The Republic of New Afrika (RNA), founded in 1968 as the Republic of New Africa (RNA), is a black nationalist organization and

black separatist Black separatism is a Separatism, separatist political movement that seeks separate economic and cultural development for those of African descent in societies, particularly in the United States. Black separatism stems from the idea of racial sol ...

movement in the United States popularized by black militant groups. The larger New Afrika movement in particular has three goals: * Creation of an independent black-majority country situated in the Southeastern United States, in the heart of an area of black-majority population. * Payment by the federal government of several billion dollars in

reparations Reparation(s) may refer to: Christianity * Restitution (theology), the Christian doctrine calling for reparation * Acts of reparation, prayers for repairing the damages of sin History *War reparations **World War I reparations, made from G ...

to African-American descendants of slaves for the damages inflicted on Africans and their descendants by chattel enslavement, Jim Crow laws, and modern-day forms of racism. * A referendum of all African Americans to determine their desires for citizenship; movement leaders say their ancestors were not offered a choice in this matter after emancipation in 1865 following the American Civil War. The vision for this country was first promulgated by the Malcolm X Society on March 31, 1968, at a Black Government Conference held in Detroit, Michigan. The conference participants drafted a constitution and declaration of independence, and they identified five Southern states Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina (with adjoining areas in East Texas and North Florida) as subjugated national territory.

History

The Black Government Conference was convened by the

Malcolm X Society Malcolm, Malcom, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim may refer to: People * Malcolm (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Clan Malcolm * Maol Choluim de Innerpeffray, 14th-century bishop-elect of Dunkeld Nobility * Máel C ...

and the

Group on Advanced Leadership A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

(GOAL), two influential Detroit-based black organizations with broad followings. The attendees produced a Declaration of Independence (signed by 100 conferees out of approximately 500), a constitution, and the framework for a provisional government.

Robert F. Williams Robert Franklin Williams (February 26, 1925 – October 15, 1996) was an American civil rights leader and author best known for serving as president of the Monroe, North Carolina chapter of the NAACP in the 1950s and into 1961. He succeede ...

, a human rights advocate then living in exile in China, was chosen as the first president of the provisional government; attorney

Milton Henry Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Fre ...

(a student of Malcolm X's teachings) was named first vice president; and

Betty Shabazz Betty Shabazz (born Betty Dean Sanders; May 28, 1934/1936 – June 23, 1997), also known as Betty X, was an American educator and civil rights advocate. She was married to Malcolm X. Shabazz grew up in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, where he ...

, widow of Malcolm X, served as second vice president. The Provisional Government of the Republic of New Afrika (PG-RNA) advocated/advocates a form of cooperative economics through the building of New Communities—named after the Ujamaa concept promoted by Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere. It proposed militant self-defense through the building of local people's militias and a standing army to be called the Black Legion; and the building of racially based organizations to champion the right of

self-determination The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It stat ...

for people of black African descent. The organization was involved in numerous controversial issues. For example, it attempted to assist Oceanhill-Brownsville area in Brooklyn to secede from the United States during the 1968 conflict over control of public schools. Additionally, it was involved with shootouts at New Bethel Baptist Church in 1969 (during the one-year anniversary of the founding) and another in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1971. (It had announced that the capital of the Republic would be in Hinds County, Mississippi, located on a member's farm.) In the confrontations, law-enforcement officials were killed and injured. Organization members were prosecuted for the crimes.

Notable members

*Milton Henry, also known as "Brother Gaidi Obadele," was one of the primary founders. He was elected as the first vice president of the founding administration in 1968.Salvatore, N. A. (2005). ''Singing in a Strange Land: C. L. Franklin, the Black Church, and the Transformation of America.'' New York: Little, Brown and Company. * Queen Mother Moore was a founding member. She helped found the group and helped out in the group as much as she could. *

was a black nationalist elected as the first president of the Republic of New Afrika. *

, widow of Malcolm X, was elected as second vice president of the first administration in 1968, working alongside Williams and Henry. *

Chokwe Lumumba Chokwe Lumumba (; August 2, 1947 – February 25, 2014) was an American attorney, activist, and politician, who was affiliated with the black nationalist organization Republic of New Afrika and served as its second vice president. He served as a ...

, formerly Edwin Finley Taliaferro of Detroit, was elected as second vice president in 1971. He later became an attorney, working in Michigan and Mississippi in public defense. After settling in Jackson, Mississippi, he was elected to the city council there. He was elected as mayor in 2013, dying in office in February 2014 of natural causes. * Sanyika Shakur, former leader of Eight Tray Gangster Crips and author ('' Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member'')

Leaders

, President in Exile (1968–1971) *

Imari Obadele Imari Obadele (born Richard Bullock Henry) (May 2, 1930 – January 18, 2010) was a Black nationalist, advocate for reparations, and president of the Republic of New Afrika. Early life Richard Henry was born in Philadelphia, and as a young ...

