Divine Leaders

The MGLG 2nd Anniversary Fund Raiser

2012-01-24T15:03:00.000-08:00

The Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden 2nd Anniversary Fund Raiser & Seed Swap

Over the course of the past two years The Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden and Food Co-op Program (MGLG) has served the purpose of combating food deserts and teaching about alternative methods for food security. This purpose has been accomplished directly by supplying our community with healthy produce. The MGLG has also accomplished this task indirectly by demonstrating and teaching community members how to grow food on their own property using alternative growing methods.

This celebration is very important not only for our project, but it will be very influential for gardeners across the Houston area because we will be hosting a Seed Swap. The Seed Swap is a network of local sustainable farmers/gardeners who harvest their own seeds. As a part of the program these growers gather twice a year (right before the spring and fall) to exchange their seed with each other. This network is PHENOMENAL for two reasons! First, growers now have the capacity to know exactly where there seeds come from and who produced them and growers are able to speak with the actual person who grew the crop to find out what method works best to render the best results. Second, the seeds acquired at a seed swap are adapted to our local climate!!! This increases the chance of the productivity of the seeds because it is being growing in a very similar soil and climate from which it was originally produced! The vast majority of our crops last year were harvested from our own crops in the previous year or acquired from previous Seed Swaps.

As we are embarking on the beginning of our third year, we are in need of assistance of the community to help us attain two large items that are essential to our continued expansion. We need to build an irrigation system and purchase a storage shed. These two items are needed in addition to our basic purchase of soil amendments and other garden tools or supplies. Therefore we would appreciate if you made a Pledge of Support to the cause and purpose of the MGLG. The Pledge Drive will end on the day of our 2nd Anniversary. Other than the deep satisfaction of making a direct impact in the health of a community, you can see what tangible rewards are available for your support of The Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden and Food Co-op Program.

Pledge Amount Reward

$1 - $10 Information pamphlet on MGLG and how to start personal garden

$10 - $20 Potted vegetables to grow at home

$20 - $50 A pair of MGLG gardening gloves

$50 - $100 A fruit tree dedicated in the name of the person of their choice

$100 - $200 A section of the irrigation system dedicated to the person of their choice

$200 - $500 A one year membership to the Co-op Program and acknowledgement at each garden event.

$500 or more A permanent member of Co-op Program and acknowledgement at upcoming garden events.

Pledge Amounts between $1 and $200 will receive all rewards of their pledged range and the preceding pledge.

Pledge Amounts between $200 or more will receive the rewards of their pledge and a choice of two rewards in the $1-$50 range.

If you would like to pledge or donate any amount of money to The MGLG your danation can be processed at http://themglg2nd.eventbrite.com/. Your support is welcomed and greatly appreciated!

For more information on how to show your support Cavanaugh Nweze @ cnweze@hotmail.com or 832-262-8019

www.marcusgarveyliberationgarden.com

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My Journey Since My Departure

2012-01-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

Since departing from my accounting position at CITGO Petroleum I have had the opportunity to embark on many different endeavors. I have taught a couple of gardening classes, traveled at will (both business and leisure), installed a garden at a middle school, formulated and helped organize a community garden program in Florida, devised a community garden plan for an independent Philadelphia mayoral candidate, expanded my own gardening program, and have come within 12 hours of attaining my masters degree. Some of these projects were paid jobs; others were purely volunteer work, paid only with a great amount of satisfaction for my soul.

Immediately following the end of my corporate position I was a part of a summer camp program at Key Middle School. This was the first gardening class I taught. As a part of the program and with the help of the children we installed a vegetable in the school’s courtyard. Not only did we build a garden, but we taught children about healthy eating habits. The second garden class I have taught was a part of an after-school program at Cornelius Elementary School. I was invited to participate in the program by a brother in the community who coordinates another local community garden called Muhammad Organic Farm. To have the ability to teach children how to grow their own food and being able to observe their excitement in the growth of vegetables has been a wonderful experience.

As I stated earlier, some of my work has led me to St. Petersburg, FL. I was invited by the Uhuru Movement to speak at a local community convention about a vision for a program I created called “Grub Not Grass”. The mission of the program is to increase stability and genuine economic development of low-income communities by converting vacant lots and personal grass lawns into ecologically and economically sustainable urban gardens. My presentation was very well received and during my stay in the area we went to work immediately to make this mental vision into a physically visible sight in the surrounding communities of St. Petersburg. We created at least 10 gardens as a part of the program and met with a couple of other land owners who were interested in being future program participants. Immediately following my presentation at the convention, I met a gentleman named Diop Olugbala. This brother had recently announced his plan to run for Mayor of Philadelphia and wanted to combine my vision for “Grub Not Grass” as a part of his campaign platform.

