United Black Men of Queens Foundation Inc.

08/20/2026

08/19/2026

08/18/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Center for Pan-African Studies Issues Urgent Warning on the Perils Facing Black Academics in Predominantly White Institutions

Date: August 18, 2026

In the wake of the tragic passing of Professor Jason Arday, the Center for Pan-African Studies (CPAS) issues this solemn warning and call to action. The relentless and racially charged campaign that preceded his death serves as a stark reminder of the unique and disproportionate dangers Black scholars face when they are singular figures in elite, predominantly white academic spaces.

The circumstances surrounding Professor Arday’s death are not an isolated incident but a tragic manifestation of systemic failures. After his historic appointment as Cambridge University’s youngest-ever Black professor in 2023, he was subjected to a media environment described by Cambridge’s own chancellor, Lord Chris Smith, as a “racist feeding frenzy” . This campaign, fueled by unsubstantiated allegations, targeted not only his academic work but also his personal history, manner of speaking, and very character a level of scrutiny rarely, if ever, applied to his white counterparts . The attacks intensified despite an investigation by Liverpool John Moores University concluding that he had not plagiarised his work .

This tragedy illustrates the profound vulnerability of Black scholars in isolated positions within historically white institutions. Research consistently shows that Black academics face systemic marginalisation, hyper-surveillance, and epistemic Othering within these environments . They experience a painful duality of hypervisibility and invisibility, being subjected to intense public scrutiny while their intellectual contributions are simultaneously devalued and their belonging is questioned . The sustained attack on Professor Arday was not merely an inquiry into academic integrity; it was a weaponisation of allegations to challenge the very legitimacy of Black presence and scholarship in elite academia, driven by forces that deny the systemic nature of racism itself .

For the Center for Pan-African Studies, Professor Arday’s ordeal is a resounding call to action. The peril of being a lone Black figure in a hostile environment underscores the absolute necessity for Africans and the Pan-African diaspora to build, fortify, and rely upon their own institutions. It is within our own centres of learning that we can cultivate an environment grounded in the principles of Truth, Justice, Harmony, Balance, Reciprocity, Order, and Propriety—the ancient Ma'atian ideals that represent a framework for ethical scholarship, community, and self-determination .

· Truth and Justice demand that our intellectual pursuits are rigorous and our histories are accurately told, free from the distortions of colonial narratives . We must establish and uphold our own standards of academic integrity.
· Harmony, Balance, and Order are essential for creating communities of care that protect and nurture our scholars, shielding them from the isolation and psychological violence that can befall them in unsupportive environments .
· Reciprocity and Propriety guide our relationships, ensuring that our institutions are built on mutual support and shared responsibility, not on the competitive and extractive models that often dominate Western academe .

The future of Pan-Africanism and the continent’s self-reliance depend on our ability to transform higher learning institutions from aspirational ideals into practical engines of development . This means investing in African universities, fostering collaborative research across the continent, and centring African epistemologies . The tragedy of Jason Arday is a powerful reminder that while we must continue to engage with the global academic community, our primary duty is to teach each other, to teach our community, and to teach the work that will build a unified and self-reliant African future.

We call on all Pan-African institutions, scholars, and leaders to redouble their efforts in building and strengthening our own academic ecosystems. We must create spaces where our scholars are not token figures to be exalted and destroyed, but valued members of a community dedicated to the liberation and advancement of all African people.

The Center for Pan-African Studies (CPAS) at SOAS University of London is a leading hub for research and scholarship on Pan-Africanism, exploring it as a transcontinental political formation and its role in contemporary debates on global justice and institutional reform .

08/17/2026

Beyond the Pyramids: Honoring History's First Multi-Genius 🏛️✨

Before the modern era celebrated the "Renaissance Man," there was Imhotep—a visionary architect, physician, engineer, and scholar of ancient Kemet (Egypt).

His design of the Step Pyramid of Djoser wasn't just an architectural marvel; it was a leap for humanity. As the world's first recorded physician and a trusted advisor, his legacy is a powerful testament to the boundless potential of the human mind. Yet, his monumental contributions are often overlooked.

