“A hero is a person who is admired or idolized for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities.”
As a Pan-African educator, I have realized that a student’s potential inspiration and aspiration can occasionally be measured by the acknowledgment of their Hero. When a student or individual aspires to become or behave like another particular person, it can lead to a very goal-oriented, committed, and focused lifestyle. A student can be very forthright and honest when asked if he or she has a Hero, and if the answer is “No!” we can agree that there is definitely a level of historical restoration and cultural motivation that must immediately take place.
A grandparent, parent, or guardian should be a natural selection for a student’s heroism, but in today’s Black socio-cultural paradigm, those maternal and paternal choices are rare.
Today, social media and Americanized Hollywood schemes continually draw attention away from the everyday real-life Heroes in our families, communities, and schools.
I believe that having multiple Heroes to look up to can be a very powerful source of inspiration, but every Black person should have at least one.
UNIA -ACL President-General Redman Battle was one of my greatest Heroes.
It is rare to find or know someone who lives by what he or she believes. In Baba Battle, we found that rarity. In President-General Battle, we found a man who loved Black people unconditionally and non-apologetically.
On February 25, 1920, a precious gift was given to the Black world. A gift that would illuminate and evolve into a strong Black visionary who would be ultimately loved and respected by the thousands of African souls that he touched and inspired. Baba Redman Battle was a Hero to countless Black people.
In 1971, he co-founded the Pan-African Federation Organization (PAFO). PAFO was dedicated to helping Black people regain their former dignity, glory, and world respect. Baba was a world traveler who spent time in Egypt, Ghana, and other African countries. He lectured extensively on African history throughout the U.S. and created Black history curricula that are used in classrooms today. He co-authored two powerful books, ‘Journey of The Songhai People’ and ‘Cultural Genesis.’
In 1982, Baba Redman Battle joined the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL), which was founded by Marcus Garvey in 1914.
On the local UNIA level, he served as President of Philadelphia’s Thomas W. Harvey Memorial Division #121. On the International level, he was elected to the Parent Body as High Chancellor in 1992 and then as 2nd Assistant President-General in 2000. He was elected President-General and Administrator in 2004 and continued to uphold the Great legacy of the Honorable Marcus Garvey and the many other strong African leaders of the past–right up until his transition with the ancestors on December 30, 2007.
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Thank you for reading an excerpt of KhabyrHadas’ article on scoopusamedia.com. Khabyr Hadas is a Pan-African educator, author, and teacher at Harambee Institute of Science and Technology Charter School, founded by Baba John Skeif in 1972. khabyrhadas@gmail.com
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