To receive a request to combine my vision with a mayoral campaign was quite an honor. So we had a couple of meetings and a month or so later I was on my way to Philadelphia, PA. Before my arrival I was briefed on the policies of police containment in Philadelphia and how $2.9 million annually was being spent by the present administration to imprison black and Latino youth. So we took that same $2.9 million and created a budget to convert at least 40 lots per year and employ (at the minimum) 396 young people in low-income communities of Philadelphia. The budget we created was just another form of the program called “Grub Not Grass”.

I have been blessed to be a part of many opportunities and to have more time to dedicate to my own personal endeavors. I have expanded my own community garden program close to a half of an acre, if not more. Also, I have restarted my masters degree program and have come to within 12 semester hours of completion. However, these great achievements have not come without encountering a few disappointments and hardships. There are more than a few endeavors which did not come into fruition for many different reasons. On my own behalf some financial and judgment mistakes have been made. Not to mention, I encountered a foundation problem at my home that put a nice size dent in my personal budget.

Despite the mistakes and inconveniences, I consider it all a very enlightening experience to be able to indulge in the endeavors in which I have. I have been able to learn many different things; most of these things have been about me. In terms of my immediate future, I will very soon be finished with my masters degree and will start the process to receive my CPA license. To do this and many other endeavors I must once again increase my income stream. So, I have begun to actively look for a more traditional accounting position and other opportunities to have the ability to bring even more of my dreams and desires into fruition.

Ujamaa - "Cooperative Economics"

2011-12-29T14:42:00.000-08:00

Habari Gani??!?!

Ujamaa!!!

The term Ujamaa is Swahili for “cooperative economics”. It is a term that is practiced very little in the black community. Even personally, I am working harder to learn how to be more economically cooperative in my own community. This term should not only be thought of and promoted during the celebration of Kwanzaa but in everyday lives of citizens of the international Black community.

Therefore, I chose to take this time to challenge you to not only recite, celebrate, or talk about this term or principle for a short period of time. I would love for us all to practice what we preach!!! Yes! You and I both can show more financial support of our own endeavors. There is one project that I am quite fond of and dedicated to, that project is called The Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden. (For those unfamiliar with the project please visit www.marcusgarveyliberationgarden.com)

In the course of administering this service to our community we are rapidly approaching our third year of service. Just as last year, each moment that passes represents another step we must take in becoming more diligent and efficient in providing the greatest amount of benefits to the community in which we exist. To be able to feed more families and continue to increase the supply of healthy produce in the middle of a food desert, we need your support in the terms of “cooperative economics”.

We have grown a great deal since we first planted seeds in our garden in March of 2009. In the time of our existence we have expanded from a garden of 325 square feet into the size of a small farm with a cultivated area close to a half of an acre, if not more. To continue growing at the rate that we are, we will always be in need of your financial support. Our current situation calls for us to purchase a storage shed and supplies to install an irrigation system. These two tasks are not the easiest things to do, nor are they out of our reach with the support of wonderful and beautiful people just like you!

We all hope that you choose to practice “cooperative economics” by making a financial contribution to our project. Regardless of whatever it is that you choose to do, please remember we are not the only community organization that could use your financial support. Most importantly, remember that money is not everything. The assistance of your two hands, your creative ideas, and your ability to spread the good news about any project is just as meaningful as any financial donation that can be made. Your thoughts, prayers, physical assistance, and moral support are worth more than anything that can be printed on paper and has the capacity to create a currency of our own. The currency of Love! So give Love! Cooperate Economically!!! However, don’t just give your money; give your community a piece of yourself!

For more information on The Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden contact Cavanaugh Nweze @ cnweze@hotmail.com or (832)262-8019.

The History of Globalization 1950-2000’s

2011-09-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

I was taking notes on this topic in an International Trade and Business class. Very good information, so I thought I would share and make this information available for everyone.

Here it is...

Per capita GDP – national output per person

In 1950 the US had half as many people as Europe and almost the same share of the world economy.

20% of the world’s population controlled more than 50% of the entire world economy. While the other 80% of world population only accounted for roughly 40% of the world economy.

China, India, and Africa all had about 4% of the world economy. Since China had 22% of world population and only 4% of the economy means, on a per person basis, China was poorer than both India and Africa.