That’s why we are excited to share this exquisite, hand-crafted collectible figurine from A World Before Genesis. It's more than a decoration; it's a daily reminder of:
✅ African excellence & achievement
✅ The pursuit of knowledge & innovation
✅ A shared human heritage of brilliance

Whether in your home, office, or classroom, this piece sparks conversation and inspires the next generation to dream big. It’s a perfect gift for educators, historians, and culture enthusiasts.

Own a symbol of greatness and celebrate a legacy that transcends time.

👉 Discover the story and bring this piece of history home: https://aworldbeforegenesis.com/imhotep/

IMHOTEP: The First Recorded Physician and Multi-Genius Add to Cart NEW! IMHOTEP: The First Multi-Genius (Hand-Crafted Collectible Figurine) Long before the modern world celebrated inventors, architects, physicians, and scholars, there was Imhotep.Widely regarded as one of history's earliest recorded...

08/12/2026

The Silent Struggle: Understanding Mental Health Crises Aboard Naval Ships in the Gulf

Recent reports and historical data paint a concerning picture of life aboard naval vessels deployed in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. While the term "committing su***de" is stark, the reality is more accurately described as a mental health crisis driven by extreme conditions, where service members face a combination of stressors that can, in the most tragic cases, lead to self-harm and suicidal ideation.

The "Floating Coffin": A Modern Crisis

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, deployed in the Gulf, recently earned the grim nickname "floating coffin" due to the dire conditions onboard. After over 200 days at sea without a port call, the ship's 5,000 crew members faced a perfect storm of hardship:

· Food and supply shortages: Meals reduced to sparse rations, such as a lunch of "half a bowl of rice and two tortillas," with fresh food rotting before reaching the ship. Basic hygiene items like soap and toothpaste became scarce.
· Deteriorating living conditions: Widespread toilet failures, weeks-long outages of laundry and shower facilities, walls covered in toxic black mold, and unreliable drinking water and hot water.
· Exhaustion: Sailors working 12-to-14-hour days, seven days a week, with no leave.

These conditions are so severe that the ship's medical staff publicly warned command that if the ship did not return to port, the consequences would be catastrophic, including "a large number of sailors would suffer mental breakdowns, leading to su***de, sabotage, and fatal operational errors when handling nuclear reactors and ammunition."

A Long-Recognized Pattern

This is not a new problem. Research has long documented the psychological toll of Gulf deployments. A 2004 study of Danish Gulf War veterans found a significantly higher prevalence of psychological distress particularly obsessive-compulsive symptoms and depression which researchers attributed to the "mentally distressing environment" of the deployment rather than any single toxic exposure.

Similarly, a 2025 study on active-duty Navy sailors identified the most problematic underway stressors: loud noises, inability to rest when needed, poor access to quality mental and physical healthcare, and insufficient personnel to complete the mission. Nearly half (48.3%) of the sailors surveyed felt that the services available to manage stress at sea were inadequate.

The Numbers Tell a Story

While the U.S. Navy has taken steps to address this, the problem persists. During the 1998/1999 Persian Gulf deployment of the USS Carl Vinson, the presence of a full-time clinical psychologist onboard was credited with managing hundreds of mental health consultations. Even then, four sailors required medical evacuation for psychiatric emergencies, which was actually fewer than on previous deployments without such dedicated mental health support.

The fact that the "Lincoln" medical staff are now issuing public warnings about mass mental breakdowns indicates that the current strain has surpassed the capacity of even standard support systems.

Conclusion

The crisis on naval ships in the Gulf is not merely one of logistics, but of humanity. When service members are deprived of basic necessities, rest, and medical care, the psychological consequences can be fatal. The situation serves as a stark reminder that the greatest threat to a sailor's life can, at times, be the very environment they are deployed in.

08/09/2026

Silence and Survival: What Nolan Wells’ Death Teaches Us About Neely Fuller’s Warning

On July 4, 2026, 18-year-old Nolan Wells a Black teen with college football dreams went on a boating trip to Horn Island, Mississippi, with his white friends. He never came home. His body was found two days later, face-down off the island's coast .

The friends returned safely. They hired lawyers. They remained largely silent. And the investigation stalled . An independent autopsy commissioned by the family found the cause of death "undetermined" . Meanwhile, authorities have made no arrests and named no suspects.

This case is a tragic reminder of a hard truth articulated by Neely Fuller Jr. , a scholar who spent decades analyzing the mechanics of white supremacy. In his book, The United Independent Compensatory Code, Fuller taught that victims of white supremacy must be prepared to defend themselves—by any means necessary because the system will not protect them.

