Republic of New Afrika facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Republic of New Afrika
Flag of the Republic of New Afrika
US States identified as subjugated national territory at the 1968 foundational conference
Capital	Jackson, Mississippi
Largest city	New Orleans
Official languages	African-American English
Demonym(s)	New Afrikan
Government
• President	Sah Ankh Sa Ma’at
• Vice President	Ayodele Kofie
Area
• Total	750,503 km2 (289,771 sq mi)

The Republic of New Afrika (RNA) was a group formed in 1968. It was a black nationalist and black separatist movement in the United States. This means its members believed in the idea of African Americans having their own nation and controlling their own future.

The larger New Afrika movement had three main goals:

• To create an independent country for African Americans. This country would be in the Southeastern United States, in an area where many black people lived.
• To receive money (called reparations) from the U.S. government. This money would be for the harm caused to African Americans and their ancestors by slavery, Jim Crow laws (unfair laws that discriminated against black people), and modern racism.
• To hold a special vote (a referendum) for all African Americans. This vote would let them decide if they wanted to be U.S. citizens. The group believed their ancestors were not given this choice after slavery ended in 1865.

History of the Republic of New Afrika

The idea for the RNA started after the 1967 Detroit riot. It was the first time African Americans in the United States declared a separate nation.

The plan for this new country was first shared by the Malcolm X Society on March 31, 1968. This happened at a meeting called the Black Government Conference in Detroit, Michigan. At this meeting, people wrote a constitution and a declaration of independence. They also identified five Southern states as territory for their new nation. These states were Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. They also included nearby parts of East Texas and North Florida.

The Malcolm X Society and the Group on Advanced Leadership (GOAL) organized the Black Government Conference. These were two important black organizations in Detroit. The people who attended created a Declaration of Independence, a constitution, and a plan for a temporary government.

The RNA chose black leaders from different groups to be part of this temporary government. Robert F. Williams, who was living in China at the time, was chosen as the first president. Attorney Milton Henry became the first vice president. Betty Shabazz, who was the wife of Malcolm X, served as the second vice president. Imari Obadele was the first Minister of Information. In June 1968, a group from the RNA traveled to China to meet Williams. He accepted his role and suggested ways for the RNA to work with other countries.

The Provisional Government of the Republic of New Afrika (PG-RNA) supported a type of shared economy. This was done by building "New Communities," inspired by the "Ujamaa" idea from Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere. The group also suggested strong self-defense. This included creating local groups of people for defense and a standing army called the Black Legion. They also wanted to build groups based on race to support the right of self-determination for people of black African descent. Self-determination means the right of a group to choose how they are governed.

The organization was involved in some difficult situations. For example, it tried to help the Oceanhill-Brownsville area in Brooklyn separate from the United States. This happened during a conflict in 1968 about who should control public schools. The group was also involved in incidents at New Bethel Baptist Church in 1969 and in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1971. The RNA had announced that its capital city would be in Hinds County, Mississippi.

Notable Members of the RNA

Many important people were part of the Republic of New Afrika.

• Queen Mother Moore was a founding member. She helped start the group and supported its work.
• Betty Shabazz, the wife of Malcolm X, was elected as the second vice president in 1968. She worked with Robert F. Williams and Milton Henry.
• Chokwe Lumumba, whose original name was Edwin Finley Taliaferro, was elected as the second vice president in 1971. He later became a lawyer and worked in public defense. He moved to Jackson, Mississippi, and was elected to the city council there. He became mayor in 2013 and passed away in February 2014.
• Safiya Bukhari was elected as vice-president. She was a former member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army. She also helped start the Jericho Movement for U.S. Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War.
• Sanyika Shakur was an author of the book Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. ....

Leaders of the RNA

• Robert F. Williams served as President in Exile from 1968 to 1971.
• Imari Obadele was President from 1971 to 1991.

Related Topics

• Secession in the United States: The idea of a state or group separating from the United States.
• Back-to-Africa movement: A movement that encouraged African Americans to move to Africa.
• Black Power: A movement that supported the rights and self-determination of black people.
• Deep South: A cultural and geographic region in the Southern United States.
• Malcolm X: An important African American leader and human rights activist.
• Liberia and Sierra Leone: Countries in Africa that were settled by freed slaves from the Americas.
• Aliyah: The immigration of Jewish people to Israel.

See also

In Spanish: República de Nueva África para niños