Year 1950 % of World Population, Share of World GDP

US 6%, 27%

Western Europe 12%, 26%

USSR 7%, 10%

Latin America 8%, 8%

Japan 3%, 3%

China 22%, 4%

India 14%, 4%

Africa 9%, 4%

2006 % of World Population, Share of World GDP

US 5%, 22%

Western Europe not given, not given

USSR not given, not given

Latin America 9%, 8%

Japan 2%, 7%

China 20%, 10%

India 17%, 5%

Africa 12%, 2%

Please note that in 2006 Japan and China more than doubled their share of the global economy. India’s share increased as well. All emerging country’s share of the global economy increased between 1950 – 2006. All, except Africa. The global economy increased eight fold in this period of time, but the distribution of wealth is still majority owned and controlled by industrialized nations. These same industrialized nations use their large amounts of capital to continue to economically oppress the continent of Africa.

The Roots of Globalization

New Global Institutions

• WTO –World Trade Organization

• IMF – International Monetary Fund

Goal: “To foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty”

-1945 International Monetary Fund at Bretton Woods

• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development – World Bank

International Policy Changes

There was a change in the attitude towards international trade. Countries began to believe that if one country had economic relationships with another, they would be a much smaller chance of those countries going to was with one another. For example, the European Union, Germany is least likely to invade a country that it is financially dependent upon.

Changes inTechnology

Speed of travel and shipping of goods.

The spread of telephones, fax machines, then internet.

New global institutions, international policy changes, and changes in technology all brought the world much more inter-related.

By 2006 world population has doubled, but the approximate population shares between countries stayed relatively the same. The Global Economy grew almost 8-fold between the years of 1950-2005. The average economic world output per person almost tripled in 50 years. The World economy shifted towards Asia.

The wealth gas between the US and Asian countries (China, Japan, and India) shrunk. The wealth per person in the US was 10 times higher than the wealth person in Africa in 1950. By 2006 the wealth per person grew in the US 25 times more than the wealth per person in Africa. Remember, in the 1950’s numbers show Africa was higher than India and China. Now, we can no longer say that is the case.

Exports used to account for 7% of a given countries income in 1950. Now, 25% of a country’s income is made from exports. In the mid 2000’s, the US economy is attracting $700-800 billion a year from financial investors outside the US.

The Diminished Role and Power of the US

The extreme dominance of the US is diminishing. In China and India, the standards of living can double every 8-10 years. This type of growth is not only happening in China and India, but there are other East Asian countries, Brazil, and even some countries in Africa. Economic growth of the first 10 years of the 2000’s will probably be one of the fastest economic growths in human history. These enormous gains are also paired with enormous challenges. Challenges such as equality, lasting poverty, fairness, lack of food.

In the next few decades China will pass the US as the largest economy in the world. The Us will still be richer on a per person basis, but China has almost four times as many people of the US. If this type of economic growth continues, by 2040, China will be financially stronger than US, Western Europe, and Japan combined!

With these changes, global economic growth will no longer depend on the US, the US will no longer control the pace of change, the US will no longer control oil prices due to a much larger demand in developing countries, the US does not have overwhelming power in commercial technology, the US does not control the flows of international financial capital, US does not control the value of its own currency (controlled by buyer and sellers of financial markets). For the US there will be a long going loss of power and control of the world economy!

Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden #2

2011-08-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

The summer of 2011 have brought about many changes for our organization. One of the major changes have been the fact that we have started or second Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden. The second garden is located at Key Middle School on the North side of Houston, TX. Instead of simply building a garden, we taught a month long garden class to students who were preparing to enter into Middle School. We were pulled into this project by one of the administrators of The Perfect Black Uhuru Academy (http://www.pbuacademy.info/). PBUA and Divine Leaders Inc. worked together to be deliver contract services to Houston Independent School District for Gardening Classes and African Dance Classes. In other words, we were employed to teach Culture and Self-Sufficiency. Check out photos below!

The pictures below are from the final program that the children did on the last day of the summer camp program. Everything that was learned in the duration of the program was displayed for everyone to see. (One of the students took the pictures for the performance. lol)

2nd Annual Give A Gift to Your Community Campaign

2011-02-07T16:10:00.000-08:00

Divine Leaders Inc. and The Shrine of the Black Madonna #10 are proud to announce the beginning of The 2nd Annual Give a Gift to Your Community Campaign. This campaign comes at a time when we are preparing for the upcoming spring and growing season. To make sure this upcoming season is better than the last, we need your help! This campaign allows donors to directly impact the operations of our garden by purchasing items that will be essential in aiding us in providing more fresh organic produce to our community.

