famous Liberian quad-drill. It was a real fanfare. I also suggested to William Ngombu, the President of the Class of '89, that his organization could raise funds by staging a talent show in which gifted members of their class could perform and exhibit their innate talents. Throughout the night former classmates hugged, danced, and shared their experiences with one another as students within the walls of A.M. E. Zion Academy during what I would term?'normal day'?Liberia.

Kukalay Kukatonon and the Preservation of Liberian History and Culture

The theme of my discourse was "Kukalay Kukatonon", a Kpelle expression that means, "We are one." My message was about national unity, integration and the promotion and preservation of Liberia's history and culture. I narrated the story of my calling as a Liberian playwright forty-nine years ago when I was a senior student at the prestigious Carroll High School in 1974. I told my distinguished audience how the theme of the first play I ever wrote and staged at the Open-Door Theatre in Yekepa, Nimba County, Northern Liberia, was about "National Unity and Integration". It has been forty-nine years since I began my vocation to promote national peace and integration in the performing and visual arts, but after almost half a century, Liberians are even more divided than they were forty-nine years ago. What might be the cause of this national stagnancy I rhetorically asked?

I strongly believe one reason for the stagnancy and degeneration of our national hegemony is because Liberian history and culture are denigrated by Liberians themselves. As a result, they lack self-knowledge and self-appreciation. A second reason is that Liberian history and culture are not institutionalized. The national curriculum of Liberia does not have inserted in it, enough cultural and historical materials that reflect the history and culture of the majority--indigenous Liberians. Hence, there is a dire need not only to reconceptualize the national curriculum of Liberia, but to also establish cultural institutions such as a school for the performing and visual arts, where Liberian history and culture can be preserved, taught, and used to conduct cultural and historical research. In fact, what is the national budget of Liberia for education and culture? You figure it out and compare that figure to the budgets of other government agencies and you will “know the balance”, my biology instructor at LU used to say!

Against this backdrop, I asserted that Liberians may gain more knowledge about who they are, where they come from, and where they are headed if their history and culture are institutionalized and preserved. Consequently, this may bring about a reduction in the use of the divisive rhetoric and negative notion about "Country and Congau" divide in Liberia. Accordingly, I urged my audience to look at the bigger picture (Liberia). To demonstrate the seriousness of my message, I called my wife up from among the audience and introduced her to the crowd and said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, you see this lady, she is "Americo-Liberian" or "Congau", and I am an Indigenous Liberian or "Countryman", but this Congau woman and this this Country man have lived together in peace and harmony for forty unbroken years. Therefore, we want to tell you here tonight and all Liberians at home and abroad that if my wife and I can live in peace and harmony for four decades, Liberians, as a nation and people, can do the same."

Also, I recommended that a law be passed in Liberia to prohibit Liberians from spewing hate speech and slogans that have the propensity to incite violence, division and bigotry, such as the "Country-Congau" expression. Rather, we must celebrate our diverse cultures and backgrounds to peacefully coexist as compatriots. Furthermore, I called on all 'educated' Liberians to use their education to uplift others as Reverend Fred Umoja did in Liberia, instead of using one's education and public influence to divide Liberians on ethnic grounds.

I shared with the audience efforts that I, DATI, and my spouse, Princess Ariminta, have made over the past forty-nine years as Liberian playwright, forty-six years with the founding of Dehkontee Artists Theatre, Inc. (DATI), and forty years of interethnic marriage, to practice what we preach. I informed the audience about the need to establish a school of the performing arts in Liberia to preserve, teach, and promote Liberian history and culture. Subsequently, I solicited their unswerving support to construct the first school of the performing arts in Liberia, I invited the Class of '89 and attendees, to the DATI Tripartite Anniversary on Saturday, December 16, 2023, at the Merion Tribute House, 526 Hazelhurst Avenue, Merion Station, PA 19066, from 6-11 PM. Admission information is contained in the event flyer above.

