United States Civil Rights Activists' song on Oginga Odinga of Kenya.MPG

In the month of February 2011, George Nyongesa visited United States and met with Mr. Hollis Watkins, an old civil rights activist from Jackson, Mississippi who was young and active community organizer during the 60s civil rights movement in the United States. Mr. Watkins was deeply involved in the civil rights struggle and has vivid memory of the America's dark days in the 50s and 60s. He told me of his admiration of Kenya's freedom fighter and people's leader the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. He narrated to me how America during the 60s besieged with global condemnation of how they were treating black people in America, attempted to down play black people's civil rights struggle by inviting world Presidents to fool them how things were different from what they were hearing from civil rights leaders Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jnr. Several activists organized a demonstration to the hotel where Oginga and other leaders were staying to demand they come out and hear the true story of black people in America. The dignitaries were refused to come out because of security but Jaramogi Oginga on hearing about the demonstration, forced himself through the tight security and went to meet with the thousands of black Americans that had gathered outside their hotel. He later petition the US government not to worry about pleasing the World leaders but should worry about the civil right of its citizens of color.Mr. Hollis Watkins continues with community organizing through an organization called Southern Echo ( www.southernecho.org ).
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George Nyongesa | National Coordinator, Bunge la Mwananchi | www.bungelamwananchi.org |Tel: +254 720 451 235 | email: grnyongesa@yahoo.com

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• kenya human rights
• Kenya grassroots