This year our sponsorship levels have changed slightly to reflect the changes that we are experiencing as our project grows and becomes more successful. Any person or organization is able to become a sponsor. Any donation is a tax deduction. We also want you to know that are sponsorship levels are made to emphasize what our garden needs the most. Any donation, more or less than the specified sponsor levels will be accepted.

The Garden Bed Level will allow us to build a 25x15 ft. plot in our garden. This level is very important because our garden is located on 2.5 acres of land, and we only use less than 10% of that land as of right now. The more space we use to grow food, the more food we can grow! It is also important to know that there are no limits in number of beds that we can build. The only thing that has limited us up until now is the number of volunteers and amount of funds needed to cultivate the land.

The Water Reservoir Level will allow us to increase the capacity and efficiency of our rain water harvesting system. This level is very important because last year we experienced at least four months of water bills that were $200 or more. By placing an emphasis on increasing the capacity of our rain water harvesters, this will aid us in becoming more effective in achieving some of the main goals of our garden and food co-op program. In 2010 we started this project to reduce the amount of wealth funneled out of our community for healthy food, and to become more self-sufficient as a community. Therefore, by increasing our rain water harvesting capacity we will achieve both of these goals and nurture our garden with water provided by nature instead of the City of Houston.

Lastly, we have our Fruit Tree Level. This level is very important as well, and probably already the most successful aspect of this fundraising campaign. After the finishing touches were made to this campaign, the word traveled about our need of fruit trees. So I am proud to let you know that a little less than a month ago a generous supporter donated more than 12 trees of a variety of different fruits. We now have over 20 trees in the Marcus Garvey Liberation Orchard!!! (Avocado, Plum, Orange, Tangerine, Bananas, Figs and Berries) So as of right now we have come to the conclusion that we do not need to add any more trees in this upcoming season. Therefore, any donation made at the Fruit Tree Level will be allocated to our efforts of increasing the capacity of rain water harvesting system.

If there are any questions on how to make your donation for the fund raising campaign, please call 832-262-8019 or send an email to cnweze@hotmail.com. Now that you have been notified of what has been done and will be accomplished in the next few weeks, it is mandatory for you to know how we will celebrate the success of our Give a Gift to Your Community Campaign. This upcoming March 5th we will be acknowledging our sponsors for this years fundraising campaign and celebrating our first year of serving our community by hosting The MGLG First Africanaversary!!! We appreciate your undying support and can’t wait to see you this upcoming season!!!

www.marcusgarveyliberationgarden.com

www.divineleaders.blogspot.com

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We Need Your Help and Your Cardboard

2010-11-29T16:20:00.000-08:00

The Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden (MGLG) is in existence to increase the supply of organic produce in Southeast Houston, TX. We also strive to educate individuals on more efficient methods of urban gardening.

Since our inception in March 2010, we have and still are using four methods to cultivate our garden. The most successful method we have is used is the method in which we cover the ground with a layer of cardboard and hay. This is by far one of the most efficient methods of gardening that we use because the ground is never tilled, no bed is built, and no extra soil is needed.

This cardboard method is ideal for virgin soil (an area that has never been cultivated for a garden). The cardboard starts to kill the grass immediately by shielding it from the sunlight. The grass dies and becomes compost and fertilizer for your plants. The layer of hay is used to help cover some of the holes in the cardboard and stop the cardboard from being blown away by the wind. The grass below will be completely dead within two weeks. (You can always look under cardboard to check it.) Once there is no longer any grass living, we made small holes in the hay and cardboard for the sewing of the seeds. When the seed germinates it is the only thing that will sprout! All weeds and grass is blocked by the cardboard.

There are numerous benefits to this method. One of the most prevalent benefits is there is no weeding needed. The cardboard does not only stop the weeds from growing, but it does not allow direct sunlight to reach the soil. This helps because direct sunlight during long Texas summer days can dry out a soil in a matter of hours. If you ever have the chance to play in soil, you will notice the top of the soil is much lighter than the soil a fraction of an inch below the surface. The lighter top soil is visual proof that the direct sunlight is depleting the soil of some of its nutrients. When you see a forest or jungle, there are many plants and trees growing, but no soil is exposed. The soil is covered with organic matter, which is exactly what we try to replicate in the MGLG with the use of cardboard and hay. Another benefit of using the cardboard is that much less water is needed because the rate of evaporation is slowed due to the lack of direct sunlight beaming on the soil.

This is why we need your cardboard! As you partake in the Holiday Season festivities remember that the cardboard that gift came in can be put to use in our garden! You must also remember that it is much more efficient to reuse materials rather than recycle them. So don’t recycle those brown cardboard boxes, let us reuse them for you!

