The life and legacy of urban warrior Sonny Abubadika Carson will be commemorated this Saturday in the People’s Republic of Brooklyn in acknowledgement of the 81st anniversary of his physical birth. Although he joined the ancestors Dec. 20, 2002, his immeasurable influence is still felt today.
“I miss the brother on his birthday,” reflected Carson’s comrade, Brother Atiim Ferguson. “I still feel that when we walk this Earth, those of us he left behind, he still walks with us.”
Carson’s contributions surpassed his revolutionary Black Power generation of the turbulent 1960s. His son Lumumba took the baton and projected positive images and delivered powerful messages throughout his hip-hop career where he was known as Professor X with the progressive group X Clan. He also had a relationship with Tupac Shakur, acknowledging him as his godson.
“Abubadika’s example is still relevant because Black people are still in the same genocidal predicament we were in when he passed,” noted Brother Tarik Haskins, also a close friend of Carson’s.
Black unity and community control were a couple of Carson’s primary objectives. It is well-known that his Black Men’s Movement Against Crack stabilized communities in Bed-Stuy and Brownsville during the torrent crack epidemic of the late ’80s/early ’90s.
“Sonny, Malcolm X, Dr. King and the Father Allah; all worked for the betterment of the people,” noted brother Ali Lamont Jr., chairman of the Committee to Honor Black Heroes. “Bottom line, it was about Black folks and how we advanced our cause. Even though they had different directions, Sonny supported all of them. It was the negroes he had a difference with.”
Many contend that Abubadika’s life can be utilized as a valuable lesson to learn from, noting how he went from being a gang member as a teen to eventually evolving into being a conscious African.
“The main thing that A.B. did on his trip to the Motherland was that he changed the door of no return, to the door of the returned,” indicated Brother Atiim. “That means that those souls that left there, who knew they would never come back and are ancestors now, could walk through that. Also, for those of us who are here, the door is open for us to come back and make the Motherland strong again and the world power she’s supposed to be!”
The event will be held at the dayroom at 305 Decatur St., Brooklyn, from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.