Sunday, Feb. 28, Harlem’s Clarke House (286 Convent Ave.) hosted “An Examination of the Work of Dr. Frances Cress-Welsing,” moderated by renowned scholar/author Dr. Marimba Ani. A capacity crowd filled the building’s first three floors as she conducted a PowerPoint presentation outlining Cress-Welsing’s lifetime scholarly achievements.
“The brilliance of Dr. Welsing’s leadership and vision in the development of intellectual weaponry was enhanced by her ability to move beyond the self-serving restrictions of the academy,” said Ani.
She laid out how she initially met Cress-Welsing in 1974 and was profoundly impressed by her work, specifically her debate against noted white supremacist William Shockley.
She then mentioned Cress-Welsing’s monumental book, “The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors,” and how it displays various examples of symbolism and other concepts relevant to reading how white supremacy functions, as well as its intended purpose and how it affects Black people.
“In this continual process of confrontation with the enemy,” explains Ani. “she put forth tenets and configured weapons which we can use to attack what had been perceived as the impenetrable fortress of racism/white supremacy.”
Throughout her more than three-hour presentation, Ani praised the pro-Black child psychiatrist who joined the ancestors this past Jan. 2, at 80 years of age.
“She defied the academy,” Ani stated, “knowing it was a product of the European world view, and the values and behaviors promulgated by white culture.”
Ani is a former professor of Black Studies at Hunter College and the author of “Yurugu.”
A memorial service for Cress-Welsing will be held Saturday, March 19, 2016, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, 1518 M Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
