August 31 declared African History Reflection Day

August 31 was declared African History Reflection Day.

The centenary of the founding of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA) by pan-African champion Marcus Garvey in Kingston, Jamaica has been marked by a motion declaring August 31 as African History Reflection Day (AHRD).

The motion, which was proposed by the African Histories Revisited and TAOBQ (The African Or Black Question) community organisations, was carried at the UNIA @ 100 presentation by history consultant Kwaku entitled ‘Marcus Garvey, Economic Empowerment And Relevance To Ghana’, which took place at the Ghana High Commission in Highgate, north London.

AHRD is inspired by articles of UNIA’s Declaration Of The Rights Of The Negro Peoples Of The World, which was adopted on August 13 1920 at a UNIA convention in New York.

AHRD is about setting aside August 31 as a day to reflect on African history with a focus on African empowerment and enterprise, and engaging children wherever possible in any aspect of the global African experience and history. Children in this case include anyone young at heart and still interested in learning.

It is proposed that August 31 should be observed as a holiday, in that whether as individuals, families, or community groups, we suspend the ordinary business or routine of the day for however long is deemed practical to highlight and deliberate on the relevance and lessons learnt from global African history, and how to move forward as empowered and confident people.

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