Another debt to Minister Malcolm X
Building Love Honorees for 2020
In a way, Malcolm X brought together 2020 Black Building Love Honorees. We are proud to lift the love of Chike and Willette Akua, for their love of 25 years has lifted our community - locally, nationally and internationally. They and their two talented sons, Jabari and Omari make them a family of educators, entrepreneurs, artists, administrators, orators, and institution builders. When asked about their proudest contribution to our community, Willette mentioned Seba Academy - a school that would help her live out her dream of educating our children - steeped in our culture. Chike added Imani Enterprises and the importance of producing Afrikan cultural materials to aid families and teachers - those new to Black consciousness and those who are going deeper.
Baba Fu Kiau calls us to “Simba Simbi:” Hold up that which holds you up.
On Thursday, Feb. 13th - Black Love Day, 2020, join us.
https://bit.ly/blacklovedinner2020.
Sawubonua - More Than A Love Story
It was 1992, young Chike was at Hampton University. Willette was at rival - Norfolk State. Her sister-friend was trying her hand at match-making. “I think you might like my boyfriend’s roommate.” I was a senior and not thinking about a brother,” Willette says. The sister-friend persisted. Willette relented. “We went over to Hampton to see her boyfriend. Chike was there. Only he was preoccupied and missing all of the signals until he heard that Willette had read the autobiography of Malcolm X. He stopped dead in his tracks, then put on his glasses to take another look. She looked at him too.
Even at 22, he was a young man of purpose. She remembers, “He told me that he wanted to help young people learn more about themselves, about our culture.” “Wow, I said to myself, okay, this brother is serious and even at this age was determined to live his life according to purposes that had been revealed to him.”
Chike leaned in - to her purpose. Clarity was important to him. He discovered a quiet and powerful determination to learn and educate. Willette was disturbed that she was just learning of our powerful culture. “Why didn’t I know any of this before? I felt like a lot of things had been hidden from me.” She was determined to learn more and to teach what she was learning.
After this “purpose” conversation, they look at each other again - this time more deeply. It was a “sawubona” moment.
“We see you,” his eyes said.
“We” meaning, Chike, the Fenwick family, his ancestors, the brothers of Kemet Nu, and Malcolm.
“We see you,” her eyes gently returned the greeting.
“We” meaning Willette’s parents, grandparents, the entire Meyer’s court village, and her ancestors including Malcolm.
In her eyes, he saw peace - pastel yellows and sky blues.
In his, she saw red, passion and fire.
She cooled him.
He inspired her.
In our Zulu tradition, sawubona is more than a greeting. It’s an Afrikan covenant: “I am because we are, and we are because I am.” In an ancient and unspoken kind of way, they knew that their mutual recognition actually brought them into existence in that space and time. They stepped into that space and time - that Chike and Willette time.
His special mixtapes serenaded her as they walked along the Atlantic. Anita Baker didn’t mind that his eyes stole one of her best lines - “You Bring Me Joy.” Larry Graham gifted Willette. She hummed “One in a Million.” For her, Chike was one in five million!
They became Chike and Willette Akua.
But that was 20-something love. How would they make it last? What would their parents say about this new conscious-union? Neither of their paths to each other had been crystal stairs.
Could they turn loose yesterday?
Join us to celebrate and learn more about this love story. Come learn how the splinters, torn up boards and tacks of their past become stepping stones to lift them up where they belong so they could lift us up where we belong.
Simba Simbi.
On Thursday, Feb. 13th - Black Love Day, 2020.
More info: www.akomalove.com
Support us. If you can’t make it and love what we are doing, please donate by purchasing a ticket for a younger person or couple to bask in this love, because you know that Black Love is Black Power is Black Wealth!