A delegation of twelve U.S. congresspeople, headed by Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader of the House, is currently in Ghana, their only stop in Africa on a trip that will also take them to Israel.
During their visit to Ghana, the lawmakers went to various historic landmarks, including the office of the Diaspora African Forum (DAF), a non-profit organization endorsed by the African Union, which aims to support the African diaspora in their strategic involvement in the ongoing development of Africa.
The organization was founded by Ambassador Erieka Bennett, an African American, and is headquartered in a place with a rich history. In post-slavery times, Ghana played a special role in strengthening the bonds with the African diaspora because of its history as a vestige of the slave trade, with its Elmina Castle, similar to Goree Island in Senegal and Ouidah in Dahomey (now Benin) and their notorious “Doors of No Return.”
In 1961, the first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, invited William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, a renowned Afro-American sociologist, historian, author, civil rights activist, and Pan-Africanist, best known as W.E.B. Dubois, to come to Ghana to manage a major project for the black family: the Encyclopedia Africana.
Dubois, who had resurrected the project initiated by another Afro-American pioneer, moved to Ghana with his wife after the Ghanaian government secured funding. Dubois’ health declined over the next two years, and he became a Ghanaian citizen in 1963 after the U.S. government refused to renew his passport.
He died that same year in Accra at the age of 95, and the Ghanaian government gave him a state funeral and buried him near the seat of the Ghanaian government at that time.
The house where Dubois and his wife lived in Accra is now the W.E.B. Dubois Memorial Center, dedicated to his memory by the government. The center, where Dubois’ body was later interred, serves as the headquarters of the Diaspora African Forum, DAF.
Congressman Jeffries and the delegation visited DAF, where they were welcomed by Ambassador Bennett and given original, Made-in-Ghana chocolates customized with a picture of Jeffries. Bennett, also presented the delegation with her third book, “Just Be: Aging Gracefully,” which shares the wisdom she has gained throughout her international career in corporate communications and diplomacy.
The congressional delegation includes:
- Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Leader, U.S. House of Representatives
- Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member, Foreign Affairs Committee; Member, Committee on Financial Services
- Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Member, Committee on Appropriations; Member, Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government
- Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, Member, Committee on Energy and Commerce; Member, Committee on Homeland Security
- Rep. Stacey Plaskett, Ranking Member, Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government; Member, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
- Rep. Nanette Barragán, Chair, Congressional Hispanic Caucus; Member, Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Member, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Member, Financial Services Committee
- Rep. Steven Horsford, Chair, Congressional Black Caucus; Member, Financial Services Committee; Member, Armed Services Committee
- Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, Member, Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Rep. Joe Neguse, Chair, Democratic Policy and Communications Committee; Member, Judiciary Committee; Member, Rules Committee; Member, Natural Resources Committee
- Rep. Dean Phillips, Co-Chair, Democratic Policy and Communications Committee; Member, Foreign Affairs Committee; Member, Committee on Small Business
- Rep. Sara Jacobs, Caucus Leadership Representative; Member, Foreign Affairs Committee; Member, Armed Services Committee
Source: myafricanmagazine.com