In addition to the cardboard, we need YOU! Gardening in Texas is year-round! We will be much more successful if you chose to lend us the labor of your hands. Once you come you will leave with fruits of your labor, FOOD! Fresh, Organic food grown and produced as the fruit of the labor of our other volunteers! We would like to include you in the list of wonderful people! Can you lend us a hand?

If you are interested in volunteering or simply making a donation you can contact our Garden Coordinator, Cavanaugh Nweze at 832-262-8019 or cnweze@hotmail.com. I am pretty sure he is looking forward to hearing from you!

My Community Efforts

2010-09-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

I am an employee of CITGO Petroleum. They have a program called "Fueling Good". In the program employees have the chance to nominate co-workers for their community work. Being that I started a community garden a number of my co-workers have chosen to nominate me. I recieved an email today stating they need an explanation from me so I can be considered if I should be a finalist for the competition. What I have posted below, is what I submitted to them. What do you think? Do you think I deserve a reward for my work in the community?

My Community Efforts
My community efforts began long before I became an employee of CITGO. I was always active in the community being that my grandmother was a powerful player in city politics in Dallas, TX, and in Houston, TX a city council representative was a close family friend. By the age of 20 I participated in two city political campaigns and numerous community activities. My adult years have not been much different. I sometimes tell friends I was raised in community activism.

In 2006, while I was an accounting student at Prairie View A&M University, two friends and I founded a nonprofit organization called Divine Leaders Incorporated. I am still Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Operating Officer of Divine Leaders Incorporated. During mid 2009 we decided to go into a partnership with a local church that owned 2.5 acres of land that was being unused. Due to the fact that the neighborhood I was raised in and still live in now, is in the middle of what is known as a “food desert”, we made the decision to start the Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden and Food Coop Program (MGLG).

The MGLG officially began Feb. 28, 2010 when we held a Groundbreaking ceremony in the garden. The MGLG is completely organic and we use three different gardening methods to demonstrate to participants the many ways they can convert their lawns to gardens. No food grown in MGLG is sold. All food is donated to the volunteers and households living below the poverty line in our community. Since the beginning of the MGLG we have given away over 100 lbs of organic produce.

The MGLG has quickly evolved from a simple community garden into a family friendly venue of entertainment. This happened when we hosted our First Annual Greater Houston Urban Garden Festival on August 21, 2010. You can view pictures of our festival here: http://bit.ly/bchPfY. In these hard economic times, our garden hosted almost 20 small businesses to sale their goods directly to patrons at our festival. The festival was also an opportunity for local independent artist to showcase their talents as well.

As you can see, my community endeavors has created a plethora of good opportunities for individuals living in the lower economic neighborhoods of Houston, TX. If you would like to view pictures of our Groundbreaking Ceremony, you could do so here: http://bit.ly/bdEjEz. Finally, to see all the wonderful food that we have given out since the beginning of the MGLG, just scroll down.

Helping You, Help Others

2010-08-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

As we all know, we are rapidly approaching the beginning of a new school year. We also know, that in lower economic communities it is a struggle to provide basic household necessities, let alone purchasing new school supplies. So a local organization has stepped up to help you, help others.

That organization is IamWorthing. It was founded by a high school classmate of mine at Evan E. Worthing High School in Houston, TX. They are accepting backpacks, writing utensils, folders, binders, paper, dividers, calculators, and gift certificates. If you would like to donate and need more information on how to do so, please feel free to contact Kenneth Eaton at kmeaton.htu@gmail.com. The children are the future and they appreciate your help.

Thanks

Greater Houston Urban Garden Festival

2010-07-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release
Houston, TX, August 21, 2010. Divine Leaders Inc., an educational and community service nonprofit organization, will host The Greater Houston Urban Garden Festival.
This is a celebration for many wonderful reasons! First, it will pay homage to the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, who was born on August 17, 2010, and whose Universal Negro Improvement Association’s “Africa for the Africans” campaign gave Black people in the early 1900’s hope for a better tomorrow. In addition to that, we will also be celebrating the community’s involvement with The Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden and Food Coop Program via multiple community awareness and family activities. The event will include live performances and presentations from local independent music and visual artists of varying genres.

This event will also mark the beginning of The Ujamaa Marketplace. The Ujamaa Marketplace will demonstrate cooperative economics by featuring local vendors for festival goers to patronize as well as learn more about vendor’s respective businesses and associated organizations. To find out more information to become a vendor, please contact Nykeba Griffin at 832-788-4332 or www.twitter.com/abimbola80.