When Silence Speaks Volumes

The friends in that boat refused to be candid. They lawyered up immediately. Instead of cooperating transparently, they let the ambiguity and the silence do the work for them. This pattern is painfully familiar. As Neely Fuller observed, the system of white supremacy operates on a double standard: when a white person is threatened, the full force of the law mobilizes; when a Black person is threatened—or killed—the law often shrugs .

Fuller argued that there is no logical reason for non-white people to trust a system designed to dominate them. "If you do not understand White Supremacy what it is, and how it works everything else that you understand will only confuse you," he famously wrote .

Fuller’s Call: Be Prepared to Kill to Defend Yourself

Fuller didn't preach violence for its own sake. He preached logic and survival. He taught that because the system often fails to protect non-white victims, self-defense isn't just a right it is a necessity.

He broke white supremacy down into nine areas of people activity: economics, education, entertainment, labor, law, politics, religion, s*x, and war . His goal was to help victims replace white supremacy with justice where no person is mistreated, and the person who needs the most help gets the most help .

The Nolan Wells case shows exactly what happens when victims or their families lack the tools to fight back in those arenas. Without clear answers, misinformation spread, threats were made against witnesses and officials, and strangers nationwide filled the void with speculation some helpful, some harmful .

Justice or Silence?

The Wells family has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump and offered a $125,000 reward for information leading to a conviction . The United Cajun Navy released a 22-page report identifying key questions: When was Wells last seen alive? What happened in the critical hours before his friends left?

But as Fuller warned, relying on the system to produce justice without proactive self-defense legal, financial, and strategic is a losing game.

The Lesson

Nolan Wells didn't get to come home. His friends did. Whether that outcome was an accident, negligence, or something worse remains unproven. But what is proven is this: silence protected the powerful and left the victim without answers.

Neely Fuller's message is not about hatred. It is about preparation. If you are a victim of white supremacy, you cannot afford to be naive. The system will not save you. In a world where the legal machinery can be weaponized against you, being equipped to defend yourself is the only logic that makes sense .

Let Nolan Wells' death be a somber reminder: prepare to defend yourself because, too often, no one else will.

08/09/2026

The Architects of Freedom: Revolutionary Leaders Who Shaped an Independent Jamaica

On August 6, 1962, after more than 300 years of British colonial rule, Jamaica finally claimed its independence . This milestone was not a sudden event but the culmination of centuries of resistance, sacrifice, and visionary leadership. As Jamaica commemorates this Independence Day, we honor the revolutionary leaders whose courage and foresight paved the way for the nation's freedom.

The journey to independence was long and arduous, shaped by figures from all walks of life—from enslaved rebels who fought with spiritual conviction to political giants who navigated the complex path to self-governance . Here are the key leaders whose legacy continues to define the Jamaican spirit.

The Maroon Leaders: Foundational Resistance

Long before the concept of political independence emerged, the Maroons established the template for Jamaican resistance. These escaped enslaved people formed communities that waged successful guerilla warfare against the British for decades.

Queen Nanny of the Maroons, affectionately known as "The Mother of Us All," stands as arguably the most consequential military figure in Maroon history. An Akan Queen Mother born in present-day Ghana in the 1680s, Nanny served as the religious, military, and cultural leader of the Windward Maroons from approximately 1725 to 1740 . Her leadership was so formidable that some have mythologized her, but historical records confirm her extraordinary ability to unite all Maroons of the island.

Nanny established Nanny Town atop Jamaica's Blue Mountains, a strategic fortress from which she orchestrated resistance against British forces. Despite the British outnumbering the Maroons exponentially, Nanny evaded capture for years, even during the height of the British effort to exterminate her from 1730 to 1734 . In 1976, she was named a National Hero of Jamaica, and Maroons continue to believe she was sent by God to lead the Jamaican people to freedom .

Captain Kojo (Cudjoe) , who led the Leeward Maroons based in Accompong, negotiated the Peace Treaty of 1739 with the British after 83 years of armed warfare. The Windward Maroons signed the Land Grant of 1740, which Queen Nanny subsequently used to establish New Nanny Town. Kojo remains equally celebrated among the Leeward Maroons, who gather annually at the Kindah Tree—sacred and symbolic of family unity—to honor their ancestors .