, President (1971–1991)

Publications

* ''The Article Three Brief''. 1973. (New Afrikans fought U.S. Marshals in an effort to retain control of the independent New Afrikan communities shortly after the U.S. Civil War.) * Obadele, Imari Abubakari. ''Foundations of the Black Nation,'' Detroit: House of Songay, 1975. * Brother Imari badele, Imari ''War In America: The Malcolm X Doctrine,'' Chicago: Ujamaa Distributors, 1977. * Kehinde, Muata. ''RNA President Imari Obadele is Free After Years of Illegal U.S. Imprisonment''. In ''Burning Spear'' Louisville: African Peoples Socialist Party, 1980. pp. 4–28 * Obadele, Imari Abubakari. ''The Malcolm Generation & Other Stories,'' Philadelphia: House of Songhay, 1982. * Taifa, Nkechi, and Lumumba, Chokwe. ''Reparations Yes! 3rd ed.'' Baton Rouge: House of Songhay, 1983, 1987, 1993. * Obadele, Imari Abubakari. ''Free The Land!: The True Story of the Trials of the RNA-11'' Washington, D.C. House of Songhay, 1984. * ''New Afrikan State-Building in North America''. Ann Arbor. Univ. of Michigan Microfilm, 1985, pp. 345–357. * "The First New Afrikan States". In ''The Black Collegian'', Jan./Feb. 1986. * ''A Beginner's Outline of the History of Afrikan People, 1st ed''. Washington, D.C. House of Songhay, Commission for Positive Education, 1987. * ''America The Nation-State''. Washington, D.C. and Baton Rouge. House of Songhay, Commission for Positive Education, 1989, 1988. * Walker, Kwaku, and Walker, Abena. ''Black Genius''. Baton Rouge. House of Songhay, Commission for Positive Education, 1991. * Afoh, Kwame, Lumumba, Chokwe, and Obafemi, Ahmed. ''A Brief History of the Black Struggle in America, With Obadele's Macro-Level Theory of Human Organization''. Baton Rouge. House of Songhay, Commission for Positive Education, 1991. * RNA. ''A People's Struggle''. RNA, Box 90604, Washington, D.C. 20090–0604. * The Republic of New Africa ''New Afrikan Ujamaa: The Economics of the Republic of New Africa''. 21p. San Francisco. 1970. * Obadele, Imari Abubakari. ''The Struggle for Independence and Reparations from the United States'' 142p. Baton Rouge. House of Songhay, 2004. * Obadele, Imari A., editor ''De-Colonization U.S.A.: The Independence Struggle of the Black Nation in the United States Centering on the 1996 United Nations Petition'' 228p. Baton Rouge. The Malcolm Generation, 1997. * Taifa, Nkechi. '
Black Power, Black Lawyer: My Audacious Quest for Justice
'' 379p. Washington, DC, House of Songhay II, 2020.

References

External links

RNA links

Provisional Government – Republic of New Afrika (Official Web Site)

New Afrika (Online Blog)

Articles and reports

''Firing Line
The Republic of New Africa]

William F. Buckley William Frank Buckley Jr. (born William Francis Buckley; November 24, 1925 – February 27, 2008) was an American public intellectual, conservative author and political commentator. In 1955, he founded ''National Review'', the magazine that stim ...

interviews Milton Henry, President of the Republic of New Afrika. Program number 126. Taped on Nov 18, 1968 (New York City, NY). 50 minutes. Available from the Hoover Institution. The first 5 minutes are accessible i
streaming RealAudio

''Understanding Covert Repressive Action: The Case of the US Government Against the Republic of New Africa''
by

Christian Davenport Christian Davenport is the Mary Ann and Charles R. Walgreen Professor for the Study of Human Understanding and political scientist at the University of Michigan. affiliated with the Ford School of Public Policy as well as the University of Michi ...

, Professor of Peace Studies and Political Science at the Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame.
The Real Republic of New Africa
By Dennis Smith, News Director. February 3, 2005. Accessed April 1, 2005 *Taifa, Nkechi (2015). "Republic of New Afrika". In Shujaa, Mwalimu J.; Shujaa, Kenya J. (eds.). ''The SAGE Encyclopedia of African Cultural Heritage in North America''. SAGE Publications, Inc. . . {{Ethnic nationalism Independence movements African-American history by location COINTELPRO targets 1968 establishments in Michigan Separatism in the United States Slavery in the United States Reparations for slavery Black separatism Politics and race in the United States Proposed countries Black Power African-American leftism Organizations established in 1968 Politics of the Southern United States History of the Southern United States Southeastern United States African and Black nationalism in the United States