Your attendance, participation and support of this event would be greatly appreciated. If you need more general information about this event feel free to contact Cavanaugh Nweze at 832-262-8019 or www.twitter.com/DivineLeaders.

http://www.divineleaders.blogspot.com/

First Annual Greater Houston Urban Garden Festival

2010-06-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Community Member,

Divine Leaders Incorporated is proud to host The First Annual Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden Festival. This historic event will be take place at our garden on Saturday, August 21, 2010 on two and a half acres of land located immediately to the right of The Shrine Cultural and Event Center.

This is a celebration for many wonderful reasons! First, we will pay homage to the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, who was born on August 17, 2010, and whose Universal Negro Improvement Association’s “Africa for the Africans” campaign gave Black people hope for a better tomorrow in the early 1900’s. In addition, we will also be celebrating the community’s involvement with this project via multiple community awareness activities, including live performances and presentations from local independent music and visual artists of varying genres.

Other community awareness activities will include presentations on healthy lifestyles and emergency preparedness strategies for families. The intent will be to encourage parents and children to make transitions from a less stressful way of living to a more sustainable, healthy way of living. To aid in the reaching of this goal, an emphasis will be placed on creating an awareness, preparation, and evacuation plan for any disaster – manmade or natural.

Moreover, this event will also mark the beginning of The Ujamaa Marketplace. Ujamaa is a Kiswahili word, which means “cooperative economics.” The Ujamaa Marketplace will demonstrate cooperative economics by featuring local vendors for festival-goers from which to patronize as well as opportunities to promote their respective businesses and associated organizations.

Lastly, this event is to celebrate and raise funds for the harvests of the Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden. This is the first full season the garden that has flourished enough to benefit the community through the growth and distribution of organic foods to both the volunteers who assisted as well as to local community households in need.

Your attendance, participation, and support of this event would be greatly appreciated.

Yours in the struggle,

Cavanaugh Nweze

Divine Leaders Inc., COO

Now Accepting Nominations for Marcus Garvey Liberation Food Coop Program Reciepients

2010-05-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

Peace Family!

I wish you all blessings wherever you may be at this moment. This is a very important and exciting time for us at Divine Leaders Inc. This is because of the success of our latest program, The Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden and Food Coop Program. So this blog entry is to update you on the continued success of the Garden and beginning of the Food Coop Program.

On the day of March 6, 2010, we planted a numerous seeds in the garden after our Groundbreaking Ceremony. We planted corn, roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, green beans, broccoli, kale, cucumbers, squash, watermelons, oregano, peppermint, and rosemary. For some reason the herbs we planted did not do to well, but we still do have all the vegetables mentioned above flourishing in the garden as you can see in the pictures below. As time has passed we have discovered a wild berry tree in the back of the garden, planted a nectarine tree, and added seven banana trees. Well now it is time to start reaping the fruits of our labor.

The first crop that was ready to be harvested was Kale. We picked it and distributed between out most dedicated volunteers. Now our squash, tomatoes, and green beans are maturing. In honor of the ancestors and all of who have helped us along the way, we would like to announce that we are now accepting nominations for five poverty stricken households that will start to receive fresh veggies as we pick them.

For a household to qualify they must house at lease one child, or one elderly citizen of our community. Initially, we only planned on opening this program to senior citizens and single-parent households living under the poverty line in the Southeast area of Houston, TX. Now we are announcing that this program is open to all poverty stricken households in Southeast Houston, TX.

The nomination process is a little different. We wanted this process to demonstrate how important we feel the words of the elders are. So the only way to be nominated for this part of the program is to be nominated by an elder. Any elder (50 years or older) of the community can contact Cavanaugh Nweze via email (cnweze@hotmail.com), phone (832-262-8019), or in person. If an email is sent please be sure to include “Nomination for MGLG” in the subject line of the email.

After an individual has been nominated they must complete an evaluation form. Then their after the evaluation they will be notified if they will be one of the five households receiving fresh fruits and vegetables.

So please spread the word!!! Nominate a household!!! Or simply enjoy the pictures....

A Successful Groundbreaking

2010-03-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

Peace!

We are continuing to make progress at The Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden. Last Sunday was especially important because it marked our Groundbreaking Ceremony. It is truly a blessing to be able to see this idea blossoming into a great institution within our community! We want to give a tremendous amount of thanks to our sponsors; Jaramogi Kimathi, Sankofa Naturals, Melodrama Boutique, Clyde and Kamaria McNeil, Cheryl Thomas, and Jaha Kadirifu. Also, we would like to thank Baba Ifalade for the pouring of libation and Cd. Aswad Walker for his beautiful blessing and an endless amount of support. We have a very special acknowledgement of Turk Photography (http://www.capturedbyturk.com/) for all the wonderful photos. Last but not least, we want to thank you!!! Please continue showing the huge amount of support we have been receiving. If you would like to know how you can help us be even more successful, please contact Cavanaugh Nweze @ 832-262-8019 or cnweze@hotmail.com.