Know Thy History and Culture as Liberians

In addition, I used the occasion to awaken the audience about their civil responsibilities to seek and appreciate self-knowledge, and to uphold their national hegemony with integrity and dignity. I urged all Liberians, including the Class of '89, to actively participate in the democratic process as Liberian citizens and forerunners of their own destiny. Accordingly, I asserted that it may be impossible to achieve this goal without one having full knowledge of the history and culture of the nation of which he or she claims to be a citizen.

So, for an example, I put my audience to a test and teased their brains. I asked, "Hands up of all those who know the words of the 'Lone Star Ode', or who wrote the 'Lone Star Ode' and how many of you know the words of the Ode and can sing it?"

Out of a crowd of nearly one hundred and fifty people, only four ladies raised their hands in the hall. I did not bother to quiz those who raised their hands due to time constraints. However, in reference to having self-knowledge, I stated that, "Most Liberians claim to be citizens of Liberia, but they do not know key important information about Liberia, like "How many stripes are on the Liberian flag and what does each strip on the Liberian flag represent? What are the names of the signers of the Declaration of Independence? What do the flag colors represent. To make matters worse, most Liberians do not know the author, nor the wordings of the two stanzas of the Liberian National Anthem. Therefore, what kind of Liberians are we when we do not know the fundamental information about our own country called Liberia? Mind you, we know the capital cities of the United States, Russia, France, Great Britain but ask a Liberian where Togbaylee-bli is, and he or she starts to scratch his or her head!

A Special Group of Young Patriotic Liberian

There is something very special about the A.M.E. Zion Academy Class of '89 that automatically attracts you when you meet them initially. Historically speaking, they were the last batch of youth to graduate from A.M.E. Zion Academy before the outbreak of the Liberian genocide that claimed the lives of over a quarter million people and dispersed millions of Liberians around the world. Nonetheless, these youth worked out a means to reconnect in the diaspora. Some of them travelled from as far as Australia and Great Britain, and from various states in the United States of America to attend their first reunion after they graduated high school thirty-four years ago.

During their cookout on Sunday, August 20th, Ms. Sayondee Kofa, President of the Liberian Association of Pennsylvania graced the occasion with her presence. She took photo with the Class and made a pledge of One Hundred Dollars ($100) to help a needy A.M.E. Zion Academy student in Liberia. Ms. Kofa congratulated the Class of '89 and wished them success. She also promised to attend their functions in the future.

I interviewed and asked the class President, William Ngombu, how the Class of '89 pulled it off as a class organization. The reason for my inquiry was because normally it is very rare to have an entire school alumni association assemble in one place, let alone a single class. Below is the response I received from the class President, William Ngombu.

"We began to communicate and reconnect with each other through our former Principal, Reverend Fred Umoja. He is the link that binds together the A.M.E. Zion Academy Alligator Family. In May 2022 a few of us from the class of '89 paid Reverend Umoja a courtesy call to present him his flowers while he is still alive. He had spent over forty years in Liberia as a missionary and during those years he helped thousands of Liberian youths to obtain education and he redirected many of us to achieve in life. Also, the passing of two of our classmates served as ad hoc reunions when we met at Jessie Harmon's and Rudolph Vah's funerals about two years in a role in Providence, Rhode Island and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their deaths motivated us to organize a group chatroom so we could communicate better and keep in touch. Consequently, we planned a reunion so that many of us who are in contact with each other, may meet to share our old memories and give back to our Alma Mater."

I asked William if the A.M.E. Zion Academy National Alumni Association in the Americas would not take offence to what the Class of '89 is doing, to raise funds to support their Alma Mater. His response, "If the National Alumni Association of A.M.E. Zion Academy in the Americas begins to function, we will be more than happy to collaborate with them. But for now, we will continue to do what we can for our Alma Mater."

The Class of '89 is bold and progressive. They are a set of patriotic Liberian youth that must not be taken for granted. I love and support their patriotic deeds to give back to their country and to assist young Liberians who stand in need of help.

I salute you, A.M.E. Zion Academy Class of '89. I urge you to pray and stick together in your pursuit to give back to Liberia and A.M.E. Zion Academy. Way to go, guys!

Rabbi Prince Joseph Tomoonh-Garlodeyh Gbaba, Sr., Ed. D.

August 24, 2023