NEW YORK WEBSITE ATTACKED BY PARENT BODY
PG FAILS TO ACT IN DEFENSE OF JUSTICE!

ATTENTION: Members of the Universal Negro Improvement Association & African Communities League

As many of you are aware we are faced with trying times as we work towards maintaining the integrity and dignity of which the Association was founded some 91 years ago. In the last few months as we approach the sitting of convention, numerous members have been expelled unconstitutionally by members of our High Executive Council.

The 1st APG along with the membership of New York, over which he presides, drafted several letters of concern whih were sent to the Parent Body and fellow divisions in order to bring attention to this matter of great concern and express our support for constitutional due process. This attempt has gone unheeded by our High Executive. Following that there have been several incidents involving some of our High Officials which were attempts to bring disharmony and discontent within our division on several levels. The most outrageous of these included an attempt to hijack our website The Negro World that was created by one of our members 5 years ago and has been under our care for the last 2 years.

Beloved brothers and sisters it does our hearts no good to share these realities with you for we are all awaiting the day when we as a people will come together the way our ancestors intended and the way our Founder envisioned; even as they gave their lives for our posterity. But we must remember the road that our founder walked and understand that what we are facing is nothing new but instead of an old cancer that must be eradicated this time once and for all! Else we will continue to be beset with problems that will plague the generations to come. Should we fail, we will condemn these future generations to inherit the trajedy of our times.

The New york Division, led by our esteemed 1st Assistant President General maintains that since our grievances have gone unnoticed and unheeded by our Parent Body and due to past and recent acts of harassments towards our members and more specifically our officers we are justified in utilizing the NEGRO WORLD .COM to inform the membership of our great association and at large about the state of our great confraternity.

We are of the opinion that the apathy and method by which members are informed of their rights and happenings in the divisions is detrimental to the constitutional process.

We therefore have to utilize every means at our disposal to provide the necessary information to the people especially when we feel like the PB is being manipulative and corrupt.

When we are rejected by our own Parent body what options are we left with but the people's court during the rising of convention? And how are we to communicate with the people? We will continue to utilize the most effective tool we possess to bring the truth to the forefront and to keep the membership informed of their constitutional rights and obligations. Mr. Garvey said, “honor them when they honor you but disrespect and disregard them when they vilely treat you.”

Simply put the Parent Body has started a war with which they intend to destroy this noble assoication. But this time, we are not going to lay down we are going to fight, and in war some considerations must be given given and some actions which one would not usually recommend must be undertaken.

The fact of the matter is that the worst thing for Righteous People to do is to stand by and do nothing…we cannot look at ourselves with dignity and race first agility if we allow false leaders to manipulate the hearts and minds of our people for personal gain. Those of us with like minds and true courage must stand up and fight for righteousness knowing that we are guided by our Founders and protected by our constitution. Arise Black Tigers and take up the mantle of our forefathers. For God! For Africa! For Justice!

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COPY OF LETTER TO PB OUTLINING VIOLATION AGAINST DIVISION 404 & ATTACK ON NEGRO WORLD WEBSITE

[May 16, 2005. New York. To the Members of the High Executive Council:]

It is in earnest that I bring your attention to the recent violation committed against the A.L. Crawford Memorial Division #404. On Friday, April 15th it was discovered after several weeks of investigation by members of our division that the pass codes to get into the NEGROWORLD.com website had been changed sometime on March 24, 2005. The information gathered indicated that this change was made by the 2nd Assistant Secretary General, Tyree Amala . It is important to note here that the pass codes were previously issued to Sis. Tyree the UNIA webqueen as well as Bro. Manifest of Division #456 who had shown interest in working with the division to redevelop the Negro World website. This was done in the spirit of fraternity and with my approval knowing that any actions which they might have taken would first have to meet with the approval of the 404 Division.

I was therefore most disappointed upon learning that this bond of trust had been broken and that the website had been tampered with, without my approval, and in the most malicious and criminal way. I took immediate actions to recover the pass codes for my Division. On Saturday, April 16th I made a call to the President General to ascertain if he had issued any orders to have the pass codes to the website changed without my knowledge or approval. The President General insisted that he knew nothing about the issue and would investigate. I became very perturbed realizing that this act had taken place without consulting neither the President General nor I as 1st Assistant President General and President of Division #404.

I then made a call to Sis. Tyree. She first stated that she didn’t know what I was talking about but after I told her emphatically I that I had proof that she changed the information she changed her story to say that she had the passwords at home and would have to wait until then to get them to me. I did not appreciate her dishonesty and her suspicious hesitation and delay, therefore I made a second call to the President General. I let the PG know that sister Tyree had the information and was impertinent enough to tell me I had to wait until she returned home before I could retrieve the property of my own Division, which she had wrongly tampered with. The President General at this time informed me that he had spoken to 3rd APG Senghor Jawara Baye EL and that he, Senghor, knew about the situation and would be in touch with me to clear up the matter. At this point I became very concerned that the 3rd APG had information regarding such a serious breach of protocol, which was unknown to the President-General and me, the 1st APG.

After waiting for hours for the 3rd APG to call, I decided to call myself. In responding, Bro. Senghor’s tone and behavior towards me was inappropriate, insubordinate, and disrespectful. He stated to me that if I had called the right people then all this confusion regarding the passwords would never had occurred. When I asked him why this action had taken place to begin with and why I had not been consulted the 3rd APG indicated that if I had asked I would have been informed. He said that it had been changed at least 3 weeks prior. He stated that it was Bro. Duran Chavis a.k.a “Manifest” from Division #456 who had made the changes in an effort to secure the website from recently expelled members and further stated that "Manifest was with us (Senghor) and was one of them". I was appalled at the divisive and conspiratorial nature of Bro. Senghor's response. After much aggressive bantering and evasive double talk, Senghor stated that he would call Bro. Manifest and follow up with me. I never heard back from neither of them.

