Republic of New Africa
The Republic of New Africa (RNA) is a black nationalist organization established in 1968 with the aim of achieving territorial separation for African Americans from the predominantly white society. It sought to form an independent nation within the "Black Belt," which encompasses parts of Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. The RNA's objectives included fostering cooperative economics based on the principles of "Ujamaa," promoting community self-sufficiency, and advocating for reparations from the U.S. government amounting to $10,000 per individual as compensation for the unfulfilled promise of "forty acres and a mule" to freed slaves.
In its pursuit of these goals, the RNA aimed to create a governing body for what it termed the "non-self-governing Blacks held captive within the United States," establishing consulates in several cities including New York and Washington, D.C. However, the organization faced significant opposition from the federal government, which viewed it as a security threat. This hostility resulted in confrontations with the FBI and local law enforcement, leading to the imprisonment of many of its leaders and diminishing the group’s influence over time. The Republic of New Africa remains a significant chapter in the history of black nationalism and civil rights activism in the United States.
Republic of New Africa
The Republic of New Africa (RNA) is a revolutionary black nationalist organization that was founded in 1968. Its objectives included territorial separation of African Americans from the dominant white society in the area of the five southern states considered the “Black Belt” (Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina); cooperative economics and community self-sufficiency (as defined by the Tanzanian principles of “Ujamaa”); and the collection of reparations from the U.S. government in the amount of ten thousand dollars per person to compensate for retrenchment of the Reconstruction promise of “forty acres and a mule” to freed slaves.
The Republic of New Africa formed a government for the “non-self-governing Blacks held captive within the United States.” “Consulates” were established in New York, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and Jackson, Mississippi. The RNA was seen as an internal threat to the security of the United States and targeted for attack by the US federal government. After several violent run ins with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and police, most of the group's leaders were imprisoned, lessening its influence.
Bibliography
"About the PG-RNA." Provisional Government: Republic of New Afrika. Provisional Government: Republic of New Afrika, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Davenport, Christian. How Social Movements Die: Repression and Demobilization of the Republic of New Africa. New York: Cambridge UP, 2015. Print.
Greve, Eric. "Republic of New Africa. (1968– )." BlackPast.org. BlackPast.org, 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Kimble, Nicholas D. "Republic of New Africa." Mississippi Freedom Movement. Brown University, Tougaloo College, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Van Deburg, William L. Modern Black Nationalism: From Marcus Garvey to Louis Farrakhan. New York: New York UP, 1997. Print.