Thanks and Enjoy the Pictures!!!

Groundbreaking Ceremony

2010-02-26T06:28:00.000-08:00

Peace!!!

I hope all is well within your King/Queendom!!! Because within the "Divinedom" (where we reside) all is great! We are in the final stages of preparation for our Groundbreaking Ceremony this Sunday @ 2pm. We will be seeking the approval and blessings from the both ancestors and our community for this tremendous project. We will have a Drum Circle, Pouring of libation, acknowledgement of our sponsors, Refreshments, and mingling amongst conscious members of our community. If you would like to come out we are located at 5309 Martin Luther King Blvd., Houston, TX 77021. Also, the Groundbreaking Ceremony marks the end of our Sponsorship Campaign, "Give a Gift to your Community"! So if you are interested in becoming one of our sponsors, please contact us by Saturday @ 11:59 pm. We look forward to receiving your love and support. If you have an questions one of our previous blogs should answer them. If not, never hesitate to ask questions!

Peace!

Yes, You Can Still Sponsor Our Liberation Garden!!!

2010-02-18T10:10:00.000-08:00

The Sponsorship Campaign Ends on the date of our Groundbreaking Ceremony, Feb. 28, 2010 .

We're Moving Forward

2010-02-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

Just want to keep up to date. We have started purchasing our garden tools and we plan to do an initial clearing of the land on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010. Hopefully, the weather agrees!!! We can't wait!!! Also Divine Leaders, Inc. is now on twitter!

http://twitter.com/DivineLeaders

Why the US Owes Haiti Billions – The Briefest History

2010-01-19T12:20:00.000-08:00

Why does the US owe Haiti Billions? Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State, stated his foreign policy view as the "Pottery Barn rule." That is - "if you break it, you own it."

The US has worked to break Haiti for over 200 years. We owe Haiti. Not charity. We owe Haiti as a matter of justice. Reparations. And not the $100 million promised by President Obama either - that is Powerball money. The US owes Haiti Billions - with a big B.

The US has worked for centuries to break Haiti. The US has used Haiti like a plantation. The US helped bleed the country economically since it freed itself, repeatedly invaded the country militarily, supported dictators who abused the people, used the country as a dumping ground for our own economic advantage, ruined their roads and agriculture, and toppled popularly elected officials. The US has even used Haiti like the old plantation owner and slipped over there repeatedly for sexual recreation.

Here is the briefest history of some of the major US efforts to break Haiti.

In 1804, when Haiti achieved its freedom from France in the world's first successful slave revolution, the United States refused to recognize the country. The US continued to refuse recognition to Haiti for 60 more years. Why? Because the US continued to enslave millions of its own citizens and feared recognizing Haiti would encourage slave revolution in the US.

After the 1804 revolution, Haiti was the subject of a crippling economic embargo by France and the US. US sanctions lasted until 1863. France ultimately used its military power to force Haiti to pay reparations for the slaves who were freed. The reparations were 150 million francs. (France sold the entire Louisiana territory to the US for 80 million francs!)

Haiti was forced to borrow money from banks in France and the US to pay reparations to France. A major loan from the US to pay off the French was finally paid off in 1947. The current value of the money Haiti was forced to pay to French and US banks? Over $20 Billion - with a big B.

The US occupied and ruled Haiti by force from 1915 to 1934. President Woodrow Wilson sent troops to invade in 1915. Revolts by Haitians were put down by US military - killing over 2000 in one skirmish alone. For the next nineteen years, the US controlled customs in Haiti, collected taxes, and ran many governmental institutions. How many billions were siphoned off by the US during these 19 years?

From 1957 to 1986 Haiti was forced to live under US backed dictators "Papa Doc" and "Baby Doc" Duvlaier. The US supported these dictators economically and militarily because they did what the US wanted and were politically "anti-communist" - now translatable as against human rights for their people. Duvalier stole millions from Haiti and ran up hundreds of millions in debt that Haiti still owes. Ten thousand Haitians lost their lives. Estimates say that Haiti owes $1.3 billion in external debt and that 40% of that debt was run up by the US-backed Duvaliers.

