"A people without a history are like a tree without roots, they will not grow"
- African Proverb
- African Proverb
The Tree of Life
The "Baobab Tree" is found in the African savannahs and is known to have a life span of up to five thousand years. This tree is the heart of many traditional remedies and folklore and is one of the oldest living things on the planet. During the rainy season, water is stored in its thick, fire-resistant trunk which provides sustainability during the harsh climate of the dry season. As a result, the Baobab Tree is able to produce fruit all year round when all else is barren, thus its symbolism as the "Tree of Life." Its white flowers only blooms for a short period before falling to the ground where many African wild life feed off its pods. It is said to looks as if it had been pulled from the ground and replanted upside down.
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The Baobab Tree "superfruit" is very nutritious & known for effectively managing diseases such as diabetes.
Since the naissance (birthing) of the first Black Studies Department over 40 years ago in 1968 at San Francisco State University, many people then and now ask the question "what can you do with a degree in African/African-American Studies?" To anyone asking, the answer is . . . . Anything (Robert Fikes, 2009)! African/African - American Studies is an interdisciplinary field known by various names (depending upon the institution) that include but are not limited to African Diasporan Studies, Black Studies, Afro-American Studies, Pan-African Studies, Afro-Ethnic Studies, etc. It is committed to the holistic development of critical/analytical thinkers, independent researchers, life-long/life mastery learners and cultural artisans cultivated from a rich yet challenging course of inquiry attracting students with multiple interests (history, creative production, science, mathematics, politics, psychology, sociology, medicine, education, law, language, etc.). Its more than than a degree, its a way of life.
For nearly 250 years Africans in America have engaged in efforts to retain, revive and clarify a self-defined diasporan identity within the mainstream landscape of an American culture, evolved from a western European origin. Over the past 40 years, Roots Scholars have worked to revive and
The value of diversity more recognized UNESCO 2005 etc. diversity is critical
"To hate oneself and ones people is not normal. To always seek to be like another is not normal. That which is normal for us will never be normal for us as long and the abnormal defines what normality is." Haki Madhubuti (The Book of Life). Know Thy Self - Peace
For nearly 250 years Africans in America have engaged in efforts to retain, revive and clarify a self-defined diasporan identity within the mainstream landscape of an American culture, evolved from a western European origin. Over the past 40 years, Roots Scholars have worked to revive and
The value of diversity more recognized UNESCO 2005 etc. diversity is critical
"To hate oneself and ones people is not normal. To always seek to be like another is not normal. That which is normal for us will never be normal for us as long and the abnormal defines what normality is." Haki Madhubuti (The Book of Life). Know Thy Self - Peace
