Pan-African Congress Convenes
The Pan-African Congress represents a significant movement aimed at fostering unity among African peoples and individuals of African descent globally. The inaugural congress convened from July 23 to 25, 1900, in London, organized by Henry Sylvester Williams and other activists advocating for the rights and interests of Africans and their diasporas. At a time when most of sub-Saharan Africa was under European colonial rule, the congress sought to address issues of racial discrimination and promote African identity and heritage. Participants included representatives from various African interest organizations and a member of the Ethiopian government, highlighting Ethiopia's unique status as an independent nation. A notable moment came from W. E. B. DuBois, who emphasized the significance of racial equality in a powerful address. The outcomes of this congress laid the groundwork for future gatherings, such as the 1919 Pan-African Congress in Paris, which sought reforms in colonial governance. Overall, the Pan-African Congress symbolizes a collective effort to challenge racial injustices and advocate for the rights of people of African descent worldwide.
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Pan-African Congress Convenes
Pan-African Congress Convenes
The first Pan-African Congress took place from July 23 to July 25, 1900, in Westminster Town Hall in London, England. The Congress issued a variety of calls for greater unity among African peoples and persons of African descent around the world.
The Congress was organized by Henry Sylvester Williams, an attorney in London who was originally from Trinidad. He and several other pro-African activists had organized the African Association in 1897 to promote the interests of the native peoples in Africa and those of African descent in the Caribbean, which in previous centuries had been settled by large numbers of slaves forcibly transferred there from Africa. This was a daunting agenda at the time, when all of sub-Saharan Africa except for Ethiopia and Liberia had been colonized by the European powers. Ethiopia had maintained its independence, despite encroachments by the Italians, in large part because it was an ancient kingdom which went back to biblical times and had been Christianized for as long or longer than the European nations who professed to be bringing religion to the African heathens. Liberia had originally been established by freed American slaves and was able to use its historic connections with the United States to preserve its freedom. The rest of the region, however, had been carved up by the Europeans, and even the tiny nation of Belgium had vast domains there.
Attending the congress were a number of African interest organizations, a representative from the Ethiopian government, and various private persons. In addition to calling for greater unity and an end to racial discrimination, the members discussed such then-controversial topics as the African origin of the human race and voted to establish a permanent Pan-African Association. American civil rights activist W. E. B. DuBois gave a stirring speech entitled “To the Nations of the World,” during which he said, “The problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line, the question as to how far differences of race . . . are going to be made, hereafter, the basis of denying to over half the world the right of sharing to their utmost ability the opportunities and privileges of modern civilization.”
More Pan-African Congresses followed in future years, including the important Pan-African Congress of 1919, which called for improvements in the colonial governments of Africa. Held in Paris, France, it was endorsed by French prime minister Georges Clemenceau, a move which brought the Congress in particular and Pan-Africanism in general some badly needed publicity and respect.