The Baptist War: Sam Sharpe's Holy Rebellion

Samuel Sharpe, an enslaved deacon and teacher, understood that the fight for freedom required both spiritual conviction and strategic action. Using his education and religious standing, Sharpe inspired his fellow enslaved people to rise up against the institution of slavery. The 1831 Christmas Rebellion he led would prove instrumental in bringing about the abolition of slavery in 1834 .

Sharpe's rebellion demonstrated that the enslaved were not passive recipients of liberation but active agents in their own emancipation. For his leadership, Sharpe was hanged on May 23, 1832, but his legacy endures—he and over 500 enslaved persons who joined the rebellion paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom Jamaicans enjoy today .

The Morant Bay Martyrs: George William Gordon and Paul Bogle

Thirty years after emancipation, meaningful improvement remained elusive for the formerly enslaved. Poverty and miserable conditions persisted, and the colonial government showed little interest in alleviating the suffering of the now-free population . It was within this context that George William Gordon and Paul Bogle emerged as advocates for justice.

George William Gordon, born in 1820 to a white planter and an enslaved woman, became a businessman and landowner in St. Thomas-in-the-East. As a member of the Jamaica Assembly, Gordon acquired a reputation as a vocal critic of the colonial government, particularly Governor Edward John Eyre. He maintained correspondence with English evangelical critics of colonial policy and established his own Native Baptist church, of which Paul Bogle served as deacon .

Paul Bogle, a deacon in Gordon's church, provided direct leadership to the people of St. Thomas. The conditions became so intolerable that in October 1865, the Morant Bay Rebellion erupted. The rebellion, though brutally suppressed, exposed the deep injustices of the colonial system. Gordon was taken from Kingston—where martial law was not in force—to Morant Bay, where it had been imposed, tried by court martial without due process, and executed. Paul Bogle was also executed in the aftermath .

The brutality of the suppression made the affair a cause célèbre in Britain. In 1965, both Gordon and Bogle were proclaimed National Heroes of Jamaica .

The Visionary of Black Pride: Marcus Garvey

Marcus Garvey brought a global dimension to Jamaica's struggle. In a world where oppression, prejudice, and segregation systematically denied colonized people opportunity, Garvey emerged as an ideological and intellectual leader of black nationalism and Pan-Africanism .

His work and ideas inspired African revolutionaries worldwide, awakened black pride, and mobilized black people globally to defend their economic interests, assert their equality, and manifest their political sovereignty. Garvey's influence extends far beyond Jamaica—his ideology continues to identify Jamaica internationally and remains a powerful inspiration for the global black consciousness movement .

The Founders of Modern Independence: Bustamante and Manley

The year 1938 marked a turning point in Jamaica's journey to independence. The social and economic conditions of Jamaican workers reached a boiling point, and two figures emerged to lead the struggle for social justice and economic opportunity .

Sir Alexander Bustamante founded the labor movement and became Jamaica's first Prime Minister. Norman Washington Manley became the advocate and activist for the right of all Jamaicans to vote and leader of the national movement for political independence. Both played leading roles in the workers' uprising of 1938, which opened the door to eventual freedom from colonial rule .

Their partnership, though eventually leading to the formation of Jamaica's two major political parties—the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP)—provided the stable democratic system that underpins independent Jamaica. Bustamante, who led the JLP, became premier after the April 1962 elections, and on August 6, 1962, he assumed the title of Prime Minister as Jamaica became an independent nation with full dominion status within the Commonwealth .

A Legacy of Resilience

As Jamaica celebrates its 64th anniversary of Independence under the theme "United in Celebrating Resilience," these revolutionary leaders remind us that resilience has carried Jamaica through every season of challenge and change . Their sacrifices transformed a colonial outpost into a nation that stands proud on the global stage.

As Norman Manley himself said at independence: "We have come to independence prepared and ready to shoulder our new responsibilities and united, I believe, in one single hope that we may make our small country a safe and happy home for all our people" .

This Independence Day, Jamaicans at home and across the diaspora honor these heroes who built the foundation of the nation—from the Maroon warriors who first defied British rule to the political leaders who navigated the path to sovereignty. Their legacy lives on in every Jamaican who continues to build a nation united in resilience, pride, and purpose .