Following this heated exchange I reported back to the PG and informed him of my frustration and absolute disgust in how this matter was being handled. He stated to me that I should call the 3rd APG again to find out what the problem was and to get the pass codes immediately. I felt that my Division had been betrayed and that I was being shuffled back and forth between the deception and corruption of other high officers. I ordered the Lady President of the 404 to get in touch Bro. Manifest. She called Sis. Janet Flemming, Lady President of Division #456 of Richmond, VA for assistance. Sis. Janet was convinced that whatever Bro. Manifest had done it must have been done with the approval of the High Executive Council. After doing her own investigation, she informed us that Brother Manifest was instructed by the 2nd Assistant Secretary General to change the passcodes and turn them over to her (Tyree).

Eventually, Sis. Tyree called me after several hours and returned the pass codes. The NEGROWORLD.com website is owned and operated by members of our division. It was established and financed by our beloved Bro. Golding. Our members are suspicious that as a result of his recent expulsion, we have suffered this malicious act of vandalism by members of the high executive council, namely Bro. Senghor and Sis. Tyree. In order to be thorough and impartial in my accusations, I made calls to all of the APGs and the Secretary General to determine whether or not they knew about any order given to change the pass codes. All indicated that they had no knowledge of any such order to undermine the activities of my division or to disrespect my office as 1st APG.

I am therefore left with no choice but to bring this issue before the council and if need be the convention at large. Who is making these decisions and giving these orders? By all indications it seems to me that the 3rd APG has violated my office both as 1st APG and President of the New York 404. I am further concerned about the PG’s lack of urgency in response to this matter. I have not received any adequate reason to date from the PG as to why something like this has been allowed to happen nor has any reprimand been made by the PG towards those responsible for this violation.

In an attempt to resolve this matter I requested a private meeting with the PG, the Minister of Education and myself. This meeting was to take place while attending the Whirlwind Conference in Durham, NC the weekend of April 23rd. Even this attempt to have a private meeting with my General was impeded by Senghor, Tyree, and John El Badr (who as I was informed had been appointed Chief of Protocol). It is completely disrespectful to my office to deny my right to private council with the President-General. In front of the PG I heard the 3rd APG instruct Bro El Badr to stay in the room while I met with our President-General. Bro El Badr further undermined this meeting that I had requested to discuss what appears to be serious problems occurring in our Association & League, by interrupting and involving himself in the discussion between myself the 1st APG and the PG. This by no means is the appropriate behavior for a so called Chief of Protocol. Furthermore I am concerned that his appointment and perhaps other recent parent body appointments are being made without informing the members of the High Executive council. These posts are being made without any official statement from the PG regarding such appointment and explaining the function of the posts and the jurisdiction of those appointed.

Finally, the disrespect shown to the officers and members of this division by certain officers of the Parent Body is blatant and unjustified. The 404 has been the victim of malicious acts of deception, vandalism and a corrupt conspiracy to undermine their programs and progress as a strong and prosperous Division. By failing to inform myself as President, or any other officer of my division, of such deliberately vital technological changes, and by high jacking the pass codes which were given with the sincere trust of brotherhood, sisterhood and fraternity, and furthermore by challenging the authority and right of officers to question these acts is a breach of the highest contractual law of our constitution.

"Every member of the UNIA shall be expected to be loyal and truthful... Any active members with motives to create disharmony, and disturbing the peaceful and harmonious working of any Division, shall for the first offense, be suspended for 3 months, and upon the second conviction for like offence be expelled from the Association."

Needless to say the division and myself are not pleased with this situation and realize that the violation against our division is grounds for charges being brought against all those involved. Given the fact that other members of the Association at large have recently been expelled on far less substantive grounds, the membership of the 404 will not let this act of injustice against them go unchallenged. I have done everything in my power to gain a better understand of this matter and have felt completely abandoned by the PG due to his lack of responsiveness regarding this matter. I am concerned about the general leadership of the Association and the acts of corruption being perpetuated by certain members of the High Executive Council. As a duly elected member of this council it is my duty to see that justice be done to all realizing that none of us is above the law and that we are all bound by the constitution of our fathers and mothers.

As the First Assistant President General I am responsible to the membership of this association, it is they to whom I am indebted and they to whom I must answer. As a result, I hereby request an immediate hearing with the parties involved, namely Bro. Senghor, Sis Tyree, Bro. Manifest, by the High Executive Council to fully resolve this matter as needed. Furthermore, as they have plainly admitted their guilt in apologizing to me, and in order to maintain the integrity and honor that belongs to the High Executive Council, I call on Bro. Senghor and Sis Tyree to do the right thing and resign their positions as officers of the Parent Body. No good will come to the association at large until we as officers take responsibility for our and be held accountable for our actions as leaders of the Negro race. Should the Parent Body fail to respond promptly and definitively in this matter before the sitting of convention, we would have failed in this first year to meet our mandate as leaders.

In closing I would like to remind every member in spite of their rank none is above the constitutional law of our great association and thus we are all subject to investigation.

Faithfully and fraternally yours in the struggle,

Prof. Alfred Rowe "Tutu"

UNIA NEWS & VIEWS Vol.1