Videos: Dr. E.Martin speech, click and watch,
https://youtu.be/QR4qjSMZxIA, and Howard Hewitt performing
https://youtu.be/qLb-DpglcuY .
*DuSable- Juneteenth- Tulsa Black Wall Street massacre-
Policing- School- Education-
Systemic Racism -Blacks and Brown Matter…
Dr. Ephraim Martin addresses the 2021 graduation
class of LLU in Tulsa, Oklahoma
(Tulsa, Ok, Nov. 5, 2021)
By Felicia Apprey
While still celebrating his Black Heroes Matter (BHM) Coalition historic victory that renamed the iconic Lake Shore Drive, as Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive (DLSD). Now, Dr. Ephraim Martin continues his victory laps of international media interviews and speaking engagements last Friday, when he was one of the Commencement speakers at the LLU-2021 graduation at the Cox Center -Legacy Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In his keynote speech, Martin, who received his Doctorate in Business Administration,
gave acknowledgement to his daughter Dana Martin, wife Justice Shelvin L. M. Hall,
Ret. Illinois Appellate Court and Co-Founder of the BHM Coalition, its forceful
members; Alderpersons David Moore and Sophia King- DuSable’ s ordinance sponsors,
and Mayor Lightfoot, who brokered the compromise for DLSD. Below is Dr. Martin
message to the graduates, which received great applause at the end.
“I know by now most of you must have seen on network television or read of our Black
Heroes Matter historic social justice victory that renamed one of the most iconic
driveways in Chicago and the country, Lake Shore Drive in honor of, Chicago’s
founding father, Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive, a Black man from the
Caribbean country of Haiti.
​
In 1779, over 240 years ago, DuSable established the first Trading Post in a place that is now known as Chicago, the third largest city in this country; But by virtue of the color of his skin, he was locked in the prison of Systemic Racism, was denied a Street, a Monument, and a city Holiday.
Although, for more than 25 years at our Martin’s International Special events, the Chicago Music Awards, the IRAWMA (International Reggae and World Music Awards), and the African/Caribbean International Festival of Life in Chicago, we have been calling for DuSable’s Justice. It was not until the brutal public murder of George Floyd, that our organization Martin’s International, and Justice Hall, established the Black Heroes Matter Coalition of
some 80 organizations, then linked up with ordinance sponsors Aldermen
David Moore and Sophia King that started the campaign which led to the
renaming of the iconic DuSable Lake Shore Drive on June 25th, 2021, with
the unveiling and installation of the signs on October 21st last month.
George Floyd did not die in vain! God works in a mysterious way! Floyd died,
so that others would live, that historic changes would come, that Police
brutality could be better exposed, and that Systemic Racism primarily against
Black and Brown-days can be numbered.
Oklahoma! George Floyd died six days short of the 99th year of the Tulsa Race
massacre, in the Greenwood District which started May 31, 1921, that wiped
out Oklahoma and America’s, Black Wall Street, with more than one hundred
of our Black professionals and others executed!
Yes, the death of Floyd, allowed for proper recognition of Tulsa’s one hundred anniversary/centennial of the destruction of Greenwood, Black Wall Street, last May 2021.
Floyd’s death allowed for Juneteenth (June 19th) to be celebrated, each year, as a national holiday, State holiday, and for America to face its evil past and confront the evil of the present.
To all the graduates and attendees this evening, I beseech you to take a deeper interest in history, especially, the history of Black people, in this country and everywhere, globally. The story cannot be told unless you search for it.
As you learn more about your history, culture and spiritually, please share the same with your kids, grand-children, and others.
As Marcus Mosiah Garvey said, “A Nation Without the Knowledge
of its History, Culture and Religion is like a Tree without Roots.
For more than four hundred years, people of African descent have
been affected by revolting issues more than we care to talk about.
I urge you tonight to seek a social issue that you deeply care about,
and to fight for that change until victory is won!
In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King. “Our lives begin to end the
day we become silent about things that matter.”
Again, I congratulate and salute all of you tonight and ask that you put your achievements to work, not just for yourselves but for the greater good of others.,” Dr. Ephraim Martin, concluded.
Other Doctoral recipients include Veteran R&B Artist Howard Hewitt, who gave an outstanding performance, and Oklahoma State Senator and Gubernatorial Candidate Dr. Susan Collins, among others.
Ephraim will be celebrating three specials 40th Anniversary in 2022, namely, 40th Chicago Music Awards (CMA) Anniversary on February 26th, @ chicagomusicawards; the 40th Anniversary of the IRAWMA (international Reggae and World Music Awards), Sunday, May 1st in Kingston, Jamaica, @irawma, and the 40th Anniversary on 1325 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago South Loop. In addition to his July 4th weekend, 29th African/Caribbean International Festival of Life (IFOL), and the 6th JSVFest (Jerk, Seafood and Vegan Fest), September 10th and 11th, Chicago.
Please visit www.martinsinternational.com to learn more about all the extraordinary events and activities over the last forty years, as we continue to strive to “Bringing Nations Together Through Music and Culture”.
For more information contact Felicia Apprey at Appreyf@gmail.com.
Thanks.