Thirty years ago Haiti imported no rice. Today Haiti imports nearly all its rice. Though Haiti was the sugar growing capital of the Caribbean, it now imports sugar as well. Why? The US and the US dominated world financial institutions - the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank - forced Haiti to open its markets to the world. Then the US dumped millions of tons of US subsidized rice and sugar into Haiti - undercutting their farmers and ruining Haitian agriculture. By ruining Haitian agriculture, the US has forced Haiti into becoming the third largest world market for US rice. Good for US farmers, bad for Haiti.

In 2002, the US stopped hundreds of millions of dollars in loans to Haiti which were to be used for, among other public projects like education, roads. These are the same roads which relief teams are having so much trouble navigating now!

In 2004, the US again destroyed democracy in Haiti when they supported the coup against Haiti's elected President Aristide.

Haiti is even used for sexual recreation just like the old time plantations. Check the news carefully and you will find numerous stories of abuse of minors by missionaries, soldiers and charity workers. Plus there are the frequent sexual vacations taken to Haiti by people from the US and elsewhere. What is owed for that? What value would you put on it if it was your sisters and brothers?

US based corporations have for years been teaming up with Haitian elite to run sweatshops teeming with tens of thousands of Haitians who earn less than $2 a day.

The Haitian people have resisted the economic and military power of the US and others ever since their independence. Like all of us, Haitians made their own mistakes as well. But US power has forced Haitians to pay great prices - deaths, debt and abuse.

It is time for the people of the US to join with Haitians and reverse the course of US-Haitian relations.

This brief history shows why the US owes Haiti Billions - with a big B. This is not charity. This is justice. This is reparations. The current crisis is an opportunity for people in the US to own up to our country's history of dominating Haiti and to make a truly just response.

Source: www.commondreams.org

Earthquake and colonial domination equal deadly combination in Haiti

2010-01-15T07:29:00.000-08:00

Earthquake and colonial domination equal deadly combination in Haiti

"Give a Gift to Your Community"

2010-01-13T12:49:00.000-08:00

Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden and Food Coop Program

2010-01-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

Valued member of the community,

Divine Leaders Inc. and The Shrine of the Black Madonna #10 of the Pan-African Orthodox Christian Church have partnered to implement the Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden and Food Cooperative Program. In doing so, your assistance as a member of the community is greatly needed. This gardening and food coop program will benefit our community by decreasing the amount of money a family spends on food which simultaneously decreases the transfer of wealth (for the purchase of that food) to entities outside our community. Participating volunteers will learn the many advantages of organic urban gardening as well as how to maintain an organic garden.

As a part of serving our community, The Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden and Food Coop Program will provide supplemental groceries for struggling senior citizens and single- parent households who currently live below the poverty line. A member of the community must refer eligible senior citizens. Single-parents must fill out mandatory documents to verify their income and the number of persons living in their home. Failure to produce these documents may cause ineligibility for the program.

Any interested individual or organization can help advance the above stated goals of the garden and food coop program in three different ways. A volunteer can either become a Land Cultivator, Financial Contributor, or an Earth Saver. Land Cultivators are those who donate their manual labor for the advancement of the purpose of the garden and coop program. Financial Contributors will be those who donate funds for the advancement of the garden and food coop program. A Land Cultivator, Financial Contributor, struggling senior citizens, or single-parent households will be the only groups who can directly benefit from what the garden produces. An Earth Saver is anyone who brings their recyclable paper goods to the recycle bin at the Shrine of the Black Madonna sanctuary located @ 5317 Martin L. King Blvd., Houston, TX 77021.

Any participating organization will become partners with Divine Leaders Inc. in administering a community service. For those in need of community service hours, documentation can be provided to show the time spent volunteering in the garden or food coop program. For individuals or organizations interested in becoming a Financial Sacrificer, your tax deductible donation should be made out to the Pan African Orthodox Christian Church. In the memo section please indicate that your donation is to the Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden. A letter of receipt will be provided for your records. Donations can be made to the program and the tax deduction will be given by The Shrine of the Black Madonna.

If there are any questions on how to volunteer or donate to the cause of the Marcus Garvey Liberation Garden and Food Coop Program feel free to call Cavanaugh Nweze at (832)262-8019 or send an email to cnweze@hotmail.com.

Attempting to make the struggle a little easier,

Cavanaugh Nweze

Divine Leaders, Inc., COO

The Shrine of the Black Madonna #10, Member

P.S.

For interested Earth Savers, the list of paper materials that can be recycled is below.

Things that can be recycled:			Things that CAN NOT be recycled:

Newspapers			Cardboard
Magazines			Cereal Boxes
Catalogs			Kitchen/Bathroom Paper Products
Direct Mail			Phone Books
Office Paper			Plastics
School Paper			Metals
Shredded Paper in clear plastic bags			Garbage