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When Oprah Winfrey was discussing her motives for opening her leadership academy she said:
When I first started making a lot of money, I really became frustrated with the fact that all I did was write cheque after cheque to this or that charity without really feeling like it was a part of me,
I would like to reflect on that statement. Currently 2% of the world's population controls 50% of it's assets. In the United States, where the Olatunji Foundation is located, at the end of 2001, 10% of the population owned 71% of the wealth, and the top 1% controlled 38%. On the other hand, the bottom 40% owned less than 1% of the nation's wealth.
When we think of this reality we come to realize that most of us will not, as Oprah put it, “make a lot of money”. It is clear that if we Pan-Africanists were to wait until we are “making a lot of money” in order to build institutions, then these institutions will simply not be made. Realizing that most of us, especially those of us who adhere to ideologies that are dimly viewed by the mainstream, will not be in the small group of people who are “making a lot of money” the fact is that many of us will make enough money to have what is commonly referred to as “disposable income”.
Individually there are relatively few things that we can do with our money but as Pan-Africanists, we understand that we move forward by moving together. We do this by applying the principles of Ujamaa and Ujimaa, Collective Work and Responsibility and Cooperative Economics respectively. The Olatunji Foundation seeks to levy the power of our collective economic might to support students at black institutions which in turn supports black educational institutions.
What we are attempting to do is seed the next generation of educated black activists in various fields who have a clear understanding of who we are as African people and who are dedicating to applying themselves to addressing our issues on a worldwide scale in all areas of study and practice. What we want to create is an organizational and educational force where Olatunji Foundation Scholars will be sought by our people. They will be the equivalent or better of Rhodes and Fulbright scholars.
If we are not competing fully in the marketplace of ideas then we will have no one to blame and complain about other than ourselves. So let us put our resources where our mouths often are. Let us inspire and provide for the next generation of black leaders.
Thank you
Sondjata K. Olatunji
Founder
Olatunji Foundation for Pan-Africanism
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